Generator Pto backup generator - are they practical

[CCWKen]

Well, I can tell ya that portable AND pto generators "blow a vacuum" if you have to go out and connect them in a storm. That's usually when the electric goes out here. It's pretty rare to have the power drop on a nice sunny day unless someone hit a pole down the road. I can't imagine going out in a 3"/hour rain, hail, lighting and 50mph wind at 3:00am like this morning. So keep that in your decision chart too. It would be nice to be able to see into the future and know if the electric will be back on when you wake up but even so, the storm may still be going on.

I have an all-electric home and AC is a must down here. The 7kW UPS takes care of the wall outlets and lights for quite a while but an extended outage will need major power. I'm planning on adding a 20-25Kw Generac LP system soon.

 

[fidowanttobe]

Thanks, James...she's just a mutt, but she's a good dog.

Not JUST a mutt!! I find more often than not, mutts are the BEST dogs!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I never run out and start a genset when the power goes out... I guess we still have enough "cave man" left in us, that we can live without power for a few hours... lol lol

After a few hours, I start my Honda 2000 and plug in a couple things, like the fridge and/or sump pump...

The power has to be off a loooooooooong time, before we need more power than that...

As for my wife not being able to hook up a pto gen set... Well, back when I was dating, I wasn't interested in dating/marrying someone who "I" had to baby sit, nor do I need a woman to baby sit me! My wife loves to learn new things and also loves many of the same things that I do, most times we work together doing them.......so....well, you know the rest.....it's just not a problem for us. lol

SR

 

[RalphVa]

Big problem with portable generators and PTO generators is having or keeping track of fuel to supply them. We went with a standby Isuzu diesel generator from the outfit in Maine. It has a 60 gallon tank and uses 0.2 gph. So, the tank is good for about 2 weeks running. I actually refuel my tractor from its tank and occasionally go get some more diesel and refuel the generator tank.

Before this, we had a 4400 watt portable generator connected to a generator panel. It would run about 8 hours before needing to be refueled. Hated having so much gasoline sitting around. Dangerous.

I also consider propane dangerous and also not very economical. You only have 4.24 #/gallon. Not near as many BTU in a gallon as in diesel. A tiny leak of propane can pool can be ignited way away from the source of the leak.

A real no brainer would be a natural gas powered standby generator. We don't have a gas line into our neighborhood.

Ralph

 

[Newbie7100HST]

Thanks for all the input - I think I will keep an eye out or a deal on a PTO Genset and then maybe down size my standalone to an 1800-2200w portable unit (Honda all the way).

To be honest the unit I would love to have the most is a Combined Heat and Power Boiler (propane). Provides heat, domestic hot water and about 1kw of electricity when firing via a Stirling engine (yes I would need a bank of batteries for storage).
These units are gaining some traction in Europe but are **** near impossible to get any info on here.
I know of one installed in a demonstration house in Toronto and another one in Ottawa.

 

[farmer2009]

When we go whole house it'll be diesel. Have a 80kw diesel for the farm. Auto switched and exercises every week with a full switch. Diesel is easy to keep large quantities of and easy to get in an emergency. Current storage is 600 gallons. Changed at least once a year.

Current home generator is a 7500 watt gas. Does good and I use it elsewhere on the farm. We do have propane heat.

 

[gogojuice]

Hey Newbie.

I'm following the thread and am in the same spot as you. This is what I have found (my opinion).
It's also a bit different looking for PTO, gensets or a standalone up here.
1. the availability of brands. Can't seem to find a lot of them up here.
2. Used market. Not nearly as good as the USA.

I keep looking at Kijji and amazon, eBay etc... but haven't come up with something that suits my needs. The only place I found a dealer for around here was for
BaumaLight - PTO Generators

They seem to have a good name if you look around...

I have the electrician over today. We talked about putting in a standby generac type.. but the installation is a lot more than a plug and play type. (of course this depends on your layout and what fuel source you have)

Good luck.. I'll follow along and see what comes out of here

 

[newbury]

I prefer natural gas powered stand alone. This is the most expensive option, but certainly the most convenient. The problem with a PTO generator for me is the tractor is rarely stored at my house.

Natural gas is nice if you've got it. In my Mississippi area they don't seem to sell CNG and I imagine getting a pipeline run 16 miles to my house would be expensive.

Big problem with portable generators and PTO generators is having or keeping track of fuel to supply them. We went with a standby Isuzu diesel generator from the outfit in Maine. It has a 60 gallon tank and uses 0.2 gph. So, the tank is good for about 2 weeks running. I actually refuel my tractor from its tank and occasionally go get some more diesel and refuel the generator tank.

Before this, we had a 4400 watt portable generator connected to a generator panel. It would run about 8 hours before needing to be refueled. Hated having so much gasoline sitting around. Dangerous.

I also consider propane dangerous and also not very economical. You only have 4.24 #/gallon. Not near as many BTU in a gallon as in diesel. A tiny leak of propane can pool can be ignited way away from the source of the leak.

A real no brainer would be a natural gas powered standby generator. We don't have a gas line into our neighborhood.

Ralph

Why would "keeping track of fuel to supply them" for a PTO generator be a big problem? I don't have much problem keeping track of fuel to supply my tractor.

And if propane is that dangerous a lot of people in my area better get rid of their 500 gallon LPG tanks.

Have you ever tried barbecuing with diesel?

Thanks for all the input - I think I will keep an eye out or a deal on a PTO Genset and then maybe down size my standalone to an 1800-2200w portable unit (Honda all the way).

To be honest the unit I would love to have the most is a Combined Heat and Power Boiler (propane). Provides heat, domestic hot water and about 1kw of electricity when firing via a Stirling engine (yes I would need a bank of batteries for storage).
These units are gaining some traction in Europe but are **** near impossible to get any info on here.
I know of one installed in a demonstration house in Toronto and another one in Ottawa.

Or buy a Prius and use it's battery bank and engine as a 5KW generator. Or a TESLA and then you can have a generator that goes FAST.
Tell your wife you had to spend $70K for good generator But let her pick the color

 

[brasco426]

Sooooooo.......... I hope this isn't to far off topic, but

I put one of these in
Reliance Controls 10-Circuit 30 Amp Manual Transfer Switch Kit 310CRK at The Home Depot - Mobile

Powered by this
75 Watt Elite Series™ Portable Generator

Extra cost for the wire to run between the outside box connection, to inside generator panel for an additional cost of $30. It powers my well pump, heat, hot water, ref., wifi, t.v.'s, exterior lights, and most interior lights, etc. I went back and forth myself, and for me I decided to just put this in. Nice thing is it's safer and easier for my wife to operate and the tractor is still available. Everyone's needs and expectations are different though.

 

[farmer2009]

Natural gas is nice if you've got it. In my Mississippi area they don't seem to sell CNG and I imagine getting a pipeline run 16 miles to my house would be expensive.

I got a quote a couple years back. To run a line 3 miles was over $150,000. I asked if I bought a backhoe and did the digging what it would cost. The guy just laughed.