albaran
Well-known member
The posts on generators have been very interesting. In my younger days, I was also in the survivalist mode with portable generators. Lug the generator out, cut the main, hook up the cables, and then run around to get gas (which is now becoming even a bigger problem.) As I approach my seventh decade of life on this earth, I no longer want to be a survivalist.
We lived on the water for fifteen years and about a year ago decided to move inland. A few months after that, hurricane Irene hit. Although we were glad that we were no longer on the water, we still had to endure no power for about a week. At that time I was building the addition to my garage and was going to install a propane 75000 btu heater and a free standing tank in the back of the garage. After that power outage I decided I was not going to put up with that BS any more so I decided to add a standby generator and bury a 500 gal tank behind a retaining wall in the back yard. (The wall was the most expensive part of the project.)
I am friends with the family that owns Northeast Generator and they reccomended a 15KW GE generator with a 200 amp transfer switch. This is basicaly a Briggs and Stratton unit. They also sell all of the other brands including Generac and Kohler. This a fairly complicated plumbing and wiring job so I would not reccomend anyone try to do this on their own.
After hurricane Sandy hit, my power went out Monday afternoon. Six seconds later, Geeno (the name my wife has given to the generator) started up and has been running continuously since then. We have no idea when the power is going to be restored, but our lifestyle has not changed. I asked the propane company to top off the tank (they came right away) and they added 150 gal of propane. This was for 2 days of generator useage and heating the garage for all of last winter. I figure I could go 2 to 3 weeks on a tank if I had to to.
For those of you that think this is overkill, I would like to alert you to the new reality. Today's overkill could be tomorrow's minimum. In my old age I want to simplify my life. I don't want a boat, a pool, a dog, or a second vacation house. I just want my home and my garage.
We lived on the water for fifteen years and about a year ago decided to move inland. A few months after that, hurricane Irene hit. Although we were glad that we were no longer on the water, we still had to endure no power for about a week. At that time I was building the addition to my garage and was going to install a propane 75000 btu heater and a free standing tank in the back of the garage. After that power outage I decided I was not going to put up with that BS any more so I decided to add a standby generator and bury a 500 gal tank behind a retaining wall in the back yard. (The wall was the most expensive part of the project.)
I am friends with the family that owns Northeast Generator and they reccomended a 15KW GE generator with a 200 amp transfer switch. This is basicaly a Briggs and Stratton unit. They also sell all of the other brands including Generac and Kohler. This a fairly complicated plumbing and wiring job so I would not reccomend anyone try to do this on their own.
After hurricane Sandy hit, my power went out Monday afternoon. Six seconds later, Geeno (the name my wife has given to the generator) started up and has been running continuously since then. We have no idea when the power is going to be restored, but our lifestyle has not changed. I asked the propane company to top off the tank (they came right away) and they added 150 gal of propane. This was for 2 days of generator useage and heating the garage for all of last winter. I figure I could go 2 to 3 weeks on a tank if I had to to.
For those of you that think this is overkill, I would like to alert you to the new reality. Today's overkill could be tomorrow's minimum. In my old age I want to simplify my life. I don't want a boat, a pool, a dog, or a second vacation house. I just want my home and my garage.
