Generator recommendation

Gregg,
Depending where he is in NORCAL will be a large determining factor.
I lived at 3500' on I 80 and when I did the addition on my home there the first thing I did was buy a GENERAC fully automated propane 9KW unit with a 100 amp Auto Transfer switch and 200 amp disconnect switch as part of the addition.
Just the unit and required switches cost about $9K. I did the work myself. All legal and permitted.
You can't live without power many days in a row if you are on a well, you have to have water.
As far as commercial; the company I worked for couldn't be without power. Emergency communications and certain systems were critical, so we had a 35KW fully automated propane, Chevy V-8 GENERAC unit. The propane tank was 1000 gallon and it was dedicated to the standby generator.
Another company local facility that had all our crews headquartered there. Communications and ability to fuel all of our vehicles and communications were critical there also.
The unit we had there was a fully automated 75KW GENERAC diesel unit with a belly tank that held approx. 200 gallons. But since it was located next to the fueling tanks, we had another 2000 gallons backup on hand.
This was is Placer County and as far as I know none of these were subjected to Carbon Credit payments when operating.
However we had other facilities that had diesel standby's in the 1000KW's range and that unit was subject to the Carbon Credits payments. Probably based on size, County and Local governments.

I worked in this arena for 36 years and my suggestion would be to contact GENERAC Power Systems. (No I didn't work for them or a competitor) GENERAC will send out a System Engineer to load survey and find out your brother's specific requirements. Such as medically critical circuits, base load, filtered power, best fuel type unit to use, etc. And give him an idea where a ballpark cost would be. Including County permitting requirements, carbon credits payments if needed, etc.
Then they would give him a bid of specific project costs. They would manage entire project and ALL permits and paperwork. They are a State of Calif. licensed contractor and a very reputable company.

This is where I would start if he is bent on this project. He may find out that Cost vs Benefit may not be what he thought.
~C

 

Thanks all, he's been in touch with Generac and budgeted a very healthy figure for unit and installation. I guess he feels the ROI will be there when he retires his practice and sells the building in about ten years.

 

You are forgetting the security as I assume this isn't a 24/7 operation. Like locked fencing, enclosures, and/or Armed Guards to make sure the fuel doesn't get borrowed. Smaller gensets can also walk away. Week long emergency "anything goes" including riots. Maybe this place is in a good area?

Keeping the genset quiet may help like with a Zombie Box.

https://www.zombie-box.com/

 

He has a fairly large property footprint and a field to the rear so I don't think noise will be an issue but that Zombie box is good recommendation for security. Also has an excellent indoor/outdoor video security system which I assume is because of the products stored for surgery etc. I really know nothing about these Gen' systems but from what I gather he and the other docs' agree that the instability within Ca. and PG&E flipping the switch can be catastrophic for a medical practice that also does surgeries. Wouldn't want to be on the table getting rid of the cataracts when Newsome calls PG&E and says, "Flip the switch."

 

Im not any home, but the 290 Cummins attached to a 480 V 3 Phase generator ( Been rewired to produce LOTS & LOTS OF 240 V) IS WHAT YOUR BROTHER NEEDS The only problem I have, and its not really a problem is that it dosent come on automatically. It can be done but its cost prohibitive compared to putting on my slippers and coat and going outside to turn the key. I usually feed the wood boiler for heat to prevent DUAL TRIPS in the cold

 

The Gel set I have uses a Cummins 290 its a 1700 to 2100 RPM engine when its producing peak power the RPM is 1850 its HARDY a FUEL- GULPER I set the throttle lock and its ran at 1850 for 28 hours on the truck fuel tank (I think its 150 gallon) no fuel gage other than a glass tube that I tapped fittings in the end of the tank TOP & BOTTOM with the glass tube that indicates the level of the fuel remaining. It still had fuel left in the tank when I added some more to make sure I didn't need to do it in the middle of the second night of running. I don't know about the newer Gen-Sets this one has some kind of Gear box that can be used to set the RPM & voltage output to a desired range.

When I was looking for a generator I ran into this website https://www.govplanet.com/Generator+Sets I was all set to buy one when I found the one I have now, so my Son & daughter bought gen sets for their use. They both had low hours one was 10 Hrs the other was 25? or so. we brought them home changed the fluids, filters, thermostats & belts fired them up and have had no problems. I will say that a competent electrician needs to do the hook up its NOT like your plug & play gensets you buy at Home Cheap-O or Doe's. Another thing is that ALL generators need to be exercised to keep things running when the time comes that they'er really needed.

 

@BoeingDiesel "surgeries" - maybe should have started with that. In that case it can be quoted two ways: Everything powered and this gets you like a V16 diesel monster that isn't hardly loaded... Or just the essentials like the surgery room, AC for that room, and little else. Smaller genset and less fuel use. I can get by on 4-6.5KW, yet, every contractor I have asked wants to throw a 20KW unit at my house. Something about rated for the breakers not actual load...

He should quote a Kohler set as well.

Battery backup is also useful for covering genset start up time so the surgery equipment doesn't do weird stuff.

At the end of it all a power outage, on generator power, is still an emergency! I wouldn't be starting a surgery on gen power because Murphy's law. Fuel filters plug, engines fail, generators fail, fuel is stolen, transfer switches fail. Work has destroyed more than one set of vaccines and refrigerated/frozen meds due to generator and related transfer switch failure.

We had a local Casino close for long while because a monsoon rain got so bad the gensets flooded out and somehow burned up all the electrical.

 

All good advice. Just so you know; I copy and paste all of your reply's to my bro' so he can get a better scope of what is entailed in a project like this. A little update; the incoming main branches off to (3) sub-panels and each of those have (22 ) breakers that total around 475 amps per panel.
Thanks everyone...I've learned quite a bit from your comments and advice and will put that to good use when I can finally move us out of this state. gregg

 

Just thought I'd share my setup:

Here are my generator and solar transfer panels, meters, and main power panel.

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And inside my genset. Checked fluids.

Cheers, Ron[/ATTACH]

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Quite a sophisticated setup. Does it serve more than just your home. At this very minute I’m getting by on a Generac 12,500 with manual disconnect. We’ve been told to expect power to be restored by late Sat night.

 

Man oh Man Ron, you would think you are running a SAC base. . Any Silo's hanging around ?

 

Ron, is that Deere powered?

 

Friends,

It supports my home, the mancave, and the storage building next to the genset.

I can neither confirm nor deny that there have been any launches from this facilty, er ah, my home. Old days of AFCC, I was the Generator Monitor for our facility, responsible for monthly full load runups and training alternates to operate the genset. it was manual cutover and in bad weather, we operated under generator power.

It is a Deere.

Cheers, Ron

 

Is it safe to assume you didn't take it home one piece at a time?

 

Yep, in my lunch pail.