Live remote kind of, last home on the power line. Bad storm Friday evening had trees down everywhere. Power has been out since 1930 Friday.

Convinced the wife back in Sept that we need a kohler 20kw stand by generator.

Well she has been puring right along, shut it off every 8 hours, just for a break and oil check.

Quite an investment, but paying for it’s self now.

If you ever considered getting one. Don’t hesitate.

I didn't go big but I am glad I am setup to have the essentials for an extended power outage

Fuel type?

Someone a while back mentioned they had a NG well on their own property and ran a 9k Honda (IIRC) 24/7/365.

That was brilliant and I covet the idea.

I have a couple of MEP-002As... had R&P Carriages make me some custom torsion axles. Fair solution, but new technology is better if you don't need so much power or 3 Phase.

Good luck.

Yes, worth every penny to this taxpayer.

I also put in a NG 20KW Kohler after some research. Everyone recommended it over the Generac. Fortunately, I have not had to battle test my system, but I have no doubt it will perform as advertised.

Smart move on shutting down and checking things.

We install everything from whole house to critical circuit generators for people all the time. Sometimes can be expensive but very nice to have when you need it.

After 2 extended outages in recent times, it was time to get enough generator to run the entire ranch.

Needed around 30kw. Opted for a PTO generator, because I already have tractors to run it.

Welded a 3 point hitch setup. Frame, legs set at the exact height to keep the driveline level, cover, and wooden floor mount for the generator itself.

I just hook it up to the tractor, and back to the transfer switch and plug it in.

The 75hp tractor running it has an economy mode PTO. It'll run that generator for quite awhile on a tank of diesel. Only turning 1500rpm's when generator is at optimal hertz.

Nice work.

You get to use no road taxed diesel and also claim fuel cost as farm expense?

Don't know about Kohler, but if you have a Generac running during an extended power outage you need to shut down every day and check oil. My 22KW will use down to the add mark every 2 days. My neighbor kept restarting his when it automatically shut down for low oil and burned his motor up. Also check the air intake for leaves, he had that issue also. I mentioned to another friend to check his 22KW after an extended run and he didn't have oil on the stick. Other than oil consumption my Generac has brought us through some extended outages (one was 2 weeks) without a hitch. We bought it in 2017.

I am qualified to use off road fuel and get the state tax deleted from any diesel I use off road.

Any fuel expenses related to agriculture use are sent to my accountant for whatever he does with that amount on annual returns, yes.


BUT.... I don't use off road diesel in anything. My transfer diesel tank is on the back of my pickup, and that's where I fuel my equipment from. But not only my equipment, but my pickup itself. I've had long trips, and other times where I simply fill my pickup up from the transfer tank. If I ran red diesel in my transfer tank I couldn't do that.

Well, I COULD do it, but that red dye stays in your pickup tank for a LONG time, and if caught, the state will fine you like $5k per occurrence. And they are the ones who calculate how many times you've done that...

You'd rather get caught robbing the bank than having red diesel in a vehicle you drive on the road.

We have a third world power grid. Our power is down all the time and it's frequently out for 24 hrs+.

It was nice to have power Easter morning with a house full of extended family.

I looked into getting a Generac recently. It took 5 frickin' months to finally get a quote. Finally told the Generac rep that if it took that long to get a quote, just how long would it take to get service if needed. Told him to pound sand, I'll find an alternative.
Then talking to my brother on the farm and he told me that we still have the old PTO driven unit sitting around there that he doesn't need any more if I wanted it. SO, next time back to the farm, I'll be loading it and bringing it out.

I understand, and thanks for the reply...

Cousin of mine keeps off road diesel he uses in storage tanks on his farm. Last I heard him say was he was going to go with a PTO generator so as to take advantage of the tax savings. His personal pickup trucks are always diesels, too, but he uses road taxed diesel in them for the same reason as you. There's two gas stations that sell diesel less than a mile of his home and farm.

Woke up to no power this morning. Wheeled out the generator, hooked it up to the house propane, hit the switch. Toasted bagel and coffee.

I’m gonna get one soon

We have a 8500 watt on standby with a transfer switch wired in. This allows us to run a few things in the house at the same time. Total investment was $1,000. Our local power outages occur less and less so think I'll stick with this.
Keep the generator full of non ethanol and 10 gallons of gas on hand. Run it every 18 months or so to make sure everything is fine.

Son Jake bought this DeWalt.

We have a PTO big enough to run the farm.

I have a diesel 20KW comercial generator

Know some people in Louisiana that ran a big one on NG for a week after Ida. Fuel was1000 bucks for a week.

Have you found one?

Do they make them to run on propane?

Generacs will run on propane or NG. I believe all you have to do is turn the knob. Propane is there when all else fails.

That sounds awful high unless it was a real big one. After Hurricane Laura our 22KW Generac was running on about $75 worth of propane a day but most folks would be able to shut one down part of the day which is what we did after a few days. NG is cheaper than propane but you lose a couple of KWs on NG.

I have a 6700 Yamaha and it works great. Just have to shut off the solar panels before starting it up. Five minutes and she is good to go.

I would my generator just enough to keep my freezers good

I would not be letting it run balls to the wall just so I could watch Pat Sajak and Murder She Wrote and the regular 10 hours of daily Boomer television consumption.

Run it 4-5 hours tops in a 24 hour period.

Use it to also charge a battery bank of several deep cycles too and then run low demand appliances off of those batts via DC to AC invertor

They are expensive. But I was sure glad I had mine. Ran over 60 hours during our big freeze. Looks like we are in for power grid problems in the future. 22 KW is big enough to run every thing in our house plus help out a couple of neighbors.
Hasbeen

I have a generac 22kw. Was here when I bought my place. Despite living a ways out our power is pretty reliable, dang it. The generator has done fine during the few times our power has gone out and when I turn it off to exercise it. It comes on once a week to test itself too. Mine runs on propane. No NG out here.

That said it’ll run everything in the house. We don’t have huge demands though. Do have central AC but it isn’t like running an AC somewhere where it gets actual hot.

Have a wood stove too. So I feel pretty comfortable when the grid is down.

read to the end of my post..^^

Alot of people go big on stand-by output, which I don't understand. If the grid goes down, fuel will be a choke point and the less you need, the better. So go for efficency. You need to be able to run some lights, the computer, hot water heater, well pump and fridge and freezer and maybe the funrnace and not necessarily all at once.

Alot of people go big on stand-by output, which I don't understand. If the grid goes down, fuel will be a choke point and the less you need, the better. So go for efficency. You need to be able to run some lights, the computer, hot water heater, well pump and fridge and freezer and maybe the funrnace and not necessarily all at once.

I’m a long ways from an electrician. But as I understand it. Your generator runs at a constant rpm. As you load it up it requires more fuel to hold that steady rpm. During our power outages we only use what is necessary. We unplug everything we are not using. A lot of appliances use a little on standby. Hasbeen

That's just how mine works.

You run the engine rpm's up to get the generator to 60hz, and as load is added to the generator, the generator draws more horsepower to maintain the 60hz.

Our 24 kW generator is built by a local company (Wrico) which builds generators for large motor homes. It is diesel powered and is based on a 3 cylinder Kubota tractor motor. Went diesel since NG is about 16 miles west and we are otherwise all electric. And we always have quite a bit of stored diesel due to its use in the heavy equipment and our pickup. The generator is on a stand and below it is an aluminum 70 gallon fuel tank. It can run most of the house (one of two electrical panels) and has been very useful in the last three winters. We've had 5 or 6 day outages every winter. Also with the greater incidences of large forest fires, the electric utilities have plans to shut off power during red flag events (as they have been doing in California). We want to keep our 4 freezers frozen.

Got an Onan (6500) with a 7 gallon tank. It will run 24 hours.
A rest spell, refill with fuel and oil and it's off the again.
Also have a small Ryobi (1800). It'll run about 8 hours.

I'm no expert either. We have the Honda eu7000is. It has the eco-throttle feature which allows it to vary the engine RPM according to load, which is a nice feature.

We have 9200 run time generator. We don't lose power alot but when we do, roll it out and flip the lock out. Good enough for us

Get a 24 pack of solar landscape lights

Charge em up outside, bring them in and set them around the house for indirect lighting

I just had the same size Generac 22k running on NG installed last Wednesday! Power company had an emergency in the neighboring county and could not get back to turn our power back on so it ran for 5 hours first day waiting for the power company to come back.

Generac wasn't cheap BUT 18 month zero interest and 7 year additional warrantee helped seal the deal.

I’m lost! How is it paying for itself when your still spending money on it to run. Especially at todays fuel prices no matter if it propane, natural, diesel or gas?

Not sure how the mean it’s paying for it self but in my case…
Previous owners of our property lost power due to winter storm after pipes froze and broke power came back on and flooded the home. Three months later they came back from traveling and the property was damaged to the point they knocked it down and started over.

For me Piece of mind when we travel south for the winter is worth the cost

Slumlord's idea of a solar light pack sounds good for indirect lighting. We also have a 2000 Honda and a 1000 Yamaha for little stuff when we don't use the big generator. With everything going on out here you can't be to careful and prepared.

Mine is Propane. Bought a 500 gal tank so when I buy the gas I can shop around for the best price

The power has been off for the last 3 days. My life has not been interrupted because of it. And it is a buisness expense write off along with the propane.

buy once/cry once

let your budget decide

Nice to have power when your neighbors don't

I have a WEN 3800I

Not a stand by by no means

Beats the hell outta nuthin'

How's the general maintenance?

Can't remember the brand but we have a 12kw, the kind that's on wheels and you can tote around like a dolly. I have zero experience with generators so I'm not sure how much it can power and how the hell you would hook it up outside of extension cords.

I could run a very selected few breakers even with my Yamaha 2800

Kept the house warm

Lights on

24HR Campfire online

What more to ask for ?

You definitely need some help to get the most out of that, and to not damage your electrical system or hurt yourself.

I'd start a thread about what you can do with what you have, and how to do it properly.

I paid 300 for the box, Romex, lock out switch and breaker to wire my house safely. My brother is an electrician so labor was free.

My little Honda Black Max with a suicide cord and or few beefy extensions gets the essentials taken care of for Ma and myself. I have well, sump, two freezers and a fridge which are essentials. It gets us by , but I could use a bit bigger one with dual fuel. Right now , I am on gas. I will upgrade as finances allow. I pulled wires and have to put in an outlet on porch and a box in the basement next to panel and hook it all up.

That’s all I plan to do with my 3500 watt Predator! I don’t need my entire house powered. Just a few circuits and the furnace. I keep at least 10 gallons of No-eth gas at all times. That will keep the generator running 5-6 hrs a day for over a week! I can cook either on my grill or a Coleman camp stove. As an electrician I made a suicide cord and rigged up a distribution block to hook up the essential 6-8 circuits without feeding back thru the panel.

LIKE !

yes....don't need to run entire panel

just keep 24HR on line right ?

Had my electrician install X/fer switch...

$300 total

Select the breakers ya wanna run....

Plug it in..NO back feed

I dont know enough to make good use of the info a dedicated thread would contribute but I have to ask, is 12kw enough for a small ranch house with full basement?

Don't laugh......

WEN builds some purty good stuff.....one pull start outta the box

Have this 3800I ready to roll & plug in...

Buy direct from WEN....no tax & free ship


https://wenproducts.com/collections...le-inverter-generator-with-fuel-shut-off

BG, transfer switch for sure. I also believe you would want a ground rod to ground that portable generator unless there is a way the transfer switch takes care of that.

You can always go cheap and get a portable generator that you can plug a toaster and a floor lamp into and think you are golden. It really doesn't take long to tire of a pathetic band aid like that.

Just get a good 10,000 watt or bigger and have it professionally wired into your house with propane or natural gas and you won't feel the need to pull up your baseboard and start a fire with it in the living room because you thought a small portable generator was enough....

L I K E

but UR rich...........

What's having a generator around worth?
How about a freezer with a grand or so worth of food?
An A/C in 100° weather?
The TV to see when the next thunderstorm/blizzard is coming through?
A few lights to read?
Keep a cell phone charged?

Actual $ value? I dunno, but I do like my few creature comforts! 😉!

Budget is an issue. My 9200watt running ( 11,500 start up) takes care of everything in the house. Yes, I have more steps than a stand alone, and the NG source would be nice but I only lose power maybe twice a year. I'll deal with what I got.

Yes

the WEN has a grounding connection

[img]https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0012/0350/3168/products/56380i.main_2048x2048.jpg?v=1574445235[/img]

I took a picture of the generator to post but can't figure out how-to post it since photobucket is being stupid.

Our power outages are minutes, not hours.

I've wanted a portable, but in 22 years the power has only been out ling enough to begin using one a couple times. Even then, im not getting excited for an hour, then by the time it's running, powers on.


Guess we are just a little rough here.
Couple hours without power, we light the oil lamps.
Grill, fire ring, Coleman stove, Turkey fryer.....we ain't going hungry.

A portable would pump water,
Run some lights,
Run the furnace fan.

Drink, eat, crap in a toilet, shower (Even if cold), and keep the house from
freezing up(we have a kerosene heater just to be used in emergencies)
heck, I'm good with that.
Not for life, but a couple days easy.

postimages.org is your friend.

I had a 36 Kw Generac Quiet Source single phase installed at our house in CO. In 13 years it has run less than 90 hours, most of it during the monthly test. One of my friends in VT has Generac, not sure which model or size, that ran almost 24/7 for nearly a month when they lost power after Hurricane Irene hit them back in 2011. Mine runs on natural gas, which is a lot less expensive than the propane that my friend in VT uses. It is important to have a good dealer to do the installation and maintenance. The dealer who we have in CO did a good job with the installation, but the annual maintenance has been irregular and if there was another dealer in the area I'd give them a try.

A windmill or some solar panels would leave less of a footprint ….

Man you guys are spoiled. I wish all of us could go back to Little house on the prairie days myself. Life would slow down and we would appreciate friends and family more and no utility bills to boot!

I'm in with the "simple" crowd. I have a Honda EU 2000 and a Wen 3,800. Both sip gas and will keep my refrigerator, freezer, and a room a/c or heater going. I have propane for cooking, heat, etc.

My family of four survived 21 days after Hurricane Ike without power and only the EU 2000, using about 2 gallons of gasoline per day. It was kinda like camping, but doable. The EU 2000 will run a 6,500 BTU window unit. When you live in hurricane alley, having a/c for sleeping is a must.

I'm the only guy in my neighborhood that does not have one. What I have is a solar powered battery backup system. The battery pack stores 40.8 KW for my use. The way it's setup is the house uses 50% of that every day. That keeps my PG&E bill down to less than $120 a year. The other 50% is used if the grid shuts down.
In December, the sun can only recharge the batteries to 63-65%. But that includes running the five dedicated circuits in the house. That's all the wall plugs, except those around the kitchen counter, and the garage. That also include all of the lights in the house, the ceiling fans, the refrigerator, and my forced air heating system.
It doesn't run the AC, but it will run the fan.
I'm told it will take 11 years to pay for itself. I paid $25,000 for the whole setup. E

Two qt of oil and a filter every 50 hours.

It's a pure luxury, for ten years I hauled portable generators and extension cords around. Couldn't sleep at night cause it was 80 degrees and Hella high humidity.

Last year I was out on business and the family was somewhere else. I had stopped to fish in the gulf with a buddy on a Saturday before coming home. Neighbor texts me power is out again. Has been out for 18 hrs. I hopped in truck to drive 5 hours home and haul generators out again. That was the fifth greater than 10 hour outage in the first 6 months of the year. I put a deposit on a whole house one the next week.

Again, luxury item, but worth every penny to this taxpayer.

Not quite! I don’t go to the store for everything I buy.

This generator was still in the crate and the guy had 2 breaker panels with it when I bought it from him for $1100.00.

I found it on KSL classifieds. I was in Utah for other business, looked on the KSL classifieds before I left and secured the generator, so when I was down there I picked it up.

Too many people think only on conventional lines and don’t realize there is a surplus of good deals out there and they settle for much less than they have to…

smokin' deal......

Hmmmm KSL ads.......

Full of scammers.......have sold/bought stuff there....

Did get some great gun deals before they dropped all firearm sales

Can't someone on this site PLEASE make it easier to
post pictures?

If there were only one or two complaints, it would be different, but this is just another of many?

If it's a safety concern I could understand, but NONE of the other sites I frequent require visiting another website to grab pictures to come back and post here.
This is ridiculous. ☹

I grew up in east Texas. I've seen 110°F and 100% humidity with no wind.
I can remember fighting off the bloodsucking pterodactyls on a summer night as I swam (swum? swimmed?) from side to side of the bed in the pool of sweat! 😜

In 1958, Hurricane Carla hit Galveston, moved inland, beat the crap out of San Antonio. Then proceeded to the DFW metromess and didn't downgrade to "tropical depression" until somewhere up around St. Louis, MO!
Rained for 8 days straight in my hometown. ....and not just sprinkles, showers and such. It came a hard downpour for 8 STRAIGHT DAYS!
Every river, creek, gulley, ditch and cow track was over flowing!
We had fish drown! LOL!

Carla was 61...

I was only off 3 years. At my age, that ain't too bad! LOL!
....but I DO remember the rain!
Harvey may have dropped more rain, but it didn't rain as LONG!

If a few decibels louder, no wheels and no electric start isn't a critical issue WEN also has open frame inverter 4000 watt portable generator priced at $300 less than the one in the above quoted link. (An advantage of the open frame gen sets versus the enclosed ones is due to the open frame design internals are easier to access.)

WEN GN400i RV-Ready 4000-Watt Open Frame Inverter Generator, CARB Compliant

I've only run my new WEN 3800I 3-4 hrs or so

Just enough to change the oil the first time

Yes.....all enclosed housing.....PIA to get to the innards...but doesn't need much service

But quiet......electric start.....starts right now !