Rubes Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I've been thinking of investing in a small generator for a while now, but I never really went beyond that. Now that we just had a crazy three-day snowstorm here in Salt Lake, it got me thinking again. I'm only looking for one to help keep the fridge going, and maybe a couple of lights and a space heater. The power goes out here maybe once a year at most, for a day or two, so it's primarily just a convenience thing, although it would be nice to have if it ever gets worse than that. The one thing that has always held me back, and I know this is kind of silly, but I have no idea what to do with them when they're not being used, which obviously can be for many months or longer. Since they have gas and oil in them, I assume it's not good to leave them for long periods of time like that, but what else do you do? Drain them? Run them periodically? How often? Thanks from a real n00b. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) That is the thing... You gotta exercise them periodically... I have a small one and run it once a month for a spell... Usually when I am mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. If you can really afford it... Why not go the whole house route... Probably in the few thousands to under 10 cost... Runs on natural gas, about as big as an AC compressor... And they exercise themselves... Wouldn't be a bad investment considering you are gonna drop a grand on a nice generator and maybe a bit more if you go the transfer switch route. If I ever built a new house, it would be included... Good luck! Me... It is more or less for the sump pump... Everything else can take a back seat. Edited November 12, 2012 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 That is the thing... You gotta exercise them periodically... I have a small one and run it once a month for a spell... Usually when I am mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. That is true if you use gas or diesel. But if you use propane or natural gas, then you avoid two issues: 1.) exercising it regularly and 2.) the fuel degrading. The upfront cost of a propane generator will be more but the hassles will be reduced. If you are going for a whole house cutover generator, IMO, Cummins-Onan is the best : http://www.cumminsonan.com/residential/products/homestandby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 How much would one run for a large house ? (Approx. 10,000 sf) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 That is true if you use gas or diesel. But if you use propane or natural gas, then you avoid two issues: 1.) exercising it regularly and 2.) the fuel degrading. The upfront cost of a propane generator will be more but the hassles will be reduced. If you are going for a whole house cutover generator, IMO, Cummins-Onan is the best : http://www.cumminsonan.com/residential/products/homestandby Now that is some good info! There's no way I'm exercising a generator every month, so I decided against one for Sandy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 How much would one run for a large house ? (Approx. 10,000 sf) It truly depends on what you want to be able to run. You have to figure out the load of the things you want to use. If you want to run everything in the house, you're going to need a pretty big generator and that's expensive. If you only want 100 amps, "whole house" LP/NG generators are pretty cheap - Generac's in the $3500-$4K range for a pretty nice unit. How ever, if you want over 200 amps, you're going to pay 4 to 5 times that much. To start a 5-ton AC unit you need at least 15kW. That's about the last size that falls into the affordable range. 20kW and up start getting pretty pricey. Both Generac's and Cummins exercise themselves weekly. The only thing you really have to be careful with is the batteries because they wear out after about four years, like clockwork. The upsides are big, though. They exercise themselves automatically, turn on automatically when the power goes out, and then turn off when the power comes back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) It truly depends on what you want to be able to run. You have to figure out the load of the things you want to use. If you want to run everything in the house, you're going to need a pretty big generator and that's expensive. If you only want 100 amps, "whole house" LP/NG generators are pretty cheap - Generac's in the $3500-$4K range for a pretty nice unit. How ever, if you want over 200 amps, you're going to pay 4 to 5 times that much. To start a 5-ton AC unit you need at least 15kW. That's about the last size that falls into the affordable range. 20kW and up start getting pretty pricey. This. I decided which circuits I wanted to stay active after a power failure: kitchen (fridge, bathroom(s), family room, etc.) and then determined how much juice (amps/watts) I would need to keep it going to price out a generator. I had a separate panel run for the circuits I wanted to stay active and ran the plug out to where I would move the generator in a power failure. If you go for a big generator, remember that fuel demands will increase and you will need to resupply at some point. But if you are a Doomsday Prepper then you have that all figured out. Edited November 12, 2012 by Mr Info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 I like the stationary/standby generator idea, never really knew anything about them. We have a fairly small house (about 2500 sq ft total), but I know next to nothing about the load of the things we use. I don't know if we'd need to run the AC off of the generator, but it would be good to be able to run the furnace (along with the rest). I have no idea how to calculate the amps/watts needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 http://kohlerpower.com/residential/solutions/sizingcalculator.htm?sectionNumber=13561&nodeNumber=1&contentNumber=103 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 http://kohlerpower.c...ntentNumber=103 Cool, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 (edited) I bought a 5000 watt generator at Home Depot and it powered pretty much my whole house (heat, water, lights, 2 fridges, etc) for six days. About the only thing we didn't do was laundry. Yes you need to gas it up every 12-16 hours, but it's a lot cheaper than the big whole home propane generators, especially if you know an electrician who will do the connection to your fuse box for a reasonable price. Edited November 12, 2012 by KD in CT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 My parents have a 21kW Generac, it has come in handy one time since being put in just over a year ago. Any ice storm or hurricane that comes will definitely be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 My parents have a 21kW Generac, it has come in handy one time since being put in just over a year ago. Any ice storm or hurricane that comes will definitely be interesting. I've had mine (16kW) for over 6 years. I've needed it a handful of times but I can tell you that when it's ridiculously hot or ridiculously cold it is awesome to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Info Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I selected and do the maintenance on a Cummins-Onan 6500 LP for my wife's business. I also use if for the home when necessary. The C-O is a commercial quiet propane generator and I do the oil/filter changes on it. It has 300 hrs on it and it is solid. Great support org and 24 hr access for parts & service as they have many centers scattered around the US. They make residential units, too. The C-Os kick azz and I have also heard good things about the Generacs but I don't have as much experience with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts