If your street has natural gas, tie into it: the generator runs off the utility line and never needs a fill. Most South Florida homes do not have natural gas, so most standby generators here run on propane from a tank on the property, sized to the generator and the runtime you want. Both start on their own.
Walk outside and look for a gas meter on the wall of the house. If there is one, you have natural gas. If your cooktop, water heater or dryer runs on gas but there is a tank in the yard instead of a meter, that is propane.
No gas appliances at all? Ask a neighbor with a gas range, or call your gas utility and ask whether a main runs down your street. We check on the assessment too, and we tell you which fuel your home can actually use before we talk about equipment.
| Natural gas | Propane | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Piped from the utility main | Stored in a tank on your property |
| Availability in South Florida | Only on streets with a gas main; most do not have one | Anywhere a tank can be set to code |
| Refills | None | Fill before the season, top off when a storm is named |
| Runtime | Not limited by a tank | Set by tank size |
| Supply in a storm | Depends on the utility line staying in service | Only what is in the tank the day before the storm |
| Equipment | Same Generac and Kohler units, set for natural gas | Same units, set for propane, plus the tank, regulator and gas line |
| Added to the install | Gas line from the meter to the generator | Tank, pad or excavation, and gas line |
Neither fuel is the wrong answer. Natural gas is simpler to live with. Propane is available almost everywhere and puts the fuel supply under your control.
Tanks come in 120, 250, 320, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 gallon sizes, above ground or buried. The right one is set by two things: how much fuel your generator draws at load, and how many days you want to run before a refill. Propane tanks are filled to about 80% of their volume to leave room for expansion, so a 500 gallon tank holds about 400 gallons of fuel.
A bigger house, a pool pump or a second air handler raises the draw and changes the answer, which is why the tank is sized on the same assessment as the generator. Tank options, refills and gas appliance hookups are on the propane page.
Above ground or buried? Buried costs more and disappears from the yard. Above ground is cheaper and easier to service. Lot size, setbacks and HOA rules usually make the decision for you.
No. The Generac and Kohler units we install run on either fuel and are set for one at installation. Manufacturers publish separate output ratings for the same model on propane and on natural gas, and the load calculation uses the rating for the fuel you will actually run. That is how the size stays right either way. See what size generator your home needs.
Usually. Most residential standby units are built for both fuels, so if a gas main reaches your street after the install, the unit can typically be converted rather than replaced. Ask about it on the assessment if that is a possibility for your street.
Only the factors, with no numbers until we have seen the home.
The generator, transfer switch, permits and inspection are the same either way. See how much a whole-house generator costs.
Source for the propane fill limit: NFPA 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code (nfpa.org).
If your street has natural gas, we tie into it and you never order fuel. Most Florida homes do not have it, so standby systems here usually run on propane from a tank on your property. We size the tank and handle the install too.
Look for a gas meter on the outside wall. If a gas cooktop or water heater is fed from the street, you have it. If your gas appliances run from a tank in the yard, that is propane. Your gas utility can confirm whether a main runs down your street.
A standby generator burns very little between outages. The usual approach is to fill before hurricane season and top off when a storm is named. Refills are scheduled through our propane supplier and billed per gallon at the day’s rate, and the tank is sized on the assessment for the runtime you want.
Buried costs more and disappears from the yard. Above ground is cheaper and easier to service. Lot size, setbacks and HOA rules usually make the decision for you. We walk it on the assessment and show you where each option would go.
Often. We check the tank, the regulator and the line pressure, and confirm it is sized for the generator’s draw. If it is too small for the runtime you want, we say so, and you decide whether to add capacity or keep what you have.
Yes, when the tank is set to code, anchored for wind and placed at the required distance from the house, windows and property lines. Installs follow the Florida Building Code and NFPA safety requirements, and the tank is permitted and inspected like the generator.
