I am seriously thinking of installing a back-up power generator. I have done a bit of reading and have a general idea of how they work. It would probably be a propane 10 kw generator.
Has anyone here installed one? Any recommendations on which company is the best? Any suggestions on how to go about it? Any war stories on this subject? Some many questions, so little time.
When I lived with my ex, untill I figgured out that she was a Vampire, I installed a gas powered gen to keep the basement to keep it from flooding in a power outage..
I ran a "dedicated line" from the gen to the downstairs and when the power went out every winter, Id fire up the gen and plug it into the "dedicated line" to power the gen to run the twin sump pumps.
Total cost was $350.00 for the gen.
A propane unit starts at about $5k they're self starting, when the power goes out. Its a little involved, theres the setting of the gen, a propane line to it, a auto shut off of the main line electrical, its a box that you have to buy and wire. Its so you're gen amperage won't feed back to the power grid..it could kill a lineman who thinks the line is dead.
It cuts off the main line in and feeds all of your outlets from your gen power. Its all automatic.
I have a gas drive Hobart welder that produces 10,000 watts .It's located up back of the house at the shop.It does the job very well except it's a little complicated for my wife.
-- Edited by vett boy on Wednesday 13th of October 2010 08:32:40 PM
The gen set is Generac Guardian. Auto standby 10kw mdl #5871 $3000.00
Auto transfer switch Relinace load side gen tranfer switch 30 amp 10 circuit. $369.00 Thats $3,369.00 plus the install........ You might get under the wire for $5k Its not a DIY project unless your good with tools and electrical.
Thank you guys. Appreciate the feedback. I prefer the natural gas/propane gen. The auto feature is what I am looking for. I don't want for my wife to have to do anything if the power goes out and I am not home. She is not too good with this type of things. I will check the site redwing suggested and probably look for an electrician or a contractor that does this type of work. Thanks again. Lou
Looked at a number of generators and it looks like the one for me is the Generac. It will either be a 8kw or a 10kw depending on what the electrician tells me I need for the outlets I want during a power outage. He is coming tomorrow afternoon to see what I need. I assume I will need an electrical permit from town for this installation.
One of the problems with these things is that if I buy it from an on/line outfit, they ship to my house with lift gate service but I have to take it off the truck. These generators are around 400 lbs. I will probably buy from Home Depot. It will be a couple of hundred dollars more but they have curb side delivery. They can back-up the truck past the end of the driveway and drop it right where it will be installed. I also need to buy a battery and a cold weather kit to keep the battery warm in the winter.
I checked with the propane people yesterday and they recommed two 100 gal tanks. The generators use about one gallon per hr. It also starts up on its own once a week to do a self check. I have to get a plumbing permit from town for the propane tank to generator hook-up. He told me I have to dig a 18 in. deep trench for the plumbing and the tanks have to be at least 10 ft away from the generator.
We had a pretty bad rain and wind storm come through last night and some areas are still out without power. It sort of made up my mind up to go ahead with this project.
By the way redwing. The model 5871 is probably the one I will need. I can get it for about $2,700.
That's it for now.
-- Edited by Lou G on Wednesday 17th of November 2010 04:01:03 PM
