Curious about a generator

[Scubamax]

I don't know about the rest of you, but when the power goes out and the genny kicks in and all is well I get a real (smug) feeling of satisfaction that I did the right thing. Perhaps its more of a coping mechanism for me trying to rationalize spending so much on that item.

 

[Ronstar]

I don't know about the rest of you, but when the power goes out and the genny kicks in and all is well I get a real (smug) feeling of satisfaction that I did the right thing. Perhaps its more of a coping mechanism for me trying to rationalize spending so much on that item.

I feel the same way. We had a tornado go through our area a few days after we got ours running. Power was out for several hot days. After that, I’ve never regretted spending the $ for the generator.

 

[txtig]

I’d love to have an automatic whole house generator, but I’m not really willing to blow that much dough. I bought a portable generator for Hurricane Ike in 2008 and used it then, and maybe one or two times since then. Haven’t run it in at least six years and I rather doubt that I could get it restarted now.

I’ve got a 5500 watt genny in my motorhome which is stored a few miles from my house. That genny gets regular use and maintenance. If we experience another extended outage, I could bring the RV home, park it in front of my house, and run the fridge, freezer, and a window A/C unit or two off of the RV’s genny. If my motorhome’s fuel tank is full, I could probably get about 48 hours of run time (the gen will automatically shutoff at about 1/4 of a tank to prevent the motorhome becoming inoperable due to no fuel). To me, this is a better option than trying to maintain a portable unit.

 

[meierlde]

Thank you for all the replies. Some additional info. We are in our 70s dealing with a few health issues that restrict some of what we can do. Would like a permanent unit because portable units would not be something we could deal with. Home is about 1700 sq ft. Like most living here we have a central heat pump to run air conditioning for the summer and heat in winter. We are totally electric. No natural gas, propane, etc. fuel lines to tap into. Not sure what the best alternatives are. Need something to run the home during outages like hurricanes, nor'easters, brown outs, heavy rain storms etc. We don't have sump pump, well, pool, sauna, or concerned about the hot tub. We could get along without the washer, dryer, dishwasher, water heater if necessary. We live in Florida and need air conditioning in the summer. Most important things to run are air conditioner, refrigerator, lights, stove, and outlets (for computer, tv, phone charging, fans).

Other than contacting Generac for estimates what are some of the other reliable generator companies recommended? How do I keep from becoming a P.T. Barnum sucker?


Cheers!

Since you don't have natural gas service propane for a whole house generator is the only option. If you have space for a tank that would be ideal.What you would need to do to size the tank is find out how many hours the generator would run on x gals or pound of fuel. And then figure out how many hours of backup you need from this you can derive the size of tha tank.

 

[OldShooter]

I’d love to have an automatic whole house generator, but I’m not really willing to blow that much dough. I bought a portable generator for Hurricane Ike in 2008 and used it then, and maybe one or two times since then. Haven’t run it in at least six years and I rather doubt that I could get it restarted now.

I’ve got a 5500 watt genny in my motorhome which is stored a few miles from my house. That genny gets regular use and maintenance. If we experience another extended outage, I could bring the RV home, park it in front of my house, and run the fridge, freezer, and a window A/C unit or two off of the RV’s genny. If my motorhome’s fuel tank is full, I could probably get about 48 hours of run time (the gen will automatically shutoff at about 1/4 of a tank to prevent the motorhome becoming inoperable due to no fuel). To me, this is a better option than trying to maintain a portable unit.

You might want to consider adding a manual transfer panel. (Pictures here: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoor...ent-Generators-Transfer-Switches/N-5yc1vZc7l9) Basically, what you do is to take a few critical circuits from your main panel and instead route them through the transfer panel. There is a switch in the panel then, that chooses whether the circuits will be powered from the main panel/commercial power or from the generator connection cable. That way you are not digging around to find the fridge cord plugged into the outlet behind the fridge, etc. No rats nest of extension cords, either. Furnaces are usually hard-wired, so if that is critical a transfer panel is the easiest way to deal with it. If you are familiar with wiring outlets, switches, etc. and adding/removing breakers from the main box, figuring out how to install a transfer panel is not a big step IMO. If not, any electrician company can sell you the panel and do the install.

 

[youbet]

ain't that the truth!

we had been wanting to do a whole house genny for a long time but it was at the bottom of our list of improvements. then, in one week, we experienced two 24-hr, clear sky (meaning no storms), summertime power outages. the genny was moved to the top of the list. once it was installed we didn't have a significant power failure for nearly 2-years.

We live only a few miles north of you yet haven't had any power outages that lasted more than a few minutes in many years, and very few of those short ones. I think the underground utilities help.

This discouraged me from spending big bux on an automatic, whole house generator and I eventually settled on a quality battery operated sump pump with parallel batteries. So far, so good.

I recall you guys getting losing power for an extended period a few years back and it didn't sound like fun!

 

[Big_Hitter]

I’d love to have an automatic whole house generator, but I’m not really willing to blow that much dough. I bought a portable generator for Hurricane Ike in 2008 and used it then, and maybe one or two times since then. Haven’t run it in at least six years and I rather doubt that I could get it restarted now.

we were out of power for 17 days during Ike - 77018

 

[Walt34]

Given that you have no natural gas, it seems like propane would be the best fuel option. It would require buying or renting a small propane "pig" tank. Get several bids - local electrical companies install generators and subcontract the slab and plumbing work.

What he said.

One thing that makes me suspicious of Generac is that they almost never put the sound level ratings for their products in the advertisements and if it is even on their web site you have to dig for it. I'm sensitive to noise so if we ever did get a whole-house generator that's one of the first specs I'd look at. If they don't publish it or try to hide it that's a clue there are better products out there. And there are. The ones that have made an effort on the sound proofing are quick to brag about it in their ads.

Given a choice between diesel and propane for fuel I'd pick propane for the reason that it is not time limited for storage. Diesel only lasts for so long (two years? I don't know.)

The "pig" tank that travelover refers to is similar to the above-ground oil tanks seen in the side or back yards of homes in the northeast where oil heating is common. In lots of places the choices of heating are either all electric or propane and propane can be cheaper although few would call it "cheap".

 

[Ronstar]

As far as I know, Generacs only run on natural gas or propane. Not diesel.

 

[txtig]

we were out of power for 17 days during Ike - 77018

We were extremely lucky. Out for less than 24 hours. We’re in Sugar Land and close to a major hospital, which could explain our relatively short outage. Most surrounding areas were out for much, much longer.

 

[OldShooter]

FWIW, in our case we have very little concern about basic power reliability, but we were once down for almost two weeks after a big summer storm dropped trees onto the power lines. Roads were all obstructed/no cars or emergency vehicles could get through. Winter worry is an ice storm. Our neighborhood is not large in terms of customers, so we do not get the priority that larger outages get.

 

[txtig]

You might want to consider adding a manual transfer panel. (Pictures here: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoor...ent-Generators-Transfer-Switches/N-5yc1vZc7l9) Basically, what you do is to take a few critical circuits from your main panel and instead route them through the transfer panel. There is a switch in the panel then, that chooses whether the circuits will be powered from the main panel/commercial power or from the generator connection cable. That way you are not digging around to find the fridge cord plugged into the outlet behind the fridge, etc. No rats nest of extension cords, either. Furnaces are usually hard-wired, so if that is critical a transfer panel is the easiest way to deal with it. If you are familiar with wiring outlets, switches, etc. and adding/removing breakers from the main box, figuring out how to install a transfer panel is not a big step IMO. If not, any electrician company can sell you the panel and do the install.

This is actually a great idea. I guess I’d also have to make some modifications in the RV to take the entire output of the generator and run it to the manual transfer panel in the house. Then, hooking it up would be a pretty straight forward task. Just run a power cord from the RV genny to the transfer panel and the selected circuits in the house would become live. Not as easy or comprehensive as a whole house system, but it would give me a lot of the benefits at a fraction of the cost. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[OldShooter]

... Just run a power cord from the RV genny to the transfer panel ...

Better, hard wire from the transfer panel a box on the outside of the house near the RV pad. In addition to being convenient, you won't need a long and Godzilla $$ heavy extension cord that keeps your door from closing. You'll just need a short jumper from the RV to the wall box.

 

[harley]

As far as I know, Generacs only run on natural gas or propane. Not diesel.

When we got ours (2007) I think we were given the choice between diesel and propane. We chose propane since we already had the tank installed for the stove. But I'm pretty sure diesel was an option.

We don't have a gennie down in FL, since we shut everything down and don't need to worry about freezing. However, during Irma a few years ago we were worried about mold due to electricity being out for a couple weeks. Luckily we're on the same lines as the major road nearby. We got power back in two days. The rest of our tiny HOA was out for nearly 3 weeks. A number of them were running extension cords from our house to their fridges and fans. If I was a full timer down there I'd definitely have a gennie.

As an aside, I use reminders on my computer constantly, as my memory sucks and isn't getting any better as I get older. Since I want to make sure the generator is exercising (every Wed at 10:30 am) I have a reminder about it. Once DW was using my computer and a pop up notice appeared saying "Gennie is exercising at 10:30". I had to talk fast on that one. She thought I was spying on our cute neighbor Jennifer. But I don't know what time she exercises.

 

[rk911]

... We could get along without the washer, dryer, dishwasher, water heater if necessary. We live in Florida and need air conditioning in the summer. Most important things to run are air conditioner, refrigerator, lights, stove, and outlets (for computer, tv, phone charging, fans)...

assuming you can figure a way to fuel it (a small above or below ground LP tank is likely your only option) to only provide stand-by power for some of the house circuits will typically require the installation of a sub-panel containing just those circuits. when you take bids be sure to get cost options for whole house vs select circuits.

 

[Ronstar]

When we got ours (2007) I think we were given the choice between diesel and propane. We chose propane since we already had the tank installed for the stove. But I'm pretty sure diesel was an option......

Diesel could have been an option at that time. Generac website now says natural gas or propane.

 

[travelover]

assuming you can figure a way to fuel it (a small above or below ground LP tank is likely your only option) to only provide stand-by power for some of the house circuits will typically require the installation of a sub-panel containing just those circuits. when you take bids be sure to get cost options for whole house vs select circuits.

Many generators now have automatic load shedding, so they can for instance, kick off the AC for a little while if you are using an electric range.

 

[Winemaker]

Diesel fuel is prone to contamination and algae formation. A neighbor had to replace their stainless steel tank, fuel lines, filter, fuel pump and 100 gallons of algae infected fuel in their $400,000 RV, it ran about $7500, IIRC.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Many generators now have automatic load shedding, so they can for instance, kick off the AC for a little while if you are using an electric range.

that's nice - my old 16KW didn't but it ran everything in the house except for the upstairs HVAC and the oven

ovens use a carpload of juice, apparently

 

[splitwdw]

Badger, Have a whole house Generac 20kw runs on natural gas. We had it installed about 7 or 8 years ago and don't remember the cost. It self-tests for 10 minutes once a week. Wish we had one of the newer ones with wifi. I have a reminder set up on my calendar for when it self-tests. I didn't realize it had stopped self-testing until a couple of weeks had gone by. It needed a new battery and a controller which I replaced myself.
If you do not have natural gas there are distance requirements from buildings and ignition sources for using above ground propane tanks.
Tried to explain to a neighbor that the self-test is only testing the generator and not interrupting the house service but no convincing him.
Our generator is loud. I forget the decibel rating. We have it behind a fence to muffle the noise.

 

[NateW]

Thank you for all the replies. Some additional info. We are in our 70s dealing with a few health issues that restrict some of what we can do. Would like a permanent unit because portable units would not be something we could deal with. Home is about 1700 sq ft. Like most living here we have a central heat pump to run air conditioning for the summer and heat in winter. We are totally electric. No natural gas, propane, etc. fuel lines to tap into. Not sure what the best alternatives are. Need something to run the home during outages like hurricanes, nor'easters, brown outs, heavy rain storms etc. We don't have sump pump, well, pool, sauna, or concerned about the hot tub. We could get along without the washer, dryer, dishwasher, water heater if necessary. We live in Florida and need air conditioning in the summer. Most important things to run are air conditioner, refrigerator, lights, stove, and outlets (for computer, tv, phone charging, fans).

Other than contacting Generac for estimates what are some of the other reliable generator companies recommended? How do I keep from becoming a P.T. Barnum sucker?


Cheers!

Looks like propane is your only viable fuel option, provided you are in a propane company service area. It keeps indefinitely. You should calculate the fuel cost per hour for any generator you are considering. It will be expensive. I once roughly calculated the natural gas cost per day for a whole house generator running full time and it was in excess of $50 a day. Propane costs 3 to 4 times what natural gas does. The propane tank will be quite large too.

 

[CountryGal]

I have been considering a stationary generator and following this thread. If it is powered by propane (probably our only choice), how far away from the generator can the tank be? Is burying it an option? Does the generator itself need to be near the electric panel? I ask, because that area of the house is where we tend to hang out and the grill is about 15 feet away from the electric panel (in basement). Appreciate any thoughts.

 

[Walt34]

I have been considering a stationary generator and following this thread. If it is powered by propane (probably our only choice), how far away from the generator can the tank be? Is burying it an option? Does the generator itself need to be near the electric panel? I ask, because that area of the house is where we tend to hang out and the grill is about 15 feet away from the electric panel (in basement). Appreciate any thoughts.

The distance the propane tank has to be is probably governed by local codes, you'd have to ask a local plumber or someone at the county building code office. The generator does not have to be near the electrical panel - it's connected by wires and those wires can be as long as you want them to be.

 

[travelover]

I have been considering a stationary generator and following this thread. If it is powered by propane (probably our only choice), how far away from the generator can the tank be? Is burying it an option? Does the generator itself need to be near the electric panel? I ask, because that area of the house is where we tend to hang out and the grill is about 15 feet away from the electric panel (in basement). Appreciate any thoughts.

You'd do well to have a contractor come out and answer those questions. You can locate the propane tank a distance away but the feed line has to be up-sized to make sure it supplies the proper flow rate. Yes, you can bury it but it drives the cost up a fair amount. The generator can be located away from the panel but again you'll need up-sized wires and a longer trench, so higher costs.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Reviewing how common extended power failures are among forum members, I feel fortunate. I live at the end of a dead-end country road, and a power outage that lasted more than a day has occurred only once in 32 years. The second-longest was about six hours, but it happened in very cold weather, and the house was down to about 55 degrees before the juice started flowing again.

That said, this is ground zero for generator manufacturing, so keep buying those units!