Current Events > Do you own a generator?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I own a generator and installed a generator transfer switch in my house the year I bought it. Only lost power for more than 1 day twice since I've been here, still worth it.

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No.

Do they require any special maintenance if I end up not needing to use it for a few years? Or do I just add some gas and fire it up

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No, but I think my parents do. I know we did in the south because the hurricanes would knock power lines down for weeks.

No. You know whats doubly stupid? I have solar panels and I still dont get a volt of that electricity if the power goes out.

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I've lived in the Phoenix AZ area most of my life and never lost power for more than a few hours or so. Would just be a waste of space and upkeep

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Yes, backup hooked up to natural gas line. Never lose power.

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Tired-Insomniac posted...

No.

Do they require any special maintenance if I end up not needing to use it for a few years? Or do I just add some gas and fire it up

Any sort of engine requires some basic maintenance. My generator is a 5000 watt honda I bought for $500 in 2009. In I think December I just did a "tune up" on it where I replaced the pull start, the spark plugs, the fuel filter, the air filter, drained and cleaned the gas tank, and changed the oil. I keep it outside, covered with a tarp, bungeed around it, sitting on top of a pallet. With that, I will be comfortable with it being ready for me for the next 10 years.

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So your generator powers the whole house? What kind of fuel and wattage if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking into buying a house and am interested in this

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My 5000 watts is good enough for natural gas furnace, natural gas tankless water heater, pretty much full kitchen. fridge and ovens work, i wouldn't use a toaster or microwave, though.

Then my living room, running through an APC (dont want your electronics fed directly by most generators, too many power spikes, though some higher end ones you can plug directly into), and then the master bedroom works too.

10-15k watts is normally what you need for a full house.


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No. I used to but the ex ended up getting it.

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During the Hurricane we used propane.

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Yes.

1 - Installed a Generac back-up system for my home.

2 - Honda generators for work or other misc. jobs

1 - Extra one for my rental house in Caddo Mills.

I cannot stress enough the importance of these fucking things. I also recommend a good portable vehicle charger.

These were one of the first things my dad hammered this home to me before I moved out.

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I have a 14kw Kohler

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KILBOTz posted...

My 5000 watts is good enough for natural gas furnace, natural gas tankless water heater, pretty much full kitchen. fridge and ovens work, i wouldn't use a toaster or microwave, though.

Then my living room, running through an APC (dont want your electronics fed directly by most generators, too many power spikes, though some higher end ones you can plug directly into), and then the master bedroom works too.

10-15k watts is normally what you need for a full house.

Thanks dude, do you mind if I ask a ton of questions?

So you have a transfer switch, how much did that cost and/or cost to get installed? And that basically means you plug your generator in and (some of your) circuits run on the generator?

So you turn your living room circuit on and plug the apc into the wall, then electronics into that?

How big is your tank and how long did it last you?

Sorry for the barrage of questions dude, just curious. This weather event I've been lucky but I hate losing power

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Vicious_Dios posted...

1 - Installed a Generac back-up system for my home.

Oh man how much did this run you, again if you don't mind me asking? Does it kick in automatically or do you need to manually switch it on?

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Balrog0 posted...

Oh man how much did this run you, again if you don't mind me asking? Does it kick in automatically or do you need to manually switch it on?

About 7 grand, since I did all of the labor myself, my brother and my dad... which saved me 4 Gs.

It wasn't a huge one, just a standard 20Kw for my home (because I run a lot of power tools, and almost every main appliance is electric.). Thanfully, my neighborhood has existent NG, so that saves me from having to refuel it with LP.

The start up can be toss-up between smooth or a 2 hour long ordeal.

Let me see if I can locate my owner's manual for this next part:

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lol no

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Just follow this, and it's a wrap. I even got the video where I cranked that baby up....

Only had to use it once when a tree knocked down a main power line.

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Balrog0 posted...

Thanks dude, do you mind if I ask a ton of questions?

So you have a transfer switch, how much did that cost and/or cost to get installed? And that basically means you plug your generator in and (some of your) circuits run on the generator?

So you turn your living room circuit on and plug the apc into the wall, then electronics into that?

How big is your tank and how long did it last you?

Sorry for the barrage of questions dude, just curious. This weather event I've been lucky but I hate losing power

https://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls-Corporation-31406CRK-Generators/dp/B000BQN4T2/

thats the one I use. I want to say it cost $250 when I bought it, looks like transfer switches overall have gone up quite a bit.

I hired an electrician off craiglist for $150, he was able to install it in about 2 hours.

So that interfaces with my circuit panel, i have plug the generator into that. I have to turn off my circuit board and turn on my transfer switch.

The circuits had to be decided at the time of transfer switch install. So my kitchen is actually a little bit fucked up because I remodeled it after installing the transfer switch. If i wanted to turn on new circuits, I would have to get the transfer switch re-wired or get a new, larger one.

The tank is ~6 gallons IIRC and gets me about a full day, I think if it was running full load the entire time it would be closer to 10 hours.

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I really appreciate the info guys

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I've got a portable one to run my oxygen concentrator.

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i have a 3400w dual fuel one for the house and a 500w battery back up in my truck.

Day bump

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Had a transfer switch installed a few years back. Have a 10k generac that will run the whole house (have oil heat so just need electricity for that to fire).

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