There?s a quiet revolution going on in America's rural areas and suburbs.
We've written numerous times over the years about the best generators you can buy for your home (and how to use them). If you've ever used a portable gas engine generator, you know it's about as loud as a lawnmower. But around the country, homeowners are installing standby generators powered by propane or natural gas.
You?d have to hear one to understand just how quiet it is, which is why we included the video clip above. If you?re inside the house, you can?t tell a gas engine standby generator is running. Most of these generators turn on automatically when the power goes out, and homeowners who use them have often found themselves unaware that their home is running on standby power until they learn that their neighbors are in the dark.
On Tuesday I went with a crew from Russo Brothers, a plumbing and heating contractor in East Hanover, N.J. to install one of these machines. It?s the kind of trip that I like to take?one of the company?s managers, Pat Porzio, is a contributor to Popular Mechanics, and tagging along with him gives me realistic insight into how difficult one of these jobs can be. It?s also a chance for me to get my hands dirty while working with young electricians and plumbers, which keeps my skills fresh and my sense of humor limber.
The crew installed this 14-kw Generac generator at a beautiful home in Basking Ridge, N.J. It sits on a freshly installed concrete slab and is tucked neatly into the home?s landscaping. You could walk by the flower bed where it?s located and miss it, yet the mechanical work required to install it was substantial. It required gas piping, 120- and 240-volt wiring, control wiring for the home?s thermostats, and a variety of mechanical odds and ends.
Helping out on the job, I started with a screwdriver in my back pocket, and by day?s end I was carrying an electrician?s hammer, two different types of shears, needle nose pliers, side-cutting linesmen pliers, a wire stripper multi-tool, curved jaw diagonal pliers, a straight blade screwdriver, a multi-bit screwdriver, a center punch, a pin punch, and a utility knife.
For the most part, the installation of one of these machines is no place for amateurs. Luckily, Porzio is well equipped to run these jobs. A mechanical engineer with two trades licenses (electrical contractor and master plumber), he?s got the brains and mechanical know-how, as well as a knack for dealing with the platoon of young tradesmen on hand. Looking with satisfaction on the work of his colleagues, Porzio nods and gives them high praise (or at least what passes for high praise in the building trades): "Yeah, these guys do nice work."
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