Backup Generators

[Dusty Stevens]

Thanks thats great to know. Im an electrican so Ill install my own and if a company wont sell me one, inless they install i guess i wont be buying that make.

Youll want the 20kw generac in stock at lowes then. Comes with transfer switch and base to sit it on. You can install and commission it in the time it takes for you to run the conduit and such thru your wall into your main

 

[Clous]

Portable gas generators lose their value instantly. Buy a welder, Miller Bobcat, Lincoln Ranger, or similar. The resale is much better. All gas powered motors need to be run occasionally or they won't run when you need it. Diesel is more up front, but doesn't need any where near as much attention.

Our Miller Bobcat will suck down two gallons per hour of gasoline. Wouldn’t be my first choice.

 

[hoz53]

Don't know it it's been mentioned yet BUT. Very important. If you are going to run your house on a generator. PLEASE, use an isolation switch. If you connect to your house power wiring and it is still connected to the incoming line you can KILL a lineman who thinks the line is dead. Power companies require a bona fide transfer switch..

The power from your generator can backfeed the power companies off line system.. I have seen it happen. Don't be that guy

Yes Im an electrician and i knew that but its good you pointed it out here cause other people reading this may not know it. Thanks

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Yes Im an electrician and i knew that but its good you pointed it out here cause other people reading this may not know it. Thanks

Sparky boy here RET. IBEW local322.

 

[hoz53]

Our Miller Bobcat will suck down two gallons per hour of gasoline. Wouldn’t be my first choice.

i could use a bobcat though

 

[hoz53]

Sparky boy here RET. IBEW local322.

Me to IBEW 131

 

[hoz53]

Grow lights

sounds right

 

[Rustytigwire]

Bought a Lincoln 305d a few years back for work. Gets used infrequently. Good on diesel, pretty quiet. Tornado alley, ice storms, we still have been fortunate enough no one has needed it. It stays close to the door.

 

[hoz53]

Youll want the 20kw generac in stock at lowes then. Comes with transfer switch and base to sit it on. You can install and commission it in the time it takes for you to run the conduit and such thru your wall into your main

Ok Thanks ill check it out. Sounds like what I want. I have a disconnect right after the meter outside so that outta make for an easy install.

 

[joshb]

Hoz: I have a 20kw Generac that runs off a thousand gal. propane tank. We have a well pump to run along with the AC. My wifey wanted the AC capabilities and I’ll admit I didn’t argue with her about it! The first unit gave me 15 years of great service before it went belly up. $600 in parts fixed it. With the automatic transfer switch, we just count to 15 when the lights go out and varoom....the generator kicks on and we’re fat and happy. The only “problem” we have is after a couple days of no power, the lights draw neighbors like mosquitoes!
You should go natural gas.

 

[hoz53]

Portable gas generators lose their value instantly. Buy a welder, Miller Bobcat, Lincoln Ranger, or similar. The resale is much better. All gas powered motors need to be run occasionally or they won't run when you need it. Diesel is more up front, but doesn't need any where near as much attention.

thats something to think about-- i dont wanna weld much anymore cause of my eyes otherwise id like to have one of them.. thanks Walt

 

[hoz53]

Bought a Lincoln 305d a few years back for work. Gets used infrequently. Good on diesel, pretty quiet. Tornado alley, ice storms, we still have been fortunate enough no one has needed it. It stays close to the door.

handy to have im sure.

 

[LarryDScott]

I had a Generac 22KW installed w/the auto control box,
250 gal propane tank and hookup for about $8K. I previously
had a 10KW portable that wasn't big enough to run the whole house. The down side of a portable, even if it would run your whole house it's likely going to be in the wee hrs of the morning in inclimate weather when you have to hook it up, and that sucks when you are old. With the Generac, if you want to be gone for a
prolonged period, it will have your back if there is an outage. No worries about refrigerators, freezers or frozen pipes. LDS

 

[hoz53]

Hoz: I have a 20kw Generac that runs off a thousand gal. propane tank. We have a well pump to run along with the AC. My wifey wanted the AC capabilities and I’ll admit I didn’t argue with her about it! The first unit gave me 15 years of great service before it went belly up. $600 in parts fixed it. With the automatic transfer switch, we just count to 15 when the lights go out and varoom....the generator kicks on and we’re fat and happy. The only “problem” we have is after a couple days of no power, the lights draw neighbors like mosquitoes!
You should go natural gas.

thats interesting- that in the north residence? good info - that helps out - thanks

 

[hoz53]

I had a Generac 22KW installed w/the auto control box,
250 gal propane tank and hookup for about $8K. I previously
had a 10KW portable that wasn't big enough to run the whole house. The down side of a portable, even if it would run your whole house it's likely going to be in the wee hrs of the morning in inclimate weather when you have to hook it up, and that sucks when you are old. With the Generac, if you want to be gone for a
prolonged period, it will have your back if there is an outage. No worries about refrigerators, freezers or frozen pipes. LDS

those are good points because i probably will be gone at times. And im sure not getting any younger-- thanks Larry

 

[klamathsteel]

Just remember if you have a well pump it takes a bunch more current to "start" the pump than it does to "run" the pump after it has started. Same goes for AC units, fridges, freezers etc.. You need to size the generator accordingly. I have about 25 generators that i maintain from 12 KW propane all the way to 80 KW diesel. And as mentioned earlier oversizing a generator for the load is about the fastest way to kill one.

 

[klamathsteel]

Oh and also NEVER EVER EVER ! Hook up a generator to your house without a switch of some kind to isolate the line coming in from the power company. You can easily kill a lineman. The power line distribution running by your house is generally 6000 - 12000 volts (roughly). The transformer hanging on the pole (or under ground) that serves your house steps that voltage down to 240 volts. Transformers also work in reverse so if you don't have an isolation switch you will be feeding power back into the distribution lines at that same 6 - 12000 volts. Make sure you have a transfer switch !!!!

 

[hoz53]

Oh and also NEVER EVER EVER ! Hook up a generator to your house without a switch of some kind to isolate the line coming in from the power company. You can easily kill a lineman. The power line distribution running by your house is generally 6000 - 12000 volts (roughly). The transformer hanging on the pole (or under ground) that serves your house steps that voltage down to 240 volts. Transformers also work in reverse so if you don't have an isolation switch you will be feeding power back into the distribution lines at that same 6 - 12000 volts. Make sure you have a transfer switch !!!!

thanks for that info Klamath-- is that Klamath Falls?

 

[klamathsteel]

You're welcome. 75 miles from Klamath falls. Live near the Klamath River and fish for steelhead so that's how the name happened

 

[dryhumor]

I commission generators and switchgear for a living. Good advice in this thread.

Look at which fuel is going to be hardest to have delivered in an event. Might be tanks full of propane at the fuel company, but no diesel for the trucks. Natural gas is shut off in seismic events, though it is the cheapest. I’ve been partial to diesel.

Always size the tank for the worst case run to fuel consumption. If propane, it must be sized to give the required surface area for vaporization. If NG or propane, keep the fuel piping as straight as possible, size it 50% larger than the stated CFH required. If diesel, install a water separator filter with valves before and after, to allow changing. Keep diesel tanks at 80-90 percent to inhibit condensation on the inner tank wall.

NG or propane are a bit more complicated to operate from the engine side, diesel less so, unless it is Tier 4, and Tier 4 hasn’t overrun the standby market, yet.

As an electrician you can troubleshoot and repair most problems yourself. Our service rate is $125 and hour, my position is $150. At those dealer rates, for a homeowner, those Lowe’s generators are throwaways.

You need enough KVA to start required loads, and enough running KVA to load the engine to 30% minimum. If you can’t maintain that loading, you need to put resistance load on the unit once a year to get to 80-100% load for an hour or so.

Time has shown, in my experience, that every 9-12 years there will be an expense. Unless a lightning strike occurs. Control boards run from a few hundred to a couple thousand. Aftermarket controls are a cheaper option, and work in most cases. Not all sensors are compatible. Always consider parts availability and lead times.

The less complicated the package, the cheaper it is to purchase and run. But a cheap package can cost you a lot of money.

Consider a PTO driven generator, if you have a tractor. A crafty fellow could come up with a generator end, fabricate a coupling, design a voltage regulation system and be set just that quick. Or you could buy one...

Almost all 12 lead generators can be rewired from three phase to single phase. There may be a required change to meters and the voltage regulator, possibly the control board. It’s not always cut and dry, so due diligence prevails.

Manual transfer switches have no controls to fail. An indicating circuit on the line side can alert you when power is restored. ATS switches are subject to surges and lightning strikes. There is a wide variety out there, and a lot of bells and whistles.