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Posted: 5/8/2024 11:40:32 AM EDT
[Last Edit: danpass]
[#1]
I was ready for Hurricane Ian.
But instead of the power going out it was the internet that went out. My two backups for THAT, my ATT iphone hotspot and my dedicated T-Mobile hotspot unit, both turned out to be crap when the ONE tower in range got overloaded. edit: work from home |
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NC, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 11:42:10 AM EDT
[Last Edit: wwglen]
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By GTwannabe: Consider buying one or more of those big ass Ecoflow battery units as a buffer between the generator and the load. Or even a small/mid size one. Mine is 720 watt-hours. |
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MN, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:07:48 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BlackFox: You live in Minnesota. I live in Florida. It's an odd flex to tell people they don't need AC while sitting in your house in Minnesota  I don't want to say AC is a "necessity" but it's pretty darn important after a hurricane rolls through down here. Taking AC breaks reduces risk of heat stroke and dehydration in 95 to 100 degree weather with very high humidity. It also allows people to sleep and recover. I've gotten close to having serious accidents running chainsaws in the heat after a storm, for example, and don't know that I would have been able to get medical care. Sitting in the AC for 15 minutes changed a lot in those circumstances. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BlackFox: Originally Posted By macpherson: I've always been a little bemused by the idea for many, many people is that they need a generator so they can run their AC. Not many places in the world where AC is absolutely essential for survival vs just comfort. There are plenty of ways to stay cool or just suck it up in a disaster situation. AC is a luxury that mankind didn't even know existed until very recently. You live in Minnesota. I live in Florida. It's an odd flex to tell people they don't need AC while sitting in your house in Minnesota I don't want to say AC is a "necessity" but it's pretty darn important after a hurricane rolls through down here. Taking AC breaks reduces risk of heat stroke and dehydration in 95 to 100 degree weather with very high humidity. It also allows people to sleep and recover. I've gotten close to having serious accidents running chainsaws in the heat after a storm, for example, and don't know that I would have been able to get medical care. Sitting in the AC for 15 minutes changed a lot in those circumstances. You might be surprised but it often gets up to 100* and muggy here in MN summers so I know both ends of the spectrum. Obviously it would be preferable to have AC but I agree with the OP's point, it's not a necessity in most situations and adds considerable cost and logistics to the equation. If you have the money and resources to keep your AC running, go for it. Some people might not, or might overextend themselves trying to provision for a situation where those resources might be better used elsewhere. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:17:32 PM EDT
[#4]
I have a brand-new Duramax dual fuel 13000w generator. I filled it up and started it to test it, but have considered selling it for a invertor generator due to the high noise level.
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USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:34:50 PM EDT
[#5]
I picked up one of those little 4,000 watt "Sportsman" gennies from Home Depot some years back. Dirt cheap. Start it regularly, and it runs like a champ. My power is out right now from a storm - maybe happens four or five times a year - and generally lasts not more than 8 hours (the most ever was four days).
I presently have it hooked to the sump pump (though am going to put in a centrifugal backup soon too dispense with the pain in the ass of a 100+ year old, flooding basement) the wifi, and one light. Plugged in the fridge/freezer for four hours this morning, and will hit it again if the power stays out for another four or five hours. Have a 200 gallon gas tank - which I use for the mowers, little tractors etc - so I'm good to go for a very very long time. Looked into putting a transfer switch out on the pole . . . but my utility company wanted nearly a grand to do it. I just run heavy duty extensions. For the few times a year I need the generator, I'd rather spend another $1000 on ammo. Plugging in cords is a minor inconvenience (drilled a plug-size hole through the door to my garage . . . just unscrew the cover and run the cords into the house from outside) |
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SC, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:37:04 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By macpherson: I've always been a little bemused by the idea for many, many people is that they need a generator so they can run their AC. Not many places in the world where AC is absolutely essential for survival vs just comfort. There are plenty of ways to stay cool or just suck it up in a disaster situation. AC is a luxury that mankind didn't even know existed until very recently. I know it gets warm somewhat in MN, but to quote my father “nothing significant happened in the South before the advent of air conditioning.” Debate all you want, it’s a pretty true statement. It sucks to live in much of the South without AC in the summer and seriously decreases productivity. We’ve been lucky in the last several hurricanes that it brought milder weather after, otherwise it would have sucked. Survivable? Yes. Enjoyable, not at all. 😁 |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:38:42 PM EDT
[#7]
Our plan is to have a 7.5kw or 10kw LP Generac installed when the LP company comes out to put the 1,000gal buried tank in.
I'd like to eventually do solar so we can run stuff off the li-ion batteries and just use the generator to charge those in conjunction with the panels vice having the generator running just waiting for something to need power. I'm retarded when it comes to electrical though, so we'll be paying the stupid tax and having a company install it. Been looking at Tesla's Powerwall. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:38:55 PM EDT
[#8]
Honda eu2000 here. Installed Hutch Mountain trifuel kit. Have 50gal on hand, plenty of nat gas for genny as long as it's flowing. Anyone who's serious, should have a gas sipping genny and the multi-fuel option.
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:40:23 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TimeIsMoney: Honda eu2000 here. Installed Hutch Mountain trifuel kit. Have 50gal on hand, plenty of nat gas for genny as long as it's flowing. Anyone who's serious, should have a gas sipping genny and the multi-fuel option. Especially now that many natural gas plants rely on electricity to move the gas. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 12:43:15 PM EDT
[#10]
I remember this. Thanks for the repost. Good info.
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Posted: 5/8/2024 1:02:48 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Admiral_Crunch]
[#11]
The longest I’ve gone without power in recent memory is about 2.5 days.
I have a 2000w inverter generator that I ran on my back deck, and I just ran an extension cord in a cracked-open window to the kitchen, where I would swap the cord between my fridge and freezer and also had a power strip with various battery and phone chargers and a lamp. If I needed light elsewhere, I just used flashlights. I would run each freezer for a few hours, then I would rest the generator for a couple of hours before repeating the cycle. I would just turn everything off while I slept. I have a ThruNight light that takes four 18650 batteries, and at the lowest setting, which is basically like a nightlight, it will run continuously for 2-3 days on one charge. I kept that in the bedroom. Fortunately, I still had cell service, so I could access the Internet, which was very nice. I also have a gas fireplace that needs no electricity to operate, so I just used that for heat. If it had gone longer, I had gotten the idea of wiring in a power plug and receptacle for the controller for the gas furnace, instead of having it direct wired. Then I could run an extension cord to the furnace to operate it if it got too cold. |
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MI, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 1:19:42 PM EDT
[#12]
BTW, on the topic of being energy conservative and stretching out your fuel supply;
I have the SensorPush suite of products. The sensors are battery operated and continuously logging (~30 days before it overwrites the oldest data). The sensors have Bluetooth, and can be paired with the phone app as-is, but I also added their WiFi Gateway that allows me to receive alerts and view realtime data anywhere my phone can receive data (as long as the Gateway has power and my internet is working). I can set alerts for things like temperature, humidity etc. (eg. If the freezer temps hit 15f, it sends an alert to my phone, even if I’m out of state. Can call home and say, “Hey, I think someone left the ### freezer door slightly ajar. Temps are climbing”. In a power outage, though, the sensors can still pair (and send alarms) via Bluetooth, as long as the phone is within range (and not dead). I can also view the temps in real time., as well as see the graphs showing temps rising/falling. This allows me to see how quickly the freezers/fridge temps are rising, AND how quickly they’re cooling back down when powered, which allows me to fine tune usage to the absolute minimum to keep things cold, if I think I need to really conserve fuel/battery backup life etc. The benefits of being able to set alarms, is already great, but especially for folks in, say, hurricane territory, where you may have power outages extending into weeks, the ability to fine tune fuel usage to keep the freezer/fridge cold, is something worth considering.  
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Posted: 5/8/2024 1:52:56 PM EDT
[Last Edit: jaqufrost]
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By buck19delta: I'd love to have solar, but realistically the only thing it could do for me, would be to offer a small charged battery bank capable of powering some basic electronics, like recharging phones, tablets, flash lights or perhaps running my ham radio or such. Simply because solar is expensive and I'd only be able to afford a simple, small set up. Which would be useful in certain situations, such as extended / frequent power outages. I'd love a big set up, capable of powering the whole house, etc, but simply can't justify it on my current budget. If I had millions, sure, I'd 100% have a big solar set up along with several other things. If you're handy (which you clearly are), you can put your own system together. If you're in a decent sun area it will pay off. For the most part, you're either going to spend that money on your monthly bill or purchase your own generation capability. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:03:10 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By jaqufrost: What's your cost per kwh for electricity? Average electrical bill? Rough location? If you're handy (which you clearly are), you can put your own system together. If you're in a decent sun area it will pay off. For the most part, you're either going to spend that money on your monthly bill or purchase your own generation capability. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By jaqufrost: Originally Posted By buck19delta: I'd love to have solar, but realistically the only thing it could do for me, would be to offer a small charged battery bank capable of powering some basic electronics, like recharging phones, tablets, flash lights or perhaps running my ham radio or such. Simply because solar is expensive and I'd only be able to afford a simple, small set up. Which would be useful in certain situations, such as extended / frequent power outages. I'd love a big set up, capable of powering the whole house, etc, but simply can't justify it on my current budget. If I had millions, sure, I'd 100% have a big solar set up along with several other things. If you're handy (which you clearly are), you can put your own system together. If you're in a decent sun area it will pay off. For the most part, you're either going to spend that money on your monthly bill or purchase your own generation capability. I've been slowly looking into it, but I will want to ground mount probably 50-75 yards from the house. |
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NC, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:17:45 PM EDT
[Last Edit: wwglen]
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kanati: Did you roof mount or ground mount? I've been slowly looking into it, but I will want to ground mount probably 50-75 yards from the house. At 50-75 yards, you will probably want to have a small shed/enclosure with the inverters and batteries out there. That way you can bring in the higher voltage AC into the house and have less line losses. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:20:35 PM EDT
[#16]
On AC:
I get that for some it can be a significant when it comes to health issues. Realistically though the vast majority of the world lives in warm climates with no AC and in truth it wasn't even a thing in much of America until recent years. Despite that people still manage even with very hard manual labor such as cotton fields and banana plantations. But I am certainly not saying we should put grandma out to pasture just maybe to prepare alternative solutions such as better airflow in homes and picking your working hours. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:22:03 PM EDT
[Last Edit: jaqufrost]
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kanati: Did you roof mount or ground mount? I've been slowly looking into it, but I will want to ground mount probably 50-75 yards from the house. Small array.  Attached File Attached FileLarge array.  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:22:44 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Canoeguy: On AC: I get that for some it can be a significant when it comes to health issues. Realistically though the vast majority of the world lives in warm climates with no AC and in truth it wasn't even a thing in much of America until recent years. Despite that people still manage even with very hard manual labor such as cotton fields and banana plantations. But I am certainly not saying we should put grandma out to pasture just maybe to prepare alternative solutions such as better airflow in homes and picking your working hours. A 5k BTU window unit can keep a bedroom cool enough for everyone to sleep in and still be small enough to run on a 2K inverter. Even if it can't keep it at the 67 degrees you want, just knocking the humidity down combined with a fan is a huge a boon for sleeping. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:23:26 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By wwglen: At 50-75 yards, you will probably want to have a small shed/enclosure with the inverters and batteries out there. That way you can bring in the higher voltage AC into the house and have less line losses. A high voltage design can lower your amperage a bit. My Huyandai panels can handle 1000v, but my inverters top out at 480v. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:24:39 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By jaqufrost: Ground mount with enough room underneath to park my cars. Small array. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/57761/20231217_164111_jpg-3208851.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/57761/20240119_172949_jpg-3208852.JPG Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By jaqufrost: Originally Posted By Kanati: Did you roof mount or ground mount? I've been slowly looking into it, but I will want to ground mount probably 50-75 yards from the house. Small array. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/57761/20231217_164111_jpg-3208851.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/57761/20240119_172949_jpg-3208852.JPG That would get me down to about 25 yards. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 2:26:16 PM EDT
[Last Edit: jaqufrost]
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kanati: I didn't think about building a car-port out of them... That would get me down to about 25 yards. It'll save my truck from hail damage ETA: 25 yards is fairly manageable. 8ga cable isn't too expensive. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:26:30 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bluemax_1: Commercially installed = expensive. If you’re willing to DIY, the costs are substantially lower. Monocrystalline 100w panels are available at numerous places for ~$5x.xx. You could cover your own roof with 100 of them (if you have room). Batteries, chargers, inverters; possible to install your setup for $10k - $15k, depending on how big you’re going. Yeah the nice thing about Solar is that its very scalable to what you want to do. For example I just have a small/mid sized emergency system that I cobbled together (this is not hard, but not turnkey either, if you want turnkey you pay a premium price) Price here is what I recall paying a few years ago and may be up/down. 2x Chins LiFe PO4 12V 100ah (1200Wh) battery $2-300 (enough battery capacity to run fridges for 24hrs each) Renogy 1000W inverter (they bigger and smaller ones) $150 (plenty to run 2 fridges, charge electronics/phones whatever) 2x Dokio 300W portable solar panels ~250 ea. (these come with charge controllers) I also have a CIGS setup I got a long time ago that adds like 240W of panel IIRC. You can certainly save a few bucks by using 100W fixed panels instead these days, they run 50c/watt on the 2nd hand market. You can also go "cheaper" initially by using 100ah AGM batteries but they won't last as long as LiFePO4. but go for about 100 bucks per batt. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:31:22 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By buck19delta: I’d love to have solar, but realistically the only thing it could do for me, would be to offer a small charged battery bank capable of powering some basic electronics, like recharging phones, tablets, flash lights or perhaps running my ham radio or such. Simply because solar is expensive and I’d only be able to afford a simple, small set up. Which would be useful in certain situations, such as extended / frequent power outages. I’d love a big set up, capable of powering the whole house, etc, but simply can’t justify it on my current budget. If I had millions, sure, I’d 100% have a big solar set up along with several other things. Honestly a small setup is not that expensive and can be portable as well. Plus you can basically expand as you go if you plan it right. I started with 1 set of panels and a 100ah battery and a shitty "free" inverter and slowly upgraded it. I will caution though that there are limits to that scaling, while I can easily expand the capacity of my battery system, its not ever really gonna run my whole house. Same thing with the panels/inverters I'm using. But it can definitely get me through 2 days of no power with very little sunlight, or more realistically nearly indefinitely if the sun keeps shining. But my use case is basically emergency power only. I also have an older 5KW generator, but its been more than few years since I've used it and I don't trust it much, plus its loud as fuck and sucks gas which I can't really store huge amounts of. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:31:45 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Harlikwin]
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Canoeguy: I have full intentions of setting up one to run my freezers and some bonus led lights. But that alone is going to likely be 5k. You can do it for well under 1K. See above. The biggest thing to figure out is actually how much Battery power you need. So get a Kill-a-watt meter. Plug it in-between your fridge and an outlet, wait 24hrs. See how many watt hours it ate. Then do the same for the next device you need. Also look at the startup current when you first plug it in so you can get an appropriately sized inverter. Then go shopping. In terms of sizing a solar array basically look at the watt rating of the panels and make peace with the fact its a lie. At best you'll get like 75% of that when sunny, more likely 50% or less if its cloudy/not perfect. 50% is a good ballpark number to work from. Then multiply whatever wattage by 4-5 hours to get a reasonable estimate for how much power that panel will produce daily (peak sun hours). Mind you, you still need to run them from sunup/sundown to get that. So for example. I've got a 12V 100ah battery, so 1200Wh (more than good enough to run 2 fridges 24hrs for me, I forget exactly how much they need but like 800wH from memory) If I have 1 300W panel, realistically its gonna produce 150-225W on average (its sunny where I live) times 5h so 1125-750wh per day. So I can more or less recharge it to most of its capacity each day. In my case I opted for 2 panels so more than enough to recharge 1 battery full time, and I have 2nd to serve as a backup/reserve. Total cost for 1 battery and 1 panel and an inverter is like 6-700 bucks, and you can expand it to 2-3 batteries or panels at your leisure. |
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MI, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:32:00 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Canoeguy: On AC: I get that for some it can be a significant when it comes to health issues. Realistically though the vast majority of the world lives in warm climates with no AC and in truth it wasn't even a thing in much of America until recent years. Despite that people still manage even with very hard manual labor such as cotton fields and banana plantations. But I am certainly not saying we should put grandma out to pasture just maybe to prepare alternative solutions such as better airflow in homes and picking your working hours. I’ve traveled to those countries, and seen some of the old estates down South. One consideration is that a lot of newer buildings are built FOR HVAC. The houses made for no A/C have numerous design features for airflow/ventilation, and humidity resistance that the newer HVAC oriented designs may omit. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:35:29 PM EDT
[#26]
Dual fuel is the ticket. One more option for gas shortages.
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:42:00 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Harlikwin: You can do it for well under 1K. See above. I don’t mean solar for a set number of hours. I mean completely independent 24 hours a day, rainy days and not. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:46:59 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Canoeguy: I don’t mean solar for a set number of hours. I mean completely independent 24 hours a day, rainy days and not. I mean thats gonna depend on where you live/weather. But yeah if you are talking a full house off grid system, that gets spendy. Realistically, folks doing that need to look at new appliances etc to reduce their consumption, cuz that will pay big dividends when sizing a system. And TBH a hybrid system in those cases is often a good idea. I've seen multiple off grid cabin setups with pretty modest solar/batt systems, because they are mostly using very efficient 12V RV type setups for power. Batteries are generally a good part of that cost. But if you can not use electric for heat/cooling/clothes drying those are the big electricty hogs. And there are gas/water options for at least some of those. |
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USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:08:14 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By GTwannabe: Consider buying one or more of those big ass Ecoflow battery units as a buffer between the generator and the load. You could also do a couple small solar panels, deep cycle battery, and sine wave inverter that will handle most small loads with zero gas. I have a small set up in my garage that can run 1,500 watts fairly well. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:13:36 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Millennial: Our power was out for about a week here last summer/fall. I work from home and made due with a little 2200w generator on the front porch and extension cords. I have gas appliances, charcoal grill, and city water/sewer. So I only I ran it about 50% of the time to keep my laptop charged and the fridge cold. It also kept the lights and TV working when it was running. Honestly I've thought about getting like a 5000-6000w little 120/240v generator, tripping my service mains breaker and also the A/C breaker to "off", then just plugging the genset into my 50A welding outlet with a homemade suicide plug to put 120v on each leg of the breaker box. Other than the A/C I turned off, I don't have any other appliance or anything that uses 240v. @Millennial. I haven’t lost power thst long. But Everytime I have it’s a pain. But I’ve got a 50a circuit for a hot tub…. But I don’t have a hot tub so I’d use that. From what I’ve read if you swap stuff around to RV plugs it’s easy to back feed your house. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:13:47 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TheOtherDave: I use a propane on demand hot water unit similar to the one in the OP, it works really, really well and cost $180. Ignites off of 2 “D” cells and gives hot water literally in seconds. I use it in my solar off grid cabin-we were using a 3 gallon pesticide pump sprayer before that and it worked well. Water and everything to do with it are the biggest consumers of power in my cabin-pumping it out of the ground, heating it for showers, heating it for meals, heating it for cleaning dishes etc. going to a propane unit like this was a big step up for quality of life until I can get the rest of my solar installed and use a water heater as a dump load. Awesome thread I have one of the propane camp heaters as well. Great for a shower, dishes, saved the day in the winter a few times. You can pair one with a spot sprayer from tsc or similar that gets you a12v pump, 15 gallon tank you can fill easily , for $70 or more for bigger. |
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USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:20:22 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Canoeguy: I don’t mean solar for a set number of hours. I mean completely independent 24 hours a day, rainy days and not. My guess is you would want around 7kw solar system with about 20kWh battery backup. That would get you through almost anything pretty well. |
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USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:24:53 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By macpherson: I've always been a little bemused by the idea for many, many people is that they need a generator so they can run their AC. Not many places in the world where AC is absolutely essential for survival vs just comfort. There are plenty of ways to stay cool or just suck it up in a disaster situation. AC is a luxury that mankind didn't even know existed until very recently. Agreed, up to a point. Stick to one room, lots of blankets and small heaters, or a fan... Most folks, you're good. My parents (older) are in Texas, where extreme heat and/or cold can be pretty rough on the elderly. We've seen week-long power outages in the last couple years hit there. Mom's been intrigued with the idea of a "solar generator". In the past, I didn't see those as viable, paying thousands to have something that will power your... TV? Charge your phone? Who cares? I've been telling her – Winter: Get a Big Buddy heater and get some extra tanks of propane that can also be used for the grill. Summer: Not as sure on for a solution. Take lots of cold showers? Sit in the car with the AC on to cool off? :) If they had a normal $1000 HF 5000 watt inverter and a few tanks of gas and propane, they could probably run a small room AC or a minisplit for a week. Just starting to look into whether solar/batteries have gotten to the point where there's anywhere near an affordable/as-good-as-gas jenny AC-powering option. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:32:46 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Carpe_Carp: I picked up one of those little 4,000 watt "Sportsman" gennies from Home Depot some years back. Dirt cheap. Start it regularly, and it runs like a champ. My power is out right now from a storm - maybe happens four or five times a year - and generally lasts not more than 8 hours (the most ever was four days). I presently have it hooked to the sump pump (though am going to put in a centrifugal backup soon too dispense with the pain in the ass of a 100+ year old, flooding basement) the wifi, and one light. Plugged in the fridge/freezer for four hours this morning, and will hit it again if the power stays out for another four or five hours. Have a 200 gallon gas tank - which I use for the mowers, little tractors etc - so I'm good to go for a very very long time. Looked into putting a transfer switch out on the pole . . . but my utility company wanted nearly a grand to do it. I just run heavy duty extensions. For the few times a year I need the generator, I'd rather spend another $1000 on ammo. Plugging in cords is a minor inconvenience (drilled a plug-size hole through the door to my garage . . . just unscrew the cover and run the cords into the house from outside) My power just went out about 20 minutes ago,
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FL, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 5:43:14 PM EDT
[#35]
As a Floridian that have gone through several power outages due to hurricanes my philosophy is to go minimalist.
For a power outage that last a few days I don't need to power my whole house. I have a 2350 W generator that will power a refrigerator, a small backup bedroom window AC, lights, fan and other small electronics. It is relatively quiet and fuel efficient. Five gallons of gas will run the generator under a good load for about three days. At the start of the hurricane season I usually store up 20-25 gallons of gas that will keep the generator going for about three weeks. If I don't use the gas I just put it into the vehicle at the end of the season. The trouble with a large generator is that it will take a ton of fuel. Yea, you get more electricity for more things but do you really need them? |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 7:03:07 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Lawmonkey: My guess is you would want around 7kw solar system with about 20kWh battery backup. That would get you through almost anything pretty well. Which is a decent sized set up. A lot of folks are talking about battery backups which I think is great. In fact I would say that in most real instances would be more than enough for most folks. But it would not have worked in Panama and it would not help here in serious extended circumstances. But I am not criticizing any suggestions as they are all great and all likely fit into someone’s wants and perceived needs. We all imagine our own SHTF scenarios. A week or two with no power wouldn’t affect me in the least. My scenario is a massive infrastructure attack that genuinely cripples our country. Far fetched? Maybe…but a lot of people seem to be warning us of that very thing. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 7:14:10 PM EDT
[#37]
I've got my kids insulin to keep cold. I've got a years worth, but it all goes bad without a working fridge.
So first is the whole home battery backup solar, then the 9k generator feed for the whole home batteries, then a 4500w inverter followed by a 2k solar generator, next is the 500w inverter generator that I bought to feed the 2k solar setup. I try to keep around 100 gallons of stabilized fuel for the generators and three fridges (two with insulin split between them and a third propane fridge in backup). At this point I'm about as set as I can be. Every electrical load I have can be sacrificed to keep a fridge running. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 7:30:02 PM EDT
[#38]
I can A/C the entire living area, run the well, water heater, fridge/chest freezer, fans, lights/TV/Stereo with less than 5 gallons of gas a day. All with judicious use of 4 different sized gennies running at different times.
Much cheaper than a hotel and we're here to protect our possessions and feed the gators pesky looters if necessary. PSA. Your 79cc advertised 2,500Watt peak gennie is really a 1,800-1,900 watt continuous watt gennie at best. If it's ever tasked with a 2,500 watt load it may try to provide it for the few milliseconds it takes it to go into overload and shut down. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 7:37:02 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By nowgrn4: I can A/C the entire living area, run the well, water heater, fridge/chest freezer, fans, lights/TV/Stereo with less than 5 gallons of gas a day. All with judicious use of 4 different sized gennies running at different times. Much cheaper than a hotel and we're here to protect our possessions and feed the gators pesky looters if necessary. PSA. Your 79cc advertised 2,500Watt peak gennie is really a 1,800-1,900 watt continuous watt gennie at best. If it's ever tasked with a 2,500 watt load it may try to provide it for the few milliseconds it takes it to go into overload and shut down. 5 gallons allows me to keep my freezers, get info, and have lights for 10 days. |
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NC, USA
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Posted: 5/8/2024 7:47:19 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By nowgrn4: I can A/C the entire living area, run the well, water heater, fridge/chest freezer, fans, lights/TV/Stereo with less than 5 gallons of gas a day. All with judicious use of 4 different sized gennies running at different times. Much cheaper than a hotel and we're here to protect our possessions and feed the gators pesky looters if necessary. PSA. Your 79cc advertised 2,500Watt peak gennie is really a 1,800-1,900 watt continuous watt gennie at best. If it's ever tasked with a 2,500 watt load it may try to provide it for the few milliseconds it takes it to go into overload and shut down. My setup should allow me to keep one large room with AC (8000 BTU inverter AC), lights, two refrigerators, TV and charge devices for 1.5-2 gallons a day. If I drop off the AC and use fans, I will be using about 1/4 - 1/2 gallon a day. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 7:52:14 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By jaqufrost: I've got my kids insulin to keep cold. I've got a years worth, but it all goes bad without a working fridge. So first is the whole home battery backup solar, then the 9k generator feed for the whole home batteries, then a 4500w inverter followed by a 2k solar generator, next is the 500w inverter generator that I bought to feed the 2k solar setup. I try to keep around 100 gallons of stabilized fuel for the generators and three fridges (two with insulin split between them and a third propane fridge in backup). At this point I'm about as set as I can be. Every electrical load I have can be sacrificed to keep a fridge running. Fridge in storm / safe room? |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 8:42:52 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By wwglen: My setup should allow me to keep one large room with AC (8000 BTU inverter AC), lights, two refrigerators, TV and charge devices for 1.5-2 gallons a day. If I drop off the AC and use fans, I will be using about 1/4 - 1/2 gallon a day. lol |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 8:52:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Ben]
[#43]
I run my house, which has no grid power, by simply having a 3300W lithium battery with a built in inverter, which I run a 2000w generator for about 2 hours every other day to charge. It literally costs me what comes out to less than 2 dollars a day.
Of course, to be fair my fridge, freezer, water heater, and stove are all propane... |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 8:56:25 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoe17: Fridge in storm / safe room? We get way too many pharaceuticals from China and that will dry up if hostilities begin. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 9:00:43 PM EDT
[#45]
My pandemic generator is still in a box. I don't have the inclination to deal with gas and/or oil. All it has done is mess up my wood floor thanks to the staples after using it as nightstand.
Probably went 3-5 days without power in 2021 or 2022. All I needed was a shower which was no problem. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 9:05:17 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Ben: I run my house, which has no grid power, by simply having a 3300W lithium battery with a built in inverter, which I run a 2000w generator for about 2 hours every other day to charge. It literally costs me what comes out to less than 2 dollars a day. Of course, to be fair my fridge, freezer, water heater, and stove are all propane... You run some LED light bulbs a router and computer? |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 9:08:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Ben]
[#47]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Harlikwin: You run some LED light bulbs a router and computer? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Harlikwin: Originally Posted By Ben: I run my house, which has no grid power, by simply having a 3300W lithium battery with a built in inverter, which I run a 2000w generator for about 2 hours every other day to charge. It literally costs me what comes out to less than 2 dollars a day. Of course, to be fair my fridge, freezer, water heater, and stove are all propane... You run some LED light bulbs a router and computer? Light bulbs, well pump, starlink, computer, a couple small VHF/UHF radios, and then whatever I plug in at a given moment (ie vacuum). But I definitely use way less power than most families. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 9:10:11 PM EDT
[#48]
Thanks op. Needs to be a saved and non deleting thread.
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Posted: 5/8/2024 9:28:51 PM EDT
[#49]
I’ve got a Generac GP3300i and it’s came in quite handy several times.
Thinking about grabbing a 2200 like a champion and a power station with a 200-300w portable solar array. All of that should keep me going for a while. Also some of it will get used for camping trips. |
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Posted: 5/8/2024 9:42:51 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Equestrian: Awesome thread I have one of the propane camp heaters as well. Great for a shower, dishes, saved the day in the winter a few times. You can pair one with a spot sprayer from tsc or similar that gets you a12v pump, 15 gallon tank you can fill easily , for $70 or more for bigger. The 12V pump would have been a good solution for our cabin showers when we were humping our water, now I have the well plumbed to the propane hot water unit and it turns itself on automatically whenever the pressure in the water line drops. It’s kind of a pain in the winter because it’s one more thing to winterize when I leave but it’s daaaaamn nice to take a hot shower every day, especially when it’s summer and I’ve been cutting wood all day. |
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