Backup Generator

[Sawyer Rob]

NICE generator!

SR

 

[Industrial Toys]

Very NICE! Are you expected to share that with all the homeless?

 

[RoyKing]

It痴 not uncommon for those Kubotas to run 70-80,000 hours and 50,000 would be typical. Longest I致e seen an Isuzu run is about 40,000 and 30,000 is typical (which is still pretty good). Either one would be excellent for home use but parts are a little easier to get for the Kubotas.

There are lots of both of these engines running continuously on mountain tops all over western Canada and they are both great engines. Kubota is more conservative in their ratings in favour of longevity.

How about the Perkins 404d-22T Diesel Engine turbo 4 cyl , ordering a 30k Gen with mecc alte dedicated single phase Alt and a deep sea 7410 controller in level 2 aluminum cabinet with 42 gallon skid rail tank.

 

[PILOON]

Gee when it comes to power outages, what is important?
Your creature comforts? or saving your investments, like a freezer full of food.
In most cases (with management) you can get along quite well with a 6-9 KW genset.
Forget air conditioning, think well pumps, sump pumps and septic systems.
Properly wired up a 6 KW (aka Cosko genset) should suffice your needs.
OK, in my case I have the septics and the well pump wired as primary. Then in the kitchen my fridge and my freezer.
After that one circuit has important living area circuits that by chance includes the TV and satellite receiver so I can relax and watch favorite programs.
For food the kitchen circuits can alternate between the toaster oven or the microwave and eat hot food. (includes the coffee maker.)
If its cold then I toss wood into my fireplace or woodstove.
I think it is called 'survivor mode'. OK, not all creature comforts but liveable, and generally that is not for long.

One cold winter with power down and genset running 'til bed time I simply slept with an additional blanket and woke up next AM with power restored and nothing worst for wear or tear. (ok my PJ's were kinda in need of replacement). The night was really cold, like 0 F but I did not perish.
It is called 'survival mode' , don't demand all creature comforts!

 

[Industrial Toys]

To me, the most important thing is that you can stay put. Not run into town with jerry cans in hand. Next is keeping basics running. No welding, compressed air or clothes dryer. Light everywhere you have light fixtures. NOT being in the dark is a huge plus. It's extremely annoying to walk into rooms and flick a non operational light switch.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I got by with the 3500w Craftsman for 12 years and lots of outages. I know how to do "get by". This will allow me to keep the house and the shop and the well pump going, not everything, but all the essential loads. With much less generator management.

The exhaust was packaged separately, it sticks straight up and would make for a larger (cu ft) package as well as subject to damage.

I have used 10kw construction generators in the past, I do not recall the generator part being anything near this size. The data plate says it is rated at 10.5kw.

 

[PILOON]

To me, the most important thing is that you can stay put. Not run into town with jerry cans in hand. Next is keeping basics running. No welding, compressed air or clothes dryer. Light everywhere you have light fixtures. NOT being in the dark is a huge plus. It's extremely annoying to walk into rooms and flick a non operational light switch.

OK, we agree, when power flickers out come the LED lights. (I have them always at hand) and next fire up the genset.
My Cosco set has the battery on a tender so it is always ready to go.
So far I have lived probably more than a dozen of outages in the last 2 years with the worst being 5 days.
It is the price of being 50 miles north of a major metropolitan ares that they simply don't care for.
(don't ask about the internet or phone service) but for n=me it is paradise.

 

[shooterdon]

Just had a 16kw Generac quoted today. $8200. I do not need 16kw but code requires it.

The bad news it takes 2 gal/hr of propane. $75/day.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

How about the Perkins 404d-22T Diesel Engine turbo 4 cyl , ordering a 30k Gen with mecc alte dedicated single phase Alt and a deep sea 7410 controller in level 2 aluminum cabinet with 42 gallon skid rail tank.

Sorry, I don’t have any experience with high hour Perkins but they’ve traditionally been a solid little engine powering lots of old fishing boats and small equipment.

Again though, any industrial engine like the Perkins, Yanmars, Kubotas etc will have a design life that far exceeds what you could ever put on a home standby - all will be at least 15-20k hours vs 1000-3000 for consumer engines and 8k-10k for automotive engines. Most people would be hard pressed to put 1000 hours on a home standby unit in a lifetime and even few emergency generators see more that 500 hours in 30 years of service.

One difference with industrial engines however is that there will be a maintenance schedule that will require valve adjustments. Consumer and automotive engines usually sacrifice long term longevity for little or no adjustment needs in the short term.

 

[downsizingnow48]

On shipping, the actual cost was $521. That is pretty darn reasonable considering the per-package cost of much smaller items. If I had it shipped out to our place on the north coast, 5 hours from Sacramento, ending up on a dirt access road, I am sure it would have been lots more. I have a place in Sacramento and go back and forth anyway, so no big deal to pick it up at the freight terminal and do the last leg myself.