Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46452 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Guardian
• Model: 04390
• Dimensions: 28.25" h x 24.00" w x 48.00" l, 487.00 pounds

Features

• 15,000/13,000 watt model with 12 circuits that is completely pre-packaged for easy installation
• System supplies back up power within 30 seconds, so you won't have to lift a finger when utility power fails
• Includes: Automatic Transfer Switch with built-in emergency load center, 30 ft. and 2 ft. pre-wired conduits, pre-wired external connection box, composite mounting pad, 1 ft. flexible fuel line and "Do-It-Yourself Instalation Guide"
• Powerful OHVI overhead valve industrial engine with pressurized lubrication and spin-on oil filter for long life
• Runs on your home's fuel system - Natural gas or LP gas and automatically exercises itself once a week for 12 minutes

From the Manufacturer
No home should be without protection from electrical power outages. Guardian monitors the utility line voltage around the clock to ensure that you always have the electricity you need.The Guardian responds within 30 seconds of utility failure and will power the circuits you choose to be the most critical needs in your home. When utility power is restored the Guardian returns your critical circuits to utility power and stands ready for the next outage. Sizing is simple. You match circuits supplied in the Guardian's emergency load center to those in your main electrical distribution panel. The Guardian's load center supplies 8 circuits (7kW-AC), 10 circuits (12kW-AC) or 12 circuits (15kW-AC). Be sure to select the number of circuits you would like to cover before choosing your generator. Note: A 240 volt circuit breaker (twice as wide, takes up two spots in your main panel and toggles are connected) is equal to 2 circuits.

Customer Reviews

Excellent package
I ordered this generator from Amazon about 3 weeks ago, and while the web page said that it was out of stock ("in stock soon"), I received an email from Amazon about 12 hours later that said it had shipped. Can't beat that!

The generator comes mounted on a wooden pallet, and weighs something around 600 lbs as shipped. Mine came on a full-size tractor-trailer (ABF Freight), and so couldn't be delivered to my house (rural, narrow roads). I met the driver and he was able to lower his liftgate to the level of my tailgate and just the two of us were able to get the thing into my pickup truck.

Along with being 600lbs, the box itself is around 3ft high by 2ft wide by 4ft long, so plan accordingly. Note that the transfer switch and breaker box are removeable from the package, and that probably removes 50 lbs or so of weight.

The generator comes set up to run on natural gas from the factory. I need to run it on LP gas, so I had to re-jet it. This is mostly clearly explained in the manual (all available online, btw) and only took about 15 mins once I figured out where to look. You need a foot or so of clearance behind the generator to adjust things during this step, so if you're planning on placing the generator close to your house, it will be easier to re-jet it first.

The wiring installation was very straightforward, and there is an included booklet that shows the installation steps in a clear and concise way. If you've got some experience with wiring, and understand generally how distribution panels, breakers, and branch circuits work, you should be able to do this with no problem.

The included transfer switch, breaker box, and associated wiring are all of very high quality and are clearly marked and color coded. Taking my time, it took me about a day and a half to mount the box next to my old breaker box, run the wiring from the generator through the garage wall, and pass the circuits from the old breaker box to the new one.

The manual has a detailed testing section (for after-installation testing) which takes about half an hour to run through. Once you're sure you've gotten everything wired up correctly, there is a detailed break-in procedure, which takes about 3 hours to go through. You basically run the generator at no-load, half-load, and full-load, each for an hour or so. Once that's done, you can change the oil and filter and you're good to go.
(Note, the filter it uses is the same one used on the Toyota Prius, so you can pick them up at any auto-parts store)

When on automatic, there is a delay of 15-20 seconds before the generator supplies power after utility power is lost. This means that you still need a UPS of some sort if you're trying to protect computers. I did have some trouble with my APC Smart-UPS, which didn't like the power supplied by this generator. Voltage was ok (in the 124v range), so it was either frequency or waveform that the UPS didn't like. I haven't yet narrowed that down. However, many UPS' have an adjustable sensitivity to these things. In my case, I was able to tell the UPS to be less picky and all is well now.

Some last observations:

Effeciency-wise, this generator claims to use 2.4 gallons of LP gas at full load (15KW) - which is almost twice as efficient as my old LP generator (about 15 years old).

Noise-wise, this generator is not as quiet as I had hoped. It claims to be ~72 decibels, and it may be - but I wouldn't want it mounted outside my bedroom window. In my case, it's mounted about 100ft from the house and I can just barely hear a hum when the door is closed. But I think it would be annoying if it were placed next to the house.

The weather-proof box the generator comes in is wonderful. It's all-steel with an enamel coating, locks, and comes mouse-proofed from the factory. Normal access to the generator and controls is through the top, which opens upward, but you can also remove the front panel to get the engine if you need to. Oil changes are easy with the fron panel removed, as they've conveniently connected a rubber hose to the drain plug. You unclip the house, unscrew the stopper, and the oil runs out. It's very well thought out.

04390-03 NEW model number
This back up generator is an excellent piece of equipment when purchased for the right reasons. That would be as a stand by unit for use in power failures of relatively short durations, from one to ten days.

If you live off-grid, and are thinking of buying this unit for your primary back up unit which will eventually run hundreds and hundreds of hours, lots of them continuously, you are buying the wrong item. Generac developed this as a lightweight. When used as it was designed it is unbeatable.

If you need a constant source of power Generac offers water cooled models, same KW rating, that you can run forever and ten days. Better yet, get a diesel.

I saw a review from some guy off grid complaining about how it held up for him. He was probably running it at max capacity for days on end. Yep, it will get hot, but note that it does have shutdown devices which stop it if it over heats or over revs.

For 95% of us, this is more generator backup than we will ever need.

By the way, the problem with the high volume of NG required to run it has been fixed. Just make sure the model you buy has -03 at the end, and not 01 or 02.

I own 3 of these now, and am ordering my 4th from Amazon. The first has just over 980 hours on it. It still runs beautifully. Just keep it tuned and change the oil and filter even sooner than the book requires.

Finally, there is a 200 hour break in for this model. 50 hours at 25% load, 50 at 50%, 50 at 75%, and 50 fully loaded. Do take the time to do this and you'll have a generator that will far exceed your expectations.

Sirwriter

The Ultimate Home Security System for Your Family
We had the Generac 15kw generator installed in our new home construction about two years ago. 15 kw is adequate for emergency power for nearly any home, although larger models are available if you wanted to power everything in your house.

The generator has performed exactly as described without a hitch since our original startup. It automatically excercises itself once a week to keep the battery charged and everything working.

The current pricing on this item is outstanding--our construction schedule forced us to buy just before the big Y2K event. Prices are now around half what they were. Installation will go most smoothly with an electrician who is familiar with these systems which have been adapted for home use, so I would recommend locating the electrician before ordering. Routine maintenance is basically like servicing a car engine, can be done by nearly anyone. The nicest thing of all is that the unit is connected to our natural gas line, so we never have to worry about fuel.

This was an investment in our home I made mostly for my wife. I've never regretted it. We love it.