Do you have a generator?

[DeanBrown3D]

I know a lot of the people here have a tendancy to self-sufficiency and independence from utilities, so do people have generators and if so what do you have.

Do you also have it linked up to your house via transfer switch?

I have a Honda 2000, which although only 2000 Watts, allows me to run the emergency appliances (and more importantly the TV). It is quiet though, I can put it in my garage and not hear it at all. It cost me $900 new.

DeanB

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

i want one for my aquarium, they would be handy to have. We are prone to power outages, this year has been good. havent lost power for any length of time yet.

 

[babalu87]

Yes , a 6500 watt from Cabelas that runs off a separate "boat tank"

If I am careful (turn of freezer and spare fridge by day and turn off well pump at night) it will power the whole house.

We have it tied into the main panel, just flip a breaker to isolate the house from the street power.

We are prone to outages as well, last windstorm an oak fell across our power lines in the driveway.

 

[vgrund]

No, but I pine for one. We have a 500-gallon buried propane tank, so I have the perfect setup for a propane one. It is on my list, #5 or so.

 

[Mike Wilson]

I am out on the end of a peninsula, so we have our fair share of power outtages. I use a 6500 Watt Generac with an 8000 watt surge capacity into a transfer switch, capable of running off its internal gasoline tank of 10 gallons for short term power losses (12-18 hours), or the swimming pool heater propane tank, for long term use. It will run the well, the air handlers, fridge, stove/microwave, lights, TV, and most importantly, my connection to HearthNet.

-- Mike

 

[Martin Strand III]

I'm in the boonies on a hill with a sepentine driveway service trucks cannot negotiate in winter and, so, have 1000 Gal LPG tank my builder insisted on to "get me through winter". He didn't really understand my masonry heater. But then, master of none 'cept redundency and self-sufficiency, I had an Onan RS 12000 GenSet (runs on LPG) put in for home standby. In three years now I've needed it four times from electrical failure secondary to lightening and wind vs tree vs powerline. It hooks into my main electric box, switches on automatically when the main line fails and keeps me in water, prevents the coyotes thawin' in the freezer and I can't stand the thought of mixin' my nightly toddy by hand - gotta use the blender...

At the bottom of the hill is my polebarn. Here I use a Honda 3500 gas generator for lights, power tools, etc. Thinking of getting an electric splitter to ease off on my bad shoulder (rotator cuff injury 5 years ago - judo) as I cut and split about 5 cords/year using a chainsaw/maul. Use 3 - 4 and give some away.

Aye,
Marty

 

[nshif]

We get alot of outages here in the mountains. In the winter due to snow and even in the summer due to forest fires. Sometimes we go days without power in the winter because of accessability for repair. A generator is almost a required item. I have a 7.5KW Generac that provides all the power I need to keep the important stuff running. ( well pump, refer, freezer, TV, PC, some lights ) If I had it to do over it would be propane rather than gas.

 

[kregars]

I have been continuing to look for a diesel standby genset for my house here, however, LPG is also a possibility. My concern with LPG is in an emergency I can cook enough veggie oil to get me through a cold snap, or extended outage (I brew for my car, it would just mean to brew a much larger batch). LPG I would have to have an ample supply always on hand to go for more than a few days.

What's the average 'gallons per hour' that the LPG units consume (looking at the Guardian 7.5kW (think its the 7.5).

 

[DiscoInferno]

I don't have a generator as such, but I do have an inverter I can hook to my truck battery and a long extension cord. When the power goes out for a while, it's enough (500W) to run some lights and the tv and the blower on the stove. Not enough juice for the fridge though. A few years back a hurricane made it it all the way up here, we (and half of DC) were without power for a week. The local power company got reamed out good over that one, but the power still goes out now and again.

 

[pgmr]

It is quiet though, I can put it in my garage and not hear it at all. It cost me $900 new...
DeanB

I'd recommend not running anything in the garage for an extended time. Even with the door open, enough CO could get into the house to sicken you or worse.

 

[Jags]

I have an old (1942) military generator setup. Its original generator was a wacko 115v 3 phase. Not good for anything except for military radios (circa 1942). The little 4 cyl engine still ran great so I bought a 10,000 watt generator head, built the necessary pieces and parts and bolted it back to the engine. 6 volt electric start, made to run 8-12 hours at a shot and runs everything I got. Between that, the wood stove, the freezer......BRING ON THE WEATHER :cheese:

 

[Gooserider]

We live in the 'burbs, so our power has proven pretty reliable, I think the longest we've been out that I recall is just a few hours. We do have BIG UPS's on the PC's and cable modem box, but my biggest concern is the sump pump in the basement. It only runs for a few weeks out of the year, mostly during the "spring thaw" and maybe a few days starting AFTER a really heavy multi-day rain storm (the kind that has the animals lining up in pairs as they look for some dude with a boat...) However when it is running we have reason to believe that if it quits, we will get 3-4" of water in the basement after about 90 minutes. (We do have a double pump setup for redundancy)

Second biggest concerns are the big freezer and the fridge. Given the timing, I'm less worried about those as we've never lost power long enough for the stuff in them to be damaged, but if we are going to be running a generator... I'm guessing we would need about a 5KW run, 6.5KW surge unit to cover us.

The house has natural gas, which would be ideal to use, but NG generator setups are BIG bucks, especially with the transfer switch and all that. Location would also be a bit of an issue as there is a pretty good distance between our main panel and the nearest gas piping. Gasoline would be easier, but still a challenge as we normally only have a couple gallons around the house.

I just haven't seen a generator that fit within our budget that I liked. Harbor Freight has some units that are priced right, but I don't trust HF stuff that much - especially not their "Chicago Electric" brand. I wouldn't consider it acceptable for "mission critical" use.

Gooserider

 

[budman]

I am out on the end of a peninsula, so we have our fair share of power outtages. I use a 6500 Watt Generac with an 8000 watt surge capacity into a transfer switch, capable of running off its internal gasoline tank of 10 gallons for short term power losses (12-18 hours), or the swimming pool heater propane tank, for long term use. It will run the well, the air handlers, fridge, stove/microwave, lights, TV, and most importantly, my connection to HearthNet.

-- Mike

Hey mike i have the same generator this thing is great. I run well pump,basement fridg,freezer.&lights,
kitchen fridg,stove,bath lights,f/r outlets for lights & insert,furnace and sump pump if needed.
I made its own home in the back yard near basement doors and thinking of converting it to n/g
You can get the kit for about 200.00 @ www.propane-generators.com

 

[nshif]

I am out on the end of a peninsula, so we have our fair share of power outtages. I use a 6500 Watt Generac with an 8000 watt surge capacity into a transfer switch, capable of running off its internal gasoline tank of 10 gallons for short term power losses (12-18 hours), or the swimming pool heater propane tank, for long term use. It will run the well, the air handlers, fridge, stove/microwave, lights, TV, and most importantly, my connection to HearthNet.

-- Mike

Mike,
How do you run it off of both fuels? Is this a mod that can be made?

 

[budman]

I am out on the end of a peninsula, so we have our fair share of power outtages. I use a 6500 Watt Generac with an 8000 watt surge capacity into a transfer switch, capable of running off its internal gasoline tank of 10 gallons for short term power losses (12-18 hours), or the swimming pool heater propane tank, for long term use. It will run the well, the air handlers, fridge, stove/microwave, lights, TV, and most importantly, my connection to HearthNet.

-- Mike

Mike,
How do you run it off of both fuels? Is this a mod that can be made?

Yes you can run n/g. l/p,or gasoline go to www.propane-generators.com
Sorry to jump in on this

 

[begreen]

Logging in from the library here. Yes, we have a generator and are using it now. Unfortunately with the number of lines down it will be for several days. No internet for us for quite awhile too from the looks of it. Word to the wise, get a good generator if you think you are really going to need it for an extended period of time.

The Jotul is doing it's job. Sure glad we increased the stove size. It's back working 24/7 with temps in the low 30's. Our property survived much better than others and we are all fine and thankful for being ok. Will log in in a few days, maybe from work, but for now it is back to the basics.

 

[nshif]

Yhx Mike ... Ill check it out although at 1st look I didnt see a kit for a 7.5KW

 

[Todd]

No gas generator, but I have a solar generator. Solar panels on the roof, 3 batteries, and a 400 watt A/C inverter. I run 2 lights upstairs and 2 lights downstairs. Not much sun this time of the year so I don't run them as often, but in the spring and summer I have plenty of juice. I plan to upgrade soon.

 

[Kenny1]

Interesting to see this thread.

I've been thinking of generators for a while, and just picked up a B&S PRO4000.

No transfer switch, but with some extension cords (and keeping an eye on the load balance) we should be able to keep the sump pump, pellet stove, fridge, etc going.

Would love a whole house setup, but that's not in the cards.

 

[Sandor]

Generac 4000 and a 220v "suicide" cord.

 

[Hbbyloggr]

While we have always had generators of various sizes with , more commonly, less than desirable electrical connections , this summer we came upon a 30kw propane LPG fueled generator that was taken off-line from a towns well pump station . It supplied the backup power in the event of a main line loss. It had 204 hrs on the Hobbs meter. I paid $700 for it. I reconfigured the wiring in the generator head to 240/single phase/60hz, bought a 100amp " on-ff-on " manual transfer switch , under $ 150, and wired it into the Public Service meter and load center.

Results are : we are not at all inconvenienced by power outages. It runs everything from the OWB circulators, well pump, electric cook stove, electric dryer, lights ,two freezers, 'fridge, and probably things I don't know I have. Oh, I did lose the Out House, though. I placed the generator where the old two-holer originally attached to the ell off of the main house. It really was a tough decision though. Guess I 'll have to use the indoor facilities from now on.

The best part about it is realized when power is lost. Simply walk out, start the generator, throw the switch and we're back on. The coffee pot is always on. Plus, propane stores well compared to gasoline.

Cheers ! Hbbyloggr

 

[drizler]

If you get a generator get a good one. The unregulated sort like the Coleman's you see at Sams and Wallyworld for $400 are crap at best. The best prices I have seen for decent ones is in Sears. Near as anyone can tell they are Generacs which are very nice. Also if you live in an area where the power is out in an extended emergency as the local vermin will drive right up in your yard and toss it in their truck then drive away with it running. Put some sort of chain around the frame. They did a lot of that around here in 98. If you are running it for extended periods in very cold weather watch out for the formation of carb ice. The local Sears store had a whole floor full after the ice storm that they had put new oil seals in. Luckily the oil pressure switch shut them off before all the oil ran out and blew the engines in most cases. When you get one new right out of the box ( not run by a dealer first) don't panic if it doesn't start up right away. They test them at the factory then run em dry so the floats often stick. The dealers pull the bowl and clean it but there is a better way. Pull the cover off and spray some gas into the inlet and fire it over. You may have to do this for a bit but it will soon enough shake itself loose which is much easier than disassembling the thing. Those oil pressure shut off switches can be a pain too. If its won't start and is getting gas remove the shutdown wire from the oil press sensor. Run it a bit then hook it up later and it should be fine thereafter. Its probably worth keeping the shut down switch though in a cold area no matter how much headache it causes you though due to the carb ice issue. Its amazing what you learn during a disaster that they neglect to say in the manual. Also make sure to save your receipt. If you get stuck buying one from one of the places that doubles the prices due to the disaster you can likely get much of the cost overrun back by filing a complaint with the State Atty Generals Office. There are laws against price gouging during emergencies in most states and its amazing how the creeps come out of the woodwork selling stuff you need both locally and from more distant places vending out of trucks. If an extended emergency is you can't get any of those plugs and switches either and if you do the price is at least double. We had ours with just stripped wires plugged into the slots on the genset for a week due to that. If you don't get the stuff the first day you are often SOL so its best to have it in advance,