Whole house generator

[Marti]

We got a whole house Kohler generator installed a few years ago. It runs on propane, which is in a tank buried in the backyard as there's no natural gas here. It kicks on automatically when a power outage is detected and it runs for about 10 minutes each week to exercise it. It's given me a lot of peace of mind.

 

[old medic]

Talking about ice melting fast. In our case, it's when we have ice that our power goes out.

I was looking at the Preditor 9500 inverter generator that just came on the retail market.

I wouldnt waste my money on another Predator product.... We used a friends Honda 2000 suitcase and ran our camper fine with no problem.
Bought a Predator 2000WT suitcase... AC would kill it even after adding hard start capacitors... and half the time just the microwave would kick it off...with 1200 start watts.... Friend had a 3500 and it only lasted a year or so.
We have a Champion 3200WT inverter that has worked flawless for several years... (our side fixing the recoil rope a few times)

 

[Texas Proud]

So, updating an old thread...


Glad I got the generator... I have had a number of times where I lose electricity and just do not care... most are a few minutes to a couple of hours...


Well, a couple of weeks ago there was major outages all of the place due to high winds etc... my electricity was out for 22 hours... DW and I had to leave for a conference but DD was at home...


Just got my gas bill and comparing it to last month it cost me $27 for the day...

 

[Spock]

If you want a backup generator, get one sooner vs. later:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has proposed a policy (pdf) that would remove nearly all existing portable gas generators from the market. The new rule restricts the amount of carbon monoxide that generators can emit by forcing these generators to switch off when they reach a certain level of emissions.
Smaller gas generators would have to cut carbon monoxide emissions by 50 percent, and larger generators would have to cut emissions by up to 95 percent. Nearly all models currently available are expected to not be in compliance with the new standard.
Once the proposed rules come into effect, manufacturers would have to comply with them in just six months, a process that usually takes several years.The rules would also ban manufacturers from stockpiling noncompliant generators before the new standards are enacted.

 

[Time2]

Years ago, I had a business where I had 12 Chest freezers holding as much as $15k at our cost of material. I bought a Miller welder that has an 11kW generator 60Hz 120/240V output as part of the welder. It was very handy after Hurricane Michael when we were without electricity for 8 days.
I bought it as a welder because I thought it would have better resale value.
It does, as I paid about $3,250 and now they sell for over $6,500. But, I'm still in a hurricane area, so there it sets, with an occasional run. Hoping I never need it again.

 

[foxcreek9]

If you want a backup generator, get one sooner vs. later:

We were once promised flying cars, now we are promised that living in a 3rd world country is the way to go

https://www.latimes.com/environment...ckout-help-solve-climate-change-boiling-point

 

[meleana]

If you want a backup generator, get one sooner vs. later:

I’d better not comment on that quote because it will get me banned! Lol!

 

[meleana]

We were once promised flying cars, now we are promised that living in a 3rd world country is the way to go

https://www.latimes.com/environment...ckout-help-solve-climate-change-boiling-point

For real!

 

[Texas Proud]

Interesting.... seems like about 75 to 85 people die each year due to CO poisoning...



I would bet that a lot of these are due to operator error.. I have seen on the TV where people die while their generator was INSIDE the house...


If the cost of fixing the problem is low (not sure, but the cost/benefit was listed as being favorable) then why not


And I think that maybe a kill switch connected to a CO alarm would not be that bad of thing... the question then becomes how often does it need to be replaced and what happens if it is not...


I did not see anything about whole house generators.. but it is over 250 pages and I only skimmed the first few...

 

[misanman]

seems like about 75 to 85 people die each year due to CO poisoning...

I believe that new generators have CO detectors built in. I don't believe the proposed regulation pertains to safety but to climate change.

 

[Texas Proud]

I believe that new generators have CO detectors built in. I don't believe the proposed regulation pertains to safety but to climate change.

I only scanned a bit of the link and all it had was safety.... not willing to read or even scan the whole thing to see...



But IMO the amount of global warming gasses from these would seem to be minimal...


Opps... did a quick search and it does appear it is for safety... not all generators have sensors on them...





https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/generators-rules-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-rcna17707

 

[CaptTom]

Hopefully the CO sensors are easy to bypass. I run my generator in a shed. The worst that can happen if the CO level gets too high is to kill off some mice. I consider that a bonus.

 

[Spock]

Interesting.... seems like about 75 to 85 people die each year due to CO poisoning...



I would bet that a lot of these are due to operator error.. I have seen on the TV where people die while their generator was INSIDE the house...


If the cost of fixing the problem is low (not sure, but the cost/benefit was listed as being favorable) then why not


And I think that maybe a kill switch connected to a CO alarm would not be that bad of thing... the question then becomes how often does it need to be replaced and what happens if it is not...


I did not see anything about whole house generators.. but it is over 250 pages and I only skimmed the first few...

The CO kill switches arose out of a prior attempt to kill off small engines in 2016. The new policy doc finds that CO sensors+kill switches is insufficient. From what I've read this policy is to require that the actual CO emissions have to be reduced. The original article referenced "50% reductions for small generators" while the policy doc seems to reference a 75% CO reduction on small generators.

 

[Koolau]

The CO kill switches arose out of a prior attempt to kill off small engines in 2016. The new policy doc finds that CO sensors+kill switches is insufficient. From what I've read this policy is to require that the actual CO emissions have to be reduced. The original article referenced "50% reductions for small generators" while the policy doc seems to reference a 75% CO reduction on small generators.

If they want to kill CO emissions, they need to get rid of 2 cycle engines. Those things are dirty. Most of the mopeds I have to dodge and listen to and smell are 2 cycle. They're truly pollution on wheels. Why not get rid of them before the occasional-use generator?

 

[Spock]

If they want to kill CO emissions, they need to get rid of 2 cycle engines. Those things are dirty. Most of the mopeds I have to dodge and listen to and smell are 2 cycle. They're truly pollution on wheels. Why not get rid of them before the occasional-use generator?

(psssst... it's not about CO emissions. The goal is to ban fossil fuels by making the devices that consume fuel prohibitively expensive)

At the same time New York City is choking on wildfire smoke, the gov solution is to improve air quality by forcing wood fired pizza ovens to install expensive flue gas scrubbers.

 

[aja8888]

If they want to kill CO emissions, they need to get rid of 2 cycle engines. Those things are dirty. Most of the mopeds I have to dodge and listen to and smell are 2 cycle. They're truly pollution on wheels. Why not get rid of them before the occasional-use generator?

If you think mopeds (scooters) are bad here, go take a trip to India!

 

[Koolau]

(psssst... it's not about CO emissions. The goal is to ban fossil fuels by making the devices that consume fuel prohibitively expensive)

At the same time New York City is choking on wildfire smoke, the gov solution is to improve air quality by forcing wood fired pizza ovens to install expensive flue gas scrubbers.

Oh, I know all that. It's the old bait and switch. Any further discussion will bring on Porky, so I'll quit there - but, yes, I know what you are saying.


I was just venting on those fercockita mo-peds again.

 

[Koolau]

If you think mopeds (scooters) are bad here, go take a trip to India!

Yeah, I've seen pictures of their streets overrun with 2-cycle engined transportation. It's amazing anyone survives that awful air - and traffic.

 

[aja8888]

Oh, I know all that. It's the old bait and switch. Any further discussion will bring on Porky, so I'll quit there - but, yes, I know what you are saying.


I was just venting on those fercockita mo-peds again.

Photoshop...amazing

 

[Texas Proud]

Well, another data point...


One of my sister's neighbor is getting a whole house generator... a Kohler 20KW system.. total cost $16K installed..


It was $12K a couple of years ago... inflation is high...

 

[Surewhitey]

Just convert them all to propane... We have a dual fuel and will try to only use propane as there is no need for additives for storage. Just a slight loss of kw on output. The one we have is down to $929 for our whole house (Westinghouse 9,500 / 12,500-Watt). We just have an external plug and we're in biz when the time comes.

An Important Environmental Advantage
Propane is a ‘clean burning’ fuel, but what exactly does that mean? In simple terms, it’s the low amount of carbon monoxide produced relative to other fuel sources, especially gasoline. Releasing around half the CO of a typical gasoline generator, many individuals consider propane to be the best generator fuel around.

 

[Koolau]

Got to thinking about generators last night. Here at the Old Homestead, a transformer blew and knocked out the electricity for the block. Called the energy company and they said "By 3PM the next day!" Say what?



It was fortunate that the weather had cooled last night and we could open the windows and be comfortable. We had enough flashlights to do some reading before we turned in early. Apparently, the energy company was being conservative when they said 3PM (today) as the power was restored about 2AM. I'd forgotten the TV was on as were several lights, so it all woke me up - but not DW.



It's amazing how dependent we are on reliable electricity. We were only about 6 hours without power but it felt much longer than that. YMMV

 

[Texas Proud]

And it can happen at a bad time.... I lost electricity on Christmas Eve last year when the whole family was coming over and I needed to cook the turkey and ham and heat up other dishes family were bringing...


The generator came on after a few seconds and we just kept on keeping on... no muss, no fuss... no trying to figure out what to do now...


A few weeks ago lost electricity for 22 hours... again, glad to have it.