Your last generator Maintenance Run

[newbury]

Long article on grid security.... fortunately for the rest of us, these curious Cliff Stoll types are working on the good side....

AP Investigation: U.S. power grid vulnerable to foreign hacks - Las Vegas Sun News

Rgds, D.

Have y'all read Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath?

It's a book by Ted Koppel about the minimal effort required to shut down the powergrid for months. Damaging several major transformers will be a logistic nightmare.

That's why I'm in a serious search for a 5KW and/or 10KW military surplus generator. Plus if I fill the two tanks on my tractor

I should have about 1,000 hours of run time on a 5KW

 

[3930dave]

Have y'all read Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath?

It's a book by Ted Koppel about the minimal effort required to shut down the powergrid for months. Damaging several major transformers will be a logistic nightmare.

That's why I'm in a serious search for a 5KW and/or 10KW military surplus generator. Plus if I fill the two tanks on my tractor

I should have about 1,000 hours of run time on a 5KW

Thanks Newbury, I'll add that to my reading list.

That will make a great fuel reserve, I know doxford gets good runtime with something like one of those.

I've never been an All The Eggs in One Basket guy...... that's one of the reasons I like modern distributed power (alternative) generation - it's much harder to take down.

Post pics pls if you get either of those Mil surplus units, they'd be a nice choice.

Rgds, D.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My Honda 2000 got a "maintenance run", couple nights ago after some extreme winds... The power went out for three hours and as we had a LOT of rain over the two days prior, and my sump pump has been running a lot.

After a couple hours, I started up the 2000 on the back porch,

plugged in a #12 extension cord that I have wired into the basement, plugged in the sump pump and let it run...

I use this gen set for all kids of things, all year around,

it's one of my best buys!

SR

 

[3930dave]

My Honda 2000 got a "maintenance run", couple nights ago after some extreme winds... The power went out for three hours and as we had a LOT of rain over the two days prior, and my sump pump has been running a lot.

After a couple hours, I started up the 2000 on the back porch,

plugged in a #12 extension cord that I have wired into the basement, plugged in the sump pump and let it run...

I use this gen set for all kids of things, all year around,

it's one of my best buys!

SR

46# dry weight, 1600 watts continuous, suitcase format - great solution for driving light loads - bonus marks for quiet, and a 12vdc output.

Sump pumps can focus your attention...... recent years have had lower water tables, but I've lived here long enough to see Spring/Fall conditions where the pump is kicking on every 15 minutes..... one of the original reasons I had for keeping a reliable generator around.

Rgds, D.

 

[buickanddeere]

Why not use a transfer switch . No extension cords through open doors or windows. This will energize the lights instead of staggering around in the dark. Keep the freezer from thawing and operate the microwave .

 

[3930dave]

Why not use a transfer switch . No extension cords through open doors or windows. This will energize the lights instead of staggering around in the dark. Keep the freezer from thawing and operate the microwave .

That suitcase is 120vac only.

I believe SR has a PTO gen too, so he might have a transfer switch for that setup as well. With that suitcase gen, I'd want a separate dedicated thru-wall 120vac line for times that I needed the tractor mobile.

Rgds, D.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Why not use a transfer switch . No extension cords through open doors or windows. This will energize the lights instead of staggering around in the dark. Keep the freezer from thawing and operate the microwave .

I DO have a pto genset to run the whole house, but why run it when I don't need to??

I don't run extension cords through an open door or window, it goes right through the basement wall and I can easily plug the pump into it. No "staggering around in the dark" either......don't you keep flash lights handy, just for this purpose??

We just aren't "panic people" here, who think we have to have a TV, micro and everything else, just because the power is out for a few hours... AND I don't need electricity to get water either...

PTO gen set comes into play, IF the power goes out for days, not a few hours... The freezer is fine for a day, if you keep the lid closed...

SR

 

[ultrarunner]

I DO have a pto genset to run the whole house, but why run it when I don't need to??

I don't run extension cords through an open door or window, it goes right through the basement wall and I can easily plug the pump into it. No "staggering around in the dark" either......don't you keep flashlights handy, just for this purpose??

We just aren't "panic people" here, who think we have to have a TV, micro and everything else, just because the power is out for a few hours... AND I don't need electricity to get water either...

PTO gen set comes into play, IF the power goes out for days, not a few hours... The freezer is fine for a day, if you keep the lid closed...

SR

As kids we thought it was exciting when the power went out... at the cabin grandma would have a nice fire in the fireplace and we played card games by candlelight and made smores...

Hot water was never a problem as it was propane and so was the match light stove. The old rotary dial phone always worked... power or no power... and the transistor radio could be used sparingly because it was battery.

Living in the SF Bay Area it is not so simple for my neighbors...

Can't heat with wood... so almost no has wood and many no longer have wood burning fireplaces as they are banned in new construction.

Garage and Gate openers don't work, Internet is down, Can't charge phones and new phones don't work, Traffic Signals stop working etc.

 

[buickanddeere]

I DO have a pto genset to run the whole house, but why run it when I don't need to??

I don't run extension cords through an open door or window, it goes right through the basement wall and I can easily plug the pump into it. No "staggering around in the dark" either......don't you keep flash lights handy, just for this purpose??

We just aren't "panic people" here, who think we have to have a TV, micro and everything else, just because the power is out for a few hours... AND I don't need electricity to get water either...

PTO gen set comes into play, IF the power goes out for days, not a few hours... The freezer is fine for a day, if you keep the lid closed...

SR

First I knew of your pto generator and a transfer switch.
We had to replace the home 200 amp breaker panel. The new breaker panel has 18 of the 40 breakers on a built in transfer switch up to 60amps. The 200 amp transfer switch outside will power the entire 200 amp panel.

 

[DarkBlack]

Double ended male to welder outlet. Cheap,simple, works for me.