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Let’s talk generators


Emerald525

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On 2/19/2021 at 12:56 PM, Emerald525 said:

@freddyk good information. I think my best bet is to get a generator that can run off propane and store that. You don’t have to worry about it going bad or the entire house blowing up in the event of a fire. 
 

This is highly rated by consumer reports as far as generators but doesn’t run off propane. I would consider getting this one for the power and features.

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I think I’m leaning towards getting an electrician to put in a transfer switch and then getting a portable generator that rinds on propane and storing propane. The fancy one @suncrestreef has is tempting but from a risk benefit ratio I think just having a portable ready to go with at least 8000w . Here’s an estimate of power usage.  That’s a great tip if having light sources that don’t run on electricity as lights can use a lot.

B48E44F3-9697-4316-8613-E0B5A559C8E4.jpeg

 

 

Then  maybe a power starion for the night may be what I do.

26CEC3C0-026D-4023-8F49-52ABDB70F620.jpeg

Interestly my dad who lives in Texas has hoarded gasoline in his garage for years. He takes advantage of the points discounts and loads up. We used to laugh at him and also told him that’s dangerous but during the power outage he had plenty of gas.😂 Whose laughing now.

 

The power stations can be spendy too but I would maybe save for that later.  I will wait as I’m sure given all the power failures demand has gone up on all these items.

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Reef tank - 1 million watts. 😂

Only growers running metal halides use more juice than us!

 

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Interlock is cheap and easy if you have room in the panel.  If not, it will be a bit spendier to move stuff or add a subpanel.

An interlock is a tiny bit more work when the power goes out, but not a big deal.

Harbor freight generators are powerful for the $$ and highly rated.  You don't need the inverter type necessarily just AVR to keep your voltage in check. 

Your research may vary though.

To be ready, you can put a magnetic flashlight on your breaker panel and a print out the list of steps like (customize for your setup):

- Kill the main breaker

- Turn off all breakers

- Engage the interlock

- Turn on fuel line on generator

- Turn on generator choke

- Start pulling (or electric start...)

- Once generator starts and runs for a couple minutes

- Engage interlock

- Selectively turn on circuits.  For us, all of our 110v circuits but nothing like the heat pump or water heater.

Enjoy, your neighbors will be stopping by because the lights will be on!  You will feel like a hero. 

We usually get a call 'Is your power back on?'  The Griswold in me loves it...

 

When the power comes back on reverse the steps.  (check your neighbors lights out the window, its hard to tell)

Also, to avoid the ethanol problems do this simple trick. 

Turn off your fuel line switch while the generator is still running.  Don't manually stop it, let it run out of gas on its own in a couple of minutes.  This drains the fuel system dry and avoids allot of problems.

Also, always treat the fuel you put in.  Never let untreated fuel get in.

I use cheap old regular gas with these steps.  Generator has lasted through many power outages about 8 years with no carb problems at all, always starts right up.

Sharing for what its worth, ymmv.

 

 

 

 

 

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maybe someone mentioned this but i found a product called a generlink which seems like an interesting product.  Not sure if it's allowed here in OR or by PGE but i like how simple it is and switching off the breakers i don't need is easy.   

http://www.generlink.com/generlink.html 

we have a 3500 watt generator that worked great and would have been more than enough for the 120 gallon tank i had when i bought the generator but now i have a bigger setup so it was a little undersized for the tank and house.  i got a 5000w generator off amazon but instead of one they delivered two on back-to-back days.  i told the 2nd delivery guy one was already delivered and he said it looks like you get two for the price of one.  i contacted customer service and they'll be picking up the 2nd one which is disappointing but what i expected.  i thought maybe Jeff Bezos was feeling generous.  

 

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44 minutes ago, kilmca said:

maybe someone mentioned this but i found a product called a generlink which seems like an interesting product.  Not sure if it's allowed here in OR or by PGE but i like how simple it is and switching off the breakers i don't need is easy.   

http://www.generlink.com/generlink.html 

we have a 3500 watt generator that worked great and would have been more than enough for the 120 gallon tank i had when i bought the generator but now i have a bigger setup so it was a little undersized for the tank and house.  i got a 5000w generator off amazon but instead of one they delivered two on back-to-back days.  i told the 2nd delivery guy one was already delivered and he said it looks like you get two for the price of one.  i contacted customer service and they'll be picking up the 2nd one which is disappointing but what i expected.  i thought maybe Jeff Bezos was feeling generous.  

 

That's cool!  Takes a utility person to install, but no issues with panel space.  Interesting!

 

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1 hour ago, kilmca said:

maybe someone mentioned this but i found a product called a generlink which seems like an interesting product.  Not sure if it's allowed here in OR or by PGE but i like how simple it is and switching off the breakers i don't need is easy.   

http://www.generlink.com/generlink.html 

we have a 3500 watt generator that worked great and would have been more than enough for the 120 gallon tank i had when i bought the generator but now i have a bigger setup so it was a little undersized for the tank and house.  i got a 5000w generator off amazon but instead of one they delivered two on back-to-back days.  i told the 2nd delivery guy one was already delivered and he said it looks like you get two for the price of one.  i contacted customer service and they'll be picking up the 2nd one which is disappointing but what i expected.  i thought maybe Jeff Bezos was feeling generous.  

 

Yeah, I checked out their site but couldn't find a reference to which regions/power companies allowed it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just an update I’m going to have an electrician install a transfer switch it’s going to cost a little more because I have 2 electrical panels and he will need to relocate some of the circuits to one panel.

D8A83F47-B4EB-4414-82D3-682F20C482BC.jpeg

The Max cost will be 1500 dollars but worth it to me and a cheaper option than the generac systems. 

This is the generator I’m getting. it had good reviews. 

39B8BEB9-4855-4B41-8E42-9D387A2525DE.jpeg

 

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19 hours ago, Emerald525 said:

Just an update I’m going to have an electrician install a transfer switch it’s going to cost a little more because I have 2 electrical panels and he will need to relocate some of the circuits to one panel.

D8A83F47-B4EB-4414-82D3-682F20C482BC.jpeg

The Max cost will be 1500 dollars but worth it to me and a cheaper option than the generac systems. 

This is the generator I’m getting. it had good reviews. 

39B8BEB9-4855-4B41-8E42-9D387A2525DE.jpeg

 

That's a beast, you will love it all that power!  Transfer switch is easy and cost effective.  Yes full auto generator is better but this sure seems like a sensible trade off!

 

 

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7 minutes ago, TheClark said:

That's a beast, you will love it all that power!  Transfer switch is easy and cost effective.  Yes full auto generator is better but this sure seems like a sensible trade off!

 

 

Thanks . I definitely think like in aquariums you’re always better off with too much power than not enough.  I was going to get the dual propane / gas but it sounds like they burn through propane pretty quickly. 

This thing is heavy but it will be easy enough for me to wheel it from the shop to the plug so it made sense. 

 

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48 minutes ago, Emerald525 said:

Thanks . I definitely think like in aquariums you’re always better off with too much power than not enough.  I was going to get the dual propane / gas but it sounds like they burn through propane pretty quickly. 

This thing is heavy but it will be easy enough for me to wheel it from the shop to the plug so it made sense. 

 

Right!  You did the homework.   Everyone's needs are different I suppose but this is similar to our setup here...

Consider having a headlamp ready near it though and do a dry run before it matters.  Sucks to figure it out in the wind and rain and possibly no youtube 😂

 

 

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55 minutes ago, TheClark said:

Right!  You did the homework.   Everyone's needs are different I suppose but this is similar to our setup here...

Consider having a headlamp ready near it though and do a dry run before it matters.  Sucks to figure it out in the wind and rain and possibly no youtube 😂

 

 

That’s the plan. I have head lamps all over the place for running when it is darker in the mornings. Thanks for the tip about the list. I did that for the RV and worked well.  It would also be nice to make sure the thing actually works.  I got a little tent for it too so I can keep it well away from the house . CO poisoning is no joke.  Next year I will likely invest in a fancy power station. 
84CE312D-09B4-4C6F-BF34-3FECA8AE227D.jpeg


The tent made me laugh. I want to put a fake fire pit and sleeping bag near it with some fake hot dogs and s’mores so my generator can have the full outdoor experience.

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On 3/15/2021 at 2:46 PM, Emerald525 said:

That’s the plan. I have head lamps all over the place for running when it is darker in the mornings. Thanks for the tip about the list. I did that for the RV and worked well.  It would also be nice to make sure the thing actually works.  I got a little tent for it too so I can keep it well away from the house . CO poisoning is no joke.  Next year I will likely invest in a fancy power station. 
84CE312D-09B4-4C6F-BF34-3FECA8AE227D.jpeg


The tent made me laugh. I want to put a fake fire pit and sleeping bag near it with some fake hot dogs and s’mores so my generator can have the full outdoor experience.

Hahahah... but that carbon monixide?  Ruins everything...

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32 minutes ago, TheClark said:

Hahahah... but that carbon monixide?  Ruins everything...

True that ! Now I just need to decide what I want to run on the panel. Are you able to run all the circuits on one panel with the transfer switch or is there usually a limit? 

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8 hours ago, Emerald525 said:

True that ! Now I just need to decide what I want to run on the panel. Are you able to run all the circuits on one panel with the transfer switch or is there usually a limit? 

We have an 8500 watt if I remember right.  It runs all 110v circuits.  We leave off for example the heat pumps and the water heater.  Everything else gets turned on!

So basically I turn everything off, start generator, turn on all single pole breakers.  All internet, tv, aquariums are usable at that point.  

Related Trivia Fact:  How to find your kids?  Turn off WiFi.  They come running...

The GenTent is cool and yes hilarious, I use a scrap of siding.  This would be wayyyyyy better.

 

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On 2/26/2021 at 11:00 AM, albertareef said:

Yeah, I checked out their site but couldn't find a reference to which regions/power companies allowed it.

I work for Clark Public Utilities  in the Vancouver area and we get calls about generlink quite often, especially after outages. It is a slick solution but not allowed in our territory. The meter has to be pulled, install the generlink, then reinstall meter. I don’t know the exact reason why, engineers just say “not allowed”.....But there are certainly utilities around that do allow them. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally arrived ! Lots of power ! The neighbors are gonna love that engine noise! Perfect timing too the electrician arrives tomorrow!

Pay no attention to the wet spot. I am always a little messy hence the cardboard underneath. I love the push button start .🥰
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