There are just 4 accessories you must consider.

Battery

All generator sets need a battery to start the engine. For units shipped by truck, the battery is not included. Department of Transportation regulations prohibit their shipment without very special packaging and paperwork. Therefore, you must supply your own battery. These can be obtained from many local sources, such as an auto parts store, a gas station, etc.

Battery Charger

This is a must! Without a battery charger that will work while your generator set is waiting to run, the battery will become weaker and weaker. This could lead to a "dead" battery just when you need it to start your equipment.

Generator Mounted Disconnect

What is this? Why do I need it?

This isn't too technical. The engine turns the generator; the generator produces the electricity; the electricity is transmitted to the home through wires. For maintenance and repair, you need a means to disconnect the generator from the home. This disconnect usually takes the form of a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) if mounted on the generator set and a fused switch if mounted on the wall. Unfortunately, the smaller units (20 KW or smaller) seldom are available with a MCCB; the larger sizes should have this accessory available, either as standard equipment or as an option. We strongly recommend a disconnect be used on all installations!

Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS)

While you can connect your new generator set to your home with a manual transfer switch, this is no longer a common practice.

Imagine this situation: You have just gone to bed (or out of town). The power goes out. With a manual system, you don't even know the power is out; you certainly are not there to start the generator set and "throw" the manual switch. Result: The food thaws, the electric timers don't function, the security system is compromised, etc. A real mess!

On the other hand, with an automatic transfer switch, everything works automatically–without attention. No mess, no problems.

It is for this reason that 95% of home installations now use an automatic switch. And 100% of quality home users use a quality ATS.

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