Kohler Generator. 14,000-Watt Standby Generator With 100-Amp 16-Circuit Automatic Transfer Switch...

Excellent value

The Kohler 14SESAL was delivered in 8 days. The truck driver was very helpful in moving the generator toward my pad. I am more than satisfied with the whole transaction.

By TPete on Home Depot - Jan 26, 2013

Quality product worth its price!

I've lived in southeast Louisiana for most of my 63 years, where tropical weather systems tend to go at times, so I'm very versed in home automatic stand-by generators, having used them in three different homes over the past 7 years. My first stand-by generator was literally installed the week prior to Katrina hitting the New Orleans area in August 2005. My plumber didn't show up to make the...
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I've lived in southeast Louisiana for most of my 63 years, where tropical weather systems tend to go at times, so I'm very versed in home automatic stand-by generators, having used them in three different homes over the past 7 years. My first stand-by generator was literally installed the week prior to Katrina hitting the New Orleans area in August 2005. My plumber didn't show up to make the natural gas connection, consequently we weren't able to use the generator during Katrina. I was fortunate in that my home didn't flood and shortly after Katrina we had everything in place in time for Hurricane Rita to knock our power out for a few days. The Generac 14KW unit I had installed ran fine for the time necessary. Subsequently,I kept up the service schedule on that generator and shortly after the 2 year warranty period expired, a major component of the engine failed along with the battery and circuit board, costing me over $2500 to repair. The New Orleans area has come a very long way in infrastructure since Katrina thanks largely to the generosity of so many taxpayers throughout the country and to the tireless efforts of thousands of people in and outside this area. This past week, Hurricane Isaac performed a "test" of the new levees and drainage systems and they came through with flying colors. Not one street or home flooded inside the levee protection areas around metro New Orleans. In fact, the city has truly gone through a renaissance, attracting people from all over the country to call their home. I've always loved the people, culture, and overall quality of life, however, we have to keep in mind the weather systems. Keeping in mind that I would evacuate my family in a Category 3 or higher, I built a second weekend/evacuation home in a 200 acre forest near Kentwood, Louisiana (our "evacreation" home)in 2008 and, figuring I simply got a "lemon" I gave Generac another chance and installed a 14kw propane. Hurricane Gustav in the summer of 2008 tested that decision and the Generac ran for 5 days, supporting up to 30 people in my home, stopping once for a low oil pressure issue. Since that time, I've had a few "quality" build issues with that Generac as well and repaired it and it ran sparingly during Hurricane Isaac last week. Early this year I completed construction on a 4,000 sq. ft. house in Metairie, Louisiana (inside the levee protection zone). I insisted that the home have a natural gas powered stand-by generator and after much research, I selected the Kohler 14RESA product. Consumer Reports rated Kohler at the top of their list by far and everything I read suggested it was the best in quality of build and quality of power output. After having some issues with Generac, I also liked the fact that Kohler had a 5 year warranty, much longer than any comparable unit - and, trust me, if you have the need for a generator, you'll need a good warranty to go with it or you will pay for repairs. After seeing the Kohler unit firsthand, I have to agree. The quality of build of this product is far superior to others. Hurricane Isaac last week gave the unit its first test and it handled everything with ease. It started a 5 ton Carrier Infinity Zoned Central air unit with ease, handled all my lighting, and three televisions simultaneously and refrigeration without issue. It ran for 6 straight days. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for the noise of the wind and the rain, my family wouldn't have noticed any difference to when the power is on. As an aside, I have satellite TV - don't rely on cable during a storm, once the power lines are damaged, down goes cable - even if you have stand-by power. It doesn't often happen, but should the wind or debris cause the satellite dish to shift, you can always reposition it for reception. Also a good over-the-air antenna inside an attic is free and performs well during storms. A few caveats... My home was built with the latest "green products" and power outages from tropical storms in mind - LED lighting, mostly natural gas appliances, on demand natural gas water heaters, a "hard start kit" on the central air, etc. As such, we don't typically run at over 7 KW (running watts) and start-up wattage is consistently below 11KW. Because profit margins are typically low on air-cooled generators, any installers will try to sell you an "over-sized" unit when one isn't necessary. Two things you should do before deciding on the size generator - decide what appliances you'll need to have on at the same time during an extended power outage - keeping in mind that an extended outage is the exception rather than the rule and that most things that require large amounts of power (hair dryers, toasters, etc) need to be "staged" in their usage. Also, have an electrician do a simple power-usage metering reading with "everything on" and the a/c cranking up. It'll take the guess work out of deciding on a generator size and save expense and/or disappointment later. Also, you must use a quality installer - this is not a job for a "weekend electrician and plumber" - certainly not a do-it-yourself project. I would caution anyone against using a neighbor or friend for the installation. When I hear that Kohler units didn't work properly, its almost always an installation issue. Also, the units must be "first-started" by a certified Kohler technician for Kohler to fully warranty the product - with good reason. After having experienced the Kohler 14 KW RESA genrator in an actual "situation", I can easily recommend this product. Hat's off to Kohler for building (and backing) a fine product.

By SouthernMan on Home Depot - Sep 4, 2012

You can use an outdoor transfer switch to flip the whole house and save

You can use a simple outdoor transfer switch only to flip the whole house at the main after the meter, about 1 to 2 hrs to install and save a lot of money and time because you don't need to use a new transfer switch combo breaker box. Just use your existing breaker box if it's up to code.

By Flipthewholehouse on Home Depot - Jul 10, 2012

MY GENERATOR PROJECT

I purchased this kohler generator right after hurricane Irene. (I lost power for 7 days) it arrived in 4 days & the driver had a portable jack. I needed several permits, Fire Marshal (for the 250 gal underground propane tank), Building Dept & Plumber Permits to start the job (took about 6 weeks for all permits) There's no gas in my area so I needed propane installation, the plumber did the...
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I purchased this kohler generator right after hurricane Irene. (I lost power for 7 days) it arrived in 4 days & the driver had a portable jack. I needed several permits, Fire Marshal (for the 250 gal underground propane tank), Building Dept & Plumber Permits to start the job (took about 6 weeks for all permits) There's no gas in my area so I needed propane installation, the plumber did the conversion of the generator on sight. It took 2 weeks to find a electrician who knew how to install a Kohler generator w/100 amp transfer switch. The electricians (6) that I got estimates from, wasn't familiar w/the 16 circuit transfer switch, except for one, VMD Tremat Electrics Corp. They knew what the job consisted of. The automatic transfer switch is off of my sub panel, (which runs most of my house)the main panel is 55 feet away.This was a big job, installation for electrical was 12 hours. My house is 1600sf, we got every circuit on the100 amp automatic transfer switch except for the dryer. So basically the generator powered up my Entire House, every light every outlet,every appliance incl. 2 refridgerators, garage, oil burner,thru the wall a/c etc. Not bad for a temporary solution. I hired a dealer that was authorized by Kohler to do the start up of the generator. (this is the only way Kohler WILL NOT VOID that amazing 5 year/2000 WARRANTY for non dealer installations) The electrician was also present for the start up, just in case. It was very exciting to hear the generator start right up after about a minute. It was truly amazing. Because of its enclosure the sound was muffled, it sounded just like a car engine running. Every week like clock work the generator comes on as promised for a 20 minute self test. With all the research I had done before I decided to take on the project myself, this generator was everything that I had expected and more. No more power outages for me, what a piece of mind. Simply outstanding! Thanks Kohler.

By JUSTASKCANDY on Home Depot - Mar 5, 2012

My installation was done by East Coast Generators & Bright Side Electric

The generator went through its first "self vest" last Friday & it worked as promised. Ordering it at Home Depot was very satisfying & it was delivered on time. No question, the Kohler generator is the way to go if you want a dependable unit.

By LIcap on Home Depot - Nov 15, 2011