Generators, sizes and fuel options?

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Closing up the house and checking in to a hotel is one option, particularly if you live in the city. If things get really bad, roads are no more likely to function than the power. In the recent holiday storm, I understand hotel rooms were pretty rare too. Planning for self-sufficiency in rural areas is a good idea. That can be anything from a camp stove and extra blankets, to 19th century pre-electricity home tech, or running your own power plant.

I live close to an interstate. And leaving before it gets to bad part of planning. I figure from NW tennessee, I can get to southern Alabama in a day no problem where it should be habitable

I'd love to just move down south. Heck for this storm we went north like idiots.

 

[IXLR8]

I think I will probably get a large propane tank specifically for the generator that can sit right next to it and run it for 40-50 hours. That is the most direct route I think. No need to mess with the main tank.

If you are going to get a second tank just for the generator, you might see what it cost to have one buried. That way it won't be exposed to the cold and it should do a better job of keeping the pressure up.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

I would think propane is the lowest maintenance way to go as far as fuel no?

Diesel grows bacteria and water.

Gas goes bad

Natural gas would be nice but then your dependent on the utility that provides it

 

[stumblinhorse]

If you are going to get a second tank just for the generator, you might see what it cost to have one buried. That way it won't be exposed to the cold and it should do a better job of keeping the pressure up.

I think I will get one that is portable, kind of, in a dolly kind of way. Run a torch or fire pit on the side in the summer and then have it full with 50 gallons in the winter.

 

[grsthegreat]

A true standby generator needs a minimum 250 gal propane tank. I have customers using 100 gal tanks, and they have nothing but trouble keeping them running.

 

[bdhsfz6]

After a week long outage 15 years ago, I bought a 12KW PTO powered genny to use behind the tractor. I fuel it from our 1000 gal heating oil tank which will last a month or more if necessary. I don't run it 24/7, just when the demand is high for cooking, well pump, etc. All other times, I use a small gas genny to power the essentials. The scheme has worked very well over the years.

Now I'm getting to the age where setting up the PTO genny is more of a chore than it used to be. I'm looking to replace it with a stand alone diesel powered unit. Just turn the key and it's ready to go instead of having to swap tractor implements. To save a few $$, I can reuse the wiring I have set up for the PTO generator.

Over the last few years, our local power company has made improvements to the grid in our area and outages are fewer and of shorter duration than they used to be. As a result, I put the generator plan on the back burner. Now however, the recent sub station sabotage events in SC, NC and most recently Washington state caused me to resurrect the plan. The press coverage of these events is sure to put ideas in the heads of terrorists and every nut job out there with a rifle. Many more copycat events are sure to follow.

 

[stumblinhorse]

A true standby generator needs a minimum 250 gal propane tank. I have customers using 100 gal tanks, and they have nothing but trouble keeping them running.

Can you explain? And are you talking whole house? I plan on wheeling out the 10k generator and 50 gallon propane tank from my shop, plugging it in and firing it up? This won’t work?

 

[stumblinhorse]

I have a 12,000 watt LP gen and when it gets below 15 degrees (Farenheit) I sometimes don't have the capacity to vaporize enough fuel with my 250 gal tank.
.

I guess I don’t understand what you mean by this? Because except for this crazy weather we are having after the bomb cyclone we almost never get above 15*F here in the winter.

 

[4570Man]

It is better to set the generator closer to the propane source or to the plug to power the circuit? 30 feet between them

It’s probably cheaper to run wire to the house and set the generator 30ft away. It would also reduce noise in the house and reduce the concerns of carbon monoxide.

 

[4570Man]

Can you explain? And are you talking whole house? I plan on wheeling out the 10k generator and 50 gallon propane tank from my shop, plugging it in and firing it up? This won’t work?

The regulators will freeze up. You likely need a heated regulator to cure that regardless of tank size. What he’s taking about is the propane can’t transform from its liquid state to a gas fast enough to keep the generator supplied. The propane is essentially evaporating inside the tank. Cold slows the process. The bigger tank gives the liquid a larger surface area to evaporate.