Posted on 09/01/2011 7:24:56 PM PDT by Libertarian4Bush
I haven’t seen any ads. I think your puter has the flu.
>> “what is going on with these advertisements that show up in our posts?” <<
.
There are no ads. You have picked up a trojan of some kind. Go to AVG free and download!
Never thought about using a welder before.
Don’t forget to rig up an electric perimeter fence to keep out those pesky zombies.
Most cheapo generators do the trick for temporary use. Probably noise is the main issue for that purpose.
That said, a better quality genny doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but a good one will set you back at least $3,000.
One thing about propane/NG genny’s: Public utility gas also runs on public power and some generators. I’ve seen the gas pressure drop far enough as to cut off a few hours after the power cut off. I think propane is a great power source for generators but I would also want alternative sources of propane, such as a 50 gallon tank.
As far as those better generators, diesel is a great solution. An 1,800 RPM one that spins low, lasts forever, is fairly quiet, and puts out at least 7Kw is ane xcellent choice.
Most generators spin at 3,600 RPM and can wear out fairly quickly. Some people get a few hundred hours on them before things start to break.
Of course, your budget and personal needs for electricity decide what you should buy.
Prices have gone up sharply since the Obamination.
If you get a stand alone gen-set, then I would suggest a daytank ( a seperate tank to cycle the fuel: diesel will keep a long time if you keep it moving and cleansed ( run it through filters and change them regularly )
Simplex
CleanFuel
FE Petrol
Red Jacket
there are a few others out there...
Maybe look for an industrial dealer who works on gens.
LesGray.com has some tanks
He’s closing up shop and you might could get some tanks and tools really cheap. Just a hint....
My next-door neighbor’s wife developed COPD and couldn’t afford to be without power. He had been using a 5.5KW gas-powered portable but there was a considerable amount of attention that needed to be paid to it.
After several seasons he bit the bullet and bought a unit similar to what you describe. All automatic. Natural gas powered. Would run almost everything in his house.
He gave me the 5.5KW and I’ve been using it ever since. At some point I will upgrade to a whole house unit but 17KW seems like overkill for my needs.
LesGray.com has been sold to some insurance co.
Just make sure, as my neighbor told me, to power up/ run the leads to the ‘inside’ side of the main breaker. Keep the main in shutoff mode, a lockout/tagout sticker wouldn’t hurt neither... ( So we don’t kill any innocent bystanders/workers...)
Interesting stuff, I just bought a house in the Orlando area, on 1.5 acres. I have a fireplace and a ton of wood out back, as well as a 100 Gal Propane tank used Primarily for Pool/Jacuzzi if you fire it up. Actually I doubt I’d bother heating the pool. At the same time I don’t have a ton of cash but probably should have something to at least keep the meat cold. Biggest issue here isn’t heat so much as air during hurricane season but my thermostat is set at 82. Any warmer I am not sure I could sleep well but it’s important to note you do need to suffer a little during that time. Certainly doing without the extra fridge, etc. is the way to go, but I would assume you could re-use that propane tank somehow in this setup.
I wouldn't mind having a nice quiet job with a transfer switch but I so seldom use it that it is just not worth it. I installed a 240V recepticle outside where I run the generator and plug it in and can run anything in the house except the AC. I have a heat pump and a boiler, the boiler uses natural gas but still needs the generator for the pumps. 5 gals of gas will last at least 12 hours depending how much load I run. I usually turn it off at midnight for a few hours, get up run the boiler for a half hour and sleep until morning and run it most of the day till the power comes back on. I simply turn off the main in the breaker panel and wait until I see lights at other peoples homes.
$600 is cheap and easy. I have never had to pull the cord more than once to start the gen. It has wheels so I roll it from the garage to the back of the house, farthest away from living areas.
I have seen the package units at Lowes with the transfer switch and enough KW to run the whole house but I'm just not willing to spend the $6K.
If you bought lets say a 5000 watt portable generator roughly 1500 would run fridge and freezer. Just don't plug them into the same circuit on the generator and you"ll be fine That would leave you with over 3000 watts.
What I'm saying is this. Most of the time power is restored in your area in a few days tops. Consider alternatives for cooking such as the outside grill. Buy or install some room gas heaters to use in emergency or if cheaper to operated due to fuel cost. Buy a smaller portable of which you may only use it twice in a two or three year time frame for at the most a day.
I picked up a great deal on a used Coleman 4200 watt generator last winter. Total times I have used it for emergency power? 0. When the power goes off I go to my quickest and easiest back up first which is a 750 watt inverter with several deep cycle batteries.
I like the security of having a generator and I can run what I need to run on 4200 watts if I have too and still be comfortable and even watch TV.
Any here have experience with the “Leading” brand of (made in China) diesel generators? 6.8 kW or so for under $1000.
This one? I think not... Les wouldn’t do that, I know him ( I worked for him a while back... He is one helluva Dude. )
Second that. Happens around here at least once each winter. I read about someone who temporarily ran a generator in their garage or in an enclosed porch, etc.
Neighbors find them dead the next day. Sad.
> Might I suggest a Japaneses generator by Toshiba
NO, YOU MAY NOT!
Ever since Toshiba sold out America to the commies real Americans do not buy Toshiba.
Most folks can easily get by with one of the cheap (3600 rpm) portable gensets for temporary power disruptions. They will run several hundred hours easily. They will not power a house 24/7 for weeks at a time, though.
For about $1,000 a propane powered 6KW is the best buy for this application. This size will easily run 220V deep well pump, refrigerator and freezer, TV (small), computers, fans, and lighting. It will not run an electric water heater, HVAC, electric stove, and may have problems with those huge plasma TVs. And tell your wife not to use the hair dryer.
Storing gasoline is bad on several levels. First, gas degrades very fast these days, after 1 year it is unusable in small motors. It is dangerous to store, and very dangerous to transfer from storage to the engine. Gas powered engines will need carburetor work to even run if they aren’t prepped correctly for storage every time they are used.
Diesel is better, but it still needs treatment and filtering to keep the black nasties from growing and clogging the filters.
Propane is the best solution. It has an unlimited storage life, and can also be plumbed into furnace, water heater, outdoor grill, and cook stove. Tanks can be above ground or buried. For portability, even the BBQ propane bottles can be used to run propane gensets.
For very temporary use, 2 or 3 extension cords is all you need. You can cut a 2” hole in the wall and install a weather proof outlet cover outside and a box and cover on the inside of the house. When needed, just remove the inside cover and pull the extension cords into the house and hook up.
If you want something more fancy, you should get a transfer switch assy and wire it into your house. With this you establish an “emergency bus” which are circuits that can be powered either by utility power, or the genset (depending on power source switch). These switch assemblies absolutely prevent back feeding the utility lines as genset and utility power sources are isolated.
Under NO circumstances should you try to backfeed your panel through the dryer socket as is mentioned on various jack-leg power web sites.
Expect to pay $2000 or more to install a transfer switch and dedicated circuits. Getting this done right is well worth the expense.
My 6KW propane genset is 12 years old, starts every time even after several years of storage, and servers me well for temp power outages. It has about 200 hours on it. I feel it has more than paid for itself several times over.
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