Generator/ emergency power skills and information

[Kmcinnes]

We own a dog Kennel, so I have one Generator set up just to handle the four furnaces and the water pumps, it is hooked to a transfer switch to be Safe. Same set up for my workshop however only one furnace, and I have lights and outlets as well as the Man Cave Fridge (Cant have warm Beer) and deep freezer. The house itself is hooked up the same way and operates the furnace, fridge, hot water heater and the lights in the main rooms as well as the Kitchen outlets. We couldn't do the stove with the transfer switch so we will either have to cook on the grill outside or the microwave! We operated all three generators and test every 3 months and keep them serviced.

 

[kolob10]

WE ahve a 17 KW propane, a 5KW gas, 3.2 KW gas, and a 1.2KW gas generators on the farm. A couple years ago during a wind storm, we were without power for about a week as I recal. It was in August. We couldn't get a vehicle off the road due to down trees & power lines for several days. Believe it or not, we kept my two freezers & two refrigerators as well as my son in law's refrigerator and freezer viable by rotating the little 1.2KW unit between all of them. As I recall we used about 1 1/2 gal of fuel a day for this endeavor. We had plenty of gas stored and knew the end was in sight so this was just an exercise in conservation. Someday, I'll get a nice diesel and rid myself of the gas units. Diesel stores much better and fuel efficiency and maintenance is greatly enhanced over gas models. Good shooting.

 

[jcmoran803]

I am trying to figure out a proper solar / alternative / battery solution. One that I can setup for a reasonable price and expand as needed.

Love having a whole house genny setup on my propaine, but also want an alternative so I can have power without running that 24/7

I too would be interested in anything solar with a generator.

 

[churchmouse]

I too would be interested in anything solar with a generator.

Solar is not ready for prime time yet. The cost versus return is really not doable. Wind is only slightly better. There are several references in these threads to the proper sizing, buying and use of all sorts of power alternatives. Fireblade has listed the power consumption for most common appliances. I now have 3 different size gennys (all gas jobs) and am building up a battery, inverted back up system. It is a proven way to keep a low draw power source for lights, radio, TV and small appliances. We have used this in a few places and it works. A small
2 cycle genny will keep it charged up with minimal fuel. We have run furnace from it as well. Initial cost is spendy but if you take care of the system it will last a long time. The one we built for a friends cabin is 7 years old and still reliable. Little maintenance involved.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I've been debating the idea of building my own batteries from plastic 55gal drums much like we did in middle school with pill bottles, any thoughts on this?

 

[bass pro]

You can install a 10kw factory generator with transfer switch for 3500.00 ,if you have gas or propane. Look online at gensets from Home Depot. I have installed 3 of these and they are great.

 

[jeremy]

I've been debating the idea of building my own batteries from plastic 55gal drums much like we did in middle school with pill bottles, any thoughts on this?

Not very Efficient, Not Durable, not Dependable, Very short life span.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Not very Efficient, Not Durable, not Dependable, Very short life span.

I used to know an old farmer that had a battery set used for light in the chicken coop and milking shed as well as an old farm radio...it was a whole bunch of square glass jars (about a gallon-two each) with wood tops wired in series. Probably a couple dozen or more, they were on shelves in his barn. He even had the old single cylinder gasoline engine/generator used for charging. He told me it was from his fathers farm before electricity was a common household thing, before houses even had wiring. He claimed it to be a 32v system and told me it would run the lights and the radio running the genny only 2-3 hours a week for charging...I wish I had been older and had more interest at the time as I may have learned something from the old guy before he passed...I don't see why I couldn't do the same thing on a much larger scale? It was good enough to build, feed and populate this once great nation, should be good enough for TEOTWAWKI.

ETA - I do recall him saying how there would occasionally be failures in cells but they were pretty simple to fix and maintain, just required attention regularly to remove crystalline buildup. This guy was pretty cool, he collected old Crosleys too. Did you know the crosley had a fuel injection system very similar to those used in modern cars, nearly 100 years ago? Also the engine block was made from thin sheets of tin brazed together in an oven before machining rather than a solid block of metal...

 

[briand212]

Delco Light plant

ThrottleJockey
The battery /gen setup could have been a delco light plant.
you can find out a ton of info on them .. very cool idea for lighting up a farm house

Home - The Official Delco-Light Plant Collectors Site

 

[.356luger]

Keep battery charged
.

Trickle charger used them on boats dad had and he still has one on the tractor.

They make a solar version too

Or conventional 120v plug in style

The nicer ones have "dummy light" you can see whats happening just at a glance

 

[.356luger]

Most People will not be worrying about what something can be adapted to do. They have been trained for years to think that everything is disposable and can only be used for whatever Purpose the Item was intended to do. You even see it in 3rdWorld Countries and Countries that have fallen below that do to collapses of various reasons. So why would it not hold true here as well?!

Fully agree don't have my wood boiler yet but being trained in the pipe trades and in hvac/r. A water source heat pump pipe in pipe condenser could be repurposed as a heat exchanger for heated water

 

[churchmouse]

Fully agree don't have my wood boiler yet but being trained in the pipe trades and in hvac/r. A water source heat pump pipe in pipe condenser could be repurposed as a heat exchanger for heated water

45 yrs. in the HVAC-R trade. The exchanger you are considering may not live using raw steam. If you use water circ boiler it may work in that application.
Steam is tough to regulate using wood as a fuel. Not impossible just tough.
Be careful and check the ratings. Safety first.

 

[.356luger]

45 yrs. in the HVAC-R trade. The exchanger you are considering may not live using raw steam. If you use water circ boiler it may work in that application.
Steam is tough to regulate using wood as a fuel. Not impossible just tough.
Be careful and check the ratings. Safety first.

Hydronic "water" boiler not steam just to clarify. Steam is to destructive to economically use for home use IMO.

ACR copper jacket to run water through, though I could probably make one out of stainless just as cheap at current copper prices.

This also pending building of a gasification plant and engineering Issues I haven't found yet

 

[ThrottleJockey]

ThrottleJockey
The battery /gen setup could have been a delco light plant.
you can find out a ton of info on them .. very cool idea for lighting up a farm house

Home - The Official Delco-Light Plant Collectors Site

That looks like it, except his may have been older. The battery tops on the one I saw looked like wood and the genny was a bit smaller and simpler looking, more like an old two cylinder briggs.

 

[tobi]

Not only run the engine, but some of them (I was told) need to be electrically loaded a few times a year.

 

[churchmouse]

Not only run the engine, but some of them (I was told) need to be electrically loaded a few times a year.

My great grandad had a similar system in his barn and chicken coup. Amazing.

 

[army bratt]

hey longbow here is what i found out after i bought mine. the price of fuel is very high as you know. 8hrs of generator use can cost a fortune. so as long as you havent gone through an earth quake, then buy a natural gas gen. have a plummer run you a second gas line to the back yard so when you need to to you can run it non stop cheeper...

 

[Car Ramrod]

Any thoughts or comments on the Generac units? I've had my eye on the Generac 5623 GP6500. It's rated at 6500w with a 8000w start/surge.

Generac Power Systems - GP Series 6500 Watt Portable Generator

 

[Patrolman1981]

Generac are great units. I am a dealer and certified service tech for them. I have a GP 5500 for my back-up power and for an inexpensive unit it works flawlessly. If you want an automaticly transfering unit you will spend more money, it is all in what you want. I don't see many major problems with the generac units, usually simple sensor issues or mouse damage. Mice will cause more damage than anything especially if your unit has a block heater.

 

[Icarry2]

In my honest opinion.. Some of the top brands for small home (portable) power supply are the following, with some notes..

Honda - expensive but very good
Genrac - reliable, moderatly priced
Honeywell - mid level, reliable, lower priced
Gillette -Indiana company, higher priced then some, reliability is good
Anything from Harbor Freight, etc. - better than nothing..

A place for info..

Best Portable Generators | Top Picks and Reviews at ConsumerSearch

As for technology..

An inverter unit is much cleaner power, usually lighter weight, better fuel economy but way higer prices..

Non-Inverter units should be ran and loaded a couple times a year, I run my generators at least tow or three times a year, running the actual emergency circuits of my house just to make sure eveything is good.

If your unit does not have an hour meter, put on on it or record the info in a log book. Keeping a log book for critical equipment may sound liuke over kill but in a pinch knowing how many hours are on your equipment, the oil, the air cleaner, the spark plug, etc will make doing preventative maintenance easier and make it worth while..

If you just put it away and leave it then the next time you need it cross your fingers it works..

I have a written proceedure and everything labeled so that just in case I am not home my Better half can disconnect the grid, hook up the generator and fire it up and run the critical circuits in the house to keep things good until I can get home..

As with anything, if you don't use it, test it, train with it, it is useless..

Just my thoughts, I don't know anything..

TJ