Posted on 04/05/2010 7:40:19 AM PDT by DCBryan1
Freepers: The new wife has given me a new "honey do" list. Included, in this quarter's budget is to install a backup generator in our somewhat remote home.
We have a 4k sq/ft home in Arkansas, and her criteria is to be able to run everything in the house if the power goes out. We are next to the last connection on a long line down a valley, down by the river and can expect a long power outage if we get tornados, storms, ice, etc.
We are expecting our first child, and I think that a good standby generator would be a good investment given our location.
I don't want to list all of our appliances, normal for most households, but we do have x2 freezers, and I have a small machine shop and a small wood working shop, and a koi pond. I understand that we will not be using everything at once, but would like a very capable generator.
Which brand of Generator do you prefer? (We have heard that CAT and ONAN are the bes).
Which fuel would you prefer? (We have Natural gas hook up......father in law wants us to have dual fuel).
What type of setup would you use? (battery bank? dual fuel? tie in to grid?)
Thanks for any comments or suggestions!
As always,
FReegards!
DCB
BWAHAHAHAHA!
Consult a competent, licensed, bonded, and insured electrician.
Step two: What kind of risks do you face? Are you in an earthquake prone area? If so NG may not be a good bet. If the threat is primarily weather (torndadoes, etc) NG may be the better choice.
Dual fuel is never a bad thing. Options are ALWAYS good IMO.
I think once you answer those questions you'll be on a better decision tree. Just my opinion of course.
Good luck.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to go solar panels? and maybe a windmill thrown in for good measure?
What’s available to you locally? I would go that route. Someone that can provide service along with your purchase. Have you talked with your local electric company?
LOL...I know, I know.
I told her that we would be rationing power and using only a certain amount of things at a time.
Her response to that was....get a bigger generator...
Hell, she's paying for it, I just get to do the leg work.
Worked at a radio station many years ago....middle of nowhere, Illinois. We needed dependable one-touch power because of any weather event could knock out commercial power.
We went with Onan and never regretted it....
Sorry, we are on the north side of a big hill, not enough southern sun exposure and we are in the woods....sorry, I'd like to, but a no go at this point.
Preparedness/Survival ping!
Do you have any suggestions for this guy?
Email me to be added or removed from this ping list.
Your power co. should be able to size it for you or a good electrical contractor. If you have available natural gas that’s a plus.
Questions for Freeper Preppers:
Which brand of Generator do you prefer? (We have heard that CAT and ONAN are the bes).
>Either
Which fuel would you prefer? (We have Natural gas hook up......father in law wants us to have dual fuel).
>Diesel/NG
What type of setup would you use? (battery bank? dual fuel? tie in to grid?)
>All three. You will need a special switch to prevent backfeed
Thanks for any comments or suggestions
We have a gas-powered Honda that puts out about 5500W. This is not enough to run “everything in the house,” but all we have to do is use fewer lights, etc. A couple of suggestions: get one with a battery for startup (for when you get older and do not have the muscle mass to start a stubborn generator); and install a transfer switch. The transfer switch we have is manual and distributes power through eight different circuits. Took about six hours to install.
Generac is the gold standard however it is a waste of money to size a generator that will run your whole house and a waste of money to operate such a large generator.
Figure out what you truly need during an emergency outage. Generally this is heat, the ability to cook and some light. Everything else is an unnecessary luxury.
In central Arkansas we have natural gas abundant, but I want to go dual fuel since we are in the New Madrid, MO Seizmic Zone.
Father in law said to always have a diesel genset due to the fact that you can make your own diesel with vegetable sludge and the long life of diesel.
However, I am more apt to get a large propane tank for LPG since it is also abundant and servicable in central AR.
I’m no expert, but I’m planning on doing a similar project, except I want to do a battery array and create a system that is capable of being entirely off-grid if need be.
Per my research so far, it looks like diesel is the way to go for less maintenance, more freedom to use different utility companies than natural gas, and the ability to run on cheaper home heating oil also appealed to me. I hadn’t really considered dual fuel, but the diesel seemed diverse enough, with the HHO ability and even kerosene with small adjustments.
BTTT
And bookmark to follow the discussion.
Years from now we will have an off-grid getaway place.
I have seen one brand that was a “tri-fuel”. Of course, one of those fuels is NOT diesel.
If you have diesel, unless I am mistaken, there is no way to make it run on NG or propane.
One of the extreme circumstance fuels that you could use is a “wood gasifier”. Basically, you can run your generator on the gases coming off of a smoldering pile of biomass in a trash can. Plans are online. This has been used before, in WWII.
Diesel has advantages as well, as you can make biodiesel, but I’m not up on the process of creating biodiesel and will leave that to others.
I don’t personally own one, but I’ve been eyeballing the Onan generators for a while. They’ve got a lot of good info on their website, including a calculator to help you figure out what you need for power. Your wife sounds like my wife, so you may have to look into the commercial generators. lol
http://www.cumminsonan.com/residential/products/homestandby
That is funny...
yeah, don’t plan on running your AC from your generator or battery bank.
If it comes to that kind of situation,
you’ll be lucky to run your fridge, freezer, and a few lights.
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