Who Here Has A Generator, And It Saved Them ?

[Jeb48]

I have had my Honda EU2000 since 2003. With a little common sense I can run everything to be comfortable. I went one step further and added UPS units to our computers, entertainment center, internet hub, etc so that I can ride out short outages and only start the generator when it looks like it is going to be longer. About 2 years ago I picked up a Wen 1250-Watt inverter generator. It acts as a back up to the Honda (with a bit more conservation) and burns less gas for long outages. It also gives me a lighter generator when I don't want to drag the Honda around. Both are very quiet and can not be heard inside the house or by any of my neighbors.

[TennesseeCamper]

I like reading all the different posts and it’s good to learn about the different set ups.  
We have been through quite a few power outages. The longest was in 95 when hurricane opal took out the Florida pan handle and large part of Alabama. 
We had no power for months. We just made due. I had a back yard grill and camp-stoves, we cooked that way the whole time. I was stationed at Fort Rucker, worked at the hospital they operated on generator power. Each day I brought home a small amount of ice for our cooler.  We didn’t need heat in lower Alabama even in October, so thankfully that wasn’t an issue. 

In Tennessee last year a pretty good storm took out power for a couple weeks, we did the same thing cooked on camp stoves and grills charged our phones in the car. We did get a little cool a couple nights so I used a propane heater. 
I do have a kerosene heater but haven’t needed to use it much. I do have back batteries for running phones, a lot of flashlights ,lanterns and solar chargers. 
My current camper has the usual 12v\110 or propane refrigerator a back up battery and solar panel.  

One of the main draw backs to not having a generator is loosing a freezer or refrigerator full of food. 
If I get a generator that would be the main reason.  I try to keep a fair of non-perishable food for emergencies. 
I am pretty sure,  I would look at the smaller generators to use with the camper for boon-docking and for back up at home. 
 

[OldIronFan]

Since I moved to this area in 2005 under MTEC I have been without power for longer than 15 minutes about three times. I have probably only been without power for less than 15 minutes  a dozen times in those same 16+ years. 
In fact I have not been without power for longer than an hour since the Ice Storm in Memphis 27 years ago. 

I have always contemplated a generator but could never justify the cost. I may end up getting a smallish unit to serve duty as a camping/offgrid working generator and double as backup at the house in one of those rare'ish events. 

I have a gas stove, gas fireplace, gas hot water heater, and gas heat so the only thing I would really need to back up is the fan for that heat and the refrigerator. I could likely get by with just extension cords to the fridge and a couple box fans to circulate warm air from main room (living room) to the bedrooms to be comfortable and avoid the wiring to tie into the house system. 

[m16ty]

I've got a 10kw military genset, it will run the whole 3,000 square foot house. I look at it as a luxury item though. In a actual full blown major event, I think you are better off to learn how live without electricity than you are to try to produce it. After some time you're going to run into fuel issues, and a big genset running in the night is like a big magnet to attract unwanted attention.

[Quavodus]

I've been meaning to at least get a small one that would run a few things in the house.

[ReeferMac]

On 10/17/2021 at 10:13 AM, Quavodus said:

I've been meaning to at least get a small one that would run a few things in the house.

The little 'honda' units are quiet as can be, and will 'get you through'. They're expensive vs. the 5kw units but their form factor and sound level are worth the price of admission.

[Hozzie]

I have a whole house and large gas genset if needed.  I look at it like ammo, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

I also live in a location where if something major happens I will be one of the last with power restored.  I prefer to be able to sleep in comfort regardless if it is 30 degrees or 100 degrees.  I also consider things like being able to run machinery if needed to fix things in a worst case.  

I guess we each have our own tolerances.  The older I get, the less tolerance I have for inconvenience within my own home and property.

 

 

[monkeylizard]

1 hour ago, ReeferMac said:

The little 'honda' units are quiet as can be, and will 'get you through'. They're expensive vs. the 5kw units but their form factor and sound level are worth the price of admission.

Comaprable offerings from Generac, Yamaha, or even WEN will get similar performance and noise w/o the Honda price tag. Whether or not they'll last as long as a Honda, I couldn't say.

[MacGyver]

1 hour ago, monkeylizard said:

Comaprable offerings from Generac, Yamaha, or even WEN will get similar performance and noise w/o the Honda price tag. Whether or not they'll last as long as a Honda, I couldn't say.

Most of the 2kW units use the same castings in their engines.

It's not to say they're all kind of the same - but they mostly start in the same place.

[peejman]

6 hours ago, ReeferMac said:

The little 'honda' units are quiet as can be, and will 'get you through'. They're expensive vs. the 5kw units but their form factor and sound level are worth the price of admission.

My wife has been after me to get one, and the 2kW inverter is what I'm looking at.  As with others, actually power outages are rare and short. A bigger one would be nice, but its just one more thing to store and maintain.  

I'd get the predator if I had to get one today, but I've been keeping a look out for deals on the other brands.  Like Mac, I assume they're all mostly the same. 

[gregintenn]

I bought one after an ice storm or tornado or something. I wouldn’t say it saved us, but It was nice to have. Kept the freezers cold and provided heat and lights. I probably ought to drag it out and let it run a while.

If I’d have known they were available at the time, I’d have bought one that goes on the three point hitch of a tractor.

Edited October 20, 2021 by gregintenn

[Jeb48]

Once you have invest in a generator I have found that the best way to make sure they start when needed, which. may be months or years apart, is to use the right fuel. I run 100LL aviation gas. AvGas has a shelf life of 10+ year with no needed additives added for storage. I also drain the carb after each use. The worse gas to use in the corn gas most stations sell, shelf life less than 6 months. At the very least use the alcohol free gas, shelf life a year or two with additives added. I keep 5-15 gallons of AvGas in a backyard shed. I also keep 5-10 gallons of alcohol free gas in the shed for other small engines that get run regular. The only corn gas on the property is in our everyday vehicles. I refill each kinds of gas when I open the last 5 gallons. In a long term outage I will burn what's available including corn gas that I syphon out of everyday vehicles. When the outage is over, if I burned anything but AvGas I will drain what's left and fill with AvGas and run long enough to flush the system, then drain the carb and put it away. Using this method, when I have an outage I turn on the gas and either wait a few minutes for the carb to refill by gravity or I do a few slow pulls on the starter rope then a few quick pulls and it is running.

A friend went a different way and bought a tri-fuel generator and runs it on LP, it has an almost unlimited shelf life but unless you already use LP and have a big tank it can be hard to store enough 20Lb tanks to last you long. He has a 500 gal buried tank for his furnace that he taped into.

[peejman]

100% gas is must have for anything with a carburetor.  100LL is a bit of overkill as no power equipment needs anywhere close to 100 octane, 87 works just fine, but it does last a long time.  The trick to long shelf life is no air exposure. A full, sealed container will last quite a while.  Don't put 100LL in anything with a catalytic converter,  it'll clog it up with extended use. 

[monkeylizard]

I thought about the tri-fuel adaption kit for my Honda EU6500is. Not so much for the LP as for the NG. I could hook up to my house gas line and have unlimited fuel during a power outage. Not gonna help much if we have a true EOTWAWKI, but running a genset would be the least of my worries then.

Truthfully, I'm beginning to think that the best way to generate electricity in an outage is to not have an outage. I've been considering solar panels with a power wall (big battery for the house). Way more expensive than a genset, though. The breakeven on it for my needs is about 20 years . . . and the panels are good for about 20 years. . . . . I want to see if the Tesla roof will finally be released. It's an interesting way to go. I'll need a new roof in about 10-15 years. Hopefully it will be available by then.

 

[peejman]

1 minute ago, monkeylizard said:

I thought about the tri-fuel adaption kit for my Honda EU6500is. Not so much for the LP as for the NG. I could hook up to my house gas line and have unlimited fuel during a power outage. Not gonna help much if we have a true EOTWAWKI, but running a genset would be the least of my worries then.

Truthfully, I'm beginning to think that the best way to generate electricity in an outage is to not have an outage. I've been considering solar panels with a power wall (big battery for the house). Way more expensive than a genset, though. The breakeven on it for my needs is about 20 years . . . and the panels are good for about 20 years. . . . . I want to see if the Tesla roof will finally be released. It's an interesting way to go. I'll need a new roof in about 10-15 years. Hopefully it will be available by then.

 

I've looked at solar a couple times over the years and the payback is just too long for my taste. We have the benefit of cheap TVA electricity, so it's hard to justify solar. 

[ReeferMac]

Neighbor recently installed a rooftop. Numbers didn't sound attractive to me, but it was under 20 years....

SunPower Corp had an integrated roofing tile product out several years ago. Made good money off that stock ticker!!

[monkeylizard]

4 hours ago, peejman said:

I've looked at solar a couple times over the years and the payback is just too long for my taste. We have the benefit of cheap TVA electricity, so it's hard to justify solar. 

Yeah, same here. The math just barely works out to break even IF everything goes to plan. Solar's definitely not a money saving move in our part of the country yet. I've been considering it more for the grid-independence than any real cost savings.

[Alleycat72]

We use generators quite a bit. We typically get 15 to 20 at a time. We get them ready and store them in "go" trailers for emergencies. Every time a hurricane hits the US, we send all of them to the area. We powder all our equipment and all of the local guys get their house powered up. They will usually work like a rented mule after their Wife and kids are taken care of. The amount of generators we get stolen is staggering. We usually only get about half the units back and most of the new units are replacements for the stolen ones. We used to secure them until people destroyed the equipment trying to get the generators. We mostly only prosecute the guys that steal the units for profit. The people that have lost everything usually get a pass. It ticks me off, but I understand. I have literally walked into a Lowes and told them to give me every generator they have and handed them 50k ish. Now we do typically hit most of the Lowes and Home depot. I really need to write a book one day. 

[Jeb48]

12 hours ago, monkeylizard said:

Truthfully, I'm beginning to think that the best way to generate electricity in an outage is to not have an outage. I've been considering solar panels with a power wall (big battery for the house). Way more expensive than a genset, though. The breakeven on it for my needs is about 20 years . . . and the panels are good for about 20 years. . . . . I want to see if the Tesla roof will finally be released. It's an interesting way to go. I'll need a new roof in about 10-15 years. Hopefully it will be available by then.

 

A friend did just what you are talking about. They have a near perfect location for solar and have one big system and two small. The big one feeds a 10KW LG power wall. The two smaller ones run other systems in the house when the sun shines but pulls from the grid or the power wall if they want to run those when the sun isn't shining. They generate about half of their total power in normal use but if they went into conservation mode could probably generate 100%. They have a second 10KW wall ordered to have more reserve for cloudy days. Big buck system but they wanted back up for power outages without a generator. I admit it is tempting but I live in the middle of a woods. I would like a power wall as backup.

[TuBob]

We lived in the country for 18 years and lost power a lot, so we ended up with a 'portable' 8.5kw Generac. Our new house has a built-in 36kw Generac that powers the entire house on natural gas, and it's already been used twice in the year since we moved in. The portable doesn't see much use anymore, except for being taken to outdoor events where no power is available. Currently not even functional until I install a new battery.

[Nikiski Dave]

I have 2 generators. A Wen 3800 and a Generac 2000.  Wen powered our 27' camper in Wyoming with no problem running the electrical system with furnace, microwave and a 7cu freezer. Neighbors batteries died on his camper so we plugged him in also so that he had a working furnace.

[DL126]

Recently purchased one of these.

Have only had it in use on one camping trip thus far. (Tent camping)
Battery tech has come far ... implementing battery/solar tech requires thought and planning.

I have much to learn. 
 

[FrankD]

Just today I did my annual half a tank run of my wen 2KW inverter generator.  Have only needed to use it a handful of times but starts after a couple pulls every time I have needed it. 

I keep 10 gallons of ethanol free gas with sta-bil on hand in the event I need to run the freezer or a small heater if need be.

[tnhawk]

On 7/22/2021 at 1:46 PM, OldIronFan said:

....In fact I have not been without power for longer than an hour since the Ice Storm in Memphis 27 years ago. ....

I went without power for 1-1/2 weeks during this ice storm.  I have no desire to repeat that experience.  I've had at least one or more generators since that time.  I now have 2 with battery start and a small honda.  One of the units will run on propane or gas.  They are run on a regular schedule to keep them ready if needed.  Usually they aren't needed more than an hour.

Edited November 5, 2021 by tnhawk

[monkeylizard]

Solar and a battery wall keeping looking better and better every time I open this thread . . .