Kohler 17KWRESNT - Peace of mind,
March 18, 2009
By Anonymous from Northeast CT
"Ordered this residential generator & transfer switch package from Northern Tool after losing power for the 3rd time this year.
This 17Kw unit with the 200 Amp transfer switch is more power than we need, easily handling the whole house, and we didn't have to pick and choose which circuits we can live without.
The unit was delivered by truck on time as promised. Luckily I had fork lift tines on my tractor to unload the palletized unit from the truck. Make sure they deliver it with a lift gate truck if you don't have a fork lift handy. You will need to be able to move a 500# pallet if you order this unit.
I was able to prep the unit and convert to LP gas within a couple minutes. The installation manual was very usable.
Installation was pretty easy, just a couple yards of compacted gravel and 1/2" minus stone cover for drainage was all I needed for the site. Then I let the professionals plumb in the LP gas and hook up the electrical end.
Test ran perfectly on the first try and every weekend I anxiously await the self test cycle.
We no longer have to deal with lugging water and tending the wood stove during our frequent power outages. With this unit I can continue shopping at Northern Tool on-line while the rest of the road is in the dark.
The only drawback was finding a carburetor heater needed when operating in below freezing weather. I had to order it through a jobber who had to order it directly from Kohler and drop ship it to my house. It would be nice if Kohler included it with the package or maybe NT can offer it as an accessory in the catalog. Be ready to buy one of these for this unit if you want your generator to run on LP gas in freezing weather and they are not cheap. Oh, by the way finding a battery with the recommended 575 CCA that fits within the battery space dimensions is a little challenging too."
What is your level of technical expertise? Home Handyman
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
