The Centurion 3,400-watt propane stand-by home generator provides immediate electricity for basic power needs during power outage. Simple to set up and use, once the unit's power transformer senses a utility outage,Two 120-volt circuit breaker protected outlets power your appliances. Initial installation is easy; after the generator is in the desired position outside the building, the pre-wired conduit from the power transfer monitor is connected to the generator. An included composite-mounting pad eliminates the need to pour concrete, and the 6-foot sensing cord plugs into a standard grounded 120-volt household outlet. Appliances needing automatic power protection are then plugged into the switched duplex outlet on the power transfer monitor, which is always live. Two 20-pound LP tanks (the common gas-grill variety) are then connected to the fuel regulator. Please note the fuel tanks are not included.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Meets critical standby need
Comment: Acquired to provide power to a sump pump, freezer, and coal stove. Loss of power to these items could certainly rack up damage. A 13kw standby is overkill and expensive. I have a portable generator I can plug in to power the house, but I need to be here. The sump pump is the primary need; a loss of power when the pump needs to run is not fun. And, usually, the power goes when the pump is running full tilt.
Installation is smooth. The hole saw diameter could be a nudge bigger; the wire nut wouldn't go through. Instead of attempting to drill a larger hole, I just dismantled the wire nut and easily passed it through. Otherwise, just like the manual says. I spent more time getting the ground flat. Also, since I was adjacent to the utility power, I daisy-chained the generator ground stake to the existing main electrical ground. Nothing like a new grounding rod to make sure you have a good ground. I did have to charge the battery before testing the motor manually.
Test of the unit went well. I run the devices off one 15 amp circuit to begin with, so it was no bother to plug them into this unit. I dropped the breaker and everything went as it should. As the freezer compressor kicked on, the motor rpm increased to meet load. Pump motor startup handled nicely (once I remembered to plug it back in!). I let it run for twenty minutes before restoring utility power. It switched back and then ran the generator a few minutes to cool down, and then shut down.
Just what I needed.
Update 2008-0721: The switched utility/generator powered GFCI outlet on the transfer switch pod failed. Or so I thought initially. I came home to freezer goo on the floor, yet full utility power. The second generator-only outlet GFCI tests properly and resets. The main (protected) outlet did not reset until I ran the unit through an exercise cycle. I wasn't handling this like a laboratory experiment and didn't document each step of my actions. So, I may have had the main breakers off when I first went to reset the GFCI receptacle. But, anyway, I have the unit up and running and all empty outlets have plug covers to keep either humidity or creepy-crawly bugs out of the way. I now think that is what caused the GFCI receptacle to trip. It's been four days now, and it's fine.
Update 2008-1016: I put an alarm on the freezer outlet so I would know if power was lost. One day last week, I heard it go off. Now, I have several UPSes in the area, and not one indicated any power failure or voltage spike or drop. But, no power to coming from the receptacle on the unit. So, after a disassembly inspection, I discovered that the receptacle was not properly installed inside the transfer switch. The neutral wire did not have the insulation properly removed to make contact. As a result, the bit of wire protruding beyond the clamp was arcing to make contact. Until enough burned off to drop contact, and the power. I properly seated the leads and all is well.
So, the unit itself is fine. I wonder if this transfer switch was assembled on a Friday?
Customer Rating: Summary: Complete Garbage
Comment: Shoddy workmanship. If i could i'd give it NO stars! My husband is an HVAC/generator installer and electrician for a company that installs and services these things. Don't waste your money! Generac is known for shoddy workmanship and poor quality control. We got one of these before my husband actually worked for the current HVAC company he's working for now. We got it b/c we live on a "wetland" and if the sump pump stops working, we are literally "up the creek." Right from the get go, the thing stopped working; bad system board. As soon as that went, the bearings were cracked and the motor was leaking oil! Never worked once and all the parts have to be replaced. Now the power did go out for real and we are just waiting to flood! DON"T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: works BUT
Comment: This generator works like it's advertised to.. BUT you must follow the directions and run it once a week because it does not charge the starter battery off the house power ...it only charges while the generator is running.......so if you leave it for too long ...no battery equals no back up protection. I'm going to rig up a trickle charger (it should come with one)
6 months later... I have rigged a $30 battery charger/maintainer up and everthing is fine.. This is what the unit needs from the factory
(Amazon $29.04 Schumacher SEM-1562A 1.5 Amp Slow Charge Battery Companion)
Customer Rating: Summary: Centurian generator has problems
Comment: I have purchased several of these. They typically have one or more of the following problems.
1: The transfer relay does not switch both circuits connected to in (problem seen in several units). It appears that the return spring is too strong for the relay to close both sides. The problem has been "fixed" by stretching the spring.
2: Generator does not produce electricity. The unit was not getting asdequate excitation from "DPE" winding. A circuit breaker was limiting current to a point below that at which the unit would operate.
The idea behind this generator is GREAT. Its implementation by Generac misses the mark- additional preproduction testing would have caught these bugs.
Customer Rating: Summary: Will Not Run
Comment: I purchased this item several months ago. The Generator ran twice and now it will not start. I have called supposed authorized centers for repair, but they tell me they do not know that much about the generator. Also they say it will be an $80.00/hr service call. What happened to the 2 year warranty? So now I sit here with a lawn ornament and a hurricane fast approaching (WILMA) So tell me what to do. Next stop our local T.V. Problem Solvers. Guess what after many calls and a bunch of BS from the company that made the product they replaced the old with a new. Works better, just have to wait for a storm to give it the real test.
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