The lights went out on a Tuesday
It was July 2024, around 3:47 in the afternoon. A thunderstorm rolled through, the power flickered, and then the lights stayed off. Our main office has roughly 60 people on an average day, two roof-mounted AC units, a small server rack, and one very stressed office administrator: me.
I’m the office administrator for an 180-person construction services company. I manage all the purchasing for our facilities and fleet—roughly $850,000 annually across maybe 15 vendors now, if you count the generator contractor. I report to both operations and finance. I’m not an electrician or a mechanic. My job is to make sure the right parts and equipment show up, and that the invoice matches the quote.
That outage is why I ended up specifying a Generac 36 kW generator for the main office. It’s also why I later found myself testing a Kia Soul high pressure fuel pump with a multimeter. Let me explain.
Why we needed a Generac generator
We owned a 5,500-watt portable generator. It was fine for the job trailer, but it couldn’t handle the office. The server rack and the security door system alone drew more than a portable could feed without tripping. After one outage took down payroll processing for a full day, my VP said, “Get a standby generator.” That’s when I started collecting quotes.
Three electrical contractors bid the job. All three suggested either Generac or Kohler. We’re on natural gas, so I wanted a generator that could run on that line, not a propane tank I’d have to maintain. The Generac 36 kW generator was the right size for our loads: we could run the air conditioners, lights, and still keep the server room online during a multi-day outage. In spring 2024, the installed quote was around $18,500, including a transfer switch and concrete pad. (Should mention: we had already upgraded the building’s electrical service to 200A two years earlier. If you haven’t, add that cost to your budget.)
I also kept the FTC guidelines in mind. According to FTC advertising guidance (ftc.gov), claims about any product you sell or buy have to be truthful and not misleading. That sounds obvious, but it came up when one vendor sent a spec sheet with a “38 kW equivalent” rating that didn’t explain whether it was on natural gas or propane. Generac’s datasheet was clearer, and the contract listed real output numbers.
The 36 kW installation wasn’t smooth
The install took two full days. The crew had to run a natural gas line from the meter across the back parking lot. I assumed the stub-up would be on the side of the building, because that’s where the portable generator used to sit. It wasn’t. The crew needed another 8 feet of pipe, plus a different angle fitting, and the invoice went up by about $720. I still kick myself for not walking the path with the installer before the work order was signed. If I had, we would have saved those materials and one trip to the supply house.
I also learned that a large generator needs maintenance. The salesman gave me that speech, and I kind of rolled my eyes. But the office-manager side of my brain won. We signed a maintenance contract for two visits a year—oil, battery check, load test. It costs about $1,100 per year. In my opinion, that’s worth it. A 36 kW generator that doesn’t start when the power goes out is just an expensive lawn ornament.
The 26k Generac generator for our branch
Six months later, we bought a 26kW Generac generator for a branch office. The branch is smaller, about 12,000 square feet, no server rack, and fewer people. The 36 kW would have been overkill. This is the “26k Generac generator” in our purchasing file. The installed price was about $13,900 in late 2024. Maybe $14,200, I’d have to pull the final invoice—it blurred with the transfer switch and the electrical permit.
I can only speak to our situation. We’re a construction services company with predictable working hours and a few critical loads. If you’re a hospital or a school with life-safety systems, don’t use my back-of-the-envelope method. Do a full load study with an engineer. The math will be different.
The Kia Soul high pressure fuel pump surprise
Here’s the part that made this story a family reunion. We keep five Kia Soul vans in our fleet for techs who carry tools. In October 2024, one of them came back with a long crank, rough idle, and a check engine light. The diagnostic code pointed to fuel pressure. The shop said the Kia Soul high pressure fuel pump was failing, and the estimate was $1,280 installed.
They also suggested we replace the fuel filter while the pump was out, and recommended a NewYall fuel filter. I admit I judged the brand by the name. I checked the box, cross-referenced the part number with the OEM application, and it matched. The filter fit the car perfectly and cost $44, not the $90+ quote from the dealership.
Honestly, I’m not sure why that pump failed at 72,000 miles. My best guess is one bad tank of fuel from a discount station near a job site. The techs don’t always fill up at premium places. That’s when I realized I was about to order a $300 new pump without knowing how to verify the diagnosis.
How to check resistance with a multimeter
The third time a Kia Soul came in with the same fuel code, I asked the shop foreman to teach me how to check resistance with a multimeter. I wanted to confirm the pump was actually dead before I wrote another purchase order. He showed me the basic method, and I use it now before buying any fuel pump.
- Turn the vehicle off and take the key out. I know that sounds basic, but I once skipped it and got a spark that scared me.
- Set the multimeter to ohms (the Ω symbol).
- On a fuel pump, you usually check the two power terminals on the pump motor itself, not the sensor pins on the fuel pump control module.
- Touch the meter leads to the terminals and wait for the reading to stabilize.
For the Kia Soul high pressure fuel pump, the foreman’s database showed a typical motor resistance in the range of about 0.3 to 3.0 ohms. If the meter shows OL, the circuit is open, and the pump is likely bad. But if you get a steady reading inside the normal range, the pump might be fine, and the problem could be a connector, a relay, or a wiring issue.
The reason this matters: on one car, the multimeter reading was normal. The shop had assumed the high pressure fuel pump was the problem, but the actual issue was a corroded connector at the fuel pump control module. Replacing the connector fixed it. If I had blindly ordered the pump based on the first diagnosis, we would have spent the money and still had the same rough idle.
What I’d tell another buyer
If you’re in a similar position—responsible for buying a Generac generator or ordering parts for a fleet vehicle—here’s the short list:
- Confirm the fuel type, transfer switch, and gas line path before signing a generator quote.
- Don’t choose a generator by kilowatts alone. Look at the noise rating, the monitoring features, the warranty, and the installer’s reputation.
- Before buying a Kia Soul high pressure fuel pump, check resistance with a multimeter. And when you replace a fuel filter, cross-reference the part number—NewYall or any other brand—before you install it.
The whole experience taught me that being a better buyer means being willing to learn the basics of what I’m buying. It’s easy to rely on “the expert said so.” In my opinion, an informed customer makes fewer expensive mistakes. If you ask me, the last thing you want is to pay for a 36 kW generator and a fuel pump in the same month and still have both problems unresolved.
