LabattBlue Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 1 hour ago, Doc said: If you get an outlet installed outside your house and an interlock system, no need for any extension cords. The standby generator like you have is the gold standard but very expensive. Not to mention you need a gas line to your house or a large tank buried in your yard. In our case, already had natural gas service to the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 26 minutes ago, LabattBlue said: In our case, already had natural gas service to the house. Nice. There's NG a half mile away but they won't bring it down our way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 6 hours ago, EmotionallyUnstable said: one of the other aspects I’m weighing is that I’ll be needing hundreds of feet of extension cord. How do you guys generally hook up? Extension cord directly into the outlet or do you run one to a power strip and monitor your watts that you put into it? We had an electrician install a secondary panel and there is an outlet for it outside the house. The generator plugs right into it. Switch main breakers off, generator panel on, and most of my downstairs, hvac, and sump have power 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Ferguson forever Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) I like the Ford F150 option but some issues: not whole house and a couple of thousand to hook up to your home. Still very cool... https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/features/intelligent-backup-power/ Edited January 23 by Joe Ferguson forever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden*Wheels Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) Got a kohler hooked to my buried 1000 gallon propane tank, hardwired to a secondary board, with an automatic transfer switch. Powers MOST of the house, but not my electric ovens. It was a massive investment but it has been bulletproof. Had a terrible storm in CT 11-12 years ago around Halloween. Thing ran non stop for a week like a champ. Just needed an oil change. Edited January 23 by Golden*Wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) On 1/23/2024 at 1:26 PM, Golden*Wheels said: Got a kohler hooked to my buried 1000 gallon propane tank, hardwired to a secondary board, with an automatic transfer switch. Powers MOST of the house, but not my electric ovens. It was a massive investment but it has been bulletproof. Had a terrible storm in CT 11-12 years ago around Halloween. Thing ran non stop for a week like a champ. Just needed an oil change. That storm (Albert) sucked! I didn't have a generator but thankfully had a grill and it wasn't freezing. We had to power up at the mall and I showered at work. Edited January 26 by Doc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decsmarg Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 (edited) You're on the right track with the dual fuel options, which give you flexibility. For your needs, 3500 running watts should do the job, covering the sump pump, lights, fridge, and iPhones. In terms of brands, Champion and Westinghouse have some good models in that price range. I've got a Champion myself, and it's been solid. Check reviews to see what users are saying, too. Oh, and in case you're still hunting for more info, you might want to check out stuff about tidal energy. It's a cool way to explore alternative power sources. Edited January 26 by decsmarg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 All of the information in this thread is good. FWIW, we have a 48kW Kohler that runs on propane. Maybe it's a bit big, but it runs the whole house (including appliances and central HVAC) without a problem. And the price difference was minimal between 30kW and 48kW. Make sure you buy it through a dealer, and make sure the people who install it are certified by the manufacturer (it's usually the case for dealers). We have a service contract for $250/year. They come out twice a year. One time is for a general inspection, the other time is for oil/filters/etc. More importantly, a service contract gives us priority in case something needs immediate fixing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 1/13/2024 at 7:08 PM, EmotionallyUnstable said: Lost power earlier this week for 24+ hours. With two little ones, finally going to stop “roughing it out” and get something for emergency purposes. I am not looking for a full home generator, but something portable. I’ve been looking at dual fuel options for gas/propane but not a necessity. I am also interested in either the invertor technology or old school. Im looking for enough Watts to run the sump pump, some lights, fridge and some iPhone chargers. Thinking 3500 running watts should be okay. I’ve found suitable options in the $450-700 range that seem to meet these qualifications. What do you all have? Are you happy with it? Anything I’m seeming to forget? I have nothing substantive to help you with, other than simple anecdote. I live in SE FL; a few years ago we got one of our annual hurricane scares and power was out in my development for a couple of days. TONS of people were running generators as we walked around the neighborhood. I have never seen so many in my life. What shocked me was HOW LOUD THE ALL ARE. I mean, you could hear some of them 3 blocks away practically. One of the primary things I would be looking for is NOISE LEVEL....find one that is quiet, if you can. I don't even know if dB levels are commonly listed when shopping for these things, but you should investigate that if you can before you spend the $$$$.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionallyUnstable Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 On 1/26/2024 at 7:30 AM, \GoBillsInDallas/ said: All of the information in this thread is good. FWIW, we have a 48kW Kohler that runs on propane. Maybe it's a bit big, but it runs the whole house (including appliances and central HVAC) without a problem. And the price difference was minimal between 30kW and 48kW. Make sure you buy it through a dealer, and make sure the people who install it are certified by the manufacturer (it's usually the case for dealers). We have a service contract for $250/year. They come out twice a year. One time is for a general inspection, the other time is for oil/filters/etc. More importantly, a service contract gives us priority in case something needs immediate fixing. What is this? I was expecting something less wordy and more scantilous. No generator babes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Water Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 1/13/2024 at 6:08 PM, EmotionallyUnstable said: Lost power earlier this week for 24+ hours. With two little ones, finally going to stop “roughing it out” and get something for emergency purposes. I am not looking for a full home generator, but something portable. I’ve been looking at dual fuel options for gas/propane but not a necessity. I am also interested in either the invertor technology or old school. Im looking for enough Watts to run the sump pump, some lights, fridge and some iPhone chargers. Thinking 3500 running watts should be okay. I’ve found suitable options in the $450-700 range that seem to meet these qualifications. What do you all have? Are you happy with it? Anything I’m seeming to forget? We have 2-2000W inverter generators. That’s enough to run the ignitor and fan for 1 of our 2 gas furnaces, ceiling light and fan in the room we’re in (led lights), WiFi and router, electric kettle, ignite gas burner on stovetop but not oven, refridge, freezer, and if both are running together we can do fridges for 2 neighbors. It works pretty well. The thing that helps is we have an external power plug to plug them in and an interlock switch to isolate our power panel from the grid (and alarm when grid power is restored. We moved the circuits we wanted to use to one side then called in an electrician to finish the install of the external power plug and interlock switch. The interlock made it much more useful & “normal” to lose power a couple times a year for a couple days at a time thanks to our beautiful midwestern thunderstorms and tornadoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Water Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 2 hours ago, Nextmanup said: I have nothing substantive to help you with, other than simple anecdote. I live in SE FL; a few years ago we got one of our annual hurricane scares and power was out in my development for a couple of days. TONS of people were running generators as we walked around the neighborhood. I have never seen so many in my life. What shocked me was HOW LOUD THE ALL ARE. I mean, you could hear some of them 3 blocks away practically. One of the primary things I would be looking for is NOISE LEVEL....find one that is quiet, if you can. I don't even know if dB levels are commonly listed when shopping for these things, but you should investigate that if you can before you spend the $$$$.... The inverters are quieter than the old style but yeah they’re loud. Gas fumes are also an issue depending on where you can locate. Our neighbor has a 5-sided box with a fan that plugs into the generator, plywood lined with closed cell foam. It helps a lot. When we get a Round Tuit… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I bought this one when my family and I were all working/schooling from home during Covid and the occasional power failures were really disruptive: Westinghouse Outdoor Power Equipment 12500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas and Propane Powered, CARB Compliant https://a.co/d/1b2Rg7w I’m pretty happy with it. A few notes: - getting the electrician to install the outlet that connects it to our panel was about $1200. - it will power the entire house except the AC in summer. - it’s really noisy. - it needs to be outside because it produces carbon monoxide, but it’s also not supposed to get wet, so you need some kind of tent or awning or something. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Water Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) 44 minutes ago, nfreeman said: I bought this one when my family and I were all working/schooling from home during Covid and the occasional power failures were really disruptive: Westinghouse Outdoor Power Equipment 12500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas and Propane Powered, CARB Compliant https://a.co/d/1b2Rg7w I’m pretty happy with it. A few notes: - getting the electrician to install the outlet that connects it to our panel was about $1200. - it will power the entire house except the AC in summer. - it’s really noisy. - it needs to be outside because it produces carbon monoxide, but it’s also not supposed to get wet, so you need some kind of tent or awning or something. Good luck. Just a note this is the style of generator our neighbor has and built a plywood box for. The box is 5 boards lined with soundproofing foam that stack flat and fit together around the generator. There’s a hole opposite the exhaust, into which he installed a high-power computer fan that plugs into the generator and a piece of exhaust pipe fits around it. This setup stores easily, keeps rain off the generator, sends the exhaust away from the house, and makes a significant noise reduction. I’m paranoid about the power those beasts put out potentially damaging the electronics in our various household appliances which at this point is pretty much….all of them….which is why we went with inverters Edited January 30 by Beck Water 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Behindenemylines Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Do the whole house generator with a generac. Life’s too short to worry about power outage in a storm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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