In need of a generator for storm outages--Suggestions?

If you're planning to go that fancy, you might want to run the generator on propane, and have it start automatically. Propane doesn't crud up the engine the way old gas does, and autostart would avoid your having to go out to the dog house in the blizzard.

Personally I'd just get a portable Honda and put it on the back porch when it's running.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Run a long extension cord into one room and do everything from there? That solution certainly has it's advantages.

If I had the money and the time, I'd buy my dad's old WW-II surplus generator off my mom, and put it out behind my shop, rigged to (a) burn propane, (b), light up the house, and (c), heat the shop.

Don't hold your breath, though -- whenever I have time, I have no money, and when I have money, it's because I've been selling all my time...

s.

That's what I do... An old Sears generator. For a few hours of no power this works fine for me. When the power is out for more than a few hours and I need to start up the oil furnace and water pump for heat....

(Hmm perhaps you power EE types shouldn't read further... )

I switch off the external power to the house, Flip all the fuses in the breaker box off. I then have a AC plug with two 'prong' ends. I stick one in the generator and the other in the AC outlet in the shop. Turn on the AC fuse for the shop outlet and then switch on whatever I need in the house (one at a time... and no running the electric stove Mom.)

Of course then you have to keep an eye on the neighbors house to tell when the power comes back on.

George H.

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Bad boy! You're really supposed to use a lockout switch, you know.

There are no fuses in a breaker box. The rest of what you describe is illegal.

Or use Gen-Tran box, which some localities even allow you to wire in yourself.

I have a 4 circuit Gen-Tran device, which can switch power to the furnace, fridge, kitchen wall with the gas stove and microwave, and one that's not yet assigned (could eventually be the garage door opener). There's also an outlet on the fron of the Gen-Tran box, so I can run a power tool in the basement (as in cut plywood to cover a damaged window).

I haven't seen the 4 breaker Gen-Tran advertised recently, but the 6 breaker (4 120 volt circuits, one 240 volt double breaker) Gen-Tran is usually available for ~$300 on ebay.

Your generator should be a minimum of 25 feet from the house and you don't want to open a window on that side for the cord from the generator (I have a 12/3 UF cable to connect the generator to the Gen-Tran box and a notch in the garage door seal just big enough to pass the cable).

The Honda EU series generators are very fuel efficient, but you do pay for that efficiency.

I'm still using an ancient 1850 watt Coleman Powermate that runs reliably. It can only power one motorized device at a time (furnace, fridge, etc) but I can live with that for a short while. The 12-15 gallons of gas I usually have for lawn equipment will last several days with intermittent generator use. I have a 5500 watt generator also, but the little generator uses less gas at the same load.

If power is off in cold weather, I've learned to build a good fire in the fireplace - at the moment there's almost a cord of cut and split oak out back. I also believe in backups to the backups ;-)

If you can get a propane generator, you avoid problems with stale gasoline and not being able to get gas because the gas station has no power.

John

I live in the foothills of the Sierra mountains, and in the winter months we generally have one storm that knocks out power. The amount of time varies from a few hours to 3-5 days in the 12 years we've lived here. We just had one outage last week that knocked us out for 12 hours. I think it's time to consider a generator.

In the winter time we minimally need some minor lighting in a room or two, power to at least one TV that uses DirecTV. We have a second such TV, but could probably do with out it in such situations. Possibly we might need to keep our heat working, but the indoor temp drops to about

From a prior experience considering this matter, I found that any gasoline power-generator should be placed outside, probably on a concrete pad and enclosed in a small "dog house" like structure. Probably it needs lightning protection and likely placed significantly away the house. 30-40 feet? It should be kept away from any propane tanks.

Possibly Honda generators are among the best. I would hire an electrician to install the generator, etc. Comments?

I use a Cummins gasoline powered gen set. It does not need to be 25 feet from the house, just don't allow exhaust fumes to enter your house. I power everything except the big draws like electric water heater, electric stove, and electric heat. I have other means to take care of those things. You must use a transfer method that is approved. You could kill an electric line worker by powering the line. Your power become HV after it hits the pole transformer. The workers don't like that.

Tom

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What's a lockout switch? I didn't know.

George H.

Jeesh, how bad? Am I in trouble now? It seemed an easy way to be able to run the water pump(s)

George H.

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Doesn't turning off the big knife switch from the power line on the side of the house take care of that?

George H.

Not by the NEC and i'm sure your local building inspector and insurance company would have fits.

_The first_ remodeling that I want to do in our house is to put in a stove or a fireplace. The house is heated with a heat pump _only_, which just doesn't make sense to little ol' me. We've lost power for days, and when the temperature in the house gets down to 50 or so my wife takes the kids and bugs out, leaving me to stick around in the dark making sure the pipes don't freeze.

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So what's the right way? Doesn't turning off the knife switches on the side of the house where the power comes in take care of 'things'? I opened it up and looked in there. (maybe that's illegal too?)

George H.

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It's a gizmo that does what you do, only in a way that makes sure no one can mess up -- it disconnects the house from the utility line _first_, then it connects up the generator. All with one lever (or one relay, if you get the really fancy ones that get sequenced on when the generator comes on).

It's what John was talking about, basically. Your method works as long as you get your sequencing right, but it gives utility linemen the heebee-jeebees. If someone (like a helpful grand kid) messes up at your house and switches on the main breaker when you've got your generator running, you'll power up the line to the street, and the pole transformer will step that up to whatever the distribution voltage is in your neighborhood.

Chances are high that all that'll happen is that you'll blow a fuse in the generator -- but occasionally what happens is that some lineman will be working on that line when it powers up, and at the very least you'll scare the s**t out of him, at worst he'll be dead.

You'd have to check how bad. It's for the reasons I described -- used incorrectly (i.e. if you forget to switch of the main, or if someone helpfully switches it on for you) it powers up sections of line that the power company workers are assuming are off, and really hikes the possibility of a bad accident.

If it stays switched off. Power line workers like to have something like that enforced with a mechanical interlock.

This is cool -- and it looks like you could whomp up your own, and maybe even pass inspection with it.

The consultant's lament.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

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Ahh, Thanks Tim. I certainly don't want to endanger anyone. I've only had to do this twice in the ten years we've been in our current home. I'll have to look into it.... You guys guilted me into buying an isolation transformer for floating my 'scope. Perhaps I'll stop posting all the silly stuff I do.. It's costing me too much money :^)

George H.