Posted: 9/15/2013 9:38:19 PM EDT
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While watching the SNF game and hearing the thunder, I started thinking that I should get a generator in time for the Seattle fall/winter.
What should I be considering? I'd like to especially hear from anyone who's had one installed and whether or not they'd do anything differently. My neighbor has a 14.5kW Generac propane unit and auto transfer switch. He said at the time he wanted the largest air-cooled unit so he didn't have to worry about coolant. Recommendations? |
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Quoted:
Recommendations? Step One: Figure out which lights, appliances, tools and other electrical devices really NEED to be operated during a power outage. Examples of "NEED" items: 1. Fridge 2. Freezer 3. Essential indoor and outdoor lights 4. Battery chargers for cell phones, laptops, flashlights, etc. 5. Furnace blower 6. Water well pump 7. Basement sump pump Step Two: Find out how much power (watts) each of these essential devices consumes. Some devices will have the power requirements marked on them. Some show the Amps requirement instead, which you can convert to watts by multiplying the amps by the AC voltage (either 120 or 240 volts). Example: A 120 volt device that uses 8 amps draws 960 watts of power. Note that some devices consume a lot more power during their first few seconds of operation, so you need to know both the start-up ("surge") and running watts of each device. You can also use a Generator Sizing Chart. Or, you can buy a Kill-A-Watt on ebay for around 20 bucks, and actually measure the continuous power consumption of your devices. Step Three: Figure out which combination of devices will be operated simultaneously, and which devices only need to be operated occasionally. Step Four: Select a generator that has higher continuous and surge power ratings than your biggest load (or combination of simultaneous loads). Step Five: Decide how long you need to be able to run your generator before running out of fuel, and then size your fuel supply accordingly: 1 gallon of gasoline will give you approx. 5 KWH of power. 1 gallon of propane will give you approx. 4 KWH of power. 1 gallon of diesel will give you approx. 10 KWH of power. So, for example, if you want to be able to run a 3 KW load for 1 continuous week: 3 KW x 7 days x 24 hours/day = 504 KWH of power. If you had a gasoline generator, you would need 504 KWH / 5 KWH per gallon = 100.8 gallons of gasoline. If you had a propane generator, you would need 504 KWH / 4 KWH per gallon = 126 gallons of propane. If you had a diesel generator, you would need 504 KWH / 10 KWH per gallon = 50.4 gallons of diesel. Step Six: Go buy your generator and fuel supply. |