Generator gas plumbing and regulator

11 years ago

I am going to be installing a standby generator... got all my numbers together... contacted the gas company. My current meter has to be upsized to handle the cfm requirements... no problem. Problem comes in with the pressure. My current regulator is 5-7" WC. The generator requires 7-11. All my house appliances are good up to 10.5". So, I assumed that the gas company would just give me a 7-9" regulator like I see on MANY other homes. NO! They tell me they are standardizing on installations for generators, and will only give me 1 lb pressure (28") and it is my job to drop it down from there.

If the Kohler generator says it will work on 7-11, does that mean it will work just as well at 7 as it will at 11 or would it work better at the higher end of the range? I will need a plumber to install a 5-7" regulator for my house and another for the generator... what would be the best size regulator for the Kohler 20RES generator that will run on 7-11" of pressure? The generator is right next to the meter and will have a 1-1/4" pipe.

I would appreciate info from anyone who has been through this!

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Comments (4)

jscozz
Original Author
11 years ago
Correction, the generator specs say it will run on 5-11". My gas co installed house regulator is currently 5-7". Would I still be better off running the generator on a separate tap off the 1psi gas co feed and a separate regulator? Would that ensure better flow to the generator and no issues in the house while generator is running? If so, what size regulator for the generator?

Thanks!
jscozz
Original Author
11 years ago
Can anyone provide feedback?
lazypup
11 years ago
Assuming the lines are sized correctly for the CFM load, your pressure is fine....

And i doubt very seriously if they would allow you to make a second tap on the main..

In most jurisdictions they only allow one tap on the main for each residential structure.
jscozz
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks... what I meant was, leave it as it is now and have 5-7" going to house AND genertaor, OR having the gas co put a 7-9 or 8-10 regulator on their side, and on my side, put that right into the generator, but use an additional 5-7 on the house.

The gas company has been NO help at all... weeks have gone by and I still have no answers... except now, their initial info about feeding my 1lb and me being responsible for all regulation now seems to NOT be the policy any more... it should not be this difficult!

Just curious if the Kohler (or any other model) generator works equally as well at the low end of their required pressure range as they do at the top (assuming large enough pipe size) or whether being at the top of the range will give me better operation at high load.