midjd
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Post by midjd on Aug 18, 2012 17:56:51 GMT -5
Do any of you have a power generator? If so, what type? Are you happy with it? We are out in the country and also have a lot of trees. In the almost two years we've lived here, there have been probably eight outages that lasted an hour or less, and one that lasted a couple of days. The short ones are annoying, the long one ended with us throwing out everything in the fridge/freezer (of course I had JUST done that week's shopping ) So anyway, a generator would be nice. I never trust the online reviews because who knows if real people or Amazon employees are writing them. But I do trust you guys! (I've been eyeing this one but once you add in installation costs, eesh... www.amazon.com/Generac-5875-Air-Cooled-Generator-Compliant/dp/B003IT76F2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Aug 18, 2012 18:04:37 GMT -5
We have one. I have no idea what it is.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2012 18:20:01 GMT -5
7500 watt something or other from Costco. It works, but I don't like how much space in the garage it uses. I am very jealous of people with the natural gas generators & automatic switch that kicks it on when the power goes out. If I decide to buy a forever house, I will get one of those. My current home I know I don't want to keep so I did not want to invest $20K in a whole house generator.
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milee
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Post by milee on Aug 18, 2012 19:23:46 GMT -5
Mid, before you buy think about what fuel you'll be using. If you don't have natural gas plumbed in, you'll need to bring in portable tanks or install a permanent tank. Either of those works, but needs some thought and maintenance. Fuel does go bad, so if you have a permanent tank, you need to plan for how you'll cycle - or use - the fuel if the generator isn't needed. If it's in portable cans, that's easier to maybe use elsewhere, but also a PITA.
Not saying you shouldn't do it, just those considerations will help guide your choice and size of generator (and even if it's worth the hassle.)
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Aug 18, 2012 20:05:25 GMT -5
I agree with milee - the fuel source is an important consideration. We don't have one since we plan to move, but my dad just installed one (we both work for the power company, LOL!). His is gasoline, but can switch to natural gas. They have a gas furnace, so the generator runs the blower on the furnace, the fridge, the freezers, the sump pump, and a couple of the lights. Gas stove, so the burners can be lit with a match if needed. With the gas available in the vehicles they have, plus the option to switch over, they could run for a long time if needed.
But even more important than the fuel source is making sure that wherever it is, PLEASE make sure it is installed and vented properly!! Every time there's an extended outage we hear of people getting CO poisoning from running these things inside their homes. Even having it in the garage would really worry me.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Aug 18, 2012 21:30:29 GMT -5
We have propane heat, so have been looking at the ones that hook into the propane supply...would probably have to upgrade from a 500 to 1000 gallon tank, though. Everything else (stove, etc.) is electric.
It does look like the non-portable ones require a lot of installation work - pouring a slab, having an electrician hook it to the power supply, hooking it to the gas, etc. But it would be great to just have it kick on automatically!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2012 7:41:20 GMT -5
We have a 5000 Watt Troy Bilt, and a Honda 2000. I've tried selling the Troy-Bilt on Craigslist twice now and all I get are "deals" wanted by weirdos.
Our fireplace downstairs is propane non-vented type so we have that for heat, and decided the big one was more a PITA , therefore we bought the Honda. 6 years an we've never needed either.....but when you live where we do, one tree coming down on power lines and there is no electricity for quite awhile. We do recycle the gas in/out but also use a product called StaBil in the stored cans.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Aug 19, 2012 8:13:35 GMT -5
We do not get snow storms and are pretty far inland to get much damage from hurricanes. We have city electric, and as much as there are big problems in the city, the electric customer service is not one of them. We have lived here 24 years and power has never been out more than 2 hours (and that is rare). We also have underground service in our neighborhood, as well as most of the other neighborhoods in the city, which reduces power outages.
So no generator here. But I think it is a good thing to have for others, depending on situation.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Aug 20, 2012 16:31:36 GMT -5
My brother is an electrical engineer. He works for a power company building substations and power lines. They use generators when they are working in the field to power things like personal computers. They need very "clean" power to operate the computers. The brand of generator that provides reliably "clean" power - Honda.
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Aug 21, 2012 6:20:36 GMT -5
We have a 4500 watt generator. Used first time during the ICE storm in 1991 up here. Mostly just use it to run the fridge if the power goes out. Other than that, we heat with wood, use propane for the stove so no need for power there and can use candle power for light.
We use it for camping parties on our property when we have people visiting with their RVs.
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