Home Generators, Choices, Pros & Cons, Needed?

[Onomea]

Here in the PNW, Portland metro, big snow and ice storm have left hundreds of thousands (290K currently) without power. We're okay, have power, although looking at the clocks on the kitchen appliances, all blinking this morning, I realized the power must have gone out briefly overnight.

This got us to discussing home generators, something we know little about.

House is 2800 sq ft. Natural gas furnace and fireplace.

A neighbor who's lived in this neighborhood for 17 years told me yesterday that other than very occasional brief outages, this has not been an issue in his experience. (The current ice storm is apparently either the worst here ever, or close to it.)

My neighborhood, my house, is close, perhaps less than 1/4 mile from major power transmission lines. (Multiple cables on a series of steel towers stretching for miles.)

What are my options for generators, and what are pros and cons? Whole house vs portable, fuel sources, costs, etc?

Or, given past history here, maybe not something to worry about?

 

[Bugkiller99]

I’ll throw in my two cents.

I will have power outages here in Florida. There will be a hurricane. So, I have a greater need than you, perhaps. Do you need one? You have to weight the costs of a generator, vs the costs of not having one. Lost food, etc. More importantly, peace of mind. You have to make that decision.

If you move forward, a whole house generator powered by natural gas would be my suggestion. Brand, etc suggestions will be forthcoming, I’m sure.

 

[Old_Cop]

We have a Generac 20kw propane. It was installed about 8 years ago at a cost of $7,000. The longest that it has run in that time was about 12 hours. We live in a rural area and repair times could be lengthy. Ice storm damage can take weeks to repair.

We feel better that it is available if necessary.

 

[walnutred]

I live in central Ohio and just recently bought a medium sized 5600 KW running power generator. We've had power outages of up to a week and i was surprised to learn that outages in summer are more trouble than outages in the winter. If we lose power this week I'll fire up the wood stove, light the kero lamps, drain the pipes and if the power is out for more than a couple days move the food from the inside freezer into camp coolers and set them in the barn. Summer time moving food outside to save it is not an option.

Talking to people who take generators seriously propane and diesel seem to be preferred options because the fuel is relatively stable. Natural gas depends on intact pipes and gasoline seems to deteriorate. Keep in mind that the sound of a generator tends to attract two legged predators.

 

[HardToHandle]

The issue for Portland is just one natural gas pipeline into town. Likely to rupture in the big Cascadia event, if Gov Brown does not outlaw fossil fuels first. Gasoline pipes will break too, but liquids might be more available when needed and can be stored if rotated.

As for Gen sets, suggest finding an online sizing worksheet and then have a transfer switch wired in correctly. Costs a bit more, but safer for all.

Also plan for generator security. Noise and light attract goblins, the PDX dwellers would thieve a generator in seconds I guess.

 

[GypsmJim]

We have a Generac natural gas whole house generator. I used to have a small portable, and even had the house wired with a separate line from the patio to the furnace and sump pump. Never had to use it. I ran it periodically and it was always a PITA. Never would start right. Just being cautious, I sold the stupid thing and put in the Generac.

Wouldn't you know it.......a month later the "October Storm" hit and trees fell down everywhere and we were out of power for 2 days. That $6k saved us and it was the best investment I ever made.

I say "whole house", but not everything is covered. To cover every circuit would have almost doubled the price. We don't have the 220V stove, but we have a microwave and a toaster oven. There is a light in every room. Freezers, fridges all covered. Sump pump, garage door, computer covered.

Our next door neighbor lost everything in his custom finished basement. No furnace, hot water, etc. He put a genny in a month later. Since then it has come on maybe twice, and only for an hour each time. It adds a discount on my homeowner's insurance as well, so its paying for itself as time goes by.

An added benefit is that if you neglect to pay your electric bill and the company shuts off the power, you're still good to go....

 

[Muss Muggins]

Most people forget that with a portable generator, you should still have a professional electrician wire your connection. And people with natural furnaces still need to run their blower motor.

We had a big ice storm down here in the bootheel in 2009. Power off for a solid week in subfreezing temps. Lots of injuries, property damage, and more than one death from improperly utilized portable generators. Thieves got inventive as well. At night, people would leave them run to deal with the refrigerator and furnace. The people that lived kept them outside. All of the street lights and ambient home and business lights were off, and it gets mighty dark, even in the metroplex. Thieves would bring a lawnmower, start it, tape the release hand down, and steal the generator. Homeowner heard a gas engine running, didn't have anything plugged in but the aforementioned, and discovered the theft the next morning . . .

 

[vt_shooter]

I have a portable Honda generator that's good for 3,000 watts, enough to power the furnace, refrigerators, and some lights. I had an electrician wire in a transfer switch box that lets me select circuits that the generator will power. When the power goes out I wheel the generator to a spot about 30 feet from the house, plug a very heavy power cord into the generator, run the cord in through a basement window, and plug it into the switch box, start the generator, then pick which circuits will have power. The process is much less convenient than the fancier Generac setups that start automatically, but given how rarely I need it, I can live with it. $2,000 for the generator, and probably $500 or $600 for the switch panel, power cord, and electrician. I don't leave the battery in the generator, and instead leave it inside and charge it once a month. I run the generator a few times a year. The generator also has a rope pull start, which works fine if it isn't too cold or hard to start, and when it's hard to start I jump it with a portable 12V car starter battery/ tire air compressor I bought at Costco. If I was going to use it a lot, I'd put the generator's battery back in it. I keep the generator's gas tank filled with methanol -free gasoline with stabilizer added, and another 5 gallon can of the same. Generator and gasoline are in a storage shed, you kinda need a shed to keep that stuff in because gasoline smell.

 

[6518John]

Arlo—call you local Generac office and have them come out and look at your situation. They will make a recommendation on what will be best for you. I would follow what they say to the letter. Be sure and get the maintenance contract too.

 

[Golddollar]

House is 2800 sq ft. Natural gas furnace and fireplace.

A neighbor who's lived in this neighborhood for 17 years told me yesterday that other than very occasional brief outages, this has not been an issue in his experience. (The current ice storm is apparently either the worst here ever, or close to it.)

What are my options for generators, and what are pros and cons? Whole house vs portable, fuel sources, costs, etc?

Or, given past history here, maybe not something to worry about?

I had a Generac 22K whole house generator installed three years ago, and I am so glad I did it. I have medical issues that I need to maintain power for. It is powered by natural gas, which you would be able to use.

In the last three years we have been pretty lucky in southcentral PA and have not had many power outages. My generator will kick in about 13 seconds after the power goes out. But you never know. Believe it or not, Baltimore is not far from here, and some of the customers of the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company, either from an ice storm or a blizzard, didn't have power for a week.

Generac has an excellent web site and through it you can make a determination as to how big a generator you will need to take care of your home and as to what degree of power you want.

One point to keep in mind. If you live in a development with an HOA, be sure to check your covenants and get the necesssary clearances. I copied the Generac web site for my submission to the HOA and I had no problems.

It cost me a pretty penny to buy the generator and get it installed but it was worth every cent for the peace of mind. Hope this helps.

 

[mckenney99]

My 2 cents worth. If you live in an area that historically rarely experiences power outages and those that do occur are short lived, a decent sized portable generator may be the most cost effective. Realistically, what items do you need to run? A refrigerator, freezer, lights, sump pump or
maybe a fan. A portable generator with a couple cans of gasoline and a couple extension cords can get you through most short term outages with some minor pre-planning.

If there is someone in the household that has medical issues that require uninterrupted power, or you live in an area that experiences frequent long term power outages then a whole house generator may be necessary. If money is no object and you or your better half hate the inconvenience of even a short outage then a whole house automatic generator may be worth it for you.

I have 2 portable generators, an old Coleman 2500 watt and a large Northern 15,000 watt. When hurricane Ike and his winds finally made it through SW Ohio I was able to keep my rural homes necessities and 3 neighbors up and running throughout our brief outage. We just moved the generators around and everyone plugged in their refrigerators/freezers for a couple hours at a time. Everyone contributed gasoline and no one lost any food. My house was wired so I could roll out the big generator, fire it up, plug it in, flip a transfer switch and it would power most of the whole house. It would even power the well pump and we were able to make sure everyone had water available for drinking and flushing.

Since I've moved into town, outages are rare and when they occur, they are short lived. Since I've been here, I've only needed to use the Coleman 2500 watt generator a couple of times. One outage lasted pretty much all one summer day and again I moved it around to my neighbors and we kept everyone's refrigerators and freezers running long enough to keep their food and medications safe.

 

[double-dipper]

My recomendation would be get a 10K or 12K portable " dual fuel" gas/propane with electric starter. (you dont want to pull a starter rope when it really cold outside) One that will have a 50 amp outlet. Have an electricion put a transfer switch on the utility pole or the side of the house.

You will want to read up on all the saftey issues with running a genny and powering up your house.

I use an all weather 50 amp RV receptical to backfeed my house when the power goes out.

 

[delcrossv]

I have a portable Honda generator that's good for 3,000 watts, enough to power the furnace, refrigerators, and some lights. I had an electrician wire in a transfer switch box that lets me select circuits that the generator will power. When the power goes out I wheel the generator to a spot about 30 feet from the house, plug a very heavy power cord into the generator, run the cord in through a basement window, and plug it into the switch box, start the generator, then pick which circuits will have power. The process is much less convenient than the fancier Generac setups that start automatically, but given how rarely I need it, I can live with it. $2,000 for the generator, and probably $500 or $600 for the switch panel, power cord, and electrician. I don't leave the battery in the generator, and instead leave it inside and charge it once a month. I run the generator a few times a year. The generator also has a rope pull start, which works fine if it isn't too cold or hard to start, and when it's hard to start I jump it with a portable 12V car starter battery/ tire air compressor I bought at Costco. If I was going to use it a lot, I'd put the generator's battery back in it. I keep the generator's gas tank filled with methanol -free gasoline with stabilizer added, and another 5 gallon can of the same. Generator and gasoline are in a storage shed, you kinda need a shed to keep that stuff in because gasoline smell.

This is really the way to go for occasional outages. We have a 5.5kW Kohler (gasoline) with a transfer switch and it's more than adequate. Fridge, furnace, sump pump, some lights and you're good.

Propane/ Nat gas installed generators are for people who have frequent and extended outages.

 

[ladder13]

I’ve had portables. I don’t care for storing gasoline or searching for it for miles post event as in Hurricane Sandy.
Small pull start portable to larger electric start portable to whole house propane, to now, whole house natural gas.
I don’t care if I never use it, it’s there. No storage, no searching for fuel sources, no going outside to set it up, no need to keep refilling with gasoline during a snow or ice storm.

 

[oldbrownhat]

If you need to power sensitive electronics such as computers (and maybe furnace controls, zone valve controllers etc.) if you're going to get a portable, get an inverter type that will supply stable, clean power, and get an electrician to install a transfer switch and perhaps a separate sub-panel with the critical/important circuits on it. Honda are said to be the best, and priced acordingly. You can probably get by with a 5k unit unless you have to run a deep well pump (which may require 220v) or a big furnace motor.

It's a tough call when you only have the occasional outage because it's not a small expense. As others have noted, a Generac whole-house natural gas is probably the best, although there are some smaller Generac units (from Home Depot) that come with their own transfer switch and small (8 breakers) sub-panel. My next-door neighbour is looking at one of those.

Out here in the PNW the possibility of a 'quake is always something to consider and if the gas line gets ruptured, you're pooched with a NG genny. I got a 60 y.o. ONAN 6k marine diesel which can run most of the house (incl. 110v well pump) and charge the backup battery system. Of course, if a quake leaves the house in an unlivable condition, I'm pooched anyway. It's a bit of a beast but built like the proverbial brick thingy and can provide prime (ie continuous) power. It's hooked up to a 100L (20 gallon) tank and I've built it into a sound-reduciing box with ventilation fans. Upstairs in the house it's barely audible- about 35dB, mostly LF. I put Sta-Bil in the diesel and use the tank to fill my 10 gallon portable jugs I use for the tractor & excavator, so it gets cycled a bit.

One thing about diesel units is that they should be run at about 70% load or better most of the time to avoid "wet stacking" (incomplete fuel combustion) which means making up extra loads to plug in. When I need to recharge the batteries I leave all the fluor.lights in the basement on, which adds about 350W, and plug in a heater fan or whatever to add to the load. It's a bit cumbersome and "hands -on' but manageable.

 

[NYlakesider]

We had a portable for 14+ years use it at least a couple times a year.

Then a few years ago got a Generac Propane whole house generator. One time we were a few days without power, a bunch of 12-15 hours no power. So glad I have it. These outages normally come at the worst possible time! I have a 500 gal. tank and our propane supplier keeps a list of generator users and never lets the tank go below 40% any time of year, most times filled at 50%.

 

[GypsmJim]

Some things to think about...

Portable gasoline generators DO require maintenance. I had a good one and I ran it twice a year (when the lawnmowers and snowblowers were switched). That wasn't enough. Gas goes stale even if stabilized. I used to drain the gas and start with fresh. You need to store a lot and rotate it. If the power goes out gas stations won't work either.

If a genny isn't run sufficiently long and often it will lose its charge. I had that problem with a small one. It started fine but whatever inside made the electricity had lost its function.

Standby gennys run automatically once a week to "exercise" itself. Never a need to fiddle with it. Annual service includes an oil change, adjust carb, etc. That is a minimal expense.

What if you're on vacation for a few days and the power goes out. A portable won't do you any good. You might come home to a flooded basement.

 

[glowe]

If you are prone to outages, a stationary unit is the best answer. We have a 7500 KW/10,000 KW Peak Troy-bilt that works just great except it is a pain in the butt to use. Gas tank will last 8 hours, so three times a day you need to haul gallons of gas. It is noisy, and not something that allows you to go about your normal business or even leave the house while the unit is running. Upside is they are quite affordable and reliable.

We currently have a Generac contract in our hands, but our situation is that the only certified installer is in the next state, Wisconsin. Problem is that they are not qualified to do the electrical work needed because they do not have a MI license. We are going over our options and have yet to decide on how to move forward. The contract is to install a 22KW propane unit at a total cost of $9000, so these stationary units are very pricey to purchase and install, but they give you great peace of mind.

 

[jaguargolf]

I hired a local electrical contractor/dealer to install a 9500kw Generac generator powered via my 100lb propane tank. Soup to nuts including inspections and getting on my Certificate of Occupancy was just around 8 grand. This is in NY so everything is more expensive.

Been on generator for 9 days once. Other times 4 and 5 days. Get regular winter/spring storms, Some summer derechos, had Sandy, Irene and some other storms come through.
Generator runs everything but electric dryer and microwave, Used 45 lbs. of propane over the 9 day stint.

I could have shut down generator periodically to stretch propane, but for a few years in recent past I was laid up with surgeries. Propane supplier has never let me run dry. I plan on adding ability to use 20lb barbecue tanks in case big tank ever does run dry.

 

[Dave_n]

I looked at Generac and decided to go to Kohler in the middle of 2014. Natural gas fueled, runs for 30 minutes every week to check it, and one advantage, self-adjusting tappets not ones that you have to reset yourself. Have a regular 2 visit per year maintenance contract with the Kohler dealer, so no worries. When I had it put in, I had a new 200 AMP box put in as well as an automatic switch that also has an industrial strength surge protector on it. You might say overkill, but we lose power at least twice a winter due to power lines being overhead in a wooded area outside of Philadelphia and at times during the summer if high winds etc. At 82, I have given up doing my own work (which a gasoline generator would require) and just let it run. My two neighbors, both single women over 78, have long extension cords that simply plug into my system to keep their freezers and fridges running. So I would say, put it in and sleep soundly. Dave_n