Portable Generator for temp power outages.

[ultrarunner]

My little Honda generator has been running for the last 26 hours. I top it off every 5 to six hours. I set my alarm for 3 am this morning to add gas to it. Our baby chicks will die if they lose heat.

This morning we set a new all time record cold temp at -6 F that broke the previous record set back in 1930.

The generator also powers a light inside out home, keeps our phones charged and we where able to watch TV. We turn off the TV to make coffee. Dinner was cooked on the propane gas grill out on our porch.

Not knowing how much longer Texas will be shut down, or how many more days we will be without power, I can see.the advantage to having a bigger generator. We are surviving, but.we are also sacrificing and sort of barely getting by.

I've used about 4 gallons of gas so far. When I empty the first gas can I'm going to try and get to the gas station half a mile away. I have no idea if it's open, or not. I'm going to drive my Kawasaki Mule since the news is full of people sliding off of the roads.

I know you will find a way...

In some if the old farm houses at the historic park one thing they had was a provision for chickens inside the house back when wood was the only source of heat... I'm sure they didn't have a lot of chickens.

Years ago I added a switch operated fuel pump on my truck to tap into the 34 gallon tank...

It is one of the more useful mods I made making it easy to fill mowers, tillers, etc without having to carry seperate fuel cans... came in very handy for refueling the Honda 5000 during the blackouts...

 

[Diggin It]

Our first 10 day outage several years back covered over a 100 counties, probably closer to 200. Stores were cash only since they had no power or web to process CCs. Banks had no power, so no ATMs. Managers opened the branches and rationed cash withdrawls to something like $100 per family until they could get more cash. That took a few days since so many roads were blocked by downed trees. Gas stations had no power, so couldn't pump gas. Nearest stations that had power were close to 100 miles away. Hotels and motels were dark, so people couldn't even go there if their homes were dark and cold.

Feel sorry for Texas. There not use to this like we are. I have a cousin near Georgetown texas. They have rolling blackouts and lots of ice damage.

And another storm coming Wednesday/Thursday.

 

[ponytug]

Its amazing how fast people's opinions on larger generators changes after a long power outage. My biggest sales years always followed ice storms and wind storm outages. I was a small 1 man shop and the year I sold 58 GENERAC whole house systems nearly drove me nuts. Worked 7 days a week. Swore never again.
One of the reasons I decided to retire. I do like getting the calls a month ago thanking me for the generator after surviving 3- 5 days with no utilities and 15f outside.

I woke up to 4 inches of new snow. About 20 now. So not bad. Last few days it was below 0 wind chills in morning. Gets old fast.

Feel sorry for Texas. There not use to this like we are. I have a cousin near Georgetown texas. They have rolling blackouts and lots of ice damage.

I fing it amazing that very few service stations have backup power up here in Idaho. When we get these 5 day outages, most stations can't dispense fuel of any kind. That's why I installed a 1000 gallon buried propane tank. Just for piece of mind.

I agree. I feel sorry for folks in Texas, and the other states impacted. Part of the issue is that Texas is its own electrical grid and can't import power, so a big storm rather does them in. The electrical grid just north of them, from Oklahoma to the Dakotas, is so strapped for power that they are offering record amounts for kWhs. ($3-$9/kWh)

And I also don't understand why so few gas stations have backup power. They may not be able to price gouge in a storm, but they could still sell fuel and generate a lot of good will.

It is a bad storm, and more to come.

Having watched so many people with generators run out of fuel, it does appear that most folks under estimate how much they will use during an outage. My two cents is make sure that you have a safe place to store your fuel. If you use a wood shed, there are fireproofing paints that increase the safety factor by a lot.

I am curious; how long does a buried underground tank last? E.g. corrosion? Are there required inspections, anode replacements?

We run a portable 5kw diesel as our prime backup, with a 1970s 4kw gasoline Coleman as backup. Both are 120/240, and can start our heaviest loads. We have had a few mechanical issues with the 5kw unit as it is a Chinese clone, but with a backup generator, they have been minor issues. Had that been our only generator, it would have been major.

Point being sometimes two cheap generators can cover you. (I didn't plan two have two; the Coleman 4kw came with the ranch, and I lucked into a basically new 5kw diesel generator when a friend moved. We have a lot more diesel on the ranch, so a diesel generator is a better fit in terms of fuel.)

There is also the option of whole home backup via batteries. Not cheap, but they can be coupled to solar for extended backups, and some can be charged by generators to allow you to run the generator for a few hours and use power for an extended period of time. Some parts of the US have incentives for home batteries because they can help reduce peak demand.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Patrick Herd]

My little Honda generator has been running for the last 26 hours. I top it off every 5 to six hours. I set my alarm for 3 am this morning to add gas to it. Our baby chicks will die if they lose heat.
Snip

We were in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago: A car vs train accident took out the 11kV feeder to the valley. No electricity for about 12 hours and a brooder full of freshly hatched chicks. Our solar backup system fortunately had enough in the batteries to cover the brooder and internet for the duration of the outage without running the generator.

 

[ultrarunner]

Nothing like a crisis to showcase vulnerabilities.

I'm sure Generac's future is secure...

Earthquake is my fear in the West

 

[shooterdon]

I had a large Honda and it was a good unit but it needed gas. And gas is is short supply when a power outage happens.

Bought a dual fuel Champion so we could run on propane. After having some health issues, decide last year to go with whole house propane. It is expensive but the best way to go.

You may have had minor outages in the past, but utility companies are cutting back to boost the bottom line. Outages will get longer and more widespread so you might want to consider that. Also, will your wife be able to run it and do the load transfer safely?

 

[EddieWalker]

I poured the last of the gasoline in the generator and ran to the gas station. They had power, but no internet, so it was cash only to buy gas. I had $10 on me, which paid for 4.5 gallons.

Sunday we had freezing rain that coated everything in ice. Monday we got 8 inches of snow. Today we woke up to the coldest its ever been bere in recorded history at -6 F. Tomorrow we are expecting 4 to 8 inches of freezing rain. Thia M is supposed to be a lot worse the just snow or just ice. I have no idea what to expect, but so far, everything has been a lot worse then ptesicted.

It would be nice to have a bigger generator, but my wife and I just decided to being the baby chicks into.the house. The upstairs bedroom is 66 degrees form or wood stove and its currently 11F outside. The generator is turned off and we dint see any reason to turn it on again unt it gets dark.out tonight and we want to watch TV.

We should have brought the chicks in right away. That was our big mistake. Now we should have plenty if gas to last until next week if necessary.

As of now, I'm happy with how our small Honda has performed and kind of doubt that I will look I to buying a bigger one. I really need to focus on better insulation for my water lines in the barn. That is where my issues are right now.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have given up on mainstream news years ago. I had no idea things were that bad down there. I only heard the "GREEN" Wind Turbines froze and solar panels were covered with ice and snow.

Terrible hardship, but maybe a really good awakening about energy choices.

 

[CADplans]

For the $3-5K you guys are discussing,, one of these can be found on Craigs List, or Facebook,,,

It will do any type welding, so, it has a reason to be run more than a couple times a year,, ( the fuel will stay fresh that way)
Guys earning a living welding do not have time to try and keep "junk" running,, this welder starts when you want it to run,,

This is a real , honest , 10KW generator, and it does not even sweat making the 10KW,, and it can weld at the same time as it is generating.

Not many people reading this have even seen a welding rod that is too big for this machine to be able to weld. ( I have welded 1/4" rod with it)

MIG, TIG, STICK,, and this welder modified the trailer this generator/welder is sitting on,,,

This generator has been keeping me happy for about 1.5 decades,, IIRC,,,

I like multi-taskers!! :cool2:

 

[kenmac]

All electric heat houses are hard to run on an air cooled generators..l even a 22kw. Heat is the killer. Than add wells, ovens, microwave,it痴 quite a load.
I have installed gens in houses with 8 to 10 cadet heaters. That痴 rates 12,000 to 15,000 watts just for heat in severe weather.
Or heat pumps with electric heat strips. These can pull 60-90 amps of power.

I like Honda, but seriously, my briggs and Stratton 6500 watt is 6 years old, starts with 2-3 pulls every time. Only costs $660

At one time (many years ago) Generac didn't recommend using their air cooled mod for running A/C in a home. They recommended you step up to the liquid cooled engine.

I probably have the same portable genset. B&S engine with generac generator. I've had this thing for a long time and It will start on the frist, or second pull.
If I couldn't find a genset with a B&S engine. I would buy a honda. I just don't trust the quality of one of the chinese models.

Don't get mw wrong. You can get quality from china, but it cost, and I have no idea which chinese mod. genset used cheap stuff, and which used quality stuff