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As I live in a HOA it was too big and loud so went with a couple of Yamaha portable generators, enough to run the fridge and a window AC or two.
Ideally with something more substantial and 240V I can use a manual transfer switch that feeds my 200A panel and I can according to code manually select the loads - but I haven't found an electrician here that will do it (they all want to sell me a whole house standby unit).
We have Comcast and have not had any serious issues. Century Link tends to be cheaper but slower.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynnc99
And one more thing! Others may know better than I but I believe GGE is outside the Collier County mosquito abatement area. Which may be good if you don't like the spray. Or not so good if you don't like mosquitos. Either way.
I'm one of the five elected Collier Mosquito Control Commissioners. Golden Gate Estates is within the Collier Mosquito Control District. The further east you go in Golden Gate Estates, the more you tend to get sprayed. Spray missions are are based primarily on trap counts.
I would go with a propane generator rather than electric, otherwise you will have to store enough gasoline for several days use. Should we have a major storm gas will be in short supply and the gas stations may not even be able to run their pumps if they do not have their own backup generator.
I would go with a propane generator rather than electric, otherwise you will have to store enough gasoline for several days use. Should we have a major storm gas will be in short supply and the gas stations may not even be able to run their pumps if they do not have their own backup generator.
There are two options I've seen for propane - small portable ones that run on a small tank and whole house units that run on a buried tank. The latter costs close to $20K when you factor everything in including installation. In GGE an above ground tank is an option but for continuous use over multiple days a 500 gallon tank is still needed.
Mark, I found Generators Direct on the internet last night. I was leaning in the direction of the Honda EU7000. It's very expensive. Thanks for the tip on Costco....that generator will power the entire house and it's half the price. I would have never found it without your help
Thank you again!
DC, that's exactly what I needed to know. We like being rural. I didn't want to move so far out that we were never sprayed. Our mosquito control here works on traps and phone calls.
I'm good with Comcast, just need to be sure that the house we buy has it available.
..and now I have a contact at mosquito control....!
Thank you
JW, we're used to that here. I fill up 10 gas cans every season. Our stations here had to put in generators a few years ago, but I get ready way ahead of time so I don't have to go near them.
Thanks!
Mark, I really prefer gasoline. Gas I can go get ahead of time and be ready. Propane you have to call and wait on someone to deliver. Friends up north ran out one time, they couldn't deliver gas before the storm hit.
Thanks again!
Where we live now, we are 18 miles from the closest Publix, and 50 miles from the closest Home Depot or Lowes. We are really used to that and have learned to do as much shopping on the internet as we can. Moving to GGE will actually make things a whole lot more convenient. I know the non-natives complain about the heat, but I'm the opposite. It's 78F here now, I have on insulated socks, sweats, and my hands are still cold. I function best in the high 80's low 90's.
GGE is a huge area. Now I just need to figure out if some areas are better than others...and where they are? It's probably like everywhere else, a few larger areas, and then some small pockets.
Can't wait to take a trip over and look........I'm excited!!!!!
As I live in a HOA it was too big and loud so went with a couple of Yamaha portable generators, enough to run the fridge and a window AC or two.
Ideally with something more substantial and 240V I can use a manual transfer switch that feeds my 200A panel and I can according to code manually select the loads - but I haven't found an electrician here that will do it (they all want to sell me a whole house standby unit).
My hurricane generator is a 5500 watt Coleman. When I had the house built, I had them install shunts feeding the 2, 200 amp boxes, so I can safely back feed mine through the 220 outlets I have mounted under my boxes for my welder and compressor. I still kill the mains just in case, mostly to insure I don't zap a worker with 220, but also, I don't think 5500 watts would be enough to feed all my neighbor's AC units etc. that are on the same grid!
I can't run the whole house at the same time, but I can selectively run every appliance, including the well pumps, except the stove and main AC.
After a hurricane, I'll spend pretty much all day tending to electrical stuff. I'll run the freezer and fridge for a few hours, then switch over and run the well pumps to fill bathtubs for flushing the toilet etc. Servicing the generator (gas and oil) every 8-9 hours or so. The biggies for us are water and AC. It's typically hotter than hades after a hurricane, so we have a 5000 btu window rattler that'll run off the generator. I will also run the water heater for an hour or so, then, disconnect it, and run the well pumps for quick showers. If we can shower, and SLEEP in AC, it's much more bearable.
After Hurricane Charlie, we lost power, but not phone or cable. We were watching TV and surfing the web via generator power. Ironically, the cable worked better than it does now on a good day.
Not the ideal rig long term, but it works in a pinch and I don't think I've had to use it more than 4-5 times in the last 18 years after hurricanes, which is why I have not upgraded to a whole house setup. I have used it a few times for the random, "just because it's FL, and they haven't figured out this newfangled electricity magic yet" power outages when I needed to shower or something to go to work.
That 2500 watt deal looks pretty good, and would certainly cut down my work load. I wonder what the fuel burn is though. Mine uses about 5 gallons of gas, and enough oil to need a top off, or the low oil switch will kill it during the next run, roughly every 8 hours under load. I typically load up on 25 gallons of fuel in June, which is good for less than 2 days of continuous running. I also make sure I fill up my classic car, which is another, easily accessed (it has a sump on the tank) 20 gallons if we need it.
I can't stand listening to the thing, so we only use it when needed. I actually welded up an adapter so I could run it through a car muffler, but the vibration eventually broke it after Wilma. That really quieted it down, so I need to get that fixed.
Tri, I think I'll probably go the way you're doing it now. Except with a lot of extension cords.
Other than cost, problem I see with the whole house system is propane. You're back to having to rely on someone else, and when you need it, everyone else is going to need it too. To get a tank big enough to run a week, you're looking at something huge.
I'm leaning in the direction of getting two portable generators exactly the same. One for the house, 2 window AC's, frig and some small appliances like Mr Coffee and a toaster oven....the second one just for the well pump. If for some reason one quits, I have another exactly the same I can swap.
I love the heat, but like you, have to have AC at night.
My hurricane generator is a 5500 watt Coleman. When I had the house built, I had them install shunts feeding the 2, 200 amp boxes, so I can safely back feed mine through the 220 outlets I have mounted under my boxes for my welder and compressor. I still kill the mains just in case, mostly to insure I don't zap a worker with 220, but also, I don't think 5500 watts would be enough to feed all my neighbor's AC units etc. that are on the same grid!
I can't run the whole house at the same time, but I can selectively run every appliance, including the well pumps, except the stove and main AC.
After a hurricane, I'll spend pretty much all day tending to electrical stuff. I'll run the freezer and fridge for a few hours, then switch over and run the well pumps to fill bathtubs for flushing the toilet etc. Servicing the generator (gas and oil) every 8-9 hours or so. The biggies for us are water and AC. It's typically hotter than hades after a hurricane, so we have a 5000 btu window rattler that'll run off the generator. I will also run the water heater for an hour or so, then, disconnect it, and run the well pumps for quick showers. If we can shower, and SLEEP in AC, it's much more bearable.
After Hurricane Charlie, we lost power, but not phone or cable. We were watching TV and surfing the web via generator power. Ironically, the cable worked better than it does now on a good day.
Not the ideal rig long term, but it works in a pinch and I don't think I've had to use it more than 4-5 times in the last 18 years after hurricanes, which is why I have not upgraded to a whole house setup. I have used it a few times for the random, "just because it's FL, and they haven't figured out this newfangled electricity magic yet" power outages when I needed to shower or something to go to work.
That 2500 watt deal looks pretty good, and would certainly cut down my work load. I wonder what the fuel burn is though. Mine uses about 5 gallons of gas, and enough oil to need a top off, or the low oil switch will kill it during the next run, roughly every 8 hours under load. I typically load up on 25 gallons of fuel in June, which is good for less than 2 days of continuous running. I also make sure I fill up my classic car, which is another, easily accessed (it has a sump on the tank) 20 gallons if we need it.
I can't stand listening to the thing, so we only use it when needed. I actually welded up an adapter so I could run it through a car muffler, but the vibration eventually broke it after Wilma. That really quieted it down, so I need to get that fixed.
i did the same thing up north with a Generac GP7500E which carried me through Irene and Sandy. My home had 10 circuits wired for the generator which covered the essentials.
Those GP generators don't exactly produce clean power though. I would be nervous doing the same with all of my computerized appliances here. Oil furnace? Ok. High efficiency HVAC? Um, no.
Tri, I think I'll probably go the way you're doing it now. Except with a lot of extension cords.
Other than cost, problem I see with the whole house system is propane. You're back to having to rely on someone else, and when you need it, everyone else is going to need it too. To get a tank big enough to run a week, you're looking at something huge.
I'm leaning in the direction of getting two portable generators exactly the same. One for the house, 2 window AC's, frig and some small appliances like Mr Coffee and a toaster oven....the second one just for the well pump. If for some reason one quits, I have another exactly the same I can swap.
I love the heat, but like you, have to have AC at night.
Thanks again!
Corrie
My "emergency emergency" kit includes a 6000 BTU window AC (cheap from Walmart) that will run off of a 1000 watt Yamaha inverter...will even run (but won't start) in eco mode. Will keep a single room cool and last for days on a 5 gallon can of gas.
I have been eying the Honda 7000 - expensive but quiet, fuel injected (no more fouled carb bowls) and very, very efficient. Plus you can pair them to get a 50A outlet.
While I love the idea of a whole house standby unit, the roughly $20K investment seems to be too much given the reliability of the grid here - either power goes out for a few minutes (you can use UPS units) or it will be out for days. I will bug out if a major storm looks like it will hit.
i did the same thing up north with a Generac GP7500E which carried me through Irene and Sandy. My home had 10 circuits wired for the generator which covered the essentials.
Those GP generators don't exactly produce clean power though. I would be nervous doing the same with all of my computerized appliances here. Oil furnace? Ok. High efficiency HVAC? Um, no.
Agreed on not using a generator for the sensitive stuff, although we had no issues with any of our electronics after Charlie. Things were a bit simpler back then though.
I'd like to be able to simultaneously run my chest freezer, fridge, the well pumps and then at least switch between the water heater and the window rattler. My 5500 won't do it, but that 17,500 Generac at Costco might. I erroneously referred to it in my last post as 2500. I was in a rush and didn't proof read it before sending.
The window rattlers are fine at night. We put it in the MB and the kids slept on the floor the few times we've needed it.
We've used it and another 12,000 BTU unit (My garage workshop AC) MANY times when the main AC has gone down, which typically happens late on friday nights..... With the 5000 BTU in the MB and the 12,000 BTU in the den, closing off unused rooms and using fans to move the cold air around, we can keep the house bearable for a few days.
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I was in a rush and didn't proof read it before sending. 
