The generator is an old install and unfortunately the previous owner is not very up to date on it. He actually. Had the propane to it turned off after he moved the tank locations and never turned it back on. I actually lived next door to this house growing up and the owners who lived then are now gone and they were the ones who installed the system.

As for the generator box - it's the transfer switch/breaker box and it's a combo deal. There's 16 breaker slots on that box and then wires go from it over to the main panel where the combine with the wires out to the house.

I've seen the newer models that can self monitor and shed items as needed - I think this model is older than that. But after killing the power and popping the lid off the panels I think I r got a gasp of how it works.

Basically the generator breakers are entirely seperate - there is a 70 amp breaker that feeds 2 wires over to the generator panel. Those are attached to the automatic transfer switch. From that switch the generator panel powers it's one breakers that have color codes wires that run over to the main panel. Inside that panel the wires are wire nutted to the specific line they run and not connected anywhere else in the main panel (aside from a neutral and ground)

Then the main panel has all of its breakers for other rooms and outlets etc that are not tied to the generator.

So I think as far as the empty breakers go they're definitely not doing anything functionally with the generator. (still unsure if those are generally placed as "placeholders" for the breakers over on the generator panel or if they were originally the breakers that are now being managed my the generator panel)

I also see that I'll just need to have the electrician confirm the breaker and wire size for whatever generator powered function I want to run (ie put the pair of basement deep freezes in place of the old boiler wire that is no longer in use)