Whole house generator

[Koolau]

I don't think a heat pump costs a lot more than an AC, and you do need an AC in Hawaii.

It's true we have a lot of ACs in Hawaii. Anything close to sea level and NOT oriented to the Trade Winds, probably has to have AC. Office buildings, hotels and Ewa homes all have AC. IF you have AC, it's unlikely you will ever really need heat. BUT, if you NEED heat, then you almost never need AC because you only need heat if you are above about 2000 feet (usually more). At that altitude you only need heat - not AC, SO a heat pump loses a fair amount of its appeal as a dual purpose, relatively expensive installation.

You can pick up a 5000 watt resistance heater at a garage sale for $10 (when someone moves.) That will heat your bathroom or bedroom at night. In the day time, you can use your wood stove/fire place. Such sets ups almost never even have a room AC unit as it never gets hot. Vice Versa, IF you have AC, you can usually get by with a window unit for night (for sleeping) and you'll never need heat. "Expensive" set-ups are the split units that allow you to pick in which room you actually use the AC that's being generated. Again, if you have this set up, you never need heat. It's kind of a unique situation in the USA. I don't even recall a TV add offering a heat pump, though I suppose they do exist in the Islands - just never heard of it.

We're in the zone of NO heat and NO AC. Our condo is oriented so the Trades blow in one side and exit the other. We're sort of "open air." A few days every year when the Trades die, it would be nice to have AC, but the building forbids window units. I know one couple who uses one of those portable ACs that the ambient air/heat exhaust is coaxial and just sticks out a window. Since they make virtually no noise, no one cares. We just kick off the covers at night if it ever gets hot/muggy. Once in a while (2 or 3 times/year) I'll warm up the shower with the blow dryer in "winter." Other than that, we have no heat. YMMV

 

[Sunset]

Right. An interlock can be installed fairly inexpensively to make it all legal and fool proof.

I've never done back feeding, probably never will as our power is now really stable.
Previously I borrowed a generator during a heavy rain when the power went out just to directly run the sump pump.
Freezer is good for a couple of days if not opened, and not too hot.

My question is: an interlock, is that simply a physical thing to make sure a person does shut off the incoming main power switch, or does it actually do something else ?

 

[alicebillis]

The weekly testing doesn’t really use much fuel. We are still on the original fill of 250 gallons of propane and it has been nearly 5 years since the gen was installed. Don’t forget that comfort and safety is worth ...well it’s priceless in our opinion. I certainly understand the cost is worthy of consideration. We are at about the point to get a service call and refill the propane tank.

 

[travelover]

...........My question is: an interlock, is that simply a physical thing to make sure a person does shut off the incoming main power switch, or does it actually do something else ?

The interlock is is just a sliding metal bracket that is designed so the main breaker and the inlet power breaker can't be in the on position at the same time. https://www.interlockkit.com/

 

[Koolau]

The interlock is is just a sliding metal bracket that is designed so the main breaker and the inlet power breaker can't be in the on position at the same time. https://www.interlockkit.com/

Simplest is best. I still recall learning (at w*rk) about Lock Out/Tag Out. My first impression that it was rinkydink. Then I saw how it was actually practiced. I came a way a believer. Fool proof beats trust every time. YMMV

 

[skyking1]

My idea of simple is a knife switch in a housing on all 3 legs. That way when it is on genny there is no connection to the outside system.

 

[NW-Bound]

... We're in the zone of NO heat and NO AC. Our condo is oriented so the Trades blow in one side and exit the other. We're sort of "open air." A few days every year when the Trades die, it would be nice to have AC, but the building forbids window units. I know one couple who uses one of those portable ACs that the ambient air/heat exhaust is coaxial and just sticks out a window. Since they make virtually no noise, no one cares. We just kick off the covers at night if it ever gets hot/muggy. Once in a while (2 or 3 times/year) I'll warm up the shower with the blow dryer in "winter." Other than that, we have no heat. YMMV

The last time we were in Hawaii, it was in December, and the temperature was not bad. Maybe the low 80s. However, we are so used to the dry air of the SW that we would still want the AC on. The high-rise condo in Waikiki where we stayed had an AC, but it was weak and barely worked. The beach-front Airbnb in Maui did not have an AC, and I now recall not being as comfortable as I was at the place in Waikiki.

But you are right about not needing both heat and AC in Hawaii. The low-elevation places where we stayed would never need heating, if I longed for AC there in December.

 

[Nick12]

It's true we have a lot of ACs in Hawaii. Anything close to sea level and NOT oriented to the Trade Winds, probably has to have AC. Office buildings, hotels and Ewa homes all have AC. IF you have AC, it's unlikely you will ever really need heat. BUT, if you NEED heat, then you almost never need AC because you only need heat if you are above about 2000 feet (usually more). At that altitude you only need heat - not AC, SO a heat pump loses a fair amount of its appeal as a dual purpose, relatively expensive installation.

You can pick up a 5000 watt resistance heater at a garage sale for $10 (when someone moves.) That will heat your bathroom or bedroom at night. In the day time, you can use your wood stove/fire place. Such sets ups almost never even have a room AC unit as it never gets hot. Vice Versa, IF you have AC, you can usually get by with a window unit for night (for sleeping) and you'll never need heat. "Expensive" set-ups are the split units that allow you to pick in which room you actually use the AC that's being generated. Again, if you have this set up, you never need heat. It's kind of a unique situation in the USA. I don't even recall a TV add offering a heat pump, though I suppose they do exist in the Islands - just never heard of it.

We're in the zone of NO heat and NO AC. Our condo is oriented so the Trades blow in one side and exit the other. We're sort of "open air." A few days every year when the Trades die, it would be nice to have AC, but the building forbids window units. I know one couple who uses one of those portable ACs that the ambient air/heat exhaust is coaxial and just sticks out a window. Since they make virtually no noise, no one cares. We just kick off the covers at night if it ever gets hot/muggy. Once in a while (2 or 3 times/year) I'll warm up the shower with the blow dryer in "winter." Other than that, we have no heat. YMMV

With the trade winds and windows open we would be cleaning and dusting the home more frequently. I loved the weather in HI when I vacationed there. Stayed in a simple hotel no AC on Kuhio Ave. There was a hole in the wall Korean place that served lunch starting at 7am near the main drag. Cheap and great. I could not get used to the 5 hour time difference.

 

[ncbill]

I think Koolau means a 1500W (not 5000W) electric heater...that's the maximum allowed on a standard 120VAC, 15A circuit.

I use a flat panel 1500W/1000W heater set to 1000W since all the bathrooms in my home share the same 15A circuit.

Wiring it that way only requires a single GFCI outlet.

 

[Koolau]

I think Koolau means a 1500W (not 5000W) electric heater...that's the maximum allowed on a standard 120VAC, 15A circuit.

I use a flat panel 1500W/1000W heater set to 1000W since all the bathrooms in my home share the same 15A circuit.

Wiring it that way only requires a single GFCI outlet.

You are so right. I was confusing Watts with BTU. IIRC the conversion is about 3.4 BTU/watt. BUT 1500 watts IS about max for standard resistance heaters on regular house outlets. Sorry for the confusion. YMMV

 

[Texas Proud]

So, getting a bit more up to speed and it looks like a Kohler will be the winner...


Some things it has over Generac...



hydraulic lifters
quieter by a small amount
more aluminum fins on engine for better cooling... saw it was 7 lbs
brushless... generac has brushes which is a point of failure..


Still looking at Cummins but the one company that installs all of the brands I am interested in said that they have had some major problems with their auto switching failing... plus their parts are harder to get...


Have a Cummins only dealer coming so will see what he has to say... then a Kohler only dealer...

 

[stephenson]

In our area Genera outsells Koehler about three to one.

Our last Generac doing well after 11 years when sold it - ran many times continuously for two days, and once for eight days (with an oil change at about four days) ...most folks will not be able to tell the difference in typical use.

 

[Nick12]

So, getting a bit more up to speed and it looks like a Kohler will be the winner...


Some things it has over Generac...



hydraulic lifters
quieter by a small amount
more aluminum fins on engine for better cooling... saw it was 7 lbs
brushless... generac has brushes which is a point of failure..


Still looking at Cummins but the one company that installs all of the brands I am interested in said that they have had some major problems with their auto switching failing... plus their parts are harder to get...


Have a Cummins only dealer coming so will see what he has to say... then a Kohler only dealer...

Good luck to you. Our 16KW Generac has been rock solid. The houses in our area only have Generac. Buying American made is good. Both are made in the USA.

 

[iloveyoga]

Good luck to you. Our 16KW Generac has been rock solid. The houses in our area only have Generac. Buying American made is good. Both are made in the USA.

We have an 18W Generac on order, very happy to hear this.

 

[street]

If I may ask to that have "whole House Generators" how many real time hours have they been used in the last 5 years or so?

Just curious how much you folks are out of power and length of outages?

 

[street]

Right. An interlock can be installed fairly inexpensively to make it all legal and fool proof.

Yes. A transfer switch should be installed for safety and legal.

 

[stephenson]

As a quick follow-up, we’re now further south and directly on the Gulf of Mexico path for hurricanes.

Quite a few generators in higher end neighborhoods. However, I’m investigating options for solar with battery instead of generators ... the safety factor for linemen following loss of power during the restoration process has held up a lot of this type conversions, and the power companies are a bit resistant, as well. Basic rationale is that we can sell power back to the power company during normal ops, then have a bridge with solar after hurricane passage.

There are some technical solutions, though - so, gonna hold off on generator for awhile. Maybe buy the grid connected system now, with growth to battery backup in the future - batteries also expensive now since they are competing with cars!

 

[Nick12]

If I may ask to that have "whole House Generators" how many real time hours have they been used in the last 5 years or so?

Just curious how much you folks are out of power and length of outages?

In 2020 my family's home had a power outage from a lightning strike for 8 days, the 16KW Generac ran for the whole time during 95 degree weather. For the rest of 2020 they had 3-4 outages of 6-7 hours of neighborhood out of power each due to weather related issues. The Generac ran without a hitch.

 

[street]

^ wow!
We have very few outages if any at all to even speak of. I have been with out power thou for days thou. I don't have a generator but really never thought we would need one.
Heat is the biggest concern where I live if power was out for a week or so in mid winter. We do have that problem solved with a second heat source. Not having AC wouldn't even be an issue. We use our AC a few days of the year and really wouldn't need it then but do because we have it.

Thanks

 

[Winemaker]

If I may ask to that have "whole House Generators" how many real time hours have they been used in the last 5 years or so?

Just curious how much you folks are out of power and length of outages?

Since we purchased our 16kw Generac six years ago, we have lost our power maybe a total of 96 hours, not continuous, however. We have done a lot of travel over those years and feel we are buying "power insurance". We have 2 freezers and 3 refrigerators that keep our food stash cold, but 2 are used to store, stabilize wine in various stages of aging. We also have about 1200 bottles of wine in the wine cellar, as well as ~300 gallons of wine aging in barrels. I try to keep the temp down there between 55-60 degrees, and if we were to lose power during a significant heat wave, serious damage could occur. After fermentation is complete, none of my wines feel 61 degrees until consumed.

The other reason to get the generator was 80yo DMIL. While she is no longer with us, several years ago, she lost power in her city for over two weeks after a tornado went through. We brought her here to our home, but she was in grave danger with no electricity, no running water and temps in the 90's.

We feel it was money well spent. 3 other neighbors have purchased the same model but I don't know if it was concern to them as it was for us, or whether they were trying to "keep up with the Winemakers".

 

[street]

^ Yes, some very good reason to have a whole house generator. There are many here that do but I can testify that their power isn't of much or at all. I t sure is a nice thing to have when you have an catastrophic event.

 

[Ronstar]

If I may ask to that have "whole House Generators" how many real time hours have they been used in the last 5 years or so?

Just curious how much you folks are out of power and length of outages?

We've had ours since 2015. We had one outage for 4 days, another for a day and several others of a few hours apiece. I don't know the extent of the power outages when we were gone from home, but I doubt that they lasted very long.

 

[skipro33]

If I may ask to that have "whole House Generators" how many real time hours have they been used in the last 5 years or so?

Just curious how much you folks are out of power and length of outages?

I live in California with PG$E power. They schedule power outages based on 'public safety'. After years of neglect to maintaining the right-of-way clearances with trees, they shut off massive areas of power based on a formula of humidity, temperature and wind. They won't turn it back on until they've visually inspected every inch of overhead lines by sight. While the conditions may only be for hours, the outage usually will last 4 days to inspect the lines before re-energizing.
In the past two years, I've had 8 of these 4 day minimum outages. I expect we'll have at least that many going forward into the next several years.
On top of this, they also shut off power when the demand is high. Instead of paying the cost for running extra generation or buying it from other sources, they just roll a black out. Those are usually shorter, but still at critical times; when the need is most, they shut you off. High temps usually when AC units are running and people come home from work to start dinner, do laundry, kids do homework, etc. These happen around 10 to 12 times a year. According to the hour meter on my generator, I average 500 hours of power outage over each year, the past 2 years.

 

[Whisper66]

According to the hour meter on my generator, I average 500 hours of power outage over each year, the past 2 years.

Wow, that’s amazing to have so many power outages. I’m feeling lucky to only have hurricane outages to address (ok, now one Texas freeze outage also).

 

[Out of Steam]

I live in California with PG$E power. They schedule power outages based on 'public safety'. After years of neglect to maintaining the right-of-way clearances with trees, they shut off massive areas of power based on a formula of humidity, temperature and wind. They won't turn it back on until they've visually inspected every inch of overhead lines by sight. While the conditions may only be for hours, the outage usually will last 4 days to inspect the lines before re-energizing.
In the past two years, I've had 8 of these 4 day minimum outages.

I think I'd install solar panels, batteries, and a liquid-cooled diesel or propane generator for backup, and tell PG&E to come and get their meter.