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Home generators


Rye Miles #13621

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Depending on your goals, you can say “I want everything “ or you can decide that you can do with less and save some bucks.

 

i opted to run the important things, furnace, fridge, freezer, pump, lighting in a few rooms, 1 tv and computer if the cable was running.  Not the heat pump,  not the dryer. That would have a lower kw requirement.

 

probably not a concern for you because you tune pianos and make “the big bux”.  :ph34r:

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Yul, when we first setup our site 25 years ago I went with Lister Petter diesel generators.  The only problem with them is as you noted. They have problems starting in cold weather.  Super efficient but a bit noisy.  The reason we replaced then 2-3 years ago is they are now bankrupt, no replacement parts are available and the original design engines no longer meet US pollution standards. Replaced the units with Perkins. I agree nothing in the world was as good as the old Listers.  Too bad they are gone.

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10 hours ago, Happy Jack, SASS #20451 said:

Yul, when we first setup our site 25 years ago I went with Lister Petter diesel generators.  The only problem with them is as you noted. They have problems starting in cold weather.  Super efficient but a bit noisy.  The reason we replaced then 2-3 years ago is they are now bankrupt, no replacement parts are available and the original design engines no longer meet US pollution standards. Replaced the units with Perkins. I agree nothing in the world was as good as the old Listers.  Too bad they are gone.

It’s been about 12 years or so since we were responsible for the Lister Petters and I didn’t know about their bankruptcy. They were a great little generator.

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I may go with a gas generator and have an electric box hooked up outside so I won't have to run a cord in the house especially when it's freezing outside. This is alot cheaper option and since we don't have hardly any power outages around here it seems like a no brainer. My neighbor has one and she's used it twice in the last 20 years! In fact the last time I filled up the gas for her, she's 87 and a widow.

 

 

Thanks for all the responses, very educational!;)

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Rye,

 

Consider a dual fuel generator unless it will be used on a regular basis and not just emergencies.  As you know gasoline goes bad sitting in the tank while propane doesn't.

The  down side is most tend to be rather noisy compared to the whole house standby generators

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6 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Rye,

 

Consider a dual fuel generator unless it will be used on a regular basis and not just emergencies.  As you know gasoline goes bad sitting in the tank while propane doesn't.

The  down side is most tend to be rather noisy compared to the whole house standby generators

I wouldn't keep the gas in the tank I would keep it in my plastic gas can that I use for my lawn mower and snow blower. This will be used only for emergencies and only until the power comes back on. Thanks though for your suggestion, it's definitely something to think about!;) 

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On 11/11/2019 at 2:10 PM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

FYI-Generac is better known as 'Generwreck', for many reasons. ;)

OLG 

It depends on the age of the GENERAC.  In my experience as an engineer for 35 years at the largest CAT engine product dealer in the US I am very familiar with GENERAC's commercial/industrial gas & diesel fueled gensets.   In the early 90's CAT distributed GENERAC gensets under the Olympian brand.  CAT terminated the agreement when CAT acquired FG Wilson in the mid 90's.  FG Wilson is a genset mfg. located in N. Ireland.  Starting In 2006 when the EPA required stationary spark ignition (gas) engines to be emissions certified the Olympian gensets were mfg. by GENERAC.  There was a noticeable quality improvement  between the 90's & 2006 gensets.  Digital replaced analog controls & Delphi connectors replaced Molex connectors.   While the 90's GENERAC's couldn't be drop shipped at the jobsite because they all required warranty work to run.  The 2006 product could be drop shipped without risking expensive site warranty work.

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What I did. I had a 10kw generator. When I was ready to use it I shut off my house’s power to the street, shut off breakers to almost everything, started the generator, connected the 220 line to the dryer outlet, double male cord.  That was capable of supporting the well, fridge, freezer, some lights and gas furnace. Not legal in some states, not recommended in others. Electricians won’t do it for you, but acknowledge that it works.

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1 minute ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

What I did. I had a 10kw generator. When I was ready to use it I shut off my house’s power to the street, shut off breakers to almost everything, started the generator, connected the 220 line to the dryer outlet, double male cord.  That was capable of supporting the well, fridge, freezer, some lights and gas furnace. Not legal in some states, not recommended in others. Electricians won’t do it for you, but acknowledge that it works.

 

No offense Marshal but that is real BAD advise. This advise could possibly get someone electrocuted and not just the person making/plugging in the cord. There are just too many things that could go wrong. I've been an electrician for 40+ years......I would never ever suggest anyone do this, in particular a non electrician. Will it work, yes if the dryer receptacle/house wiring is installed correctly but it's a bad idea all the way around.

 

As the commercials say Don't Try This At Home Folks.

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13 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

No offense Marshal but that is real BAD advise. This advise could possibly get someone electrocuted and not just the person making/plugging in the cord. There are just too many things that could go wrong. I've been an electrician for 40+ years......I would never ever suggest anyone do this, in particular a non electrician. Will it work, yes if the dryer receptacle/house wiring is installed correctly but it's a bad idea all the way around.

 

As the commercials say Don't Try This At Home Folks.

Hey, I know, but when it’s 10 below and the power’s out, I do what I gotta do. 
 

and I didn’t mean it as advice, just “what I do” because I do know what I am doing. Most folks aren’t qualified to do such a thing of course.

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Here in the PRK, I have the living room set up with a gas fireplace that lights without electricity.
Our water heater does the same.

I need a 12v marine battery, or UPS, to keep my cpap working at night.
A generator would be useful for the fridge.
Other than the above, we can (and have) endured days of power outages during the winter.

I figure a Nat-Gas fueled Generac would do nicely... if the Nat-Gas is out, we will have far more serious problems than the power being out.
However, $2k for the product, and $2k for the install is too rich for my blood.

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