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Thoughts on house generators

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With storm Henri happening and climate weather changes taking place, I want to set up a generator system for our house, which we are remodeling extensively and is surrounded by trees. What considerations or recommendations would help produce a good system that is dependable, kicks in automatically, and is strong enough to power our house? We have a heat pump system for heat and air conditioning and also charge up one electric car and one hybrid; otherwise, normal electrical needs as far as I know. Home is in southern NH a little north of Keene, NH.

Thanks for any advice you have
 

ElGuapo

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I bought this dual-fuel generator earlier in the spring (for $799.00 at the time) and had my panel wired for the back feed in July.
Also bought a 25' cord to drag away from the house for noise and exhaust.


It will power my whole house if I need it to.
A few weeks ago I ordered a doghouse for it to live in until I need it.
Assembled the doghouse on Saturday and got everything ready for the storm.
All in it cost me about $2,000 to be prepared for future storm BS.

1629731594398.png
 
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What do people in other areas pay for propane? I have a 124g tank for heat (which I seldom use), gas dryer and water heater in central florida. I pay $3.719 a gallon. That seems excessive to me but not sure if I have many options. My tank is on the side of the house behind a fence and shrubs so not much of an eyesore.
 

8893

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Wait a year or two. You'll be able to find a $1,000 duel fuel portable inverter generator that'll power everything you need.
That's what I've been waiting for. We had a transfer switch installed when we upgraded our service and put on an addition several years ago, intending to have an automatic propane one installed with the "leftover" money in the budget. Of course we ran over budget on the addition and then got a quote for the generator installation that was thousands more than anticipated, so we have continued to put it off since. I can't do a normal gasoline portable one because I don't take good enough care of power equipment to trust that it will be ready when I need it, so now I am waiting to do something exactly like what @ElGuapo did:

I bought this dual-fuel generator earlier in the spring (for $799.00 at the time) and had my panel wired for the back feed in July.
Also bought a 25' cord to drag away from the house for noise and exhaust.


It will power my whole house if I need it to.
A few weeks ago I ordered a doghouse for it to live in until I need it.
Assembled the doghouse on Saturday and got everything ready for the storm.
All in it cost me about $2,000 to be prepared for future storm BS.

View attachment 69382
 

temery

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I did the same, but with a 5000W unit. That was all I could find a couple days before Sandy. After Sandy I had the transfer switch put in. I'm able to run garage doors, 2 fridge/freezers, a bunch of lights, hot water heater (gas, but has a fan), internet, gas furnace (start-up), sump pump. That's really all I need. Not all of those things are running at the same time, and we try to conserve during a black out. I have thought about upgrading to 7500W (maximum for my transfer switch) but there's always something I'd rather spend money on.

Since Sandy, I've used it 5 or 6 times. A couple times for short (less than 3 hour) outages. A couple times longer (once for 36 hours). The whole set-up with the generator, switch, labor, was under $1,500. I'm slightly jealous of my neighbor's whole house set-up, but I think the bang for the buck was good enough based on our limited outages.

The negatives are obvious: i) doesn't turn out automatically so I have to go into the elements and if we aren't home we could lose food; ii) they say you aren't supposed to run the portables in wet weather, but the majority of the time we lose power is during wet weather; iii) if we have a substantial outage during the summer, it could get hot in the house (I have a portable ac unit that I haven't tried yet); iv) it's pretty loud; v) I keep some gasoline around, which I get rid of every couple years if I haven't used it.

The positives are also pretty obvious: i) it was $10k cheaper than whole house; ii) it runs on gasoline which I was able to get easily, even during Sandy; iii) it's portable so I've been able to lend it to friends who had outages that I avoided.

I run my 5500 watt Briggs and Stratton portable gasoline generator in the garage with both garage doors 1/2 open, with a CO2 monitor just inside the door to the house.

I have a storm door on the garage side, and an insulated door to the house. I've used the generator more than a dozen times in ten years, and never had a problem. Three times for multiple days.

The only negatives have been noise, and having to refuel up to three times a day. Total cost was a little over a $1,000, including transfer box.
 
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To each their own, but a couple of things.

100 gallons of propane for 8 hours seems like a ton of propane to run a house for 8 hours. If you are truly in an emergency, conserving some energy is probable. You'll want the fridge to work, you'll want hot water.

Even those who want to live as comfortably as possible may consider slowing down on washer/dryer, dishwasher, TV and internet usage, etc. cutting power consumption down by 50% post hurricane without much lifestyle change isn't unreasonable.

Winter storms are a bit different as keeping a house warm and keeping pipes from freezing are legit concerns. Even then, keep house heated to 65 degrees to conserve energy isn't unreasonable. Sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt.
You're generous. I would go with multiple sweatshirts and 50 degrees. Even with power, I often had my thermostat at 60 since I had electric heat. The ex complained a bit.
 

ElGuapo

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@8893
I still have the fuel issue to contend with as I did not test the generator with gasoline because I don't want it to spoil or get into a fuel stabilizer situation at this point. I tested on a grill propane tank and it worked great.

We have a large propane tank (220 lb.?) next to where I set this up that is used just for our gas kitchen stove.
The thought was to have a dual outlet put on that and use it for the generator if we need. But there was some question about the pressure coming out of it through a 25' gas hose being less than what the generator is looking for.
I think I'll just buy a dedicated 100 lb. tank at Tractor Supply for $175 and have it filled. Then just roll that bastard out next to the generator if/when the time comes that I need to use it. And then have the gasoline for backup.
¯\(ツ)

1629732575591.png
 

temery

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@8893
I still have the fuel issue to contend with as I did not test the generator with gasoline because I don't want it to spoil or get into a fuel stabilizer situation at this point. I tested on a grill propane tank and it worked great.

We have a large propane tank (220 lb.?) next to where I set this up that is used just for our gas kitchen stove.
The thought was to have a dual outlet put on that and use it for the generator if we need. But there was some question about the pressure coming out of it through a 25' gas hose being less than what the generator is looking for.
I think I'll just buy a dedicated 100 lb. tank at Tractor Supply for $175 and have it filled. Then just roll that bastard out next to the generator if/when the time comes that I need to use it. And then have the gasoline for backup.
¯\(ツ)

View attachment 69384

Amazon.com : generator tent cover while running
 

temery

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Chin Diesel

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You're generous. I would go with multiple sweatshirts and 50 degrees. Even with power, I often had my thermostat at 60 since I had electric heat. The ex complained a bit.

I would go a bit cooler too in the winter, but if someone says they want to live their life normal, 50 degrees inside is a bit chilly. I wasn't giving a specific number as being right but rather a number that would fall within a reasonable range not requiring too much extra effort.
 

CL82

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3300 is on the low side. I'm not sure what my peak draw is, and I'd rather have more than I need than have the generator crap out. I have a neighbor who says he's successfully connected two similar generators, but I'll wait.
I think I am with @8893 on this (sort off). I have a gas generator. When we've needed it, I've been grateful for it. I think I'll eventually go with the Generac. It is just so easy and seamless. Much easier than putting rain or snow gear and dealing with generator. As a friend of ours likes to say "oh was there a power outage? I didn't notice."

(We have natural gas piped to the house so we don't have to worry about heat or the tank thing. )

FWIW, at 10KW generator is relatively inexpensive.
Generac Guardian WIFI Enabled 10000-Watt (LP)/9000-Watt (NG) Standby Generator in the Home Standby Generators department at Lowes.com
 

temery

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I would go a bit cooler too in the winter, but if someone says they want to live their life normal, 50 degrees inside is a bit chilly. I wasn't giving a specific number as being right but rather a number that would fall within a reasonable range not requiring too much extra effort.

'One thing I noticed years ago when I lost electricity in the winter: 60° in the winter is a lot colder than 60° in the summer. Significantly colder. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity," really is a thing.
 
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'One thing I noticed years ago when I lost electricity in the winter: 60° in the winter is a lot colder than 60° in the summer. Significantly colder.
True but I also neglected to mention, that I used to have a waterbed in my old residence which would retain heat for a little while as long as it was covered. But I also was able to get through multiple days without a generator in the winter without heat so 60 degrees would have seemed toasty. We once lost power for 10 days or so after Irene but thankfully that was in the summer. We were on a circuit with only 10 or so other homes so we were not a high priority. I would see lights on the main drag and then drive up our mutual driveway listening for my neighbor's generator. If I heard it, I knew I was in trouble for another night.
 
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I'm in the process of getting ready to buy a whole house generator. I need a sub panel installed first, then I'll add the switch over panel.

Researching which genetator to buy. I want a duel fuel with a remote start and lastly I want to sound proof the thing. A lot of time spent, so this thread has beem helpful
 
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With storm Henri happening and climate weather changes taking place, I want to set up a generator system for our house, which we are remodeling extensively and is surrounded by trees. What considerations or recommendations would help produce a good system that is dependable, kicks in automatically, and is strong enough to power our house? We have a heat pump system for heat and air conditioning and also charge up one electric car and one hybrid; otherwise, normal electrical needs as far as I know. Home is in southern NH a little north of Keene, NH.

Thanks for any advice you have
While married and living in Willington, my wife & I started with a portable Honda Gas powered generator, then we moved up to a Generac. She has the house now...and the Generac. There are other choices, but this one works best for us.
 
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I bought this dual-fuel generator earlier in the spring (for $799.00 at the time) and had my panel wired for the back feed in July.
Also bought a 25' cord to drag away from the house for noise and exhaust.


It will power my whole house if I need it to.
A few weeks ago I ordered a doghouse for it to live in until I need it.
Assembled the doghouse on Saturday and got everything ready for the storm.
All in it cost me about $2,000 to be prepared for future storm BS.

View attachment 69382

How many db's does that thing reduce the noise level to? @ElGuapo
 
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To each their own, but a couple of things.

100 gallons of propane for 8 hours seems like a ton of propane to run a house for 8 hours. If you are truly in an emergency, conserving some energy is probable. You'll want the fridge to work, you'll want hot water.

Even those who want to live as comfortably as possible may consider slowing down on washer/dryer, dishwasher, TV and internet usage, etc. cutting power consumption down by 50% post hurricane without much lifestyle change isn't unreasonable.

Winter storms are a bit different as keeping a house warm and keeping pipes from freezing are legit concerns. Even then, keep house heated to 65 degrees to conserve energy isn't unreasonable. Sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt.
My electrician said see the emergency for what it is(an emergency) not a lifestyle change.
 

ElGuapo

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How many db's does that thing reduce the noise level to? @ElGuapo

No idea. It won't be run in there. I have a 25' cord to drag out and away from the house for when I run it.
I suppose I could run it in there but I have to think it will be loud as h3ll and vibrate that shed.
In the yard it's loud but it's on the back corner of my house away from the bedrooms and main living areas.
When we tested the backfeed it was loud but not too bad. Plus like I said we don't have neighbors so outside noise won't matter to anyone else.
 

ElGuapo

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One of the things I had going for me was an unused 40 Amp breaker for the Electric Stove we previously replaced with a propane one and dedicated tank. And that feed was right under the kitchen on the side of the house where we wanted the outside fackfeed receptacle installed.
So the electrician just extended the wire 6 feet to the outside of the house and installed this little dohicky to the panel as the swtich for the main power cut off and backfeed. The electrician said this little piece of machines metal cost $150.00.
Easy peasy!

1629804333409.png
 

CL82

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One of the things I had going for me was an unused 40 Amp breaker for the Electric Stove we previously replaced with a propane one and dedicated tank. And that feed was right under the kitchen on the side of the house where we wanted the outside fackfeed receptacle installed.
So the electrician just extended the wire 6 feet to the outside of the house and installed this little dohicky to the panel as the swtich for the main power cut off and backfeed. The electrician said this little piece of machines metal cost $150.00.
Easy peasy!

View attachment 69399
Love this solution. It took me a second to figure it out.
 
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Thankfully, we kept power throughout Ida. But my sump pump was running all night and I'm I'm ready for an upgrade on my generator.

The one I got right before Sandy is a bit smaller than I wanted, but Home Depot screwed me (literally sold mine to someone else for cash after I had bought it and was waiting for the delivery). They tried to blow me off, but eventually gave me a smaller store brand with a Subaru engine for 25% off and an option to return it used. It worked well so I kept it. No complaints to date, and I'm actually thinking of just keeping in the shed as an extra. I've heard multiple first hand stories of people going to use their generator that was properly maintained and it craps out when you need it.

Thanks to this thread, I like the idea of the dual fuel option for a few reasons. It seems like Generac is ubiquitous for the built-in generator but gets meh reviews for portable. They also don't seem to have a dual fuel option. Anyone have an opinion on Westinghouse and this one in particular? Westinghouse 7500DF
 

XLCenterFan

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Haven't read any of this so excuse me if these sentiments have already been mentioned. Generators are for cowards. So what if you lose power for a day or two? Rough it and enjoy the experience. I've lost power twice since getting married - one was the October snow storm (4/5 days) and once was last summer (2 days). It was great. Take the money you would have spent and go on some vacations...or gamble it.
 
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Haven't read any of this so excuse me if these sentiments have already been mentioned. Generators are for cowards. So what if you lose power for a day or two? Rough it and enjoy the experience. I've lost power twice since getting married - one was the October snow storm (4/5 days) and once was last summer (2 days). It was great. Take the money you would have spent and go on some vacations...or gamble it.
You sound like the guy in the best sandwich thread who said he'd rather eat grapes than a sandwich.
 
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There's no comparison there. And you sound like the coward I just mentioned.
Oh so yours is the only opinion that matters? There's a word for that and it's worse than you calling people cowards. And it is similar since the OP was asking directly about what to do about installing a generator. He wasn't asking if he's a coward for installing one. To each his own.
 

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