Guardian Maintenance Kit for 20kW Home Standby Generators

After experiencing a 24 hour power outage last winter, my wife finally agreed to the purchase and installation of a whole house emergency generator system. I had been advocating for years, and had a portable 7000w standby generator that never worked when we needed it. The tipping point came with a large snowstorm that prevented travel to her office and loss of power at the same time. She had no computer access!

We have natural gas for all utilities but most(other than range) won't work without electricity. So it was cold and dark for a day. It really wasn't that bad, my wife accuses me of having a boy scout complex. I tend to be prepared for nearly anything. We don't have many of these storms in our area. But in the last year we've been threatened with a hurricane, tornadoes and an earthquake.

Each time we awaited with guilty glee the interruption of our electric service and the wonderful sound of our generator starting up. I especially seek vindication for the financial investment. Hasn't happened. So, if you want to guarantee that your power will never go out, buy a generator. We all pay insurance for products that we hope we'll never use. This can be considered another form of insurance that is worthwhile if never used.

I'll re-post an evaluation if the situation changes. I look forward to hosting my neighbors when I'm the only one with heat and light! So far I have to be satisfied with the reassuring weekly scheduled exercise start-up.

After experiencing a 24 hour power outage last winter, my wife finally agreed to the purchase and installation of a whole house emergency generator system. I had been advocating for years, and had a portable 7000w standby generator that never worked when we needed it. The tipping point came with a large snowstorm that prevented travel to her office and loss of power at the same time. She had no computer access!

We have natural gas for all utilities but most(other than range) won't work without electricity. So it was cold and dark for a day. It really wasn't that bad, my wife ac... more

I live on the coast of NC. Subject to the occasional hurricane(Irene on the way). Power is frequently out. I've been contemplating a standby generator for years and finally did it. Ordering from EGD was simple with good help. Delivery was smooth with the help of my neighbor and his fork lift.

My electrical contractor co. was well versed in the generator and had been to "Generac School". they set it up and wired in the smart switch and did a test run after the gas man connected the propane. I can't begin to tell you how comforting it is for me and my wife to know that we will have power the next time it goes out!!!

I live on the coast of NC. Subject to the occasional hurricane(Irene on the way). Power is frequently out. I've been contemplating a standby generator for years and finally did it. Ordering from EGD was simple with good help. Delivery was smooth with the help of my neighbor and his fork lift.

My electrical contractor co. was well versed in the generator and had been to "Generac School". they set it up and wired in the smart switch and did a test run after the gas man connected the propane. I can't begin to tell you how comforting it is for me and my wife to know that ... more

I will write a review for my hubby. I 'fought' him for years about getting a generator. Now I wish we had done it sooner. We have had the power go out three times in the first two weeks we had it.

No lost food. Life went on. We could do laundry. We could use the computer. We could watch TV. Oh, and yes, we had AC!! First time the power was out five hours - squirrel + transformer. Second and third times were from the storms - once for 29 hours and the other for 12 hrs.

So, I am very happy. We didn't get the quietest one, but the sound doesn't bother us or the neighbors. So, thank you Generac (and the guys that installed it)

I will write a review for my hubby. I 'fought' him for years about getting a generator. Now I wish we had done it sooner. We have had the power go out three times in the first two weeks we had it.

No lost food. Life went on. We could do laundry. We could use the computer. We could watch TV. Oh, and yes, we had AC!! First time the power was out five hours - squirrel + transformer. Second and third times were from the storms - once for 29 hours and the other for 12 hrs.

So, I am very happy. We didn't get the quietest one, but the sound doesn't bother ... more

The generator was installed in November of 2009 and worked problem free from then. When the yellow light came on, I had to go to the manual to find out what the light indicated.

Ordered the maintenance kit on line and had it in my hands within 4 days. I was impressed!

The directions and illustrations were top shelf and the installation went without a problem. I will have to come up with something else to hold the old oil rather than the gallon milk bottle I tried initially. I want to drain the oil into a container that will fit within the unit instead of having to go over the lip of the enclosure.

The generator was installed in November of 2009 and worked problem free from then. When the yellow light came on, I had to go to the manual to find out what the light indicated.

Ordered the maintenance kit on line and had it in my hands within 4 days. I was impressed!

The directions and illustrations were top shelf and the installation went without a problem. I will have to come up with something else to hold the old oil rather than the gallon milk bottle I tried initially. I want to drain the oil into a container that will fit within the unit instead of ha... more

I am the installer. For the most part everything went well.

The space to wire into the generator is extremely tight.. For the 100 amp max of the generator, #2 wire is the minimum. I used a finer strand of wire than standard, and even it was a bit-h to get into place. Also the neutral lug on the generator was only large enough for at most a #6 wire, not the #2 required, and there was no room to install a larger lug.

The wiring diagram on the generator did not match the manual for the control wires. The unit did not want to start. I had bled the air from the line to the generator, but there is no provision for getting the air out of the fuel system inside the unit.

Finally I gave it some propane directly into the air intake. After it finally started, I was able to complete the testing of the ATS with no problems.

All in all, the unit seems to be a fair item for the price. I wouldn't recommend it for frequent heavy use, but for its intended use, it should last a long time.

EGD RESPONDS: Should you need technical support from Generac, their toll free number is (888) 436-3722.

I am the installer. For the most part everything went well.

The space to wire into the generator is extremely tight.. For the 100 amp max of the generator, #2 wire is the minimum. I used a finer strand of wire than standard, and even it was a bit-h to get into place. Also the neutral lug on the generator was only large enough for at most a #6 wire, not the #2 required, and there was no room to install a larger lug.

The wiring diagram on the generator did not match the manual for the control wires. The unit did not want to start. I had bled the air from th... more

The customer service for the local utility (South Carolina Electric & Gas) has degraded yearly for the last 17 years.

When I first moved into my retirement home, they would respond in less than 30 minutes to remove downed trees from the power lines. 17 years later they now take days to respond.

Last year I lost power on an average of once a month. I lost everything in my freezer (all my garden vegetables, all my venison, all the beef I had packaged ---a very large freezer and everything rotten).

Now my wife is disabled and her medicine is very expensive and must be kept at a certain temperature. When the power went out last month, the utility company would not respond even though they knew my wife's condition. I had to remove two trees myself (yes, I know it is dangerous).

When they finally showed up (there was one large branch I could not remove because it was intertwined between both hot wires) a full day had passed and my wife's medicine was worthless. The local utility said "it was not their problem." So I decided to install a whole house generator, and chose the Generac Guardian 20K.

Very pleased with my choice. Exceptionally pleased with the delivery. Not pleased with installation charges. There are so few electricians here who service generators, they can pretty well charge what they want. I could do the work myself, but it had to be done by a licensed electrician to honor the warranty.

Very pleased with Electric Generators Direct telephone contacts. They patiently answered all my questions. They are what makes this company the very best. Thanks guys.

The customer service for the local utility (South Carolina Electric & Gas) has degraded yearly for the last 17 years.

When I first moved into my retirement home, they would respond in less than 30 minutes to remove downed trees from the power lines. 17 years later they now take days to respond.

Last year I lost power on an average of once a month. I lost everything in my freezer (all my garden vegetables, all my venison, all the beef I had packaged ---a very large freezer and everything rotten).

Now my wife is disabled and her medicine i... more

I purchased my generator after the ice storm of '08 in NH. I have used it a few times since then.

I recently purchased a couple of maintenance kits as I have had trouble finding the correct oil filters at outdoor power equipment stores in my area.

It would be nice if your kit contained the oil as well. Another plus would be if you sold the oil filters separately. It seems you have the filters for some separately but not for my particular model.

I would think that if you had them in three packs or twelve packs like other models it would be helpful.

EGD RESPONDS: We will pass along your request to the folks at Generac and will be happy to consider carrying more kits if they become available.

I purchased my generator after the ice storm of '08 in NH. I have used it a few times since then.

I recently purchased a couple of maintenance kits as I have had trouble finding the correct oil filters at outdoor power equipment stores in my area.

It would be nice if your kit contained the oil as well. Another plus would be if you sold the oil filters separately. It seems you have the filters for some separately but not for my particular model.

I would think that if you had them in three packs or twelve packs like other models it would be helpful... more