Backup Generators & Water Temp Check

Inspiring Better Homeownership. For Serious Homeowners seeking Practical Solutions.

Author

Adam Rich
February 13, 2025

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Home Electrical Generators - The Options

What companies make whole home generators?

In this article, we are focused on “whole home” electrical generators. These are generators which can power everything in a typical home and permanently installed at your home (they are not portable).

If the power goes out, these generators turn on automatically and start powering your home!

Some people use smaller (portable) generators to power select items in their home. We will not discuss those generators here. There are many dozen options for these smaller generators.

An electrical breaker panel. We are focused here on power generators which generate enough power to serve this entire panel.

Depending on the size of your home, you will need a generator with capacity between 14 kiloWatt (14,000 Watts) and 26 kiloWatt.

  • These would be intended to power everything in your home under normal operations.

  • These size generators are typically “air cooled”, meaning they don’t use a more complicated liquid cooled system.

We will focus on these sizes below. Some of these manufacturers have smaller and larger units than those listed. You should consult with your electrician about which size is right for you.

The manufactures and details are as follows:

  • Honeywell - Link to Website

    • Company founded in 1906.

    • US Company (North Carolina).

    • kiloWatt Options: 14, 18, 22, 26

    • Note: These are rebranded Generac Units!!!

  • Champion - Link to Website

    • Company founded in 2003.

    • US Company (Nevada).

    • kiloWatt Options: 14, 22

  • Briggs and Stratton - Link to Website

    • Company founded in 1908.

    • US Company (Interestingly like Kohler and Generac below, they are in Wisconsin).

    • kiloWatt Options: 18, 22, 26

  • Kohler - Link to Website

    • Company founded in 1873.

    • US Company (Interestingly like Generac, they are in Wisconsin).

    • kiloWatt Options: 14, 20, 22, 24, 26

  • Cummins - Link to Website

    • Company founded in 1919.

    • US Company (Indiana).

    • kiloWatt Options: 17, 20, 25

    • Note: Of all the brands listed here, this was the only company to make it really difficult to see their products designed for home use. Their website was also the slowest.

  • Generac - Link to Website

    • Company founded in 1959.

    • US Company (Wisconsin).

    • kiloWatt Options: 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26 (Note: This is too many options (old product lines?), so I would be careful to select only the “latest” models)

The costs to install a 26kW generator, will generally look like this. You must know that installation cost really does vary a lot (± $5,000) depending on your homes arrangement.

  • Equipment and Materials - $10,000 (The products above are similarly priced).

  • Labor - $6,000 (This is usually a multi-day, multi-tech job)

Things to consider when purchasing a generator:

  • Noise - Review the decibel (dB) ratings.

  • Warranty

  • Parts Availability

  • Service Availability (What authorized dealers are in your area)

  • Fuel Type - Generally Natural Gas is used, but some models accept Propane as well.

Enjoy this newsletter? Forward to your fellow serious homeowners!

Maintenance - Water Temperature Check

Water Temperature at a Bath Sink Faucet. This water is just a little bit too hot. Exceeding the maximum 120 degrees required.

According to the International Plumbing Code (IPC), the maximum water temperature at a fixture for bathing or washing purposes should be 120°F (49°C), meaning that showers, bathtubs, and similar fixtures should be set to deliver water at or below this temperature to prevent scalding injuries.

You can check your water temperature using a cooking thermometer or equivalent.

  1. Let your sink faucet hot water run until the water feels the warmest

  2. Hold your thermometer under the stream of water until the temperature reading on your thermometer reaches a level reading.

  3. If your temperature is too high, you can turn down the temperature on your home’s water heater (a little bit at a time) and check again in about a day.

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