Generators, Again?!

[Han]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Several places around here do refill, if the tank hasn't expired. One of them:

[trader4]

On Oct 4, 12:00

More FUD. You can get an Interlockit and inlet installed for under $500. The cost of the materials is about $250.

That may be true as long as you can live with the limited power from an inverter/car solution.

That plumbing cost could consist of just adding a quick disconnect fitting coming off the meter, similar to what many folks have for an outdoor grill. Not much cost to that. You then hook up your portable nat gas generator, when needed.

PS: I guess Sylvan doesn't teach how to trim posts?

[HeyBub]

But in addition to a tool kit, I keep a 1000/2000 watt inverter in my truck for such things as running an electric chain saw, personal vibrator, or daiquiri mixer while on the road.

[trader4]

Just one?

If you don't experience outages of a day in length, you probably don't need a backup solution at all. Food in a fridge/freezer will keep for 24 hours plus just fine. And if you really can't put up with candles or need heat, then that car is probably better suited for a trip to the mall or a motel.

With all the kackling recommendations, I would have thought you actually did it. Nuff said.

And again, the choices are not limited to either the car/inverter solution or a full automatic standby generator, despite all your attempts to try to make it so.

BTW, why didn't you learn how to trim posts at Sylvan?

[Stormin Mormon]

By the time you get to the mall, the car is warmed up.

I've had a couple winter power cuts, things get cold, in a hurry. Generator wired to the furnace sure makes life more comfortable.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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If you don't experience outages of a day in length, you probably don't need a backup solution at all. Food in a fridge/freezer will keep for 24 hours plus just fine. And if you really can't put up with candles or need heat, then that car is probably better suited for a trip to the mall or a motel.

[EXT]

I get my tanks filled at Costco, the filling equipment uses an electric powered pump and automatic weight control.

[Han]

"EXT" wrote in news:506eeb76$0$29942$ [e-mail]:

I only make occasional trips to Costco, but I can't seem to find out whether they fill propane tanks in North Jersey ...

[Pete C.]

If you have a truck with the smallest available engine there is usually room, with the largest available there often isn't room.

The generator itself is efficient, the overall operation is not at all efficient. Idling a 200HP engine to run a 16HP load is not efficient. These generators are intended for TV and emergency vehicles where space and weight are at a premium, not efficiency. The alternative is a much more efficient complete genset with engine, but that is much larger and heavier.

That may have been true a decade ago, but it isn't today. Today's emissions controlled diesels should never be idled for long periods as it causes significant issues with the emissions controls.

Not a chance you'd fit that in any of the recent Ford diesel trucks and probably similar on other brands until you get up to class 6+ trucks. On my diesel F350 I spent two hours finding a place to mount a DC contactor that was about a 4" cube. I ended up having to remove a wheel well liner so I could install it upside down under the engine compartment fuse box.

Tractor PTO generators are a entirely different thing from the Auragen / Road Power and similar products.

[trader4]

And with the generator, you don't have freedom to mount it anywhere. It has to be mounted so that it can then be powered with a belt that connects to a pulley on the engine. Of course the fact that the extra pulley doesn't exist either, adds to the drama. Maybe, if you were very lucky, on some engines you could just use a longer belt that goes around everything, but the chances of that don't seem too good. Can you add a pulley without it hitting something? And I'll bet you wind up with a water hose, an AC hose, etc that's in the way too and has to be relocated.

If those Aura generators went into a SUV or pickup easily I'd think they would have a list of compatible vehicles, install kits, etc. I'm sure you can get them into some vehicles, but unless it's a priority, eg for an emergency vehicle or similar, I'll bet the cost, hassle, work, etc just isn't worth it compared to other easy solutions.

[Ralph Mowery]

Also the emergency vehicle operator is not paying for the fuel to run the motor for hours at a time.

[EXT]

Here, every Costco is different, I have three nearby and only one fills propane tanks.

[The Daring Dufas]

The whole idea was something for emergency use. There is a lot of talk these days about surviving the "SHTF" day. The post was always about "emergency" situations and existing alternatives. ^_^

TDD

[Pete C.]

In a SHTF situation having your power source dependent on a vehicle vs. independently portable may not be a good thing. At any rate the SHTF is going to be a new Greater Depression, so I'm not sure a generator will be all that useful anyway. Better to look to have a small solar array that can provide for basic lighting and perhaps a radio.

[Stormin Mormon]

There is something called a telephone, which allows intelligent people to do something called a question.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

[Smitty Two]

Yep. SHTF is relative. If we're talking complete apocalypse, there isn't going to be anything to fuel a generator with. A guy I used to work with was a real-life Bear Grylls. He once said that you could drop him anywhere in the world with nothing but a knife, and he could readily survive. Then he modified that to say he didn't even need the knife, just a piece of steel from which to fashion his own knife. He grew up in the jungle, and though most such claims are just macho boasting, I'm pretty sure he could do it. Most of us don't know enough about living off the land to actually do it.

[Harvey Specter]

North Pole?

[The Daring Dufas]

Small children are a good source of high quality protein. Back when Ireland had its Potato Famine someone wrote that the Irish had plenty of food running loose. ^_^

TDD

[trader4]

I flew over there recently. Looking out the window, I didn't see him....

[HeyBub]

"A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick" by Jonathan Swift, 1729.

The British thought it more economical to export the Irish to the colonies.

[Smitty Two]

In reality, I think we'd have to exclude that, among a few other places.