laterbloomer
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Generators
Nov 28, 2019 17:24:02 GMT -5
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Post by laterbloomer on Nov 28, 2019 17:24:02 GMT -5
Does anyone have their house wired for a generator? Have you used it? Anything you wish you'd known before you got it?
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Nov 28, 2019 19:24:12 GMT -5
I'll be watching this thread. DH & I have been seriously considering getting a generator for hurricane season.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Nov 28, 2019 19:53:10 GMT -5
Some of my friends have them but never use them. Unless you have a need to power all your house for an extended time I think a portable 2k - 5k generator would take care of small necessities. Of course it wouldn't power HVAC systems.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2019 20:06:16 GMT -5
I just have a portable one that I can plug 4 or 5 things in. My main concern is the septic pump and keeping the freezer cold in an extended power outage. But, we've never had it out more than 12 hours or so in the 20 years I've been here (knock on wood).
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 28, 2019 22:01:45 GMT -5
We have a 3 kw generator. It isn’t hooked into the house, but that’s not a problem.
For us, it keeps the lights on, and keeps the furnace (gas), fridge, freezer and TV on. It isn’t sufficient to run the stove (electric), or dryer but the grill has a burner and it will run the crockpot.
It worked well when we lost power for about 5 days after a windstorm. The storm took down a tree that fell on the main power line into the development. We had to wait until they got someone in to remove the tree before they could fix the power.
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schildi
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Post by schildi on Nov 29, 2019 1:36:38 GMT -5
Our house is wired for a generator. Previous home I did it myself (electrical engineer, so not such a big deal - had it inspected and permitted, of course). New home, had it done, it was only $450. I would always go for an interlock switch, and not a transfer switch, but you'll have to educate yourself a little bit about the interlock system. We have used the generator extensively multiple times, both at the old and at the new house. A 5 day power outage during a severe snow storm was the worst case. We have a 7 kW generator, and also a 2,400W backup (which I normally use for camping or around the property as needed). For heat, we have a wood stove and plenty of firewood.
We can even use the water heater if we plan accordingly, it only uses ~ 500W. During the 5 day power outage, people around us moved to hotels with bills far exceeding what we paid for the generator and installation, especially once you take into account repairs needed as the result. But not sure how that always works out with insurance payments, etc.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on Nov 29, 2019 10:26:04 GMT -5
We have a generator. Our house is wired for it. Very convenient during power outtages. Enough power to run lights and appliances (except the furnace and dryer). For heat we use propane fireplaces. The wiring panel has a “generator” panel with a switch. Throw the switch and plug in the generator.
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laterbloomer
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Generators
Nov 29, 2019 10:51:06 GMT -5
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Post by laterbloomer on Nov 29, 2019 10:51:06 GMT -5
I have a gas furnace and water heater so i'd have everything except the stove and laundry. I haven't lost power for any length of time yet but it has been happening around town. We have 4 adults, 2 dogs and a cat. Relocating for a power outage would be a PITA. The all in cost to get the wiring done for a plug in generator and the generator would be $3000 Cdn. Even if i never use it the peace of mind would be worth it I think.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Nov 29, 2019 11:19:26 GMT -5
Yes, we have a Generac 17 KW "whole house" generator and 500 gallon propane tank. Total cost to do, including a new site survey (the property is so old, the county did not have the original one on file) was about $20K. Did not use it this year (no hurricanes) but we've had outages long enough for it to run for several hours. "Whole House" is a misnomer -- it's only a whole house generator as long as your fuel holds out. That much fuel would last less than a week if we ran everything. We already know we would cut off certain appliances (hot water heater, kitchen range, the secondary fridge and the washer/dryer) to make the fuel supply last. Basically, it would keep some lights, the main fridge, the A/C and small appliances operational. The work to do this is extensive and requires county permitting and home ower's association permission.
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Nov 29, 2019 11:20:02 GMT -5
When DH and his DW#1 built their new home in Michigan about 20 years ago they had a generator put in as part of the deal. When the massive power outage occurred in the NE states around summer 2005 it automatically kicked in. Powered by natural gas. It gave electricity for the kitchen, master suite, garage, basement sump pump .... so we had no real problems.
Our neighbor didn't have a generator so we ran a power cord to their home to keep their sump pump and fridge going. In our neighborhood there were power cords running from and to several homes.
When the power went out, I called DD in AZ to find out what happened.
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laterbloomer
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Generators
Nov 29, 2019 11:42:39 GMT -5
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Post by laterbloomer on Nov 29, 2019 11:42:39 GMT -5
How long is the power out before you hook it up?
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Nov 29, 2019 13:07:51 GMT -5
How long is the power out before you hook it up? For our generator, the power is out 30 seconds before the generator kicks in.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 29, 2019 13:31:02 GMT -5
How long is the power out before you hook it up? Since we have a manual hook up, we usually wait an hour or so. If power isn’t on by then, chances are it will be awhile. It takes TD about 10 min to hook it up. We have about 15 gal of gas stored, which will give us several days. TD bought a Honda generator. He liked it because it was quieter than most and isn’t as gas hog. He wishes he had gotten a 240 outlet too.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Nov 29, 2019 13:58:27 GMT -5
How long is the power out before you hook it up? Since we have a manual hook up, we usually wait an hour or so. If power isn’t on by then, chances are it will be awhile. It takes TD about 10 min to hook it up. We have about 15 gal of gas stored, which will give us several days. TD bought a Honda generator. He liked it because it was quieter than most and isn’t as gas hog. He wishes he had gotten a 240 outlet too. One of the other nice things about Honda generators is that they supply really “clean” power, without static. My brother, who is an electrical engineer who builds power generation and distribution systems says that Honda generators are the only portable generators they have found that deliver clean enough power to reliably support computers when they are working in field locations that aren’t connected to the grid yet.
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jerseygirl
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Generators
Nov 29, 2019 17:26:17 GMT -5
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Post by jerseygirl on Nov 29, 2019 17:26:17 GMT -5
We have a Generac whole house run with propane, no natural gas in our area Last month had a 3 day outage, we have a well so without generator no water. So can’t use bathrooms We had a diesel almost whole house but needed to startup manually, the Generac is automatic The diesel generator stopped running 3 days after Sandy. We didn’t get power back for another 2 1/2 weeks, left to go stay at DD house
Hoping we get natural gas next year, we had a week with no power 2 years ago, big trees took down power lines and blocked our dead end road. We were worried propane truck wouldn’t get to us before it ran out I sent emails and phoned everyone in town to get a crew out to remove trees, propane truck arrived!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2019 18:35:53 GMT -5
We have a whole-house Generac on natural gas, 10 second outage turns it on. We got it January 2018 primarily because of hurricanes. We were 2 weeks without power in 2011 and I don't think, at 72 and 80, we could do that again, especially when the temps can go over 100. We also live inner city urban and no power means no lights, no burglar alarm, no security cameras. It's run about 25 hours so far this year when ordinary storms or stupid drivers take down poles and lines. As a lower income 'hood, we're not a high priority on the power company's list.
The total cost, including landscape restoration, was about $13,000 but sooooo well worth it for us.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2019 18:45:36 GMT -5
Prior to getting the Generac, we bought a Honda because it's quiet, and runs a long time on a small amount of gas. We still have it and loan it out for powering community event microphones etc. Light weight, easy to transport and ultra quiet.
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countrygirl2
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Post by countrygirl2 on Dec 1, 2019 19:23:04 GMT -5
We have a generator right now can't think of the name its 7kw with 13 surge for startups of motors. I've used it in Texas and here. We can hook up both freezers, the fridge, my stove is propane so no issues. We looked into a 20kw as we would need it to run the geothermal. The initial cost wasn't the issue, it was the operating costs. Hubs said a thousand gallon tank might run 2 weeks, so we have the manual one. We also have a smaller one and an 8kw in the motorhome. We can also run a few lights off ours plus a couple fans or space heaters. If it were out for awhile we could move in the motorhome, I even have a w/d in it.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Dec 3, 2019 9:56:25 GMT -5
My parents have a whole house generator, natural gas. I only hear the stories about the problems, usually.
It's supposed to run self checks each month, but it apparently wasn't - they didn't discover this until it didn't kick in during one power outage (called for service when it didn't work). No idea why.
The thirty second delay before it kicks in on a power blink is enough to blank out the settings on all electronic programming (fancy electric stove, clocks, etc.). PITA to reset stuff. They get frequent short outages, which is why they got the generator in the first place.
When their area got 72" of snow, they learned that the generator needs it's exhaust port cleared, or it won't run for safety reasons. Luckily, they didn't lose power then, but 89 yo dad isn't going to be out clearing 72" of snow from around and on top of the generator.
They've also learned the generator might not work in cold weather. Umm, that's precisely when they need it, to keep them warm. IDK if there's some feature/add-on that theirs doesn't have, but it's ridiculous to sell w/o it in WNY.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 3, 2019 10:34:18 GMT -5
6 feet of snow ? Over how long?
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 3, 2019 10:36:17 GMT -5
My next problem is to figure out where to store the generator. The back shed becomes pretty inaccessible in winter and I can't keep it in the house. Looks like I'm building a little storage box next to my front steps. Well, getting it built
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Dec 3, 2019 11:03:28 GMT -5
6 feet of snow ? Over how long? A day or so! link
It was really limited in area. We didn't get much in our county just north of them. Then again, our forecast for this past Sunday night into yesterday was 1-2" total. We woke to 8", but it was green for the metro area when DH got to work. . I was not pleased to be shoveling alone before work.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 3, 2019 12:18:48 GMT -5
Holy crap!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Dec 3, 2019 12:52:18 GMT -5
My next problem is to figure out where to store the generator. The back shed becomes pretty inaccessible in winter and I can't keep it in the house. Looks like I'm building a little storage box next to my front steps. Well, getting it built You’ll want a good lock on it. In times of power outages, generators are good targets. Our’s is in the garage and when we need it, as the garage must stay open to vent the CO, we move the cars such that it cannot be removed.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 3, 2019 14:57:34 GMT -5
I have a gas furnace and water heater so i'd have everything except the stove and laundry. I haven't lost power for any length of time yet but it has been happening around town. We have 4 adults, 2 dogs and a cat. Relocating for a power outage would be a PITA. The all in cost to get the wiring done for a plug in generator and the generator would be $3000 Cdn. Even if i never use it the peace of mind would be worth it I think. Ok so let me pose this question to you...do you NEED your house WIRED for the generator? You will have heat and hot water already. Can you get by with simply getting a portable generator and plugging things into it? I know lots of people who routinely lose power for a day or two. They just don't use a lot of power those days, pull out the portable generator, run a few extension cords, and they're good. My parents had their house wired once they went to electric heat. Other than that though, we'd get along fine without having the house wired, and just getting a portable one to run the tv and a few lights while we hung out. I mean you're not going to get a big enough generator to power TOO much in your home I'm guessing...how important is it that you power things throughout the home rather than a centralized area via an extension cord(s)?
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 3, 2019 17:15:25 GMT -5
I have a gas furnace and water heater so i'd have everything except the stove and laundry. I haven't lost power for any length of time yet but it has been happening around town. We have 4 adults, 2 dogs and a cat. Relocating for a power outage would be a PITA. The all in cost to get the wiring done for a plug in generator and the generator would be $3000 Cdn. Even if i never use it the peace of mind would be worth it I think. Ok so let me pose this question to you...do you NEED your house WIRED for the generator? You will have heat and hot water already. Can you get by with simply getting a portable generator and plugging things into it? I know lots of people who routinely lose power for a day or two. They just don't use a lot of power those days, pull out the portable generator, run a few extension cords, and they're good. My parents had their house wired once they went to electric heat. Other than that though, we'd get along fine without having the house wired, and just getting a portable one to run the tv and a few lights while we hung out. I mean you're not going to get a big enough generator to power TOO much in your home I'm guessing...how important is it that you power things throughout the home rather than a centralized area via an extension cord(s)? I've been told the heat won't circulate through the house without power. And i might be saying things wrong, i'm not getting the generator system that kicks on by itself. I'll be using a portable generator but then plugging it into an ooutlet on the house. With that I'll have use of everything except the stove and laundry.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 3, 2019 17:16:08 GMT -5
Ok so let me pose this question to you...do you NEED your house WIRED for the generator? You will have heat and hot water already. Can you get by with simply getting a portable generator and plugging things into it? I know lots of people who routinely lose power for a day or two. They just don't use a lot of power those days, pull out the portable generator, run a few extension cords, and they're good. My parents had their house wired once they went to electric heat. Other than that though, we'd get along fine without having the house wired, and just getting a portable one to run the tv and a few lights while we hung out. I mean you're not going to get a big enough generator to power TOO much in your home I'm guessing...how important is it that you power things throughout the home rather than a centralized area via an extension cord(s)? I've been told the heat won't circulate through the house without power. And i might be saying things wrong, i'm not getting the generator system that kicks on by itself. I'll be using a portable generator but then plugging it into an ooutlet on the house. With that I'll have use of everything except the stove and laundry. I feel more secure that way
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Dec 3, 2019 17:22:43 GMT -5
Ok so let me pose this question to you...do you NEED your house WIRED for the generator? You will have heat and hot water already. Can you get by with simply getting a portable generator and plugging things into it? I know lots of people who routinely lose power for a day or two. They just don't use a lot of power those days, pull out the portable generator, run a few extension cords, and they're good. My parents had their house wired once they went to electric heat. Other than that though, we'd get along fine without having the house wired, and just getting a portable one to run the tv and a few lights while we hung out. I mean you're not going to get a big enough generator to power TOO much in your home I'm guessing...how important is it that you power things throughout the home rather than a centralized area via an extension cord(s)? I've been told the heat won't circulate through the house without power. And i might be saying things wrong, i'm not getting the generator system that kicks on by itself. I'll be using a portable generator but then plugging it into an ooutlet on the house. With that I'll have use of everything except the stove and laundry. Yes, I assumed one of the things you'd plug into the generator was the furnace fan to circulate the air. The fan itself doesn't use a ton of power. I understand what you're saying, it's not a hard-wired generator, you're just getting the house wired up to accept the generator supplying power to the electrical grid of your home. I was questioning whether you needed the power that was coming from the generator to go to the entire house (which necessitates wiring the house) vs going to a few select things and running them off extension cords.
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laterbloomer
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Post by laterbloomer on Dec 3, 2019 17:31:14 GMT -5
I've been told the heat won't circulate through the house without power. And i might be saying things wrong, i'm not getting the generator system that kicks on by itself. I'll be using a portable generator but then plugging it into an ooutlet on the house. With that I'll have use of everything except the stove and laundry. Yes, I assumed one of the things you'd plug into the generator was the furnace fan to circulate the air. The fan itself doesn't use a ton of power. I understand what you're saying, it's not a hard-wired generator, you're just getting the house wired up to accept the generator supplying power to the electrical grid of your home. I was questioning whether you needed the power that was coming from the generator to go to the entire house (which necessitates wiring the house) vs going to a few select things and running them off extension cords. I probably don't need it but the convenience of only worrying anout one plug appeals to me. My furnace and fridge are on different floors on opposite sides of the house. The tv is in another corner. The $1500 for the wiring is worth it to me.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 4, 2019 6:34:58 GMT -5
The friends I have that have generators wouldn’t be without them again.
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