The starter motor failed within the first 6 months. The installer did not correctly diagnose the problem, and Generac was of no help. It was only after I found a post on the Internet about this problem that I was able to get the generator fixed. Generac "played dumb" not acknowledging that
they had many problems with the starter and finally replaced it with an improved unit. The cabinet is now rusting out, even though I waxed it annually and sprayed the interior with WD-40 several times a year. The generator is very loud and fuel consumption is high.

I installed my 15KW propane powered backup generator myself, having an electrician do a first class installation as well as a licensed plumber to do the propane. We also put a 1,000 gallon propane tank in the lawn to run it. From the beginning, it has done everything exactly as specified by Generac and worked flawlessly during the few power outages. In one case it ran for almost a week and we were the only house in the neighborhood with power. You've got to maintain it EXACTLY as specified in the manuals... Be warned that the starter's fail regularly on these units after 5 or so years. Our local generac dealer will not service any unit without first signing up to a very expensive service contract. The starter is about $500 for the part alone. So unless you are willing to endure a shakedown, better be prepared to service everything yourself.

We have finally had a chance to see the generator work for real. Even though it tests itself every Saturday, last week was the first time our power went out since the generator was installed. The generator kicked in flawlessly, it worked as it was supposed to. We are extremely pleased.

Once installed perfoms flawlessly. Haven't have a bad storm yet. so far so good.

As a standby generator for our community water system wells, I have purchased three of these units from Amazon over the past three years (one in 2004, 2005, & 2006). These units weigh over 600lbs and must be delivered by common carrier. Although our community roads are narrow, it was no problem getting them delivered to the sites. The generator comes on a wood skid with a cardboard carton attached. It was easy for two people to slide it off the skid onto a gravel prepared site. The unit has its own heavy plastic base.

The generator comes setup to run on natural gas. In our case we needed to convert it to run on propane. This is done by unscrewing the intake hose from one port and screwing it into another. For propane you will need a minimum of 3 - 100 gal tanks in order to have enough evaporation to run the units. The electrical installation was easy. The transfer box is pre-wired with color coded circuits. If you are not competent with electricity call a licensed electrician; the charge should not be that great because of the ease of setup.

You will need to buy a group 26 - 12v automotive battery to start the generator. I would also recommend ordering the optional maintenance kit: you should change the brake-in oil and filter after 100 hours.

All of these units have run flawlessly. They all started immediately after installation. They are relatively quiet. They run automatically for 15 minutes once per week to check the system and charge the battery. To me the cost to run them is immaterial; you will appreciate this investment when the power goes out, in our case we had water during the last outage. This review covers the 7 kw model; if you need a larger size I would assume the 10, 15, & 20 kw models would perform similarly. While Amazon frequently lists this product as "currently not available" check with them, as this is not always the case.