About 12K down here Rudy, we aren’t that far away either so this area pays more than some others. Go figure ;-)
Your strategy was similar to ours. Power is very reliable here with our longest outage over 25 years lasting 7 hours a few years back. The issue with portable generators is fuel consumption. Anything much bigger than 2,000 watts will burn through 5 gallons of gas in a few hours. We settled on a roughly 2,000 watt generator that can run 5-6 hours on a gallon of gas and keep 10 stabilized gallons (Have a third 5 gallon container to fill if we find out a major storm is coming) in a shed that is away from our house that we can stretch to around 3-4 days of use to run either a refrigerator or a single 5,000 btu window (or both if we start the air conditioner first) air conditioner while charging our electronics and or running a fan. Have used the generator just once during the 7 hour failure to keep from losing the fridge as, while frozen food can last 24 hours without power, the refrigerated section is only good for 4 hours. Just use extension cords to the generator. We've a fireplace for heat in the winter.We were in our house for over 9 years when Hurricane Irene hit, in 2011. It came close to flooding our finished basement, but we had a good neighbor behind us and we avoided flooding by running 200' of extension cords from my sump pump to his generator. Afterwards I looked into a "whole house" generator, but the electrician talked us out of it saying we'd never make enough use of it in our area to justify the cost. Instead I bought a Honda Generator and had an electrician install a 10 circuit transfer switch to the panel box. He charged me around $1k, although I had quotes from others up to $4k (for a 6 circuit). It allowed us to run sump pump, well pump, fridge, kitchen appliances, furnace (heat, not A/C), computers, and room lights. It worked really well for Sandy the next year, although I didn't have enough gas stockpiled for those 9 days of no power. Running it 3 hours on and off helped conserve gas.
The electrician was probably right. We were in the house almost 19 years and Irene and Sandy were the only times we needed or used it. After Sandy I kept the generator gas tank drained and ran a can of pure gas thru it every year or two, changing the oil. After Sandy I did invest in more 5 gal metal, or jerry gas cans, keeping at least 10 gal (treated) on hand and stockpiling more for threats. If not needed, I would use it in our cars and replace the gas every 6 mos. After Sandy I never used the generator again and left the generator for new owners when we sold the house in 2020.
Power is very reliable here with our longest outage over 25 years lasting 7 hours a few years back. The issue with portable generators is fuel consumption. Anything much bigger than 2,000 watts will burn through 5 gallons of gas in a few hours.
Makes sense, need to scope power for your minimum requirements including the start up surge for electric motors. Water is essential. We've no sump to worry about an are on municipal water so nothing for a generator to do in that area. Realize municipal water is power dependent so we keep some cases of water on hand.I had a 5k Honda generator. A smaller, stand-alone, generator could have powered the sump & fridge, but we were also on well water which, like the furnace, was hard-wired. Can you imagine not having water to flush the toilets (or make coffee) for 9 days? With the generator off at night, house temps were in the lower 50s by morning. We had friends & neighbors coming over in the morning to warm up. Running the Honda for power and heat 3 hours off and on, took about 5 gal a day.
We had a long run with no power losses, but starting 3 days ago, power has been out at least as long as it has been on.The generator was installed and so far, even with the nasty weather we have the last few days, we have not yet lost power. It works like a charm, does its weekly test run. Installation was two days with a three guy crew for all the electric, switches, wiring, concrete pad etc. Then a day two guys doing the plumbing for it. Township inspection was done for both the plumbing and the final inspection, nothing they did not like and said "they did a good job" - enough for me. Our local gas company also installed a new larger meter. So, we are all set. Went to my cardiologist Friday and he showed a lot of beard stubble..they had lost power Tuesday and their whole house is on electric, no hot water, no cooking, no heat. Gave him my contractor's info and his wife called them asap.
We have dodged a bullet here at the homestead, but I am now budgeting for one when we remodel. Of course, it seems this old house is constantly being remodeled!We had a long run with no power losses, but starting 3 days ago, power has been out at least as long as it has been on.
I'm so glad we have the generator!
I looked into a Generac 2 years ago to replace my Honda gasoline (to get rid of middle of the night refueling). The Generac guy quoted $10K, but recommended getting a portable tri fuel (gasoline/propane/natural gas) and tapping into the natural gas line. I got a 8k watt Firman for the price I sold my Honda for ($800) and had a plumber extend the stub-out that the Gas people put in for free (we were due gor a new meter). Ran it 5 days straight earlier this month when it got to 10 degrees out. Very nice.I am in the middle of having a Generac installed. The prices here in Massachusetts are a bit higher. All the quotes I got were around $14,500.
We have a delay, because the gas company has a 6 - 8 week backlog in upgrading meters. Ticks me off.
Interesting, our gas company did the meter upgrade done after all the generator work was done. They came about three weeks after the generator was done and ran successfully. Guess different companies have different ways of doing the work.I am in the middle of having a Generac installed. The prices here in Massachusetts are a bit higher. All the quotes I got were around $14,500.
We have a delay, because the gas company has a 6 - 8 week backlog in upgrading meters. Ticks me off.
True, main reason we got one, but we had three short outages since we got it. But, it makes you sleep better....Congrats Rudy. Now you will never lose power again.
Same. People on municipal service don’t understand the “one flush doctrine” for well users when the power drops out.
Propane is more energy efficient and produces about twice the BTU as an equal amount of Natural Gas.So what is the operating costs of propane compared to natural gas after all the installation costs. I have an all electric home and do not wish to convert any appliances to gas. I would assume that there would be a nominal monthly fee for natural gas even if the generator is not used except for periodic maintenance runs? Any thoughts? Of course there would be costs for filling the propane tank, but again, how would costs compare if the generator is not being used except for the periodic required start ups? And then there is the cost of sustained use during a prolonged power outage. How does propane compare to natural gas. I currently don’t have natural gas service, but it is available if a line is run to my property. I don’t live in a subdivision, but on 6.4 acres, so installing a natural gas line would probably be costly.
Definitely more costly to run the NG line. We have a gas furnace and water heater, so the tri fuel was a no brainer (to be able to use NG). For you, I'd do propane and stub out a second line to your gas grill (to make it more worth your while).So what is the operating costs of propane compared to natural gas after all the installation costs. I have an all electric home and do not wish to convert any appliances to gas. I would assume that there would be a nominal monthly fee for natural gas even if the generator is not used except for periodic maintenance runs? Any thoughts? Of course there would be costs for filling the propane tank, but again, how would costs compare if the generator is not being used except for the periodic required start ups? And then there is the cost of sustained use during a prolonged power outage. How does propane compare to natural gas. I currently don’t have natural gas service, but it is available if a line is run to my property. I don’t live in a subdivision, but on 6.4 acres, so installing a natural gas line would probably be costly.
My natural gas supplier is Dominion Energy. I am charged a "Basic Facilities Charge" of $10/month. So that would be $120 per year for having the service connected.So what is the operating costs of propane compared to natural gas after all the installation costs. I have an all electric home and do not wish to convert any appliances to gas. I would assume that there would be a nominal monthly fee for natural gas even if the generator is not used except for periodic maintenance runs? Any thoughts? Of course there would be costs for filling the propane tank, but again, how would costs compare if the generator is not being used except for the periodic required start ups? And then there is the cost of sustained use during a prolonged power outage. How does propane compare to natural gas. I currently don’t have natural gas service, but it is available if a line is run to my property. I don’t live in a subdivision, but on 6.4 acres, so installing a natural gas line would probably be costly.