Please post your generator choice and experiences

[Pete Judd]

On my go around the world sailboat, we rely on 12V, and have 10 golf cart batts. And a 6 hp diesel to power a 120 amp alt. It also has a diesel engine to push the boat when there is no wind. The boat has a 110 gallon tank that will give it a range of about 1800 miles under power. We power all our needs on 12v or a 2500 watt inverter. The boat is very "off grid".

Here at home we have been flooded in for days and with out power for over 9 days at a row, because the local PUD can not get their trucks over to my side of the valley. Our outages happen in the winter, and the stuff can be stuffed in ice chests on the deck, as day time temps, are low.

Out in a shed next to the house, I have some Phone Co. battery's that run at 24V connected to a 3000 watt UPS. It will power the pellet stove, some lights, and the frezzer, as well as the TV, and some computers and the DSL modem. We cook on propane camp stoves, flush with 5 gallon buckets filled at the pond, and can run the house on a little honda 800w inverter genset. I do keep an old Homlite 5k gas genset in the pump house so we can power the 240v deep well pump for potable water, but in 5 min it will pump up all the pressure tanks.

That said, I hate keeping gas around the house. Have some, but when flooded in, can't get to the station (if it has power), but I have always between 100-200 gal of off road diesel on hand.

This won't solve your cooling issues, but fans, sitting under trees, and finding other ways of getting out of the heat may be more cost effective. I see craigslist motorhome propane onan gentsets all the time for 3-500 bucks, and might solve a lot on your issues, and will power a window air unit, and your fridge and cool you as well, but just not as you have become used to.

 

[hr3]

With no meter on the base, there is no way for power to get back up the line. I hooked the output of the PTO generator to the load side, not the utility side.

My house has a 6 foot fence around it, including a motorized gate at the driveway entrance. Back then I lived by myself, so no kids in the household. Besides, it was about 15 degrees out, trust me, nobody was out enjoying a nice stroll that morning! I had a heck of a time just getting my tractor started.

That said, I agree that its bad practice and the only reason I resorted to this was that I had issues with my 8kw generator on an automatic transfer switch. I needed the power to keep my salt water fish and corals alive. Sometimes, during an emergency, you can be forced to do things that aren't always 100% safe.

The meter looks like a bypass meter we put in all the time.. The utility can pull down on the lever and change out the meter without shutting off the customers power... I could be wrong it's kinda hard to tell from the pic.

A better way would have been to unhook your 8kw from the transfer switch and tied in there,, All auto switches have a way to transfer without power to it..

 

[bucktaker]

The fuel cost is not cheap for gas with out 18 HP B&S old Coleman PowerMate 7500 but it will run the deep well pump or enough electric heaters or a window AC unit by managing the power load. Like in the 2009 ice storm to take hot showers (not needed that much) I had to cut heat usage to min with well off to heat hot water (80 gallons). Then keeping space heaters to min we would run the well pump and all four get a hot shower.

The thing will suck up a gallon of gas per hour so at $4 that is $100 per day for gas since we are all electric house.

$10,000 will get you a nice system and $2000 can get you an OK hack job. It boils down to money.

The ideal solution should work just fine if you in the hospital or dead. Yes dead. Hoaky hacks can work but do we really want to leave the wife and perhaps other family members without back up power?

For most of us this means contracting with a stable firm installing and servicing back up home generation systems. For some that may giving up one horse, a bass boat or at extra tractor or fun skid-steer loader, etc.

Quality mainly only cost once BUT it is always an upfront cost.

I am preaching to myself now but a back up system that requires us to be alive really is not a system with our family in mind. We may be alive but three days out of major surgery or forever limited from a stroke.

Hack jobs (portable equipment) and no code wiring are acceptable in a bind if we know and understand the risk AND do not make a major mistake when refueling at 3 am. In the 2009 we were only down three days (accidently bought the last house one a three phase grid) but had neighbors without power for about two weeks a quarter mile down the road but I can tell you feeding the generator every four hours 24 hours a day got old.

Be safe out there and consider a system that others can and will maintain for a fee if we are not able or around.

P.S. One option is to a small generator gas where you could power the frig/freezer from time to time and own a self contained RV with its on built in generator. Our old 20 year old motorhome if we park it full of gas and propane would give us a back up power living space if it did not become damaged. One plus of the old F700 flat bed dump is it has an open cap filler 50 gallon tank that I park full most of the time so a simple hose gives us access to another 45 gallons of gas right there.

My point is we can think outside of the box and let some of our toys do double duty.

Exactly as I do..... pair of honda eu2001's that are normally for camping with the LQ horse trailer. One will power the freezer, fridge, tv, sat dish, etc. one to loan to my parents, the horse trailer has a propane hot water heater for hot water and We have gas fireplaces for heat. If A/C is required we coudl huddle in Horse trailer.

 

[pclausen]

Howdy,
The connection is actually run back into the meter box and is tapped into the box on the back of the mounting.
click the picture for a zoomed larger picture.
View attachment 272582View attachment 272583
It is a 2 piece design. If you look at this pdf from thier website, you see the 2 piece design. TC-200M26W pdf You would just have the 2nd box mounted next to your meter with its pigtail either back to the collar, or wired back into the unit with short piece of conduit feeding to the 2nd box which houses its brains. (electronics) and, the TC-200M26W unit favors utility power. That means when the utility power is restored, it waits a short while to make sure its a steady 60Hz and 120 volts on each leg, then transfer back to it. That is when the power blinks off for about 30 seconds, and then comes back on from the utility.

Got it. Thanks!

How does the cost of this unit compare to, say ~$2000 for a "regular" 400A transfer switch?

 

[daybreak1998]

Got it. Thanks!

How does the cost of this unit compare to, say ~$2000 for a "regular" 400A transfer switch?

Howdy,
This link is from the utility for the prices they have. rec-electrical-services

A regular 400 amp transfer switch $2,400, electrician to install $200-800, permit $100, utility to pull meter and re-install, any other expenses.

PSP Products TC-200M26W was installed by the utility in about and hour, makes it easier to power all my dual 200amp panels at house, 100 amp panel at barn, 100 amp panel at shop, 60 amp panel well. One central hookup, to everything.

 

[General Lee]

Hopefully everyone is still following this thread, I'm the OP and am narrowing down on my choice. Its gonna be a portable unit and one I am considering is a Powermate with a Subaru engine. You don't see these as often as the Generac's so I'm wondering about the quality of the Subaru engine. Anyone have any thoughts? Its roughly in the Kw range I want. Generac brand jumps from 10Kw to 15Kw, and I'd like to have 12Kw if possible.

Powermate PM0601250 Portable Generator - PM0601250 - 12,500 Watt Electric Start Generator w/ Subaru Engine

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Hopefully everyone is still following this thread, I'm the OP and am narrowing down on my choice. Its gonna be a portable unit and one I am considering is a Powermate with a Subaru engine. You don't see these as often as the Generac's so I'm wondering about the quality of the Subaru engine. Anyone have any thoughts? Its roughly in the Kw range I want. Generac brand jumps from 10Kw to 15Kw, and I'd like to have 12Kw if possible.

Powermate PM0601250 Portable Generator - PM0601250 - 12,500 Watt Electric Start Generator w/ Subaru Engine

That looks like a nice generator.

Note it is 22 HP rated and as a rule of thumb it takes 2 HP gas engine to create 1,000 watts so treat is more like it is a 10-11 KW generator when computing electric motor starting ability and should not be disappointed. Day in and day out to keep the output at 112 volts or greater I find they will do about 50% off rated surge output.

 

[General Lee]

That looks like a nice generator.

Note it is 22 HP rated and as a rule of thumb it takes 2 HP gas engine to create 1,000 watts so treat is more like it is a 10-11 KW generator when computing electric motor starting ability and should not be disappointed. Day in and day out to keep the output at 112 volts or greater I find they will do about 50% off rated surge output.

Thank you for your input. Those are good points, maybe I should step up to 15Kw then?? My central A/C is only on a 30 amp breaker, worst case scenario I'd like to run the A/C and 2 fridges and stand alone freezer. I'd alternate everything else. Any thoughts on the quality of the Subaru motor?

 

[aczlan]

Thank you for your input. Those are good points, maybe I should step up to 15Kw then?? My central A/C is only on a 30 amp breaker, worst case scenario I'd like to run the A/C and 2 fridges and stand alone freezer. I'd alternate everything else. Any thoughts on the quality of the Subaru motor?

They run Subaru-Robin motors in Power-Tracs and I have heard them spoken of fairly well on that forum. Some of them are a little cold blooded when first started, but so are some people

Aaron Z

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I would be OK with a Subaru engine based on what I have read about them.

This subject goes circular for me.

The big portables run 400-600 pounds per spec sheets. How portable is a portable that requires the use of a fork lift to get it off the freight truck?

When I start looking at price difference an auto start/run home generators can be had for little more money and do not require inside storage.

The circle seems to never end.