Advice please on purchasing gas generator.

[Raf]

- I dont know if anyone mentioned sump pumps, but thats another thing you may want to power if you have one, especially since the power-loss event may have also been a heavy rain event.

sump is at the top of my list with food (fridge) second. a 1/3 hp pump draws 800 watts continuous and close to double that starting -- so something to keep in mind.

 

we're fortunate that we've a wood stove so heat is not a concern and our stove is gas so no issues cooking. if the failure's in winter, food can always go in coolers in the shed, too.

 

it'd be nice to have a standby setup like Lew has but the cost/benefit doesn't make sense given the frequency (or lack thereof) of power outages where we are.

[vance]

I am positive that my champion low sine wave generator blew the circuit board on my newish furnace last year when the power was out,fortunately I have furnace insurance and now I am looking at getting a better inverter generator.

 

 

vance

[fisherman7]

Rather than wire a pony panel what I had done was a transfer switch placed in my smart meter. When the power goes out, all I have to do is connect my gen set power cord to a plug right underneath the meter. I just shut off the non-essentials on my circuit panel and bobs your uncle. When street power comes back, it automatically switches over and isolates the gen set.

 

As for what gen set, lots of advice on that. I got one big enough to power the whole house so I don't have to decide what to run.

[Old Ironmaker]

Well sometimes a favour gets rewarded. I was chatting with my 87 year old next door neighbour this AM. Telling her about looking for a generator, she has a NG genny that comes on automatically and her Son gets a message on his smart phone telling him it's on, she doesn't have a cell phone in 2017 and lives alone. She reminded me that twice since we have been here she basically stayed with us and we fed her when we had long term power outages, once during a March ice storm and we had heat and she couldn't get out to her friends plave because of the roads plugged with trees and power lines down and once during that summer outage province wide. We have gas so we can cook and heat water. She is a snowbird and I water her 60 house plants twice a week and drive her to and from the airport every year and we keep an eye on her when she is here. She said don't think about buying one. If we have a power failure we are to stay at her place. Now I can look at installing a NG or Propane genny at our next place and not spend the bucks for a gas portable now that will be redundant in the future, Whooorah.

 

Thanks for all the help, I now know 110% more about genny's than I did a few days ago.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[DanD]

Your neighbor having a generator, won't stop your pipes from freezing or you freezer from thawing?

 

Dan.

[Old Ironmaker]

Of course it won't Dan. I have my system set up so that in 10 minutes the entire system is drained 100% including the hot water heater and line to the foot valve in the cistern even without hydro. It will take longer without power but it will not freeze.

 

I put a vent on the top of the heater so it is drained 100%, guys think it's empty because water stops running out, not. I have a gold metal in the Cottage Winter Olympics after 3 years of soldering split lines and, and, and..

 

Don't forget the water trapped in the washing machine hoses.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Old Ironmaker

[DanD]

I have a gold metal in the Cottage Winter Olympics after 3 years of soldering split lines and, and, and..

 

^^LOL^^

 

Good for you; its not a forgotten thing.

 

Dan.