power out, backup generator, propane/gas/diesel

[meatyrem]

I live out in country house is all electric (geothermal heat/cool) and I made the decision first year here that it was essential to have one as when I lose power I lose everything. I have 400amp service.
I went with generac 22kw hardwired directly to transfer box on a slab made by generac. I installed a 500gal propane tank to fuel it we've had a few time with bad storms knocking out power for up to 6 days and we're just fine each incident. On the generac site there's a chart on how many gal per hour it uses and under a specific load. If you want to save fuel consumption don't use as much power for things and it won't use as much fuel. There's a difference between propane and nat gas and from what I seen propane was better as far as more power for the amount of fuel used (propane had better power output than nat gas). Just service the generator when it calls for it and it should last a long time. When it's running I cannot hear it from my bedroom or that whole end of house only when I get closer to where the generator is located (right next to attached garage) which you can hear or more the closer you are so it really isn't all that disturbing and barely noticeable. Would be much less had I installed it next to the pole barn but then the power supply cable would had to ba another 100 foot or so and costing another $700 just for that. All in all it's great.

 

[meatyrem]

What's one of those 30kw Cummins/ Onan Honda units run?

Can't say for that but the next step up from my 22kw was a liquid cooled 25kw and that was going to almost be another 2/3 the price.

 

[Hugnot]

I would sort to prefer propane. My experiece with diesel has not been so good with extreme cold temps, like sub zero. Proplems with starting, even with grades intended for cold weather. The parafin in the diesel can congeal making preheating necessary. As the generator would be used outside, there should not be any problems with propane settling in sub-grade installations. Nice clean propane should keep things running for a real long time.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

If you lose power often go with a Generac system Propane with Solar battery Backup. The Solar battery can power your house everyday depending on the SUN and size of your solar panels. The Generator would kick in when you run out of battery power/land line power. Get a generator the will power your whole house/system. Also go with PROPANE with a big tank at least 500+ gallons. Natural Gas is good if you have gas lines available, but if something happens to the NG supply or Gas Line you will be stuck.
These system are EXPENSIVE, but how much would you pay to power, heat, water if an event hit your area and the Local Power Grid went down????
We moved into our home 15 years ago I bought a DruoMax Gasoline 10,000 Generator. Made a spot in the corner of the garage and can be moved outside quickly. Ran 6-4 Copper wire to the basement to a SWITCH Box connected to our main Electrical Pane. If the power goes out all I do is move the generator outside (do not run generators in you home, basement, garage due to Carbon Monoxide) start it then got to the basement an throw the Switch. We have ran it straight for (5) days once with no problems. We also have several 55 gallon drums of gasoline. We us Aviation gasoline because it lasts longer before breaking down. Get over two years before we rotate it in vehicles.
Now Propane is BEST because it does not break down-can store in a tank for a long time.

 

[yankee outlaw]

yes sir len around hear in up state ny the amish are running solar with a back up generator to charge the batterys when the sun is down witch is about 6 months a year

 

[6fatrat]

I'm in the northern part of Michigan we lose power 2 or 3 times a year.
I watch a number of homes for snow birds that have propane generators, make sure you get at least a 500 gallon tank these things use a s@#t load of propane.
I have a 7500 gas generator on wheels i roll it out of the garage plug it into the electric panel in the garage and back feed through my 60 amp welding circut into the house.
This gives me 30 amps of 220, some house breakers need to turned off so as to not create a low voltage problem.
I run apx. 6 gallons of gas every 16 hours.
If you run a set like this YOU MUST FIRST DISCONNECT YOUR HOUSE FROM THE GRID !
Steve Bair

 

[xsn10s]

There's a guy on youtube that set up his own solar system that modular, so he can add as he can. I've considered solar, nat gas, and even gas systems. Since I have a heat pump and no other cooling/ heating source I'm fairly dependent on the grid. I'll probably use the motorhome for our backup for the time being. Recently I purchased a kerosene heater as a backup heat and light source. It only puts out 8500 btu but it actually keep the house at 74 degrees when it's 30 degrees outside. I got it for ten bucks last week and I'm really pleased since it puts out no smell and the carbon monoxide alarm hasn't gone off. I'll get a couple more kerosene heaters and look into a nat gas generator or dual fuel one. I'd like a generac or solar system but they're out of my budget. A portable 10kw generator kinda fits my bugout mentality anyways lol.

 

[VinceMule]

I bought a Honda gasoline generator because I worry about my three freezers and frig more than anything else. I installed two natural gas wall heaters, stove, hot water, dryer all is natural gas. I run the generator for a few hours each day....keep freezers and frig closed!

Check out the K100 gasoline additive, and use high test non-ethanol gasoline. We lose power during ice storms and live at the end of the power line. Trees across power lines take time to get to when you live out in the country.

 

[ultimag43]

we are off grid with propane generator back up so
power outages dont affecr us