Portable Generator for temp power outages.

[kenmac]

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.

Yeah. My brother and his family live in Midlothian TX and has had power off and on.
Lucky for them, they have nat gas So they've been able to stay warm

 

[fried1765]

Yeah. My brother and his family live in Midlothian TX and has had power off and on.
Lucky for them, they have nat gas So they've been able to stay warm

Electric power is still needed to run the equipment that burns the gas, and distributes the heat.

 

[PILOON]

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.

Hey Eddie, take your generator with you on the Mule and a set of jumpers cables.
That way you'll be sure that his pumps will work.

LOL, I once did that at a local station and made a friend for life.

 

[Industrial Toys]

How the heck do you access some point where you can tie in? I wired gas pumps in the 80s and was surprised at all the explosion proof fittings and conduit.

 

[kenmac]

Electric power is still needed to run the equipment that burns the gas, and distributes the heat.

not for a space heater, or gas logs. Gas water heater either. Unless you have a tankless

 

[grsthegreat]

Hey Eddie, take your generator with you on the Mule and a set of jumpers cables.
That way you'll be sure that his pumps will work.

LOL, I once did that at a local station and made a friend for life.

I doubt his little Honda would Power a service station fuel turbine pump. Ive installed plenty of them. They take some power. At least there usually single phase.

 

[PILOON]

How the heck do you access some point where you can tie in? I wired gas pumps in the 80s and was surprised at all the explosion proof fittings and conduit.

Where there is a will there is a way!
Worst possibility? ---back to the main breaker panel.

 

[grsthegreat]

How the heck do you access some point where you can tie in? I wired gas pumps in the 80s and was surprised at all the explosion proof fittings and conduit.

Same here. I wired lots of service stations. The only place you can tie in would be at the breaker. But then you would have to also power up the point of sales systems, fuel leakage detection system, turbines, etc. not something a small portable can do now days.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Not to mention all the computers that run that stuff. I wouldn't know where to start. Probably not many stations arround that are not three phase for main supply either. Probably 600 volt here too, 347 lighting and transformers that run 120/240 stuff.

 

[grsthegreat]

Not to mention all the computers that run that stuff. I wouldn't know where to start. Probably not many stations arround that are not three phase for main supply either. Probably 600 volt here too, 347 lighting and transformers that run 120/240 stuff.

The stations I wired were all 3 phase for everything...except the pump turbines. I had to set transformers to supply a single phase panel for all gas stuff. This panel was connected thru a relay that was controlled by the manual emergency shut off switches out at the pumps and main door. Hit that switch kills all power to pumps.

Now service station propane tanks are easily bypassed motors. Most are small 120 v motors. But again, fittings are packed explosion proof .