Northstar Generators---- Beware!!!

[LoveTheSmellofDiesel]

Haven't followed the thread real carful but on that emerson you do know that it's a 3ph unit and all home and most smaller farms are single phase. You can do it but will require abit of finagling to split out your load to the three phases or a phase converter.

Good points, just starting the genset education process myself.

 

[HenRut]

Yep, had a similar story with an ETQ generator form Northern Tool...I ended up throwing it away...

Got a 4k ETQ after the big ice storm of 2008 to run our well and boiler electrics and frig. (or TV and it's worked flawlessly.

 

[whiskywizard]

I just moved to a more rural location and I'm seeing that electricity supply is much less relaible than I was used to. I'm looking at diesel gennies. I prefer having a fuel system I can deal with, including filling it myself by portable jugs if really necessary.

At about 20kW, I can run the heat pump, well pump, water heater, some lights, furnace blower, fridge, freezer, and more. That 20kW genny will burn approximately 1/2 gallon per hour at 50% load.

So 500 gallons of diesel gives you a long run time:

500gal less a 10% safety margin = 450 gal
450 gal/0.5 gal/h = 900 h
900h/24h/day = 37 days

And if you can get by with running the genny only 18h out of every 24 (should be easy!), you're looking at 50 days on a tank full of fuel. That's plenty for even the worst credible emergency situation.

 

[grsthegreat]

I just moved to a more rural location and I'm seeing that electricity supply is much less relaible than I was used to. I'm looking at diesel gennies. I prefer having a fuel system I can deal with, including filling it myself by portable jugs if really necessary.

At about 20kW, I can run the heat pump, well pump, water heater, some lights, furnace blower, fridge, freezer, and more. That 20kW genny will burn approximately 1/2 gallon per hour at 50% load.

So 500 gallons of diesel gives you a long run time:

500gal less a 10% safety margin = 450 gal
450 gal/0.5 gal/h = 900 h
900h/24h/day = 37 days

And if you can get by with running the genny only 18h out of every 24 (should be easy!), you're looking at 50 days on a tank full of fuel. That's plenty for even the worst credible emergency situation.

ya, but 450 gal of diesel at $ 3.99 PER GAL (iDAHO) = $1,795 FOR A MONTH OF ELECTRICITY......me thinks thats alot hehe:laughing:. I currently spend about $80-100/month on electricity. Alos, how long can yo store diesel??? im really not sure. especially with the new biodiesel formulations there coming out with

 

[ultrarunner]

I realize everyone has different needs...

Most people can get by comfortably with 4 to 6 Kw if they are not all electric...

Propane, Natural Gas or Wood for heat and a small two burner gas cooktop next to the electric is what I have seen done.

One of the rental homes has a single 30 amp main for the entire home and detached garage. This was the standard residential service when the home was built.

Never had a single issue living in this 3 bedroom home and using 120v power tools in the shop...

All I'm saying is a little planning can go a long way to maximize comfort and minimize cost.

 

[jenkinsph]

I realize everyone has different needs...

Most people can get by comfortably with 4 to 6 Kw if they are not all electric...

Propane, Natural Gas or Wood for heat and a small two burner gas cooktop next to the electric is what I have seen done.

One of the rental homes has a single 30 amp main for the entire home and detached garage. This was the standard residential service when the home was built.

Never had a single issue living in this 3 bedroom home and using 120v power tools in the shop...

All I'm saying is a little planning can go a long way to maximize comfort and minimize cost.

I suspect it is more about expectations than needs.

A simple two burner Coleman stove with a 5 gallon lp bottle will cook alot of meals. A truck camper or other small rv is reasonably efficient too.

On the flip side a person with an all electric home would still need to keep the pipes from freezing in the winter which will consume 20kw while running one unit. Others may need a 230v genset to run their well pump. This might be better resolved with a little planning as you mentioned.

 

[HarryVanderpool]

We bought our 5000w Generic Cheapy 21 years ago.
During an extended power outage, we disconnect from the grid at the power pole and back feed through the welding outlet in the shop.
This provides power to all of our buildings, well, etc.
We turn off the water heater breaker and just know better than to use the range or dryer.
During extended power outages we run the generator 3 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening. (can't miss Idol; right?)
The freezer stays frozen for ever at this rate.
We set 5 gallon buckets next to the toilets to help keep the pressure tank charged between runs.
For us, there are a lot better solutions for poweroutages that running a great big monster gas hog generator.
Candles, wood stove, lamps, wind-up radio, deck of cards, etc.
And our small generator burns between 4 & 5 gallons of gas daily with our schedule.
5000w seems to be just perfect for our way of doing things.

 

[ultrarunner]

The flip side of having a Generator in place to run everything is can you afford to run it...

I maintain several Generators at work... even filling the 180 Gallon Diesel Tank is close to $800 here in California... at full load book fuel consumption is 10 gallons per hour... so a $1,000 dollars a day can get pricey real fast...

Some of the neighbors have gone Solar... no more electric bills... one guy a retired Bell System Engineer did that job on his own and is like a kid... can't wait each morning to see how much extra power he generated the day before...

He is now in the list for the all electric Nissan Leaf and just bought a electric water heater and dryer from gas because he has power to spare.