You are very welcome!

Great question. Yes, it does affect the decision of which whole house generator you choose because a tankless water heater is just 1 appliance out of the whole list. In order to power a gas tankless water heater you would need approximately 2,500-3,500 watts to run, or similar to the power of running a refrigerator. This number would increase if you were using an all-electric tankless water heater. This estimate assumes that you would have a transfer switch installed because a tankless water heater uses 220v to run, which can't be powered by your average in-home outlet/switch. If you want to add this estimate to a watt calculator, please use our tool: www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/1469-Easily-Size-Your-Home-Standby-Generator.html

A gas tank less water heater uses about 350 watts. 2500-3500 watts is false!

@@Sisufinn Thanks for the correct information .

@@Sisufinn The water heaters may run at 350 watts but that running wattage doesn't take into account the surge wattage for when it starts up. All electric motors surge when starting and require the generator that is sending the power to compensate for this. The voltage and phase also come into play in these situations. That's why we provide estimate ranges and do not give specific wattages. Electricity surges and it's important to take that into account with any generator sizing. If that surge occurs while other items are being run by the generator, it can be overloaded, which can lead to further complications or dangerous situations.

Ok most circulation pumps run at 0.45 amps and if you had 200% inrush that would put you at 0.9 amps. So if your max power consumption on a gas unit is 350 watts plus .45 amps at 120 volts for inrush, you are only at 404 watts. I can see your point if you are dealing with compressor motors. Most tank-less water heaters don't use a circulation pump anyways.

We'll need a lot more information before we can recommend a standby generator for you. Please give us a call and we'll be happy to assist you. Also, check out our sizing calculator tool that will help you determine what you want to power: www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/1469-Easily-Size-Your-Home-Standby-Generator.html

We have checked into this and our website and tool are both working correctly. Please try again. If you have more difficulty please feel free to call in and we can assist you over the phone.

@@PowerEquipmentDirect heat pump is needed . I live in southside va and we have heat pumps

That's a somewhat complicated question/answer, but we appreciate you asking. For your first question, it's difficult to know the answer because different companies use different criteria for branding decisions, whether they are simply a name change or if the quality of the parts are distinctly different, it's hard to know. For your second question, Generac is and has been an industry leader in generators for years. Because of how popular they are, more people simply buy the Generac brand and because of that, more people leave their feedback/reviews. In terms of reliability, Generac is a quality brand that stands behind their products, but inevitably not everyone is going to feel that way based on their personal experience, and that's okay. Think of it this way, happy customers are less likely to leave a positive review than someone who thinks they had a bad experience with their product.

Thanks

no It would not. However U should have someone come to see if the natural gas service to your home can handle powering the generator as well as any other gas appliances such as dryers, stoves furnace etc. Typically it shouldnt be a problem but have someone or You urself should find out the volume of natural gas that can be supplied to your home. Personally If u dont run out of power alot I would seriously consider loooking at portables if U have any mechanical knowledge and or common sense. Much cheaper and very viable. Plus its portable which is a huge benefit

The only issue with trying to calculate using a specific formula is that every generator will operate differently and have different load limitations depending on many variables. We've built a calculator that takes some assumptions to give you a better idea of what size generator you might need based on the appliances you need to run. Try playing around with this tool and see if it helps you understand some limitations and load requirements to run certain items. www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/1469-Easily-Size-Your-Home-Standby-Generator.html

Different people have different preferences. That's why sizing for what you want to power is so important. That's why the calculator exists: www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/stories/1469-Easily-Size-Your-Home-Standby-Generator.html

@@PowerEquipmentDirect calculator does not work.

The other issue is true power needed can be reduced with soft starts, my A/C went from 120A surge to 40A with a soft start. I noticed not much visibility into devices like these.

The amount of power required depends on the type of security system. Closed CC video monitoring security systems will use more power than newer "lite" systems. Even if the overall wattage isn't large, it's important to take it into account when sizing a home generator. In general, it's safe to allot a portion of your total wattage allocations to running a security system during power outages, should you choose to.