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Customer reviews for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
With its sleek profile, the 13,000 Watt Home Generator System by GE adds a new dimension to "Power More for Less." Perfect for smaller to medium-sized homes, these systems help ensure that when the power goes out, your life doesn't skip a beat. The patented Symphony II Power Management System allows you to meet the power needs of your whole house - including up to two central air conditioners.
Overall rating:
(27 reviews) 27
Rating breakdown 27 reviews
5 stars
17
4 stars
3
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
5
18 out of 24(75%)reviewers recommend this product.
Customer reviews for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Review 1 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
UNRELIABLE PRODUCT WHEN NEEDED
,PostedNovember 16, 2012
cooper
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Other
Length of ownership:6 months
Features
3
/
5
Quality
1
/
5
Ease of use
3
/
5
Value
3
/
5
We purchased this generator in 2011 but it wasn't installed until Feb 2012. Although it ran reliably during the weekly monitor testing, when we had occasion to need it during storm Sandy, it shut down after 5 hrs. of operation on the first day of our power outage (the outage lasted 4 days). The servicer came out the next day but after nearly 2 hrs. on the phone with GE tech support they determined a part needed to be ordered. The part arrived on 11/6 and the servicer returned on 11/8. They then found another issue (i.e., a sealed bearing within the rotor failed). We've been told this part will arrive on 11/20. At this point we have little confidence that this machine can be fixed to run without issue given the significant part failure within 9 mos. of installation.
No, I do not recommend this product.
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+15points
15out of 15found this review helpful.
Review 2 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
This is a cost effective back up power suppply
,PostedDecember 25, 2012
Scanner
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Professional
Features
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Ease of use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
this is my second GE generator with the Symphony II transfer switch. The transfer switch can be mounted outside or inside the home. I mounted it outside both times which eliminated the need for a outside disconnect switch because they are built into the unit. The setup directions are accurate. The generator has provisions for easily moving it considering it weighs over 500 pounds. The performance and features are top notch. The load shedding relays are a great way of installing a smaller generator and getting the most out of it. I recommend this product and will install more of them.
Pros: Durable, Easy to Use, Sturdy, Good Size & Weight, small foot print
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
Review 3 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Product great, but minor refinements needed (Update)
,PostedFebruary 21, 2012
Banjobj
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Professional
Level of expertise:Advanced
Length of ownership:6 months
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
I reviewed this generator on 2/18/12 and wanted to give an update. The problem I appeared to have, was my fault, due to not reading the Operators Manual completely. I found that the numbers showing up on the digital panel, were hours of use. That explained why the numbers changed and I couldn't clear them. A dumb mistake on my part. I have revised my rating accordingly. If you check my previous rating was high, even with what I believed to be a problem. I highly recommend this generator package. Read all the written documentation very carefully and don't make the mistake I did.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+12points
12out of 12found this review helpful.
Review 4 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Could be great - When it runs
,PostedJanuary 1, 2012
Quality
3
/
5
Value
4
/
5
Terrific design with modules that off-load non-essential circuits when maximum load is reached. Crude mechanical design (bending a metal tab instead of using a mechanical device) to regulate the output frequency. Generator keeps getting a fault reading of FC 06 - and bending the metal tab does not bring it into limits. No customer service available over the entire week between Christmas and New Years Eve - only a recording. Still waiting.
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+22points
22out of 22found this review helpful.
Review 5 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Everything you need for small to medium size home
,PostedJuly 19, 2011
Be prepared to buy a battery and cold weather kit. Does not come with a battery ($150.00) and if you live where it gets below 40 they recomend a cold weather kit ($150.00). Keep this in mind along with installation costs runs the price up a bit more than expected. We ran the tests by shuting down the power and everything works as stated. Now if I lose power it will get a real test. At this time I'am not using the power management system will evalulate the need at a point when system will not handle all my power needs.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+29points
29out of 29found this review helpful.
Review 6 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
It's worth it!
,PostedJune 18, 2012
DobiesRule
Age:35 to 44
Gender:Female
Home improvement profile:Other
Level of expertise:Beginner
Length of ownership:3 months
Features
5
/
5
Quality
4
/
5
Ease of use
4
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Ordered this after last year's early snowstorm that put our power out for 6 days, which came 2 months after we lost power with hurricane Irene for 2 days and the numerous other outages we experienced last year with the weather. We have a well, so no water when the power goes out, not to mention the hundreds of dollars worth of food that spoiled each time. We researched several brands and decided on this one for the power management feature. Didn't really care about doing the whole house as long as we had water, refrigerator and a few lights, but for the price difference it was worth the upgrade to the 13kw to run it all. We got the unit delivered within a couple of weeks from Home Depot, but due to everone installing generators, we had to wait several months for propane tank due to supply shortage and then once that got delivered, we had to wait for the electrician, because everyone's tank was coming in at the same time. Aside from the delays beyond everyone's control, the electrician said the installation was a breeze and, as a dealer of another major brand, he was very impressed with the features offered with this unit/price. Once installed, unit fired right up and does its weekly test. Now we have piece of mind when the power flashes that we don't have to worry about how long it will be out for and that we'll be up and running within a few seconds. No setting up a portable unit, no gasoline to lug or store, no frozen pipes in a blizzard and we'll have a/c if its out during a heatwave. This is the best home improvement investment we have EVER made!
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+19points
21out of 23found this review helpful.
Review 7 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Looks good runs better
,PostedJuly 9, 2011
Looks good sitting in my side yard compared to the industrial look of others. Technology is forward looking, power is just right for my newly remodeled home. Whole house cuts over seamlessly thanks to the symphony II transfer switch. Be sure to get "modules" for devices you wish to manage or prioritize for symphony.... Looks and smarts ...great! Priced right compared to other units, be sure to alliow for about 1/2 $ for installation.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+16points
16out of 16found this review helpful.
Review 8 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Poor GE service dont want to work with GE approved electrican to trouble shoot problems
,PostedJanuary 31, 2013
wadams
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Professional
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Keep getting F11 code my electrican has tryed several times to trouble shoot with GE they dont want to be bothered with it I am very unhappy with GE and there service I have had the Generator for 1 year and only have 12 hours run time including cycle time The F11 code is something to do with the transfer switch I would recommend this unit if GE could get their SH-t together and work with the service people in the field
No, I do not recommend this product.
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+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
Review 9 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Have yet to get this generator to work properly
,PostedOctober 29, 2012
bruceinmd
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Other
Level of expertise:Beginner
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Features
3
/
5
Quality
1
/
5
Ease of use
3
/
5
Value
1
/
5
We installed a unit and kept getting the Fault Code 6 (engine overspeed). We had several storms and the unit failed both times. The installer replaced the entire unit. We thought that was great until the weekly tests quit running. Guess why? Fault Code 6! They came to "repair" it. Well now the storm of the century on the East coast and guess what? Fault Code 6!!! What a waste of money.
Cons: Not Durable, not reliable
No, I do not recommend this product.
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+4points
8out of 12found this review helpful.
Review 10 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
One of the best on Market
,PostedNovember 9, 2011
Pablo
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:1 month
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
This unit is a great deal. Installed on my home with (2) 3 ton A/C units. Transfer switch works flawlessly. My A/C units cycled between the two and my house stayed cool during a outage. I was a little put off that it did not come with the remote monitor, but now see that they are offering a wireless unit. Make sure you get a qualified electrican to install, it's a little more complicatied pulling the large service cables into and ouit of the transfer switch. My neighbor thought we got a third A/C unit. It really is that small.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+8points
8out of 8found this review helpful.
Review 11 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Early Results. Not reliable
,PostedMay 7, 2012
JPMaine
Age:45 to 54
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Other
Length of ownership:6 months
This generator was professionally installed in Maine. It worked for about 2 months then fault code (FC-6) showed up. It stands for engine over speed. The electrician called to do warranty work said It appears to be the mechanical governor. They are doing a good job, but they've been waiting a week to hear from GE. Electrician said GE needs to recommend/send out engine repair tech to fix engine speed. Meanwhile I've been without back up for a month now. My initial call to GE was so frustrating as I got transferred 3 times, twice to the wrong department. Then all they do is give you the local number for the warranty electrician in your area. No big help. I'll update post once the gene is repaired.
No, I do not recommend this product.
Response from Home DepotBy THD Customer Service, July 11, 2012
JPMaine,
I reached out to the brand about your review, and this is their response to you:
"We do apologize for the issue you have experienced with your generator. I am not certain as to the cause of the FC 6, but would like to get a service provider involved to resolve. I am happy to work directly with the customer and service provider to take care of the issue. Please feel free to contact me directly at 803-524-1019 and I will get one of our service providers involved immediately. "
I hope this helps and thank you for choosing The Home Depot.
THD Customer Service
I reached out to the brand about your review, and this is their response to you:
"We do apologize for the issue you have experienced with your generator. I am not certain as to the cause of the FC 6, but would like to get a service provider involved to resolve. I am happy to work directly with the customer and service provider to take care of the issue. Please feel free to contact me directly at 803-524-1019 and I will get one of our service providers involved immediately. "
I hope this helps and thank you for choosing The Home Depot.
THD Customer Service
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+7points
10out of 13found this review helpful.
Review 12 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Best bang for the buck
,PostedJanuary 17, 2012
Sanjay
Age:35 to 44
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Professional
Level of expertise:Beginner
Length of ownership:1 month
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
This is a very good unit for the money. My electrician charged around $1800 plus $120 for the battery. Although, this unit has load shedding capability, you must buy additional low voltage modules which can be around $110. Not sure why the low voltage module was not included and 2 high voltage modules were that can't be used to shed the AC units.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
Review 13 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
customer support
,PostedFebruary 24, 2013
shawnfrommichigan
i have not heard it run yet, but i did have to have a new part sent to me and i was very pleased to have a clear speaking person on the other end, thank you.
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0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 14 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
This is a great generator.
,PostedNovember 4, 2012
Venetrex
Age:35 to 44
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Level of expertise:Advanced
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
Features
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Ease of use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
I ordered this the day after irene hit in ct. I had gas piping near where I wanted to mount it. My umber friend did he gas piping and I wired the electrical myself. I did my house service slits was not too bad. Wouldn't you know we got hit with the ice storm in ct a week later. I only had a 60 gallon tank. This only gives about 50hrs of use. Since en I added 4 hundred pounders with 2 tied together at once. No one out deliver me propane at the time. With his setup we got sandy. I would run it from 5pm till midnight and 5am til 8 with no issues. Much enter fuel consumption that way and you just flip a switch. I now have 111 hours on this bad boy and it runs everything. My only suggestion would be a way to put it on a timer if you are away. Because it sucks the fuel down. I am very happy with this investment and ave been glad to have it ! Also note this has the best features for the money period.
Pros: Easy to Use, Strong
Cons: could e quieter
Yes, I recommend this product.
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0points
3out of 6found this review helpful.
Review 15 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
This GE generator is perfect for our application!
,PostedOctober 29, 2011
justpar
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:1 month
Quality
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
This generator and the accompanying modules make this an ideal choice for anyone who wants a whole house electricity backup. We adapted it to propane, and once the fuel and electric hook ups were complete, we tested the unit by shutting down the service to the house. The generator started and the transfer unit switched to backup power without any hitches. It was if the unit had been in service for years. This is a high quaility unit and was developed with the user in mind. It is simple to operate and was designed for efficiency and ease of operation without taking up a lot of space. I highly recommed this unit to anyone!
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+4points
6out of 8found this review helpful.
Review 16 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Made a mistake on code listed
,PostedFebruary 3, 2013
wadams
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Professional
Level of expertise:Intermediate
Length of ownership:1 year or longer
I wrote in my Review that I keep getting the F11 code in fact it is a F8 which is some thing to do with the transfer switch and the most recent if the F6 code We have had the Gen hooked up since march 2012 has not run right yet we have been lucky it has run 2 out of 6 power outages
No, I do not recommend this product.
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0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Review 17 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Best bang for the buck
,PostedOctober 24, 2011
Roushguy
I bought this over a year ago and it has been very reliable, Currently has about 40 hours runtime with only one 16 hour extended power outage. Runs my whole house which includes two 3 ton AC units, 50 gallon Electric water, range, pool pump and the rest of the house. It's a smart unit which will only allow one of the two AC units to run simultanesouly if available current is not enough. Same goes for my water heater. Neither were an issue when we lost power for 16 hours @ 95 degrees and my house was cooled just like I was on utility power. Warranty and maintenance is a snap. I also added whole house surge protector to protect the unit ($125.00) as well as my house electronics. This Genset does exactly what is says it will and is very quiet, very well built and powerful. It is a smart system which makes it very fuel efficient using a little more then 1 gallon per hour of propane. Other makes would need to be over 15KVW to support my house power requirements, using more fuel!
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+8points
13out of 18found this review helpful.
Review 18 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Product great but minor refinements needed
,PostedFebruary 18, 2012
Banjobj
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:Professional
Level of expertise:Advanced
Length of ownership:3 months
Quality
4
/
5
Value
5
/
5
I installed this unit about 2 months ago and it was very easy. I am a licensed electrician and this does require a professional installation. My particular situation included a major retrofit. My unit has been running flawlessly (exercise cycle and outage) until today. I needed to disconnect the generator and followed the procedure in the book. I pulled the 15 amp fuse and shut off the circuit breakers in the generator and the transfer switch. When I reversed the procedure I received an error code 4 which was( unable to start). I cleared that code and received another error code 5 (low frequency). I have been unable to clear that code. The generator seems to run properly under outage and exercise. I will be doing a frequency test tomorrow, but I doubt that is the problem. I may have a defective sensor or device. I will update as soon as I find the problem. If the frequency needs to be adjusted the procedure of bending the tang and spring seems to be a crude method, not very "high tech" for a unit such as this.I am rating this highly, because prior to today the unit was perfect.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
Review 19 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
Peace of mind
,PostedJuly 11, 2011
It is good to have peace of mind that when we lose utility power, we will still be in good shape with this generator. The electrical install is more simple than the other mfr's with the use of the load shedding modules. We installed it last week, tested it and it is good to go.
Yes, I recommend this product.
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+5points
6out of 7found this review helpful.
Review 20 for 13,000-Watt Generator System with Symphony II Whole House 200-Amp Transfer Switch
Overall rating
This product worked flawlessly.
,PostedNovember 11, 2012
KenB
Age:55 to 64
Gender:Male
Home improvement profile:DIYer
Level of expertise:Advanced
Length of ownership:1 month
Features
5
/
5
Quality
5
/
5
Ease of use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
I installed and wired this generator 4 weeks prior to New Jersey getting hit with the worst hurricane in it's history. Power was out for 2 weeks. This generator worked flawlessly for all the time the power was out. I was able to run the generator at certain times of the day by simply turning the switch on and off inside the control panel in order to save gas. I would highly reccomend this generator. The setup instructions were excellent. I am a very handy person and was able to do all of the wiring and plumbing myself.
Pros: Durable, Easy to Use, All In One, Strong, Good Size & Weight, excellent instructions
Cons: none
Yes, I recommend this product.
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-1point
0out of 1found this review helpful.