Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a different take, I just purchased a generator and just lent it to my family who lives in Moore County.
My thoughts, I guess depend on where you live. If you are "super rural", it may not make sense.
But for most of us in Central NC, I think we are not that far from ammenities.
I got a Westinghouse Dual Fuel Generator, Around 4000 watts, give or take. It runs on gas or propane, very easy to switch between the too. Very flexible.
I did not have it wired to the house. here's why:
To me, this is just a thing to make an extended power outage more bearable. Those are rare, certainly not more than 1x/year occurance. Therefore I don't mind just running drop chords to my fridge, some lights, a space heater and the internet. I can run the fridge, and if I needed to run an oven or microwave, I can unplug the fridge for that short amount of time. My buddy has a generator half my size, and runs all those things and then some.
I guess my point is that you can get in for about $600, have enough juice to save your food,keep the lights and internet on, and run a small space heater. Since it's rare this goes more than a few days, that is an inconvenience I'm willing to experience. It saved me about $3500 compared to getting a larger generator and wiring it into the house.
Just my two cents. Do you really need to "insure" with full-house capability?
EDIT: I guess my take is not that different. Others have said similar. To me, this is the way to go UNLESS you have mitigating circumstances...
I bought a dual fuel generator, since I always have a spare full propane tank on hand for the grill. That way, I am ready to run on propane, without having to worry about a clogged carb due to gas sitting in it. If it looks like it will be a longer outage, I can then add gasoline.
How many hours of service are you getting out of a FULL tank?
MIne gets around 14 hours. If I was only hedging for 14 hours I wouldn't get a generator at all.
I keep three tanks in back up (about 40+ hours) plus it's dual fuel, so i can get another 16+ hours per 4-gallon tank of gas. To me, I hope to never need to use gas, but also a generator is moot (to me) if I can't use it for days on end.
How many hours of service are you getting out of a FULL tank?
MIne gets around 14 hours. If I was only hedging for 14 hours I wouldn't get a generator at all.
I keep three tanks in back up (about 40+ hours) plus it's dual fuel, so i can get another 16+ hours per 4-gallon tank of gas. To me, I hope to never need to use gas, but also a generator is moot (to me) if I can't use it for days on end.
How many days is 14 hours worth if you are primarily interested in keeping your food from going bad? 2.5 - 3? And, if we are talking about a Honda EU2XXX, then we can get 24 hours out of it on a single tank if we are only keeping a freezer going. So, then we are looking at 3 - 3.5 days of food protection.
How many hours of service are you getting out of a FULL tank?
MIne gets around 14 hours. If I was only hedging for 14 hours I wouldn't get a generator at all.
I just bought the generator after the last power outages a few weeks ago, so other than a test run, I have not used it. The brochure says it should run about 4-5 hours on a tank of propane.
I lost everything in the last outage, so I really bought it just to keep the fridge running. I don't plan on running it continually, just 15-30 minutes or so at a time, so the fridge can catch back up.
I always have a few gallons of gas for the mower, should I run out of propane. If the gas stations are down where I can't buy more, I think we have bigger problems to worry about.
I bought a dual fuel generator, since I always have a spare full propane tank on hand for the grill. That way, I am ready to run on propane, without having to worry about a clogged carb due to gas sitting in it. If it looks like it will be a longer outage, I can then add gasoline.
Few ways to address the gas varnishing.
1) Stabil
2) EFI so you don't have a carb to clog, I have this solution and it's worked pretty well.
3) fuel petcock system so you can cut the fuel flow to the carb and let it run out and stall. I had this in the past with my Honda EU and it also worked well.
But yeah if you aren't diligent it's can have problems, at the same time you can mitigate a lot of that risk.
Here's a post from a Usenet group in 1998 that I have kept for nearly 25 years. Might be overkill, but might not.
Ok- The power is back on and that big 5,000 watt generator that you paid between $800 and $1,200 to buy is still sitting in the driveway. The Mastercard bill will be arriving in a few weeks and now the darn thing is not even needed... not for NOW at least. However, the store won't take it back, and you figure that you'll just swallow hard and keep it for the next time a hurricane or ice storm comes through.
The problem you face is that when the next emergency comes along, the chances are pretty good that the generator you bought and stored for several years won't even start again. This is because you didn't take a half hour to prepare it for a long storage. The problems a stored engine faces are twofold. First of all, any fuel remaining in the gas tank or carb will have dried out, leaving a gummy varnish that prevents new fuel from being properly regulated. Likewise, used engine oil ages more readily and corrosive acids in used oil can attack internal engine parts. Boat owners and folks with only occasionally used chainsaws know this problem all too well.
Fortunately, preparing a gas engine for storage involves little more than a few minutes of work. Then, when its needed, a tank of fresh gas should have it immediately running again.
To begin, run the generator for about 15 minutes to get it fully warm. Then, kill the engine and remove the oil drain plug, letting the hot oil drain into a pan. It'll probably be about a quart, so be careful to have a large enough pan. Once it stops draining, reinstall the drain plug and refill the engine with new oil. Don't put the oil changing tools away, however, you're going to do it again in a few minutes.
The next step is to add the recommended amount of gasoline stabilizer to the remaining fuel in the tank. The stabilizer helps to prevent corrosion in the carb and also helps to prevent any residual fuel from gumming up the carb's small passages. Now start the engine again and let it run until totally out of gas. When it stops, go back to the previous paragraph and CHANGE THE OIL AGAIN. This time, refill the crankcase with a multi-weight oil such as 10W-30, since you don't know if you'll be needing the generator in the winter or summer.
Using a rolled up paper towel, soak up any gasoline that might remain in the fuel tank. Be careful of cigarettes and flames when doing this.
The next step is to remove the air filter to expose the carb's opening. Use marine engine fogging oil and have a friend squirt the open carb's mouth while you crank the starter cord. This will draw the fogging oil through the intake system and prevent internal corrosion inside the carb. Some engines might actually start and run on some fogging oils, so don't be surprised if yours gives out a few "chuffs." Don't worry, however, the engine will again die when the assistant stops squirting.
Reinstall the air cleaner, and remove the sparkplug. Inspect and clean it, and if it shows any wear, replace it with a properly gapped new one. Have your assistant now spray some fogging oil directly into the sparkplug hole while you crank the engine again. This will distribute it throughout the cylinder and exhaust valve area. Just a few seconds of squirting are necessary, and remember that you can get too much of a good thing.
Finally, reinstall the sparkplug, wipe the generator off with a dry rag and lightly spray any exposed metal surfaces with WD-40 spray to prevent rust.
I store my own generator inside a heavy duty garbage bag to help reduce any rusting from dampness. This is therefor a great place to toss in a few other emergency items such as a couple of candles, wire to connect the generator to the house, an extra quart or so of oil and a funnel for gas and oil changes. In my own "kit," I also have a syphon hose and pump to get gas from one of the cars. This was invaluable last week when the filling stations had no gasoline.
I just bought the generator after the last power outages a few weeks ago, so other than a test run, I have not used it. The brochure says it should run about 4-5 hours on a tank of propane.
I lost everything in the last outage, so I really bought it just to keep the fridge running. I don't plan on running it continually, just 15-30 minutes or so at a time, so the fridge can catch back up.
I always have a few gallons of gas for the mower, should I run out of propane. If the gas stations are down where I can't buy more, I think we have bigger problems to worry about.
IMHO....doing that is a bad idea for the refrigerator because the constant connection/disconnection of AC power increases the potential risk of damaging the sensitive electronic control board, which most modern refrigerators now have, and the compressor due to power surge. You would also technically be short-cycling the compressor, which again is a bad idea. My suggestion is to just keep the refrigerator constantly supplied with AC power and let it do it's thing the same as if you had house power connected.
IMHO....doing that is a bad idea for the refrigerator because the constant connection/disconnection of AC power increases the potential risk of damaging the sensitive electronic control board, which most modern refrigerators now have, and the compressor due to power surge. You would also technically be short-cycling the compressor, which again is a bad idea. My suggestion is to just keep the refrigerator constantly supplied with AC power and let it do it's thing the same as if you had house power connected.
Do you have a source that shows frequent disconnects affect electronics? Power surges are one thing, but just merely having the AC available should not affect it. We have frequent power blips in our area (damn clocks!), so if the fridge (and the many other electronics in the house) were going to be affected, it would have happened by now.
Why would there be more power surge when a compressor kicks in after being reconnected to AC, than when it just kicks on normally? Even if there were a start-up cap involved, I don't think they draw much current.
I am always trying to learn new things, so I don't mind if I am shown be to wrong.
Do you have a source that shows frequent disconnects affect electronics? Power surges are one thing, but just merely having the AC available should not affect it. We have frequent power blips in our area (damn clocks!), so if the fridge (and the many other electronics in the house) were going to be affected, it would have happened by now.
Why would there be more power surge when a compressor kicks in after being reconnected to AC, than when it just kicks on normally? Even if there were a start-up cap involved, I don't think they draw much current.
I am always trying to learn new things, so I don't mind if I am shown be to wrong.
You need to consider the inrush current when the refrigerator first powers up. Short-cycling the compressor makes it work harder to keep the refrigerator cool and uses more power in addition to possibly reducing the duty lifecycle of the compressor. Keep in mind that appliances of today are throw-aways which are heavily cost reduced and not built to last like they were 20-30 years ago, so don't expect much durability protection from continuous power interruptions or surges.
I used to do power surge testing and while most decently designed power supplies do offer some level of built in surge protection, it will slowly degrade over time after repeated "hits" and then one day...."Poof!!". That's why manufacturers recommend that surge protectors be replaced every five years due to degradation.
Here's a post from a Usenet group in 1998 that I have kept for nearly 25 years. Might be overkill, but might not.
Thanks for sharing this. I do now own a generator, but just copied and pasted this in an email to myslef to save for the next 25 years in case I ever need it!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
