One is bigger than the other. But is that the only thing that is different?
One thing to keep in mind is that for any generator, keeping it from overheating is crucial to the longevity of the unit. It is like your car. An overheated engine can mean disaster. While both the air-cooled and liquid-cooled have the same goal of having enough power to run your home and cool the generator’s engine, each approaches it differently.
The air-cooled generator utilizes a fan to force air across the engine to cool it while the liquid cooled is very similar to a car. It utilizes an enclosed radiator system. Most lower KW engines are cooled by an air-cooled system. The larger and higher KW engines are cooled by the liquid-cooled system. It goes without saying that the bigger the engine the longer it would it take to cool it down. So liquid-cooling is perfect for the bigger engines.
Typical Air-Cooled Units are 7-22KW
Liquid-Cooled range from 25-60KW.
Other differences include maintenance costs and noise generation. The air-cooled will be easier and cheaper to maintain. The more complicated nature of the liquid-cooled system means it will be harder to work on, require more frequent maintenance, and be more expensive to maintain. But the cost difference may be worth it for a quieter more efficient engine. Any engine cooled by a fan will have noise production. The noise produced by the liquid-cooled units can be contained in the sound attenuating enclosure developed by Generac. To that point, even the Generac air-cooled units are the best on the market and known for their sound absorption and reduction. The real determining factor for choosing an air-cooled versus liquid-cooled unit should be your power needs.
In most cases the smaller air-cooled units are powerful enough to power your home. The larger liquid cooled units are great for industrial applications or larger homes that require additional power. We recently installed a 38KW in a 5000 square foot home that includes an AirBnB.
There can be a significant price difference between the two. So it is crucial to be sure what the right size unit is for your power needs. At the same time, it can be expensive to have to upgrade because you didn’t get enough power the first time around. That is why a trained specialist to help you determine the right size back up unit is recommended. There may be options that you wouldn’t consider on your own or future needs that you may not have thought about. At the same time you want an honest specialist that wont oversell you on a product. Don’t be in the Dark. Be informed with Never Dark Power Solutions.
