Thoughts on house generators | The Boneyard

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
 
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I installed one in 2017 from scratch. Have 3 propane tanks, and they ran a line from back of our house to the inside of our home. It turns on in about 8 seconds and powers the whole house for 7 days with every light, appliance, etc running (which we would obv never do). It’s a great peace of mind.
 

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Link provided above will give you all the information you need. We just had an emergency generator installed a few months ago. I was hoping we would lose power so we could test it out! Went with a Generac 18kw, which does the entire house and kicks in automatically when power goes out. A few weeks ago we lost power for a minute and it kicked in after about 5 seconds of the power being out and shut off immediately when power came back on.

Only issue is if you have natural gas or propane piped to your house then they can hook the generator up to that. If not then you need to get a propane tank installed, which adds to the total cost. And you need to decide if you want the tank buried or above ground (the tanks are much bigger than the generator itself). Buried costs more. We ended up getting a 500 gallon tank that we put in the woods behind our house so you can't see it at all. They used to let you rent the tanks with a stipulation that you buy the propane from the same company that provided the tank, but now they said you need to buy the tank so you can fill up with whoever you want.

Generator installed was about $9500. Then another couple thousand for the tank and to dig the trench from the tank to the generator. Then obviously the cost of 500 gallons of propane.

One of the generator installers we talked to was Chamberlin Electric, from Hudson, NH. Pick out 2 or 3 places and have them come to your house and they'll assess how big of a generator you need and give you a proposal. Good luck.

ChamberlinElectric.com
 

Dove

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We'renot going in that direction but budget 9 to $10,000. You should not regret it. Peace of mind guaranteed. Imagine the power going out and within 3 seconds you are not out of power.

Get Automatic Transfer Switch.
That budget should include the generator, the electrician hooking it up, and the propane tank installation.
 
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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
I got a kohler generator around 10 years ago. It runs everything in my house. Make sure you buy it from a reputable electrician. The generator that Home Depot and Lowe’s sell are less expensive but are NOT the same as you get from the electrician companies. The parts they use in the big box stores are cheaper and that’s why they cost less. Kohler is mainly used for large commercial properties like hospitals and office building. They do make a whole house unit and it is high quality.
 
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Have a 7000 portable with an econ mode. Bought it after Sandy when the stores were trying to move the inventory off the floor. Got a good price. The electrician put in a transfer switch and a six circuit mini breaker system. The town owns it's own utility company and is very good at restoring power so I felt I didnt need something to run the whole house for very long periods of time. Refrigeration, furnace in winter some lights... so level of comfort, budget and possible circumstances.
 

Hankster

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After Sandy I said no more 2.5 days of no electricity. Installed a 22K Whole House Generec Generator. Worth every penny. Wife was totally against it saying it was a waste of money. Then while watching her favorite program the electricity went off. She was not please until 5 seconds later the generator kicked in. House back to normal. Now she wants to be a Generec spokesperson.
 

Chin Diesel

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I installed one in 2017 from scratch. Have 3 propane tanks, and they ran a line from back of our house to the inside of our home. It turns on in about 8 seconds and powers the whole house for 7 days with every light, appliance, etc running (which we would obv never do). It’s a great peace of mind.
Link provided above will give you all the information you need. We just had an emergency generator installed a few months ago. I was hoping we would lose power so we could test it out! Went with a Generac 18kw, which does the entire house and kicks in automatically when power goes out. A few weeks ago we lost power for a minute and it kicked in after about 5 seconds of the power being out and shut off immediately when power came back on.

Only issue is if you have natural gas or propane piped to your house then they can hook the generator up to that. If not then you need to get a propane tank installed, which adds to the total cost. And you need to decide if you want the tank buried or above ground (the tanks are much bigger than the generator itself). Buried costs more. We ended up getting a 500 gallon tank that we put in the woods behind our house so you can't see it at all. They used to let you rent the tanks with a stipulation that you buy the propane from the same company that provided the tank, but now they said you need to buy the tank so you can fill up with whoever you want.

Generator installed was about $9500. Then another couple thousand for the tank and to dig the trench from the tank to the generator. Then obviously the cost of 500 gallons of propane.

One of the generator installers we talked to was Chamberlin Electric, from Hudson, NH. Pick out 2 or 3 places and have them come to your house and they'll assess how big of a generator you need and give you a proposal. Good luck.

ChamberlinElectric.com

With the pros and cons of propane tanks vice having gas piped to your home from the utility (If available).

I was always a proponent of piping the gas to your home vice the propane tanks. Last year my area was whacked by hurricane Sally and the rain damage was so severe the natural gas utility lines were shut down due to damages. So, home with beautiful generator systems, or homes like mine which use natural gas for heated water, had no gas. I instantly switched over to becoming a fan of on-site propane tanks for your generator.
 
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So for whole house generators, Generac seems to be tops in recommendations. Wife doesn’t like the idea of a buried propane tank, but I’m not sure if there’s an alternative. I guess it’s just an extra expense to bury a large enough tank. Maybe if it isn’t too close to house- so long as propane company can reach to fill it- is there a top that still sticks out? Otherwise, how do you fill it in winter with snow, or fill it anytime?
 
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So for whole house generators, Generac seems to be tops in recommendations. Wife doesn’t like the idea of a buried propane tank, but I’m not sure if there’s an alternative. I guess it’s just an extra expense to bury a large enough tank. Maybe if it isn’t too close to house- so long as propane company can reach to fill it- is there a top that still sticks out? Otherwise, how do you fill it in winter with snow, or fill it anytime?
There’s a man hole cover basically with all the connections and a gauge that shows the level of the tank. Not sure why your wife wouldn’t want it buried if that’s possible rather than having it just hanging out in your backyard being and eye sore.
 

Chin Diesel

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I installed one in 2017 from scratch. Have 3 propane tanks, and they ran a line from back of our house to the inside of our home. It turns on in about 8 seconds and powers the whole house for 7 days with every light, appliance, etc running (which we would obv never do). It’s a great peace of mind.
So for whole house generators, Generac seems to be tops in recommendations. Wife doesn’t like the idea of a buried propane tank, but I’m not sure if there’s an alternative. I guess it’s just an extra expense to bury a large enough tank. Maybe if it isn’t too close to house- so long as propane company can reach to fill it- is there a top that still sticks out? Otherwise, how do you fill it in winter with snow, or fill it anytime?

@Conndog , you can always have above ground tank(s) and then use some landscaping or fencing to keep it less in view, but still above ground.
 

Dove

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If the propane is for the generator only it would be laughable to bury it. You probably only need 2 100-gallon tanks.

It's the 250s that people bury or have above ground away from the house.
 
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If the propane is for the generator only it would be laughable to bury it. You probably only need 2 100-gallon tanks.

It's the 250s that people bury or have above ground away from the house.
The people I know with buried tanks are one with 2 500 gallon tanks, the other has a 500 gallon and a 3rd with a 250 gallon

they use them for their heated pools, hot water, cooking so it’s more than just the generator

think the guy with 1000 gallons says if power did go for extended time he could power his compound for about 3 weeks with everything running as he normal does no cut backs
 
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Side note on tanks… you can’t have a window a/c unit within 10’ of them. Our 100 is on the side of the house, connects to the pool heater 20-ish feet away, and after 20 years them made us remove our living room a/c from the front window. Said it was code.
 
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If the propane is for the generator only it would be laughable to bury it. You probably only need 2 100-gallon tanks.

It's the 250s that people bury or have above ground away from the house.
I was told that 100 gallons would run my entire house for about 8 hours. So I figured if I'm going to do this and spend all this money I would want to make sure I have enough propane to run the house for a few days. That's why I went with the 500 gallon tank. I figured we've never lost power for 40 hours so that should be good. Having only enough propane (200 gallons) to run the house for 16 hours seemed pretty stupid to me.
 
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Side note on tanks… you can’t have a window a/c unit within 10’ of them. Our 100 is on the side of the house, connects to the pool heater 20-ish feet away, and after 20 years them made us remove our living room a/c from the front window. Said it was code.
Yes, there are certain codes about where the propane tank can go. I think MA codes said it had to be at least 10 feet from the generator and I think 10 feet from any windows in your house (something around that). The installer can give you all those details when you're trying to lay out where the generator and tank should go.

The only negative I saw about burying the tank was the additional cost. A 500 gallon tank is massive. It's about 10 feet long and 4 feet high. Having it in your yard above ground is a real eyesore. Mine is in the woods behind bushes and trees so I can't see it. They even said we could paint it green (it's white now) if we wanted to hide it more.
 

Chin Diesel

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I was told that 100 gallons would run my entire house for about 8 hours. So I figured if I'm going to do this and spend all this money I would want to make sure I have enough propane to run the house for a few days. That's why I went with the 500 gallon tank. I figured we've never lost power for 40 hours so that should be good. Having only enough propane (200 gallons) to run the house for 16 hours seemed pretty stupid to me.

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.
 

temery

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I was told that 100 gallons would run my entire house for about 8 hours. So I figured if I'm going to do this and spend all this money I would want to make sure I have enough propane to run the house for a few days. That's why I went with the 500 gallon tank. I figured we've never lost power for 40 hours so that should be good. Having only enough propane (200 gallons) to run the house for 16 hours seemed pretty stupid to me.

I'm told a 20 pound (5 gallon) propane tank (grill tank) will run an inverter generator for more than eight hours. 100 gallons should last a couple days for an average house. If it's not an inverter generator, you'll be cranking out power whether it's used or not.
 
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Have a 7000 portable with an econ mode. Bought it after Sandy when the stores were trying to move the inventory off the floor. Got a good price. The electrician put in a transfer switch and a six circuit mini breaker system. The town owns it's own utility company and is very good at restoring power so I felt I didnt need something to run the whole house for very long periods of time. Refrigeration, furnace in winter some lights... so level of comfort, budget and possible circumstances.
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.
 

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