GENERAC 7228 Guardian 18kW Home Backup Generator with Whole House Switch WiFi-Enabled

Whole house, within the 18kW envelope. The 7228 Guardian ships with a 200 amp automatic transfer switch rated 120/240 volts, so it's wired at the service entrance rather than to a managed subpanel of selected circuits. Rated output is 18,000 watts on liquid propane and 17,000 watts on natural gas, with a current range of 66.7 A. If your service is larger than 200 amps, the included switch isn't the right one for that service and you'd be looking at a different transfer switch arrangement.

The transfer switch is included. The 7228 Guardian comes with a UL approved 200 amp, 120/240 volt automatic transfer switch. What is not included is installation: the generator ships without install labor, and the pad, gas line, conduit, wire and permits are all separate. Generac asks that you schedule a consultation before purchase, at 1-866-248-4008.

Either one. The 7228 Guardian is a dual fuel standby unit set up for liquid propane or natural gas, and the fuel you choose changes the output: 18,000 watts on LP, 17,000 watts on NG. Size your load against 17kW if you're feeding it from a utility gas line.

The 7228 enclosure measures 48 x 29 x 25 inches, so the pad needs to carry that footprint plus whatever clearance your local code and the install manual require around the unit. Plan the delivery too: it's 420 lbs on its own and 458 lbs as shipped, which is not a two-person carry across a lawn.

About 15 seconds. The 7228 starts automatically on loss of utility and transfers the load in roughly 15 seconds, which is normal for an air-cooled standby set: long enough that clocks and desktops drop, short enough that a fridge, furnace or sump never gets close to trouble. Anything that genuinely cannot blink (a server, a medical device) still needs a UPS ahead of it to ride through the gap.

It's built for permanent outdoor mounting. The enclosure is aluminum with Generac's RhinoCoat powder coat, in a bisque finish, and it carries a NEMA 3R rating, which is the outdoor rating for rain, sleet and ice formation on the enclosure. Aluminum rather than steel is the part that matters on a coastal or poolside install, since there's no sheet steel to rust through.

No. The 7228 uses Generac's True Power technology and holds total harmonic distortion under 5 percent, which is the threshold that matters for computers, variable speed motors and modern furnace control boards. Output is 120/240 volts, the same as your utility service, so nothing downstream sees a different supply.

The weekly self test on the 7228 runs in Quiet-Test mode, at a reduced RPM for either a five or twelve minute cycle, so the exercise is quieter and burns less fuel than a full speed run. That matters in a tight lot or an HOA. For monitoring, the unit is WiFi enabled and works with Generac's Mobile Link app, and the Evolution controller's multilingual LCD shows battery status and maintenance intervals at the unit itself.

An 816 cc Generac G-Force, a pressure lubricated engine purpose built for generator duty rather than a repurposed small engine. Pressure lubrication is why these tolerate the long continuous runs an outage puts on them, and it stretches the routine service interval. Coupled to it, the set is rated 66.7 A at 120/240 volts.

66 units to a truckload of the 7228. Each one is 458 lbs as assembled and shipped, 420 lbs for the generator itself, so multi-unit orders for a portfolio rollout are a freight conversation, not a parcel one. The model number to standardize on across the properties is Generac 7228.

Operating and servicing the 7228 can expose you to engine exhaust, carbon monoxide, phthalates and lead, chemicals California identifies as causing cancer and reproductive harm. The practical handling for a service tech: don't breathe exhaust, don't idle the engine beyond what the job needs, service it in a well ventilated spot, and wear gloves or wash up after. Full detail is at www.P65Warnings.ca.gov. The unit carries no shipping restrictions.