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I maintain several Standby Generators... both Propane and Diesel.
Go Propane if you truly need several days of power. Unlike Diesel, Propane can be stored almost indefinitely without going stale.
Cycle each generator once every 2 weeks for 20 minutes under load followed by several minutes of cool down time. People in cold climates should also consider Block Heaters for when the ambient temps drop to the 40's and below.
For convenience, simplicity and cost check out one of the small inverter type Honda models. Very quiet, low fuel usage and lightweight.
The problem with sizing for a whole house is you are paying upfront and during operation and maintenance for capacity you might seldom require.
The problem with sizing for a whole house is you are paying upfront and during operation and maintenance for capacity you might seldom require.
When you're in a hurricane area though sometimes you may be without power for up to two weeks. It's easier for me to have a big one to plug into the breaker box than it is to have a smaller one and run extension cords everywhere. With my 7500 watt unit I can run lights, fridge, TV, and a window unit a/c.
I have a LP tank at my house, holds 250 gallons. If I can find such a generator that runs on that it would be great. That would eliminate the need for using natural gas and having to worry about that getting shutoff. To power a whole house, would be worth the upfront cost in this case when hurricanes threaten such conditions. Will be a great way to where you won't lose your food or anything.
Mine runs on propane.
hooked it up myself....easy, fun, job.
great peace of mind during our Buffalo Ice storms.....
Frank D.
Thats a nice unit there Frank...how much does something like that run? I am sure it costs a few thousand but for it to power the whole house during adverse conditions when utility goes out makes it worth it. I just may save up for a propane unit.
I don't remember the exact cost....I think it was just over 2k, but it was a few years ago....one of the first ones out.
It did not take long to do.....the Generac full color step by step instructions were great. my propane line was right there, so i was able to just tee it off by the regulator.
The electrical was easy. The bx cable run from the generator to the panel box was 30'. perfect for me...if you need longer, you would just have to replace what comes with the kit with a longer bx cable and wires.
I did mine a bit different then how they tell you. Instead of using the wires from the transfer switch and wirenutting them to the wires taken off of the main panel box breakers, I installed romex connectors to the transfer switch and wired the wires right in the transfer switch, making it like a sub panel. Either way is fine.
Being a Professional firefighter, then the weather gets bad and I get called in, I know my house is fine.
The most popular generators are Guardian. We have one and it works fine. COmes with a transfer switch, or you can get a whole house transfer switch (with a big enough gnerator) for $1200 more. The big cost is the wiring for the transfer switch. Whole house transfer may actually be cheaper becuase the wiring is more simple. You do not have to have two breaker panels. Our guardian works great, you hardly notice when the power goes off if you are in a room that is on one of the 16 protected circuits. Our only complaint is that the generator is alittle bit noisey and it uses oil if it runs a lot so you have to watch it. If it runs low on oil, it will shut down (that is a good thing). We had power out for several days and it ran fine without a problem, but we had to add a little oil after the power came back on. We have 16 protected circuits which is plenty. I do nto remember the model, but it is powerful enough to run everything, even an A/C unit (up to 3 tons I think). There was something int he paperwork about having enough power to A/C startup, I am not sure what that means since we have not been able to afford the AC unit after paying for the generator. The cost to us was about $2500 for the generator including shipping (shop around - huge difference in prices from different retailers) and about $3000 for the wiring, but I did a lot of the wiring work myself. We completely re-wired the house, so the cost was blended in with the wiring work generally. It may be cheaper or more expensive if you are connecting to existing wiring.
OUr generator runs on natural gas. Nat. Gas or propane are the same generator just with different nozzles on them. the natural gas is nice becuase you do not have to buy or store it and you do nto run out. However if there is a complete breakdown in our society and we lose both natural gas and power at the same time, our generator will nto run. Unless you live in earthquake country, there is little liklihood of losing both at the same time.
Donn is most correct here. You must start the generator maybe even more often then every month. I just spent quite a bit of money to get my generator running in the motor home. The service guy hollared at me for never starting it. He said it needs to be started every 2 weeks with a load on it. If not, a gum will build up in the old gas. This dont seem to affect cars but it sure does in generators and gas lawn mowers.
I have a neighbor who picks up newer lawn mowers from the curb side trash, brings them home and cleans out the carb and needle and seat and it starts right up. Then he sells them.
I wrote on my calender every 2 weeks to run that thing so it never gives me trouble again.
Our Generator starts itself and runs for about ten minutes every two weeks. It is a built in feature.
By the way Generac and Guardian are the same thing. Geenrac is the model name for Guardian.
I have seen some natural gas generators - how are those? If something is bad enough to take out gas lines we got bigger problems than electricity. Most of my concer would be ice storms, and "car hits pole" etc.
Natural Gas has an advantage over diesel in cold areas. Even in CA, I have a block heater keeping my Diesel Generator warm... never needed one with the Natural Gas units.
And as previously mentioned natural gas doesn't get old and home delivery is included.
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