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After spending the last 38 hours without power, lost the contents of the fridge and freezer its time to look for a generator and how people hooked into the house. Looking for some suggestions and budget requirements. Don't no whether to go portable or look for a whole house type.
Generac makes a couple of very reasonably priced 'whole house' units, which include the transfer switch. We had a 15kw natural gas version in our last home that worked very well. (of course, as fate would have it, we only lost power for more than a few minutes ONCE IN 12 YEARS - guess it was good insurance) Installation can get a bit pricey unless you are really handy with gas piping and electrical hookup. Gas piping requres a permit in most areas. You might also consider going solar...... (seriously, there are still some very generous rebates available when purchasing for your home)
Wow, a day and a half without power....too bad about the lost food. I have a relatively small (10kw) Briggs & Stratton whole house natural gas generator. There have been times when it's been asked to run for 8-12 hours several times ( I think once was about 20 hours). I bought it about 10 years ago for around $3,000 all in. I did the gas & electric myself. It came with a 25 foot wiring harness and a 100 amp 16 pole, panel/transfer switch. I'm using about 8 poles, just essential circuits (fridge, freezer, furnace, sump pumps, master bedroom, & baths. I have it set up to do a 20 minute "exercise" once a week. I change oil every couple of years....everything about it is super simple. Good Luck!
I've resided through ~20 hurricanes the past 20 years. I own Troy-Bilt 5,500-Running Watts Portable Generator with Briggs & Stratton Engine. During that period of time I've had 3 to 4 occasions where power to the house was out >4 days. Florence and Dorian the power was out 6-7 days each. The only issue I've had was once I had to remove & clean the carburetor of varnish build up. Aside from that, it fires up the first time every time. I believe the key elements to consider are:
(1) Do you require a whole house generator to accommodate someone/anyone who might require medical appliances e.g. oxygen, etc. - family members, extended family, etc.
(2) Do you need/require more than eight appliances running at the same time. There are four 110V outlets on the generator w/ an additional four 110V outlets on the 30amp extension cord.
You would have saved your perishable items with a portable generator.
My house does not require anything other than refrigerator/freezer to function and a couple of lights. The microwave is nice to have which can be hooked up easily. Aside from that, I'm not sure there are any other comfy creature things we need. If you have to have AC and you have to have the oven/range working - perhaps a whole house generator is the way to go - they're expensive. Decide what you must have (need) as opposed to what you may want.
Generac makes a couple of very reasonably priced 'whole house' units, which include the transfer switch. We had a 15kw natural gas version in our last home that worked very well. (of course, as fate would have it, we only lost power for more than a few minutes ONCE IN 12 YEARS - guess it was good insurance) Installation can get a bit pricey unless you are really handy with gas piping and electrical hookup. Gas piping requres a permit in most areas. You might also consider going solar...... (seriously, there are still some very generous rebates available when purchasing for your home)
Generac x2 . the trouble with solar systems are they are typically tied into the grid with no transfer switches(technology not there yet) in which case they are useless when the line power is out, utilities condemn any power back on the grid when lineman are in repair mode... any voltage backfed to your house circuits could be stepped up through the power tub to lines that may be down and circuits not opened. On demand natural gas 15k would compliment any power service and added resale value to your hacienda.
For small load back ups a power source for lighting and a couple outlets for a short time could be achieved through a system using your charged electric vehicle as a decent battery source, I see this as a very under utilized source one we may see as the norm soon.
Sorry to hear of your material loss and headaches working through the outage.
Keith
Last edited by otto72; July 13th, 2020 at 02:21 PM.
I have a couple of portable generators that I use three or four times year. The Kobota is used the most 6kw and it gets me by till the juice comes back on sometimes couple days. I just use drop cords and only hook up the essentials. I have wood heat and a propane backup if needed in winter. It used to be a winter affair but now PG&E gets trigger happy with the fire danger and shuts off most of California at the drop of a hat.
I would think it would depend on how often it happens and what happens when the juice is off .Do you lose your water pump No water no flushy toilet= upset wife= get a big unit.....Tedd
I have a portable Generac 5500 running 6500 FL. it has 220 outlets and 4 110's plus a heavy 25 ft cord with multiple outlets. I have not used it yet! Had it for 3 years now. The only gripe I have is that someone with the infinite wisdom when you shut the unit off and it shuts the gas off at the same time without running the carb. dry it's pointless! I have already installed a fuel cutoff valve in line to run the carb dry. I have so many people come into my store looking for carbs or kits when the power goes out. My dads generator is fired and load tested every six months to address any issue before you need it!
I like the idea of the automatic set-ups but ,i ended up buying a portable 7000 watt porter cable with a 13 hp honda motor .Then i purchased an 8 circuit transfer switch that i wired into the panel box.I ran conduit for wiring underground to my shed in the side yard so the gen sits inside undercover. Its all hooked up so when the power goes out i go to the shed throw the choke and it fires up first pull every time.go back to the house and throw the transfer switches .its safe and easy. Runs some lighting, my fridge ,furnace ,water pump, and microwave. ive got a total of about 1600.00 into it and its been working this way for 15 years. imo was a great investment especially here in the northeast when the power is out and its 20 below 0 outside.I always use non ethanol gas in it along with fuel stabilizer.
Eric,
20-30 years ago I would have told you to run from a generjunk and buy an Onan or a Kohler( both still top of the line and the $$ reflects). Honda is good as well, both portable and HSU.(home standby unit).
Generac was that bad. I was a service tech for all of the major gen dealers for years. Generic was a nightmare to work on and they were, well...junk.
The Generac HSUs have come a long way in 30 yrs. Their gens and transfer switches have finally come up to ISO, NEC, UL EU, and other important standards.
Get at least a 6.5K or larger home stand by on LP or preferably N.gas if available. N.Gas = uninterruptable fuel supply(not by hospital standard). Its always available and doesn't go stale.
Monitor your incoming service for max peak amps and decide what's essential load. Size the gen accordingly.
Go for the sound attenuated enclosure as well. You will thank me at 3 am when its running and you and your neighbors don't know it is.
Always go for a 4 pole 1800 RPM gen vs a 2 pole 3600 RPM. 3600=loud and self-destructive.
If you go for a portable make sure it has the idlematic feature. Makes no sense to have a gen running ***** out with no load, No-load just isn't good for any IC engine.
All gen-sets need to be put under full load for an hour annually. Most critical for a diesel.
A gen should only be run once a month for 30 mins under normal load, not weekly. I see HSUs programmed to run weekly, not at all necessary.
Service it like your Olds and keep the rodents out and you will get longevity.
If it gets cold where you are and its liquid-cooled keep a block heater on it.
We use a 45 KVA natural gas fueled Cummings running 1800 rpms with an automatic transfer switch. Depending of the load of the home, even 20 KVA can have issues due to the extra current required to energize the electric fields of multiple motors starting at the same time. This will be a much higher number than steady state current draw. We have a back up portable unit too, but you need to be present to hook it up, fuel it, and shed load to what it can handle. I should mention that most home grade units run at 3600 rpms and are very loud. A commercial grade unit running at 1800 rpms is so quiet that you do not hear it. On the downside the case is much larger and you will want to screen it.
Last edited by Tri-Carb; July 14th, 2020 at 03:49 AM.
38 hours is not a very long period of time to be without AC, a stove, etc. A portable generator you can hookup in less than five minutes and your refrigerator and freezer are working. It’s that simple. If you’re routinely gone for a week AND you have whole house unit with an AUTOMATIC switch you probably won’t lose any refrigerated frozen food. If you don’t have an AUTOMATIC switch you’ll still be coming home to spoiled contents since a human being has to throw the switch. Decide how much you’re willing to spend to save food. The complete automatic units I looked into years ago and several times over the years were Ingersoll-Rand, Caterpillar and General. I looked only at diesel generators. I still have my portable and we’ve never lost food. You should see my neighbors without even a portable running extensions to our generator to save their refrigerator contents. How much discomfort are you willing to tolerate (no AC, no stove, etc) for a couple days? If you have to have the creature comforts then go big. Or, are you looking to save food.
38 hours is not a very long period of time to be without AC, a stove, etc. A portable generator you can hookup in less than five minutes and your refrigerator and freezer are working. It’s that simple. If you’re routinely gone for a week AND you have whole house unit with an AUTOMATIC switch you probably won’t lose any refrigerated frozen food. If you don’t have an AUTOMATIC switch you’ll still be coming home to spoiled contents since a human being has to throw the switch. Decide how much you’re willing to spend to save food. The complete automatic units I looked into years ago and several times over the years were Ingersoll-Rand, Caterpillar and General. I looked only at diesel generators. I still have my portable and we’ve never lost food. You should see my neighbors without even a portable running extensions to our generator to save their refrigerator contents. How much discomfort are you willing to tolerate (no AC, no stove, etc) for a couple days? If you have to have the creature comforts then go big. Or, are you looking to save food.
Thats the question I'm looking to answer, whether to go big or not. The food that went bad was about $400 +/-, the incessant whining from the wife for 2 days...
I leave a quarter on top of a plastic cup filled with frozen water in the freezer at my 2nd home. It's a good way to see if I have lost power [when I'm not there ] and how log the freezer has been out [and thawed]
I installed a 10kw Generac Model 7172 at my house. All in it was around $5K including the ATS, a starting battery, wire, concrete pad, etc. Since I am a licensed journeyman electrician, I did the install myself.
I should have mentioned above that the intended fuel type significantly affects the KVA capacity of a given generator. For example, using propane yields a higher rating relative to natural gas.
I should have mentioned above that the intended fuel type significantly affects the KVA capacity of a given generator. For example, using propane yields a higher rating relative to natural gas.
I've read that, propane, natural gas, and gasoline fuels vary the outputs. Can be as high as 1200 kw's.
Is there just a good transfer switch available without having to spend an arm and a leg to hook it up to the breaker panel and just manually tripping the main to isolate it from the pole service?.
Is there just a good transfer switch available without having to spend an arm and a leg to hook it up to the breaker panel and just manually tripping the main to isolate it from the pole service?.
I'm not exactly certain I understand your question, but there are Interlock kits available which do not require a transfer switch. I have an Interlock kit w/o the need for a transfer switch. You turn off the main switch in the main electrical panel, and turn on your generator switches (breakers). You CANNOT turn on your generator (and create a dangerous back feed) because the Interlock switch locks out the generator. Therefore (again), you simply turn off the main switch at the main electrical panel and then turn on your generator. This works well for our home because we're not interested in supplying electric to the entire house if the power goes out only select appliances via select breakers.
Two of our sons live in New Hampshire. Utility power is not reliable in their areas. They both have Generac units hooked to their underground propane tanks.
Last edited by ignachuck; July 20th, 2020 at 02:53 PM.
Reason: correction
Now that you have it, you will probably never need it.
For those of you in central Indiana, I can all but guarantee a mild winter, never mind what the Farmers Almanac or other experts predict. My snowblower started on the first pull last week.
Now that you have it, you will probably never need it.
That's always my luck, however wishing for a power outage just to use it is probably not a good thing either.
Originally Posted by Vintage Chief
I believe you made a good decision. That's the same size as mine, although mine is now growing on 15 yrs of age & continues to run flawlessly. The ONLY issue I've had was a buildup of varnish in the carburetor which required a simple cleaning of the carburetor.
Yes, having it work when you need it is always a perk.
In about 1985 after just getting married we couldn't afford a generator. A 4000 watt coleman powermate was about $400.00 and that was huge money! But for $20.00 I could lay it away at K Mart! That's what I did. I knew that as soon as a power outage went thru our area generators wouldn't be available. but my laid away generator was stored in their lay away room and couldn't be sold to anyone else. I finally paid it off and now here it is 35 years later and it still bails me and (mostly) my neighbors out. It Is really noisy but has never let me down. I use it with the very dangerous and completely unacceptable double male plug using my welder outlet to power up the whole place except for the electric water heater. I am not recommending to do it like I did as it is dangerous and can end up back feeding the power line if not absolutely isolated...
They are advertising a unit called 'Car Generator' up here. A low powered unit that hooks up to your car at idle speed. Should be enough to run a fridge.
July 13th, 2020, 10:48 AM
(seriously, there are still some very generous rebates available when purchasing for your home)
.....Tedd
