Me either. I'm certainly not going back! I'll visit the kid in the summer (July 4, from 3:00-4:00PM).
Seriously, my knees and feet are 90% better since I moved to the South. Insteaad of many weeks each year of severe pain (several days unable to walk) I have a couple of days a year of bearable pain.
To see the face of the creep who smashed in your car window to steal $1 in change is worth a lot of money to some, particularly if it's a neighbor. More importantly the cameras act as a deterrent just by being there. If you've got an old SATA drive lying around you can get a decent unit for $100. Really. I was amazed because this stuff used to cost thousands but the boards inside kept getting smaller and smaller and now a CCTV recorder just depends on a few big chips.
I used to do that, but these dedicated boxes run linux and do their one job remarkably well. Most recorders use PC SATA drives so you can repurpose older disks and use them til they wear out. Look at Google for Zmodo four camera systems. I am very happy with mine for the price.
I don't use wireless cameras for that very reason. Unless you use the high powered gear like law enforcement uses, you're going to get a sub-optimal picture that can be wiped out by a microwave oven. I started with wireless but they all sit in a box now because wired is so much better, picture wise.
Could be time to trot, bwana. (-: Seriously, though, a lot of things are happening that also happened just before the Civil War in terms of societal polarization.
Have you checked Craig's list to see if anyone's selling a generator just like yours? I read about someone who found his stolen motorcycle that way. I wonder what percent of items for sale on Craig's list are hot?
-- Bobby G.
There is an easier and cheaper way. Don't lock your car. I've had my car broken into twice over the last many years. The only loss is a quart of oil in the back seat. Other cars parked near me that were locked, had broken windows, pry marks etc.
If a thief wants your car, it is gone. The pro can get around locks and alarms in seconds, the amateur will cause a lot of damage.
That was my theory when I was a student years ago in Boston. I had a fiat 124 Spyder, which was a convertible. I figured if I locked it, they would just cut the roof or do other damage to open it. I outfitted it with an alarm and left it unlocked. And it worked. The alarm went off a few times, but they gave up and didn't get anything.
The generator is capable of handling a startup current that lasts for a second or two that exceeds it's regular continuous rated capacity. Exactly how much should be in the spec sheets.
snipped-for-privacy@a7g2000yqo.googlegroups.com:
If you think it costs $10K to $15K to get what I outlined you're getting hosed big time. For half that price I could get a full automatic transfer system installed.
The system I proposed could be easily had for $1500. Probably $1000 if you don't need or want 7KW.
Yes, you've got it now. I'm not much interested in connecting the car to a bank of batteries that have to sit in the garage, connected to multiple inverters, with multiple extension cords running God knows how many feet around the house to whatever needs to be run. And then making the adaptions, code compliant of course, to the furnace, well pump, etc that need to be run.
Not when I could just buy a portable generator, an Iterlockit kit for the panel, an inlet and one heavy duty extension cord. With that, I can then directly power anything in the house I feel like. I can switch from running the well pump to running the microwave with a flip of a breaker. I could also make the generator one that runs on NG or buy a conversion kit to make it run on NG. Now I have an endless supply of fuel, unlike the car sitting in the garage. Are you proposing that the car always be kept full? Every time you come home, late at night, with the car near empty and it's raining, you can make an extra trip to the gas station to fill err up. How convenient.
" snipped-for-privacy@optonline.net" wrote in news:7920799a- snipped-for-privacy@b8g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
Now you've got me thinking ... One of my problems would be siting for a permanent installation. A semi permanent one would be possible - generator on wheels to get in and out of garage, then connections, transfer switch, etc.
Yes, you've got it now. I'm not much interested in connecting the car to a bank of batteries that have to sit in the garage, connected to multiple inverters, with multiple extension cords running God knows how many feet around the house to whatever needs to be run. And then making the adaptions, code compliant of course, to the furnace, well pump, etc that need to be run.
Not when I could just buy a portable generator, an Iterlockit kit for the panel, an inlet and one heavy duty extension cord. With that, I can then directly power anything in the house I feel like. I can switch from running the well pump to running the microwave with a flip of a breaker. I could also make the generator one that runs on NG or buy a conversion kit to make it run on NG. Now I have an endless supply of fuel, unlike the car sitting in the garage. Are you proposing that the car always be kept full? Every time you come home, late at night, with the car near empty and it's raining, you can make an extra trip to the gas station to fill err up. How convenient.
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Again you miss the point. At 0.3 gal/hr, with 10 gal of gas in the tank, you'd be good for 30 hrs. Pro-rate as you wish.
And nat gas is great too, IF you are up for all that that entails. I in fact was up for it, bec before my genset was purloined, I was just about to send off the carb for tri-fuel modification.... I was going for the whole backup banana, albeit on the cheap.
But, having started all the prepwork for this, I realized what a MEGA pita this all was going to be, really a lot of work. So in a sense, the theft did me a slight favor. I need a real backup system proly more than most near-urban dwellars, but even for me, the car/inverter thing just seems to be a better, more trouble free solution -- albeit a less powerful solution.
It's all risk/reward. I don't think Sylvan teaches this, so I won't bother with the link.... again....
Oh, for those of you who DO want what I *was* going to install for myself, check out
good company, this unit is virtually identical to the BlackMax unit at Sam's club, except with the tri-fuel conversion. I believe the extra dough over the blackmax is well worth it. Very stable unit, power-wise, really impressive.
But, I'm almost certainly going to go the car/inverter route. BUT, if there's another Halloween fiasco (which I escaped, miraculously enough), I'll go the tri-fuel route -- again.
But, for slow-wits like Trader, I'll repeat the issues: A tri-fuel ditty is great (for the nat gas, which I started), but the pita/installation is just MEGA for a diy-er, OR really expensive for the non-diy-er. AND over $1500 just to get started. An inverter on my car will be $90 or so, and a few extension cords....
Case closed..... for now.
The amount of data that's in spec sheets is generally proportional to the price tag. HF? Not much.
When I looked into inverters I saw contractors using them for on-site
120v tools, and one guy in rural Canada who powered his furnace and a few other things during an outage or outages. What stopped me was the lugging and connectability issues to my car. You need heavy lugs and cabling from your car battery, and that's runs up the cost by a surprising amount. Then you have to consider how to conceal that stuff and/or make the connections when you need them. I still like the idea, but it takes some thought and study to set it up right. But I've only had one multi-day outage here in 15 years. Big freak windstorm took out many lines. About 72 hours. In the end the easier more cost-effective option for me is to do nothing, and roll with what comes. I really like the "get out of town" option best. But the problem with that is knowing how long the outage will last. They didn't even start projecting restored service until about 24 hours in, then they were a 1-3 days off with the projections. That's what made it bad for us. Not knowing when the power would come back. I kept remembering this
Here's a cupla idears:
Sort of along the OP's post, why not make the inverter installation permanent? A conveneient way to do this, without encumbering the battery or its terminals, is to get what electricians call "bugs" which attach right onto a wire, midspan, without cutting it. The wires you splice in (mebbe thin-ish welding cable to the inverter, very flexible) could be fused/switched as well, altho the main fuse on the car may take care of this.
Run some wires to the car cabin, so you have 120 V in there to use, and a heavy-duty receptacle(s) for extension cords to the house, if they are not already on the inverter.
Then, it should be plug'n'play, whenever an outtage occurs, and you'll have
120 V inside the car, as well.I'm sure some people are able to do that. I remember one inverter I bought, sternly telling me not to mount it under the hood of my car. Well, never mind that otherwise good idea. I'm guessing a car alternator can put out a useful bit of current. And, that you fill the fuel by driving the car to the gas station (where they have power).
For my power cut needs at home, I've got a little generator, and some gas oil mix in my chain saw box.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
The get out of town might not be a bad idea in some locations. If it is winter time and the power goes out for several days and no heat,the water pipes may burst. While the insurance may take care of it, it is still going to be lots of trouble to deal with. That is one reason to stay home and keep the home fires burning so to speak.
While I do not burn it very much, there is a wood stove in the basement and a small ammount of wood to last a week or two if needed.. Also a small 5 kw generator I have had for over 10 years,but never hooked it to the house. I was going to one time,but the thing would not start. The power came back on in a few hours that day.
A gentle reminder, perhaps this week is the right time to haul that generator out, and see if you can get it to run? I'm guessing if it fights you, perhaps your friends and neighbors can help.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
Also a small 5 kw generator I have had for over 10 years,but never hooked it to the house. I was going to one time,but the thing would not start. The power came back on in a few hours that day.
Exactly what I was talking about. Now imagine if it was a fancy-schmancy Generac, all solid state, and Generac refused to come out.... not sumpn your neighbor can help you with.
Which is another thing I meant to mention to Han.... the *complexity* of these standby's is just too much. That's why I went with a BlackMax, that I could hook up myself, with no black-boxedness to it beyond the voltage regulator.
After cleaning out the carborator three times, I now use the Stabil in the gas and start it every time I mow the grass. I found that if I start it when I use the leaf blower to blow the grass off the driveway and walks, that is about the right ammount of time to let it run to really warm up. Also I take a drill or saw or other device out to it and plug it in to make sure the generator part is putting out. I have heard that sometimes the generator will not put out any current if it is not ran under some load from time to time. The generator stays outside in a 4 foot each way 'dog house' that I built. It sits on some concreter blocks and also the top is on a hinge so I can run it with the top and one side open for cooling.
You have my respect. I'm no where near as well prepared.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
After cleaning out the carborator three times, I now use the Stabil in the gas and start it every time I mow the grass. I found that if I start it when I use the leaf blower to blow the grass off the driveway and walks, that is about the right ammount of time to let it run to really warm up. Also I take a drill or saw or other device out to it and plug it in to make sure the generator part is putting out. I have heard that sometimes the generator will not put out any current if it is not ran under some load from time to time. The generator stays outside in a 4 foot each way 'dog house' that I built. It sits on some concreter blocks and also the top is on a hinge so I can run it with the top and one side open for cooling.
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