Maybe I'd better get a portable generator for backup power. I had no idea we had so much wind power in Nebraska until we stumbled into the subject. I keep hearing 23% of the bill is for actual bridges, roads etc. Armstrong and Getty per Ron's suggestion from the other newsgroup.
I got one years ago. Reminds me of a friend in the EPA telling me they were looking into generator pollution as they were proliferating.
I needed mine as living in a treed area we had frequent power outages.
I bought one about 20 years ago. Seldom used it and a few times I wanted to it would not start becaues the carborator was stopped up .
About 3 years ago I bought a dual fuel generator and only run it on propane. It can sit around for years without the fuel going bad. If I only run it for an hour, it is just start it up and shut it off and do not have to worry about draining the fuel.
It has been years since we've had a power outage here that lasted any length of time. I was really fortunate. My house had one of those old floor furnaces that didn't need external power to work. Not so now. How important is it to get a generator that's inverter rated?
Standard problem with all infrequently used gasoline engines. I'd run mine every few months to check it out. It does have a shutoff valve so it can be run dry and not bug up the carburetor.
If mine goes south I will consider a whole house propane generator. My brother is getting one but they are pricey at over $10,000 for all that is needed.
We've got a "half house" natural gas generator. Doesn't run the clothes dryer, but it does run the air-conditioner, two fridges, and a dehumidifier plus incidental lighting and the television. It cost us under $5000 to buy it and install it ourselves, in 2014 if memory serves.
It started up at about 3:30 last Wednesday when the power went out and ran until about sundown Thursday when it came back on.
Cindy Hamilton
You mean like running an inverter A/C? Not important at all. The first thing those things do is turn the line power into DC. It is the same with new TVs, computers and most electronics.
My cheap Briggs generator still puts out a decent sine wave. (even at full load)
" inverter rated " ? What does that mean ?
,Some of the newer portable generators use inverter technology instead of rotor/stator. The ones that I've looked at are just
110 volt until you move up to the 5 + KW models where you get 220 volt capability. They're said to be a little quieter. John T.
My Honda has a little blip <harmonic ? > in the sine wave but I've run all kinds of home electronics and the only issue was my old crt TV - it suffered a slow-moving horizontal shadow line when on the genny - still watchable but annoying. John T.
They used to make a big deal about running home electronics on the inverter type generators. With the newer electronics it is no big deal at all. I have a 5 kw generator that runs on gas and a 3.5 kw that will run on either propane or gas. No problems with anything in the house with either of those.
The main thing about the inverters is they cut the speed of the engine back if there is no or a light load. You get lots better fuel usage by doing that if you only use low loads most of the time. They are usually quieter for this reason. The common small generators that are not inverters usually have to run at 3600 rpm all the time. The diesel generators usually run about half that.
I have learned to drain and run dry all the gas engines when not used for a while. I have a garden tiller that is usually only used for about a week in the spring every year. I use the ethanol free gas in everything and just to be sure put in the Stabil. The tiller is ran dry and put up and every year it will start with less than 3 pulls on the rope. Usually just one.
You might want to look at how much fuel the whole house generator will use. It may take a big supply for it and be another big cost.
That is included it what my brother is getting.
Couple of years ago I could have got a free gas generator from a friend with a very large house that was upgrading but sorry I turned him down.
I was thinking of how much fuel the whole house generator would cost while it was being used.
Differential GPS is accurate to around 1 inch.
Propane is good as long as you have a big enough tank. my little 5.5KW uses about 19-20 gallons a day. As long as it isn't out more than a few days my 125 gallon (they call it 150) tank works OK. After that you are looking for gasoline like everyone else. They also jack up the price of propane when you need it most.
That is really what it is. People talk about "modern electronics" but it is really the older stuff that suffers from bad power. New stuff has a really "wide mouth" power supply so it can deal with different country's power. Some stuff is OK from 100-250v 50 or 60 hz. When we went to New Zealand all I needed for everything we took (phones, lap tops, tablets etc) was a plug adapter.
Ouch, nice if needed but not cheap. I paid about $600 for my portable and thankfully, have not needed it in three years. I do use ethanol free gas and a treatment and crank it up once a month or so.
I'd go for NG here since we have it
So far, in all of my 75 years there was a two day outage in 1985, the only one lasting more than a couple of hours. For my purpose I can't justify the outlay for the whole house models.
Is that gallons, or pounds. Probably pounds.
The specs on my 3.5 kw is about 16 hours run time at half power for a 20 pound tank. Last time I priced the propane it was about $ 12 for a 20 pound tank unless you got the Blue Rhino which is about $ 15 for 15 pounds in the tank. So that is close to a dollar an hour.
I would think the whole house systems are probalby going to be close to $ 2 an hour or say $ 25 per day if not ran all the time. Ok for a day or two , but could get pricey if ran for several days.
Gas is not much better. The way to go would be Diesel if not for the storage of the fuel. I am not sure how long that lasts. Heard it seldom goes bad,but can. With a gas gen you can keep the fuel for a month or three, then put it in the car and get a fresh supply. I keep 3 of the
5 gallon containers here and a small container or two with the gas/oil for the 2 cycle engines. Fill up two of the 5 gallon cans at a time so there is one full one . Just rotate it through the lawn tractor and other small engines during most of the year. Propane never goes bad from what I hear.
Thanks. You and Fretwell answered my basic question. How do modern electronics do against regular generators? My dad used the old gasoline burning tractors. I don't remember many fuel related problems. They had screens and sediment bowls to filter the fuel. This was before ethanol. Ignition systems were points and condensers. One might've had mag ignition. One engine was for his irrigation well. It would sit for ten months at a time. The one real problem I remember was overheating. He solved that with a hose attached to a small spray nozzle in front of the radiator. The engine was a Hercules taken off an old combine or maybe thrashing machine. I've used ethanol in whatever I've owned over the years. My motorcycles didn't get used in the winter. They were used off and on during the rest of year. I don't remember any fuel related problems.
Gallons. Bulk propane is sold by the gallon. Pounds is when they fill portable tanks.
My 5.5KW burns 0.8 gallons an hour at full load. That is about 3.36 pounds per hour
I have a boat and before my wife's health issues we were burning enough gasoline that it never got old and I usually had 30-40 gallons on hand. Now not so much.
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