Generator advice

[maxwelhse]

Having had Geothermal in a former house and liked it a lot, I had the current propane furnace removed in the current house & went Geothermal again. Good Fed tax credit available at the time, elec Co REMC gives breaks for electric heated homes, and County gives homeowners a tax break w/Geothermal too.

It doesn’t use a lot of electricity (except it the emergency heat coils ever need to kick in) but that has only happed briefly maybe x2 during the past 5 yrs. Also have acreage/trees for the free standing wood stove in the basement.
I recently purchased a 12,000w portable dual-fuel generator that can run off propane bottles and/or gasoline. I looked at getting a
transfer switch, until I stumbled upon this inexpensive & nifty Interlock device for about $50 bucks.


View attachment 95121
https://www.geninterlock.com/manufacturers/

Good YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/GbtRxcb-cmA

This is kinda beside the point and experiences all vary and all of that, but my parents geothermal runs the heaters a fair bit in the winter and there's no way a reasonable generator would keep up. I think they're on their own 200A panel. A wood stove or alternative heating source of some kind seems like a requirement if you have geothermal, IMO.

The cooling on the geothermal is where their system shines. Their place is something like 5500 ft^3 on 3 levels and their summer electric bills are like $80/mo and their house has 0 shade and 1/2 of one entire side of the house is glass. It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around. Their winter bills are like $250-$400/mo (depending).

 

[DFacres]

This is kinda beside the point and experiences all vary and all of that, but my parents geothermal runs the heaters a fair bit in the winter and there's no way a reasonable generator would keep up. I think they're on their own 200A panel. A wood stove or alternative heating source of some kind seems like a requirement if you have geothermal, IMO.

The cooling on the geothermal is where their system shines. Their place is something like 5500 ft^3 on 3 levels and their summer electric bills are like $80/mo and their house has 0 shade and 1/2 of one entire side of the house is glass. It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around. Their winter bills are like $250-$400/mo (depending).

You are certainly correct that experiences all vary, as I have a colleague with an older Geothermal unit that the emergency heat coils seem to come on frequently and his house is a bit smaller than mine. I have no idea what his attic insulation Rvalue is and I don’t know the age, manufacturer, sq footage, R-value etc, of your parents house either. My generator can run the Geothermal (not emergency heat coils), but the normal geo-heat is no issue.
The wood stove in the basement was setup with the original owner/builder as there is abundant timber here. He had the fossil fuel furnace, but I removed it to go geo. An alternative heat source shouldn’t be required with Geothermal if loops are sized properly. The previous house I built in another midwestern State was 8,000 sq ft, and the geo operates like a champ without any alternative heat source. The geo pumps themselves, produce heat while working to extract heat/cooling from the earth. A superdeheater captures the heat produced, and pre-heats the water heater if that feature is installed. Pre-heating the water heater’s incoming water is additional “free energy” captured. YMMV
Also not a big consideration, but we’ll never asphyxiate from carbon monoxide with the Geothermal either.

 

[maxwelhse]

You are certainly correct that experiences all vary, as I have a colleague with an older Geothermal unit that the emergency heat coils seem to come on frequently and his house is a bit smaller than mine. I have no idea what his attic insulation Rvalue is and I don’t know the age, manufacturer, sq footage, R-value etc, of your parents house either. My generator can run the Geothermal (not emergency heat coils), but the normal geo-heat is no issue.
The wood stove in the basement was setup with the original owner/builder as there is abundant timber here. He had the fossil fuel furnace, but I removed it to go geo. An alternative heat source shouldn’t be required with Geothermal if loops are sized properly. The previous house I built in another midwestern State was 8,000 sq ft, and the geo operates like a champ without any alternative heat source. The geo pumps themselves, produce heat while working to extract heat/cooling from the earth. A superdeheater captures the heat produced, and pre-heats the water heater if that feature is installed. Pre-heating the water heater’s incoming water is additional “free energy” captured. YMMV
Also not a big consideration, but we’ll never asphyxiate from carbon monoxide with the Geothermal either.

You did just raise my thoughts to the fact that 1/2 of this house is a 2nd floor cathedral ceiling without an attic. The place was built in 1995 and the Waterfurnace is original to the design and of that age (I think), but I have know way of knowing if its the right size or what the insulation and all of that is like. But... There's no possible chance theirs would make it through a really cold snap on a generator the way it seems their coils are coming on.

Having grown up with electric (and wood), I became hyper paranoid about monoxide when I moved into a place that had gas. I've grown more comfortable over the years, but it was a big consideration at the time.

 

[DFacres]

Having grown up with electric (and wood), I became hyper paranoid about monoxide when I moved into a place that had gas. I've grown more comfortable over the years, but it was a big consideration at the time.

If a heating system is consuming fossil fuels, a wise investment in a CO detector is a must. Many lives have been saved by them and they are inexpensive. I scored big points years ago w/a father-in-law when I gave him one and he took it out to his detached garage. The heat exchanger had a crack in his gas furnace out there & the CO detector began sounding the alarm right away. He worked out there often for his business.

 

[maxwelhse]

If a heating system is consuming fossil fuels, a wise investment in a CO detector is a must. Many lives have been saved by them and they are inexpensive. I scored big points years ago w/a father-in-law when I gave him one and he took it out to his detached garage. The heat exchanger had a crack in his gas furnace out there & the CO detector began sounding the alarm right away. He worked out there often for his business.

Definitely. Part of that paranoia was going out and grabbing a couple of them. I have one within eyesight right now.

 

[BigRed]

Considering a generator and looking for input....

I am not concerned about a whole house system. I am looking for something that could keep a couple of freezers going and maybe a fridge. I do not think they would all have to be kept running continuously simultaneously as I may be able to switch between the freezers if necessary.

Any input on size, brand, what to avoid, etc.?

 

[NKBJ]

My new home is total electric which is fine but now and then the power will go out for a while, not good. I would like to have a generator to use for these times but don't really want to spend a lot of money on something that should not get a lot of use. I have been looking at different "calculate how big generator do I need." But I do not get all the watts vs. amps descriptions so here I am asking the best people in the world.
I have a 60 amp furnace so that should be the biggest draw I must contend with. Yes, I have well pump and electric water heater and all the normal appliances but most concerned with the furnace. I can always shut off the water heater and well pump except when I need water/hot water. Would any of the portable generators work or would I have to go with something like a Generac stand by? I do know I will have to have things wired correctly with a transfer switch to prevent any feedback to the power lines.
Well that is pretty much what I am looking for, prefer a portable because they seem cheaper or maybe they are cheaper because they have less capacity. Jim.

You might look into grocery store auctions. Once upon a time I passed up a deal in a closing Houston area super market; twin fully automated generator / control panel set-ups with low hours for a nice low price. At the time it was just another piece of equipment I was going to have to worry with so (duh) I passed on the deal. I would have taken the natural gas carb and swapped out the orifice for propane, hook up my thousand gallon tank and hidee-ho. Could have sold the second one for what the two would have have costs. It would have been a good deal too because we were on the far west end of a grid system that originated in Louisiana. When the dog and cat said they heard thunder we'd just go ahead and put the oil lamps out next to some matches.

So any how I didn't get the generators and instead we spent two weeks without electricity after the eye of the hurricane passed over our house.

 

[BigRed]

Another added to the mix.

 

[Flingarrows]

View attachment 287446

Another added to the mix.

I just emptied the gas out of the same genny at my daughter in laws house, and filled up with fresh gas.

I emptied the old gas and 7 more gallons into her car tank.

So is deployed, did a bunch of maintenance stuff around their house this weekend

 

[BigRed]

View attachment 287446

Another added to the mix.

Filled with aviation fuel today and gave it a test run....works great! Hope I don't need it!

 

[DFacres]

Filled with aviation fuel today and gave it a test run....works great! Hope I don't need it!

Maybe aviation fuel was mentioned by someone earlier, but why did you use it?
Was it 100LL? Not that it has any significance here, but Comifornia & the FAA are beginning a push to eliminate it in the GA engine world.
I’ve read where racers have put 100LL in cars for the higher octane. Additionally, I’ve read it is an unwise choice

 

[Cameramonkey]

Maybe aviation fuel was mentioned by someone earlier, but why did you use it?
Was it 100LL? Not that it has any significance here, but Comifornia & the FAA are beginning a push to eliminate it in the GA engine world.
I’ve read where racers have put 100LL in cars for the higher octane. Additionally, I’ve read it is an unwise choice

Yeah. I'd just go with pure gas from your local co-op. (with a splash of seafoam or Sta-bil. )

Pure-gas.org - ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada

Pure-gas.org is the definitive web site listing stations that sell pure gasoline in the U.S. and Canada.

www.pure-gas.org

 

[BigRed]

Maybe aviation fuel was mentioned by someone earlier, but why did you use it?
Was it 100LL? Not that it has any significance here, but Comifornia & the FAA are beginning a push to eliminate it in the GA engine world.
I’ve read where racers have put 100LL in cars for the higher octane. Additionally, I’ve read it is an unwise choice

It can sit for a VERY VERY long time without going bad...good for a piece of equipment that only gets used from time to time.

Run it in some of the chainsaws as well.

 

[dieselrealtor]

Filled with aviation fuel today and gave it a test run....works great! Hope I don't need it!

I am planning to get some aviation fuel tomorrow

 

[Cameramonkey]

FYI the problem with run of the mill gas is the Ethanol. you can get the same results with pure gas. You dont need racing fuel.

And I wonder if running 100 octane in your generator wont cause issues?

 

[BigRed]

FYI the problem with run of the mill gas is the Ethanol. you can get the same results with pure gas. You dont need racing fuel.

And I wonder if running 100 octane in your generator wont cause issues?

It is indeed. I learned the hard way with some chainsaws.

On the two strokes, I adjust the carb a bit to keep the rpm's down. Not worried about it on the four strokes.

AV stays fresh for a long time, does not gum carbs, etc. If a generator gets pushed into service for a long run, I have no problem running it on pump gas....but AV goes right back in afterwards.

 

[BigRed]

Comifornia & the FAA are beginning a push to eliminate it in the GA engine world.

Well heck, as if I didn't already have enough reasons to use it!

 

[smokingman]

Well heck, as if I didn't already have enough reasons to use it!

View attachment 288731

Biden Administration Rule Would Ban Nearly All Portable Gas-Powered Generators | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[DFacres]

Yeah. I'd just go with pure gas from your local co-op. (with a splash of seafoam or Sta-bil. )

Pure-gas.org - ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada

Pure-gas.org is the definitive web site listing stations that sell pure gasoline in the U.S. and Canada.

www.pure-gas.org

Yes, definitely fuel preservatives. Although I’ve used both, I’m a preferred user of Seafoam over Stabil. Seafoam’s bottle claims a 2 yr fuel longevity vs 1 yr for Stabil. Seafoam also has cleaning properties for carbs/fuel injection.

I have a dual fuel generator. So far, I haven’t put a drop of gasoline in it. It recently ran 6 1/2 hours on the BBQ grill sized propane tank

 

[Creedmoor]

I have a dual fuel generator. So far, I haven’t put a drop of gasoline in it. It recently ran 6 1/2 hours on the BBQ grill sized propane tank

So you burned say 3 1/2 gallons of propane. What was the size of the generator and what load was it running?