Questions About Standby Genarators

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I just called a local electrician about getting a standby generator because I'm
sick and tired of losing my power every time the wind blows.

I only got the receptionist who could answer some of my questions but I'm
confused about something that she couldn't explain to me.

She said that when my power went out that I would have to manually turn on
the generator to send power to the house. I thought generators went on
automatically once they detected power was out. Am I wrong or am I thinking
about a different kind of generator?

She said that the generator would run for as long as it got gas from the gas line
sent to it. If so, why are some generators bigger than others. She said it had
to do with the size of my house. In my case, it's very small. So will a small
generator be sufficient? How do I know how big a generator to get?

I just don't want to be taken by these people when the time comes to get
one because I don't know what to look for.

Also, they quoted me $10K to $14K for one.

Is this about right or can I do better?

Any info anybody can give me on these things will be greatly appreciated.
  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    Hey Steven,

    It depends what you want. The generator you're looking at will power your entire home.

    You can get small, portable generators starting at $149 and up. I would suggest looking for a generator that will run on multiple fuels, such as gas, propane and diesel. A decent one will start at about $600.

    Obviously, the more power you want, the more fuel you will need. In an emergency, you can get by on alot less electricity than you think.

    I would get a mid-sized Honda generator, about $600, along with a couple of propane camping stoves and a big bottle of propane. Also, I'd get one of those small refrigerators for under $100.

    Also, get yourself a bunch of cheap solar outdoor light systems. Put them out during the day and bring them in at night for a decent light source.

    Check Amazon for more info:

    Amazon.com: generator: Tools & Home Improvement

    Amazon.com: propane camping stove: Sports & Outdoors

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...r+solar+lights
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    I had a 5000 watt generator wired to a single room for power outages. 5000 watts isn't all that much but it was plenty for two people. I didn't need the whole house as the house was huge and we stayed in that room most of the time anyway. The room was 450 sq. feet. The generator was gas-operated. I had to manually start it. Having it come on automatically would be expensive. You also have to have a new electrical box for the generator.

    The whole thing depends on how many circuits you've got. How many large appliances you need to operate. You might consider setting up one or two rooms. Keep the refrigerator in one of them. If you have an electric stove, that draws a lot of power. Gas, that's much easier to manage.

    If you wanted to run some kind of furnace or heat pump that draws a lot of power, that adds more demand to the generator. Again, the more stuff you want to hook up to it, the bigger the generator needs to be. I know a guy who has a generator for a 14 room house. This guy is a multi millionaire. The room for the generator is the size of two, two-car garages. And even with really thick insulation that sucker is loud. They all are. It runs on diesel. And even as sophisticated as it is, he still has to go outside and start it. He just presses a button and it starts.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    If your home is cold, you SHOULD keep it at about 55F or better, to prevent too much jarring from cold temperatures.

    Bigger generators can be bigger for maybe 5 reasons:

    1. More displacement, so the engine can produce more torque.
    2. More windings, so it can produce more power.
    3. Thicker windings, etc... so it can handle more amperage.
    4. It is fancier.
    5. It is less efficient.

    Anyway, bigger is likely to be better, but you can't be too sure. Compare specs, name, and reviews. And figure out what your needs are and exceed them by maybe 50%, and buy THAT one, unless you figure you can afford(space, time, weight, cost, etc...) better.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Sum1
    Not much to add to this other than:

    1) If it can get really cold where you need it then you may need to keep a diesel tank warm. Really cold diesel can be a pig to use in a cold emergency.

    2) It isn't the size of the house that makes a difference. It's what you need it to do and for how long. You could have a one room workshop running a furnace, heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators, ovens, gas exchangers etc. etc. and need a decent sized generator.

    3) You might also need to consider the size of the fuel tank/supply. The load you put on the generator compared to it's capability to deliver that load will control the speed it burns fuel. Bigger generator, will use less fuel for a fixed load compared to a smaller one if the smaller one is close to capacity. How long might you need the generator to operate?

    4) If you plan to do any electrical work connecting it up yourself be very careful. Both manual switch-over and auto switch-over you should make sure you always keep the neutral rail available to the load from somewhere during switch-over. If you don't you could easily get spike problems that blow up lots of equipment. This actually happened on a road tunnel once and caused huge amounts of damage.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by Sum1 View Post

      Not much to add to this other than:

      1) If it can get really cold where you need it then you may need to keep a diesel tank warm. Really cold diesel can be a pig to use in a cold emergency.

      2) It isn't the size of the house that makes a difference. It's what you need it to do and for how long. You could have a one room workshop running a furnace, heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators, ovens, gas exchangers etc. etc. and need a decent sized generator.

      3) You might also need to consider the size of the fuel tank/supply. The load you put on the generator compared to it's capability to deliver that load will control the speed it burns fuel. Bigger generator, will use less fuel for a fixed load compared to a smaller one if the smaller one is close to capacity. How long might you need the generator to operate?

      4) If you plan to do any electrical work connecting it up yourself be very careful. Both manual switch-over and auto switch-over you should make sure you always keep the neutral rail available to the load from somewhere during switch-over. If you don't you could easily get spike problems that blow up lots of equipment. This actually happened on a road tunnel once and caused huge amounts of damage.
      According to who I spoke to, the standby generators they sell run off the
      natural gas line coming to the house so as long as we get natural gas, the
      generator will run indefinitely. So that's not a problem.

      The problem, for me anyway, is getting a generator that is big enough to run
      what we need (which amounts to our kitchen, livingroom, central air and heat)
      without burning too big a hole in our wallet.

      That's where the size of the generator comes in. I'm hoping, when the person
      comes to look at our home, that he'll be able to tell us how big a generator
      we'll need and not try to rip us off in the process. Not knowing anything
      about this, that's why I came here hoping somebody could give me an idea
      of how big a standby I'll need.

      A portable isn't an option for us. It won't run our heat and with the gas
      shortage here the last time, we may not even be able to get fuel to fill it.
      So it has to be one that will run indefinitely off the natural gas, run enough
      of our mandatory appliances (fridge, computer) and not cost an arm and a leg.

      I can swing 10 grand. I really don't want to go much more than that.
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        According to who I spoke to, the standby generators they sell run off the
        natural gas line coming to the house so as long as we get natural gas, the
        generator will run indefinitely. So that's not a problem.

        The problem, for me anyway, is getting a generator that is big enough to run
        what we need (which amounts to our kitchen, livingroom, central air and heat)
        without burning too big a hole in our wallet.

        That's where the size of the generator comes in. I'm hoping, when the person
        comes to look at our home, that he'll be able to tell us how big a generator
        we'll need and not try to rip us off in the process. Not knowing anything
        about this, that's why I came here hoping somebody could give me an idea
        of how big a standby I'll need.

        A portable isn't an option for us. It won't run our heat and with the gas
        shortage here the last time, we may not even be able to get fuel to fill it.
        So it has to be one that will run indefinitely off the natural gas, run enough
        of our mandatory appliances (fridge, computer) and not cost an arm and a leg.

        I can swing 10 grand. I really don't want to go much more than that.

        The type of existing appliances will make a big difference, example, If your stove & furnace are already natural gas, all they need is an ignition to start up plus electricity for the electric fan on the furnace.

        If the appliances are 100% electric, that's going to need a larger generator (more electricity needed).

        Personally, I wouldn't buy anything that cost so much money ($10k), unless they could walk me through 100% of the info. I needed to make a buying decision. Tell them to help break down all your energy needs so you know what you actually need.

        Get multiple estimates & stick with name brand generators, it needs to last for years.
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