Posted: 3/24/2008 12:30:13 PM EDT
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As we shop for a house I'm also looking for a permanent generator to have installed upon moving in. Seems most of the house size generators are either natural gas or propane. How stable is natural gas delivery expected to be in a SHTF? Aside from an earthquake that disrupts the delivery system, do those of you with natural gas generators expect the supply to continue until the rest of services are restored? For those with propane generators, how much propane are you storing? How long will your generator run at 50% load? Are there diesel house sized generators out there? |
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i'll go in reverse order. yes there are house size diesel generators, there are even small town size diesel generators. i don't currently have a propane genny, but i do have a 300 gallon propane tank - i have a propane hot water heater. iirc, northern tool sells propane gennys for the house. i would expect that natural gas is pushed using electric pumps (i'm guessing here), so if there was a wide spread power outage, for an extended time period, you may not get gas. and in an earthquake, i'd bet you'd lose your n/g. |
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I would definitely not count on NG in the aftermath of an earthquake. Otherwise, our NG supply has never been disrupted even during long term power outages from windstorms. A generator that could run on NG would be nice for typical power outages. Have you considered a dual fuel and tri-fuel generator that could operate on gasoline, propane, or NG with only minor modifications? Kits can even be obtained to convert some older generators over to propane and/or NG. The ability to use more than one type of fuel would sure cover a few more bases. And yes, as has been mentioned, diesel generators come in all sizes including ones approriate to run a house. |
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Hi, we were going to get a propane genny installed this year and then the van died. So we will still get it we just have to split it into this year and next. There are some substantial costs involved. These are our costs: A new electrical box needs to be installed $1000.00 A hole needs to be dug for the propane tank $500.00 Old oil tank to be removed Cost to be determined For the size of our house and our electrical needs we need a 1000 gallon propane tank. This gives us about 800 usable gallons of propane. Cost $2700 plus $85.00 per hour installation fee. We are getting a new propane furnace $6000.00 This is a separate cost but I have to pay for it at the same time. The generator that will do us the most good costs $3000.00 Installation is extra but I forget the number. Good luck with your installation. I look forward to finishing mine next year. Rob |
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Natural gas will be the LAST utility to go out in a SHTF situation. It would have to be REALLY bad to have a disruption of any magnitude. The worse you would ever probably experience would be a local disruption from a "dig in" on the main and even then, if it was a 2 way feed it would disrupt little. The biggest issue with NG generators is that, depending on the size of the unit, you might have to move up in meter size [425] or elevated pressure. [instead of 7 inches of delivery you might have a 1/2 lb delivery and regulate down as it goes into the house and at the generator to 7 inches unless the gen is set for 10 inches. |
It happens. The last major power outage in my subdivision was caused by a phone company worker accidentally digging into a natural gas line. Nobody was injured, but the resulting fire burned though the underground power lines a few minutes later. Result: No electricity, and no natural gas. I could see an earthquake simultaneously causing the same problem in many residential areas - Typically, all of the utilities are buried within a few inches of each other, along the same easements. Even in areas without buried utilities, power and telephone poles could be set on fire. |
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I have a US Carb kit for propane or natural gas or gasoline. I believe it's the c-kit. here |
| If you want my advise go LP vapor based or dual fuel. NG and LPV. If you want this for a long term SHTF even NG may fail. Get a 500 or even 1000g tank and bury it. This way you run on NG for the duration of your standard ice storms and the like. I say LPV because if you do liquid withdrawal you need to run a heater 24/7 and that can get expensive. You are limited to to the size on LPV but should be fine with your standard 15kw. If you have a 10,00sq ft house that may not cut it but your standard size should be fine. I have been a generator tech for 13 yrs so if you need more help on sizing and brands pls e-mail/pm me. |
I know it happens, I work on the NG side of a large utility. 
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I have a whole house natural gas generator 13 KW Generac. It has worked great for over 4 years now with only once a year maintenance. I never have to worry about fuel levels Living out in the "Boonies" I have had several power outages. One in the summer lasted 17 hours, ran every thing including the A/C. The longest was 22 hours last winter. I had the only running water well or regular heat in the area. As said before, natural gas will be the last utility to go down. It is even better now since they have replaced the older steel pipe with the newer flexible tubing. We should be prepared for the worst. All NG generators can be switched over to propane easily. Read the manual and have the parts on hand. It looks like a 10 minute job. Right now I have two 100lb propane tanks for SHTF back-up. Hoping to get a larger tank when I can find one cheap
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I'm going propane for my heat, water and generator on my new build. Haven't decided on a supplier for the tank yet. One option that has been offered to me is a used propane tank with new fittings. It's ~ $1,500 for a 1,000 gal tank. As far as the generator it'll be propane powered. I plan on going with a manual transfer switch. Any reason you are burying the tank? I thought about that but down the road won't you have to eventually replace the anodes? Seems like less maintenance above ground. Your thoughts? |
Actually I think they run on NG. |
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I'm getting the 1000 gallon unit because I want to be able to run for two weeks in the dead of winter minimum. What I am running off of the unit is my well pump, furnace, range/stove, 2 refrigerators, 2 freezers, light electrical use and water heater. This at normal usage volume, 3 adults one toddler, should last me for the two weeks without rationing. Tanks: I'm buying new for two reasons: I don't trust used items on big purchases. I was told by a local reputable company that I rent from that "If I didn't buy more fuel from them they would take the tanks." I thought Expletive Deleted you sir. I don't want to be placed in that position again. I chose the in ground for looks. Also the neighbor kids can break anything they see by accident. They just look at something and it breaks. Furnace: I am getting ac for that price. It was market competitive. It was also 4k cheaper than another quote. However, it still hurts when I sit. I wish I could get NG but I was told there was no pipeline where I am. Rob |