Generator for home during power outages

[billtool]

That’s actually very good

1) they notified you in advance
2) it gives the residents something to test against for a real emergency

Although it would be inconvenient, I’d be okay with a 24hr shut down with advanced notice as a test to my preparedness. We actually have a small window a/c unit we purchased capable of cooling a dedicated room along with a small countertop microwave oven for situations like this.

I’ve been meaning to get a small a/c window unit as my genny is just undersized to run the central a/c. We have a gas grill and appliances so we’ll heat chow OK. You gave me the nudge I needed. Gracias.

 

[Grumps21]

I’ve been meaning to get a small a/c window unit as my genny is just undersized to run the central a/c. We have a gas grill and appliances so we’ll heat chow OK. You gave me the nudge I needed. Gracias.

I had to go larger than I wanted because all of the smaller rooms are upstairs and I wanted the AC on the lower level

 

[no2gates]

I’ve been meaning to get a small a/c window unit as my genny is just undersized to run the central a/c. We have a gas grill and appliances so we’ll heat chow OK. You gave me the nudge I needed. Gracias.

One thing that we used last February when the power was out for 5 days was a butane stove that worked perfectly. Had bought it as a "just-in-case" item along with 12 cans of butane. Used up almost 3 cans over 5 days.
Made a lot of coffee, soup, hot chocolate, and meals on it those days. And it was cheap, I think we paid less than $40 for it and got the butane cans from Walmart.

 

[leVieux]

One thing that we used last February when the power was out for 5 days was a butane stove that worked perfectly. Had bought it as a "just-in-case" item along with 12 cans of butane. Used up almost 3 cans over 5 days.
Made a lot of coffee, soup, hot chocolate, and meals on it those days. And it was cheap, I think we paid less than $40 for it and got the butane cans from Walmart.

I hope and pray that you mean "propane" and not butane. Butane was in use a long time ago, but being heavier than air, it is extremely dangerous as it will "pool" if leaked and explode if there is a spark or flame it touches. Several folks in my home town were killed by butane explosions shortly before WWII.

 

[Vaquero]

I hope and pray that you mean "propane" and not butane. Butane was in use a long time ago, but being heavier than air, it is extremely dangerous as it will "pool" if leaked and explode if there is a spark or flame it touches. Several folks in my home town were killed by butane explosions shortly before WWII.

Probably butane.
A lot of newer camp stoves are butane fired.

 

[Axxe55]

A propane or dual fuel camp stove is an excellent addition to a generator. Especially if the generator isn't large enough to power the entire house.

 

[candcallen]

I hope and pray that you mean "propane" and not butane. Butane was in use a long time ago, but being heavier than air, it is extremely dangerous as it will "pool" if leaked and explode if there is a spark or flame it touches. Several folks in my home town were killed by butane explosions shortly before WWII.

Are you making a joke? Seriously asking.


Propane is heavier than air will settle in low areas and can explode if exposed to spark or flame. Pretty much the same as butane in those considerations.

In fact when comparing the two butane is considerd a safer fuel ny many for stoves or heaters when ventilation is properly addressed.

 

[leVieux]

Probably butane.
A lot of newer camp stoves are butane fired.

One of my friends lost four family members to a butane explosion around 1940. A commercial tank blocks away had leaked into a storm sever, flowed about 5 blocks, encountered a natural gas "pilot light", and blew them and their home to pieces.

We had butane on our houseboat back in the 1940's & '50's, and had to follow some very strict safety procedures.

Thank you for the updated info.

 

[oldag]

One thing that we used last February when the power was out for 5 days was a butane stove that worked perfectly. Had bought it as a "just-in-case" item along with 12 cans of butane. Used up almost 3 cans over 5 days.
Made a lot of coffee, soup, hot chocolate, and meals on it those days. And it was cheap, I think we paid less than $40 for it and got the butane cans from Walmart.

50 year old Coleman stove works great.

 

[Tnhawk]

I spent much of the last decade in fuel terminals blending butane and gasoline. The use of proper ventilation and detection equipment allowed safe handling of the butane while producing the final blend of gasoline to be delivered to the gas stations.

Butane and Propane should not be stored in enclosed areas.

 

[BuzzinSATX]

I would be interested in the figures if someone knows about how much propane a whole -house generator, on average, would use in a 24 hr period.

A quick search indicates 2-3 gallons per hour. At the low end, that's 48 gallons per day. So a 500 gallon tank, given those figures, would be good for about 10 days.

At $3 per gallon, that's about $144 per day.

Double-check my figures - I'm not a mathematician and I don't play one on TV.

Something to understand (I didn’t until just before I bought)…they fill propane tanks to 80%. My 500 gallon tank holds 400 gallons.

 

[citizen_zero]

After the debacle of Feb 2021 I bought a 2900W inverter generator along with a window AC unit for our bedroom. We already have a space heater. That way we are covered regardless of the season if we need it. We'll be able to huddle up in our master bedroom for the duration and watch some tv or whatever and wander into the living room to warm up whatever we need to get by. I also always keep a spare propane tank handy to swap out on the grill

 

[pronstar]

So our planned power outage revealed a few things:

Our living room somehow didn’t make it onto the secondary panel, so I have no power going there…a problem, since it’s the main room on the first floor.

So I ran an extension cord to run the TV/Roku/Router, basically electronics…and my power line conditioner didn’t like the power my generator puts out at all. It reset itself every 5 mins or so…and it takes about 3 mins for it all to boot-up.

The most cost-effective, and easiest, solution is to get a small inverter generator to run my living room electronics.

The good news is, everything else including HVAC and 4 fridges/freezers ran great on the generator.

I also need to find a good solution to drain fuel from the generator tank…getting 3 gallons out via a tiny fuel line/gravity takes forever.

 

[candcallen]

So our planned power outage revealed a few things:

Our living room somehow didn’t make it onto the secondary panel, so I have no power going there…a problem, since it’s the main room on the first floor.

So I ran an extension cord to run the TV/Roku/Router, basically electronics…and my power line conditioner didn’t like the power my generator puts out at all. It reset itself every 5 mins or so…and it takes about 3 mins for it all to boot-up.

The most cost-effective, and easiest, solution is to get a small inverter generator to run my living room electronics.

The good news is, everything else including HVAC and 4 fridges/freezers ran great on the generator.

I also need to find a good solution to drain fuel from the generator tank…getting 3 gallons out via a tiny fuel line/gravity takes forever.

Been there done that. It sucks.

I took the take off and turned it upside down.

Still have to drain some out 5he bottom.

Hand pump maybe? Siphoning?

 

[oldag]

Been there done that. It sucks.

I took the take off and turned it upside down.

Still have to drain some out 5he bottom.

Hand pump maybe? Siphoning?

Wouldn't a match be quicker?

 

[pronstar]

Been there done that. It sucks.

I took the take off and turned it upside down.

Still have to drain some out 5he bottom.

Hand pump maybe? Siphoning?

It was a chore just getting to the fuel line.

I’m gonna try to do something like splice a y- fitting on the fuel line…it won’t drain any faster, but I won’t have to babysit the line while it’s draining.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[candcallen]

It was a chore just getting to the fuel line.

I’m gonna try to do something like splice a y- fitting on the fuel line…it won’t drain any faster, but I won’t have to babysit the line while it’s draining.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

You could easily set it up to feed from a boat fuel tank. It just gravity feed anyways.

Something I toyed with. Gravity feed from a 10 gallon take just set on top. It would run longer and you could store fuel to use in other stuff an df dump it in the car when you rotate.

 

[pronstar]

You could easily set it up to feed from a boat fuel tank. It just gravity feed anyways.

Something I toyed with. Gravity feed from a 10 gallon take just set on top. It would run longer and you could store fuel to use in other stuff an df dump it in the car when you rotate.

Outside the box thinking…I likey


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[pronstar]

The fuel tank is super easy to get to, and it’s 8 gallons…I oughta be able to splice into the fuel line, or put a petcock valve on the tank itself.

That was my first thought anyway…it would make it easy to run the carb dry, then I could just pop the fuel line off and put one on that drains to a container.

 

[Vaquero]

Once you get an inverter generator, you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner.