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Old 07-02-2012, 02:59 PM   #41
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One of the problems with buying a generator is lack of use... if you run gas through them, it gums it up if it sits....

Also, I would probably leave and go visit someplace that HAS electricity... it is what we did the last hurricaine when we were out for 7 days... (we left after 1 1/2 days)....

If I had to be concerned with a sump pump or other critical needs, then I would have one for that.... but, you still have the problem if you are not there.... we went camping a couple of months ago and the electricity was out about 12 hours.... nobody to pull out a portable one to plug in the refrig...
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:06 PM   #42
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One of the problems with buying a generator is lack of use... if you run gas through them, it gums it up if it sits....
Not if you know how to take care of it.

I use StaBil in the gas, exercise it for an hour or so under load a two or three times a year, plus shut the gas off at the tank and let it run dry. It has always started on the first pull.

Which reminds me, I need to run it tomorrow...
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:16 PM   #43
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Not if you know how to take care of it.

I use StaBil in the gas, exercise it for an hour or so under load a two or three times a year, plus shut the gas off at the tank and let it run dry. It has always started on the first pull.

Which reminds me, I need to run it tomorrow...
I did point out that 'if it sits'... yes, you have to run it every once in awhile to keep it working...

What kind do you have? Some of the small ones that I have thought about do not look like they have a gas shut off... just a switch....
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:17 PM   #44
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In case of need, we realize how much we take for granted.

If you want 20KW worth of solar generation, here's what you need.



And if you want a 20KW wind generator, here's one.


To be sure of 24/7 power generation, I guess I will need all three: diesel, solar, and wind. Yes, one set for each household.
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:26 PM   #45
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What kind do you have? Some of the small ones that I have thought about do not look like they have a gas shut off... just a switch....
I have this one: Generac wheelhouse 5550 generator review | Portable Generators Reviews

The 8 gallon fuel tank has a shutoff valve and disconnect. It comes off the generator so you can take it to be refilled.

My only complaint is noise. Man, is that thing loud...
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:29 PM   #46
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For noise abatement, you need to go green. I have some suggestions above for solar and windmill.
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:39 PM   #47
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I saw them but don't think I can afford to make the switch.
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:43 PM   #48
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I didn't know what it would take to support my electric consumption until I looked these up.

Scared the heck out of me, so I wanted to share. Like I said, we tend to take things for granted.
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:49 PM   #49
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After being without power for about a week last year (following a tornado outbreak), we decided to get this small generator:

Amazon.com: Yamaha EF2000iS 2,000 Watt 79cc OHV 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator (CARB Compliant): Patio, Lawn & Garden

Powerful enough to recharge cell phones, run a small fridge, a small A/C unit, and other small appliances. Pretty quiet too.

And Kahn, I hope you get your power restored ASAP. Keep cool in the mean time.
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:55 PM   #50
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I did point out that 'if it sits'... yes, you have to run it every once in awhile to keep it working...
No different than lawn equipment in the fall/winter or snow removal equipment in the spring/summer.

Keep the StaBil in the tank during off months and run out the line (turn off the fuel shut off) to shut down.
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Old 07-02-2012, 04:00 PM   #51
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+1

Those Yamaha and Honda inverter generators are top-of-the-line when it comes to noise levels.
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Old 07-02-2012, 04:09 PM   #52
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One of the problems with buying a generator is lack of use... if you run gas through them, it gums it up if it sits....
.
Very true, and I was worried about that but now both wife and I have established a new routine of vacuumming out our cars once a month, I drag out the generator instead of an extension cord. We get cleaner cars and the generator keeps in running condition. I was very worried about spending all that money and not having it work when I needed it....
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Old 07-02-2012, 04:24 PM   #53
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I also have a generator . We bought it after a very stormy summer .So far it has not been used but I make sure my SO has everything ready at the start of hurricane season . To everybody without power I hope you soon return to normal . It's a beast not to have power especially during extreme temperatures .
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:21 PM   #54
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Anybody know what temperature would kill a cat?
Cats have a higher body temp, so they should be ok. Give them plenty of water though.

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So I've been trying to partially drain the tank each day and add fresh water.
Not sure if you have chlorine in your water or are using de-chlorine drops, but you can also get a lot of oxygen into the water by just moving it around. Dip a cup into the water, and then pour it back in, making sure to get some splashing.
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:34 PM   #55
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Not sure if you have chlorine in your water or are using de-chlorine drops, but you can also get a lot of oxygen into the water by just moving it around. Dip a cup into the water, and then pour it back in, making sure to get some splashing.
Hah, another unexpected area where my beer-brewing experience comes to play:

If you fill a container ~ 3/4 full of water, then shake it vigorously for ~ 45 seconds, it will reach the saturation point of oxygen with normal air (~8ppm). It would take pure oxygen injection to get it higher.

I guarantee that will get much higher O2 levels into the water than just pouring.

-ERD50
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:37 PM   #56
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Another method to avoid fuel gumming the carb due to inactivity, is to use aviation fuel. AvGas does not leave any residue, however @ $5.98/gal this is not cheap. I use fuel which has been drained from tank sumps in the genset, after pouring thru a fine screen.
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:42 PM   #57
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Another method to avoid fuel gumming the carb due to inactivity, is to use aviation fuel. AvGas does not leave any residue, however @ $5.98/gal this is not cheap. I use fuel which has been drained from tank sumps in the genset, after pouring thru a fine screen.
That'll work, but we should note (for anyone planning to use it) the commonly available aviation fuel for piston engines (called "100LL") contains lead. It's not a significant health hazard, but one should wash up well if it contacts the skin (like other fuels). It also might foul your sparkplugs a bit, so have some spares handy.
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:43 PM   #58
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Here's what a 20KW generator looks like. A Perkins generator.
Those photos remind me of the emotional response I have to the rock-crushing diesel generators on submarines. I love 'em. They're a horrendously costly PITA to maintain, you have to exercise them regularly, and if you don't keep the operators proficient then you're going to flood out the machinery room through the diesel exhaust.

But when the nuclear reactor has scrammed and you're not sure why, or (even worse) you know exactly why it scrammed but you can't fix it until you put the fire out, and the battery amp-hours are ticking away on the electric panel like a Las Vegas slot machine jackpot... then you feel the rumble of a 10-cylinder 800KW diesel starting up while you're scrambling around a 100-degree engine room trying to coordinate the repairs... it's a pretty good emotion.

For some reason my clearest memory of those diesel generators is a machinist's mate who was a 19-year-old south Texas native in 1990, a good ol' boy even at that age (the word "redneck" would just be redundant), screaming "Yeeee-haw!!" at the top of his lungs with a huge grin on his face as he rolled the diesel to start it and it growled to life. We could hear him 100 feet away in the aft end of the engine room even over the diesel. For some reason those guys think the reactor gets too much attention and they don't get enough diesel run hours.

But that was a long time ago and electricity's not so critical at home. Having said that, the picture below would be our home's emergency generator if we needed one. All we have to do is buy a 1700-watt inverter from Inter-Island Solar Supply for a few hundred bucks. We already have the jumper cables.

But I keep thinking back to the four-days-&-three-nights "vacations" that we've spent hiking Haleakala Crater. 40-pound packs, altitudes above 7000 feet, 1930s CCC cabins with woodstoves and no electricity, boiling our drinking water... and we paid NPS for the privilege! I think we could do just fine in this house with no electricity for a week or two.

Admittedly we're not dealing with the heat/humidity that a lot of you are enduring right now (and I hope we never have to) and we'd have the bathtubs full of water before the hurricane arrived...
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:49 PM   #59
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Yes, the Prius is a wonderful self-propelled/self-charging/self-managed battery that one can simply hook an inverter to. I did think about getting a Prius to have that backup function and to tinker with. But one of my existing cars must die first.

Up in my 2nd home, there is no need for cooling in the summer, only heating for the winter. And we all know there is nothing that beats a big tank of propane for home heating. Add to that electric power from a Prius. Problem solved.
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Old 07-02-2012, 06:13 PM   #60
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We just had a strong thunderstorm come thru. The lights flickered several times and went out once for about 5 seconds but it looks like that'll be the worst of it this time around. I think if my power went out for more than 1 full day then i'd pack up the car and go to the nearest 24-hr Walmart that still has power and camp out.
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