Generator advice

[Larry Caldwell]

Just a comment about emergency water: we have a well that is reliable but gets pretty low flow in the late summer. To even out water supply, I installed a 2500 gallon cistern with a 1/2 hp booster pump, and for power outages I put the cistern on a slight rise above the house. I get about 12' of head when the cistern is full, which is enough to refill toilets and get cooking and hand washing water out of the tap. With wood heat and oil lamps, the house is comfortable without any electricity. We fire up the generator to take showers and run the freezer/refrigerator for a few hours a day. If fuel is tight, a tiny 1000 watt genny will run the freezer.

I think generators should be integrated with whole house design. I almost installed propane just for propane hot water, but my 4400/5000 watt generator will run the water heater, though a couple showers or baths will consume a gallon of gasoline. In an extended outage, it's nice to know that I can heat enough water for a nice bath in a double boiler on top of the wood stove, and the water will come out of the tap.

 

[tmajor]

Most all of us are spoiled ... way beyond, "the way it used to be".

But beyond that, some of us, like to feel "self sufficient" enough, to approach our current life style.

I've been burning coal for a number of years. While, it's somewhat dirty and some work, I'll have heat, as long as I have coal (plus, it's much more economical). Also, I have a wood burning fireplace, if all else fails. I might have to live on wild game, as I haven't canned anything for such situations. As far as water, I could get it out of the pond, but would prefer a fresh spring. The generator should take care of this problem.

 

[Pete Judd]

Tmajor, coal can not be had everywhere here in the US. I envy you being able to access it. I can no longer get it here in the PNW. And I think the air police would shut me down if I burnt it. I used to burn low grade coal in the cabin we had in Alaska, could pick it up on the beach on the lower Cook Inlet. Let stand outside, covered, for a year, and it would heat the cabin, and cook the food on the cook stove. Even had beach fires with it, but would not want to do "smores" over the heat. Here in the PNW, you used to be able to get a ton, or two of coal delivered to heat your home, but that was when I was a small kid. Between the Hydro projects and natural gas, it went away with the horse and buggy.

If I could find a cost effective way of getting coal I would love to burn it again in the stove in the shop, I know that I would have to build a different grate to handle the clinkers, now I burn wood from the wood plot, and scraps from the shop. Getting long burning heat, coal is king.

 

[Endless_ONE]

Generators, a hot topic around here since Irene and tropical storm Lee. Personally I wasn't affected this time except for carting my small generator to a friends house so they could bail their basement.

A good site to see in one place many of the types of generators available and to estimate your Generator sizing requirements is centralmainediesel.com . They provide a lot of units for the remote cabins in northern Maine. Their listings include sound level (how quiet) fuel consumption under various loads and compatability with sensitive electronics.

The longest that I was without power was for (2) 24hr periods recently. Others still don't have power after a week and a half.

Years ago I was without power following an ice storm for 6 days. Fortunately heat was covered by a wood stove, cooking was with a propane stove refrigeration was provided by mother nature and toilet water was provided by a bucket from a surface well poured into the toilet tank as required.