Generator

[woodworker1959]

What kind of generator did you go with? What size? Did you set up an automatic transfer switch or do you do it by hand?
I have been thinking about a generator for awhile now, would really like to do a natural gas generator with an ATS.

 

[cb747]

I have a 5500 watt portable generator. I also rent my place so that setup suits me fine. When i do get (buy) my own place i will be converting it to NG and also installing an ATS.

 

[woodworker1959]

It seems like the only way not to play Russian Roulett. It's bad enough having apower failure in the summer but a prolonged failure in the winter and you'll also not have any heat

 

[woodworker1959]

Does anyone use a Emergency Generator that is Natural Gas driven? if so are you satisfied with it ? What brand did you install?

 

[DgenR8]

I've been looking at the Generac line in my Harbor Freight catalogs. I want to go for it in the worst way. A unit plenty big enough to run my entire house, that runs on natural gas, installed with the ATS is about three grand.
I can't go 3 Gs right now, so I have a small (5,500 watts) gasoline power with pull start wired into my service panel. When power goes out, I have to be here to switch off the main manually, and start the generator, which lives in my garage.
ATS would be far better, but this was $250.00 compared to three grand.

 

[bobbbm]

Sigh I have been thinking about this.... My wife loves this hobby but I think if she sees me wiring a generator in the basement for the FISH,.... she may kill me.,

 

[DgenR8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9322131#post9322131 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bobbbm
Sigh I have been thinking about this.... My wife loves this hobby but I think if she sees me wiring a generator in the basement for the FISH,.... she may kill me.,

We gotta teach you a few things........

You tell her it's for HER. She doesn't want to be sitting in the dark trying to read a book by candle light if the power goes out, and if it's summer when it happens, well, we've all been there.
What you need to do is get something big enough to power the necessities for your tank, and still handle your TV, Fridge, lights and Air Conditioning (heat for the winter, but unless you have electric heat that's nothing)
My wife knows that the primary reason I bought my generator is my reef, but she enjoys having power while the rest of the neighborhood is in the dark.
I've used mine twice, and it's already paid for itself.

 

[Freed]

I agree. I bought a 8500 peak and 5500 running watt pull start a year and a half ago. I haven't had to use it yet(thank someone above) but it's there if I need it. I am definitely going to go with a whole house automatic unit when I buy my next house. Well worth the expense in the long run. My generator is in the garage if I ever need it. Make sure you buy a cord long enough and of the correct awg wire to run what you need to run and never run it in an attached garage or in your house. A month or so ago when all the bad weather was hitting in Illinois, etc. someone was using a generator inside and the whole family died of CO poisoning.

 

[DgenR8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9322263#post9322263 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
never run it in an attached garage or in your house. A month or so ago when all the bad weather was hitting in Illinois, etc. someone was using a generator inside and the whole family died of CO poisoning.

Sometimes I expect people to know stuff. That's a huge thing for me to leave out, I'm sorry.
People killing themselves with gas powered generators is far more common than you might think.
My garage is seperate from my house, so running the generator in there is safe. (As long as I'm not in there with it)
The Generac whole house models are in their own little enclosure to keep the elements away from delicate components, and be mounted outside..

 

[Freed]

You'd be surprised how much CO a generator puts out. I have a CO detector in the garage just for that very reason. I ran my generator a few weeks ago for its monthly 5-10 minute run with the doors closed. Within a few minutes the detector was wailing away. I then ran the car in there afterward for a while. Surprising how long it takes for the car to sound the alarm compared to the generator.

 

[DgenR8]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9322444#post9322444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
You'd be surprised how much CO a generator puts out. I have a CO detector in the garage just for that very reason. I ran my generator a few weeks ago for its monthly 5-10 minute run with the doors closed. Within a few minutes the detector was wailing away. I then ran the car in there afterward for a while. Surprising how long it takes for the car to sound the alarm compared to the generator.

Obviously, that will depend on the engine that powers the generator, but it's more than reasonable to expect your car (depending, of course, on year, etc.), to run cleaner than your basic single cylinder 8-10 horse power combustion engine. Clean burning engines of that size are just now becoming a selling point for Honda small engines (I think it's Honda that advertises that). I still wouldn't be surprised if these "clean burn 8-10 HP engines" didn't compare to a 6 cyl. Ford with California emission controls, and two catalytic converters.
There are a lot more eyes watching over automobile manufacturers. Let's face it, running cars/trucks are far more common than running generators.