Generator advice

[grsthegreat]

I swapped to propane dual water heaters also, and only need 110 volt 2 amps for ignitor and exhaust fan. The only other issue i had with the advice about draining the tank and running the engine dry.....i ruined the diaphram on my small 2,400 watt genset doing this, as it sat dry for 2 seasons. When i refilled it...it didnt work. Had to rebuild the carb. Your doomed if you do and doomed if you dont.

 

[clemsonfor]

My 6000W generator did fine with hot water and ran some lights, a computer and the refrigerator at the same time. I'm sure I could not have also used an electric stove simultaneously but then that is the sort of choice you need to make if you don't want a "whole house" sized generator for emergency use.

It may run it but the thing is how long and what damage are you doing to electrical componets with running them on a fluttering power source that may not be supplying the total load they need. This will kill a computer and TV as well as other things like freezers etc over time.

 

[IslandTractor]

It may run it but the thing is how long and what damage are you doing to electrical componets with running them on a fluttering power source that may not be supplying the total load they need. This will kill a computer and TV as well as other things like freezers etc over time.

A 6000W generator should be able to safely run all those things. Again, I wouldn't run the stove and water heater simultaneously but 5000-6000W is well within the capacity to run a refrigerator (600-1000W), TV 500 W, computer (200W) and a few lights simultaneously. Intermittent water pump doesn't seem to be a problem either. We never had the generator shut down due to overload.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Electronics are fine on a generator as long as you have a good surge protector. Almost all modern electronics, like computers, TV sets, etc. use switching power supplies that will swallow any wave form. They don't require a sine wave, and will run on a square wave or modified sine wave just fine. Switching power supplies are also forgiving of under or over voltage or freqency variations.

The power spikes come when motors shut off, like your well pump. That will put out a brief high voltage spike, which any decent surge protector will shunt to ground with no damage.

 

[donn12]

I never thought about using my heating oil for a diesel unit - interesting!

 

[IslandTractor]

I never thought about using my heating oil for a diesel unit - interesting!

It is exactly the same stuff so you might as well use it if you have a diesel generator. However, as diesel generators are about three times as expensive as gas or propane models, there are some downsides to consider.

 

[lockhaven]

I have a 4000 watt that does all I need. i keep 50 gallons of water to flush the toilet and have 10 gallon for cooking purposes. A coleman camp stove for cooking. Unless something catastrophic happens the electric is seldom out for more then a week so I figure that if things got that bad no one would be getting fuel for their larger generators anyways.

 

[scott_vt]

It is exactly the same stuff so you might as well use it if you have a diesel generator. However, as diesel generators are about three times as expensive as gas or propane models, there are some downsides to consider.

Good Afternoon Ed,
Some very good posts... and I agree. Im hardly an expert, since I just purchased a small propane unit. Propane just seems to make sense to me if you have it on site. No lugging fuel cans and no gummed up carbs JMO...

 

[IslandTractor]

Yes, propane has some real advantages.

I am personally getting really sick of gummed up carburetors. Oxidized fuels are so unstable that it just doesn't make much sense to keep a week or mores worth of fuel around "just in case". Manufacturers have not yet developed simple systems to help the consumer deal with modern fuel. I just had to deal with a poorly functioning outboard motor today. The fuel had preservative added but that didn't help. Yeah I can take the carburetor off and clean it (which I did) but then I read that you are supposed to use a new gasket before reassembly. Bugger (I didn't). It shouldn't be that inconvenient. If fuel is no longer stable for more than a year, then the engines should be manufactured to tolerances or with adaptive designs to enable convenient management to maintain reliability. I have to manage nine gas engines that are used intermittently and that are stored over the summer or winter. Nine engines is probably not an extreme. (Lawn mower, snow blower, DR brush mower, Pressure washer, Leaf vacuum, chain saw, weed wacker, generator, outboard motor). I'm not even counting the tractor or automobiles as those use fuel rapidly enough that old fuel is not an issue.

So, yes, I think propane makes a lot of sense for an emergency generator. We often keep propane around for grilling or heat or general cooking anyways so instead of carting around 20lb cylinders, just "hard wire" a couple of 100lb tanks and be done with it. Even better for those who actually heat and cook with it, just use a 500 gallon below grade tank. Sounds good to me.

 

[whistlepig]

We have a 6500 watt gasoline Honda. The well pump is wired to a 220 volt transfer box with a pigtail. When the power goes out I pull the disconnect on the well pump transfer box and plug a 220 volt extension cord for the well pump directly in to the generator. This runs our two fridges, some lights, and pellet stove ran off extension cords ran through a window sill. Keeping gas stable isn't that big of a deal. Fresh gas in the generator and 25 gallons of fresh gas in cans (enough for a week) every fall with fresh Sta-Bil added. Gas maintenance takes me about an hour a year to do. Low tech and, except for the initial cost of the Honda generator, and not that expensive. This does work. We were with out power last February for 72 hours. We stayed warm, watered our livestock, and flushed our toilets. All of our neighbors have this identical set up.