# Powers Out



## johneh (Jan 19, 2019)

It is now 3pm power has been out for 1 1/2 hrs. 
Genny kicked right in  Temp is -22 with a wind chill of -34
Feel bad for thoughts in the cold . Est. time power returns is 5:30 
Thank God foe my Genny


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## jerrieric (Jan 19, 2019)

Yes I love my whole house 22kw generator


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## johneh (Jan 19, 2019)

Still no power est. time now 12pm I hate Ontario hydro
9100 people in the dark


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## Riddlefiddle (Jan 19, 2019)

That sucks.


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## WiscWoody (Jan 20, 2019)

I don’t have a whole house automatic generator but I do have a small 2000W Generac inverter genny that’s always by the house on a pad ready to go. For $350 it’s cheap peace of mind in this rural area where the power can go out anytime and it will run all of my 120V electrical items in my small place. the biggest bummer about is that I have to keep a 5 gallon can of non ethanol fuel on the ready for it in case I need it someday. I rotate it out every 6 months.


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## velvetfoot (Jan 21, 2019)

At least with 9600 customers out, and no widespread outages, it sounds like one problem on the whole circuit.  Hopefully not something big.  Cold temps, high usage.  

Sounds like you guys like your whole house gennies?  I had a full guy out to do an estimate, but he never got back to me.


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## jerrieric (Jan 21, 2019)

Mine was 9k installed. Wife thought I was crazy but every time the power goes out she says glad we have the generator. 2 days is the longest it's been out since we got it


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## velvetfoot (Jan 21, 2019)

I meant to say fuel not full.

That's great.  It's gotta be sweet when it starts automatically like that.


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## paulnlee (Jan 21, 2019)

Have a brand new Hondo 5000 in the want ad forum


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## begreen (Jan 21, 2019)

WiscWoody said:


> I don’t have a whole house automatic generator but I do have a small 2000W Generac inverter genny that’s always by the house on a pad ready to go. For $350 it’s cheap peace of mind in this rural area where the power can go out anytime and it will run all of my 120V electrical items in my small place. the biggest bummer about is that I have to keep a 5 gallon can of non ethanol fuel on the ready for it in case I need it someday. I rotate it out every 6 months.


Why I went and bought a dual-fuel propane generator. No worries about fuel going stale.
@johneh hope you are back on the grid by now.


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## johneh (Jan 21, 2019)

Installed my first one after the 1998 ice storm was without power for 28 days
Wife said I was crazy . Had it for 10 years total usage 635 hrs. Sold it and 
upgrades to a 25 KW propane fired  unit cost just under 15K . Wife
wanted to know why next power outage  9 days everything in the house
worked washer dryer well pump elec. stove now she will not be with out it
total hours on this unit 593 and counting . Best investment I ever made
Expensive but the peace of mind Priceless


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## firefighterjake (Jan 21, 2019)

WiscWoody said:


> I don’t have a whole house automatic generator but I do have a small 2000W Generac inverter genny that’s always by the house on a pad ready to go. For $350 it’s cheap peace of mind in this rural area where the power can go out anytime and it will run all of my 120V electrical items in my small place. the biggest bummer about is that I have to keep a 5 gallon can of non ethanol fuel on the ready for it in case I need it someday. I rotate it out every 6 months.



I opted to do something similar . . . purchased a 7500 watt Yamaha generator and hired an electrician/co-worker this summer to install a hook up on the exterior of the house and an interlock on the electrical panel. 

Much cheaper than a whole house generator and honestly it runs most everything we need to . . . not that I would run every light and appliance at once though . . . just have to prioritize what I want to run and when I want to run it. 

Used the new set up for the first time a month or two after doing the switch over when we lost power for a couple of days. Worked great . . . wife could take a shower (her big "want"), longer run time than with the smaller generator and it was much easier to get things up and running vs. running electrical cords through the house.


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## MissMac (Jan 21, 2019)

begreen said:


> Why I went and bought a dual-fuel propane generator. No worries about fuel going stale.
> @johneh hope you are back on the grid by now.


i'm curious to know what make/model you purchased?  I'm looking at buying a propane generator myself.


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## MissMac (Jan 21, 2019)

johneh said:


> Installed my first one after the 1998 ice storm was without power for 28 days
> Wife said I was crazy . Had it for 10 years total usage 635 hrs. Sold it and
> upgrades to a 25 KW propane fired  unit cost just under 15K . Wife
> wanted to know why next power outage  9 days everything in the house
> ...


what generator are you running now?


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## WiscWoody (Jan 21, 2019)

A seller on eBay had a dual fuel 10Kw generator on sale for $499 shipped. A good price. If can’t get it now you can set up a alert on slickdeals.net for generators and then you can see the deal on generators including this one that goes on sale a few times a year.

https://slickdeals.net/f/12653422-d...ipping-deal-is-back-499-99?v=1&src=SiteSearch


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## WiscWoody (Jan 21, 2019)

begreen said:


> Why I went and bought a dual-fuel propane generator. No worries about fuel going stale.
> @johneh hope you are back on the grid by now.


But I wanted a inverter generator since they have a pure sine wave that’s easier on delicate electronics. Non ethanol gas can be good for over a year with a little Stabil in it. I haven’t seen any LP run inverter generators but there might be some available..? I had thought about getting a propane portable genny before but my reason was so that I could run a hose to a quick connect on my 1000 gallon LP tank so I could run it for long term if needed and LP is cheap that way. Around $1.10 a gallon here in the summer when I fill my tank.


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## begreen (Jan 21, 2019)

WiscWoody said:


> But I wanted a inverter generator since they have a pure sine wave that’s easier on delicate electronics. Non ethanol gas can be good for over a year with a little Stabil in it. I haven’t seen any LP run inverter generators but there might be some available..?


Yes that is possible. I think Champion has one and ours is a Yamaha factory authorized adaptation.


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## johneh (Jan 21, 2019)

MissMac said:


> what generator are you running now?


We now have a Generac Protector 25KW
This one with added extras battery warmer and engine heater 
http://www.generac.com/all-products/generators/home-backup-generators/protector-series/25kw-rg025


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## WiscWoody (Jan 21, 2019)

johneh said:


> We now have a Generac Protector 25KW
> This one with added extras battery warmer and engine heater
> http://www.generac.com/all-products/generators/home-backup-generators/protector-series/25kw-rg025


That’s a lot of power! You must have a big place.


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## johneh (Jan 21, 2019)

WiscWoody said:


> That’s a lot of power! You must have a big place.


It powers the whole House my Wood Shop and the Barn


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## WiscWoody (Jan 21, 2019)

I retired from a facilities maintenance job at a large school district in the twin cities and the high school and middle school I worked at were connected and they had a 2.5 Mw generator I watched over. It was impressive with a 16 cylinder Cummins 4800CI engine that just roared when the thing was running. It could run both schools and the Trane 900 ton chiller with a 550hp electric motor on it too. The power company there encouraged large buildings to have peak generators of their own and they had better power rates and grants for those that put them in so the district had them in their bigger schools.


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## sportbikerider78 (Jan 22, 2019)

Dealing with power outrages sucks.  Ironically...when i lived in highly populated CT I had outrages all the time.  Now that I live in rural NY with property, my power almost never goes out.  I think the difference is that they really do a good job trimming the trees from the power lines there.  They don't ask permission. If your tree is in the way, its done for.


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## WiscWoody (Jan 22, 2019)

Up here it was the opposite, when I lived in the twin cities the power only went out when it was a big storm with much of the lines underground. But up here when I first came up the power was out often with all the lines on poles. Then the small power company got into some trouble for their outages happening too often and they really started to brush as they call it. And they ask no one, they have the right to clear a certain footage from their lines but I can’t recall what that is.


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## MissMac (Jan 22, 2019)

johneh said:


> We now have a Generac Protector 25KW
> This one with added extras battery warmer and engine heater
> http://www.generac.com/all-products/generators/home-backup-generators/protector-series/25kw-rg025


holy moly, that's a nice looking generator!  i see you're in ontario as am i.  what's going on over there that you need that kind of back-up power?


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## WiscWoody (Jan 22, 2019)

MissMac said:


> holy moly, that's a nice looking generator!  i see you're in ontario as am i.  what's going on over there that you need that kind of back-up power?


I think he has a grow operation going lol...  You can do that in Canada now right?


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## johneh (Jan 22, 2019)

sorry no grow opp.
To old for that chit 
But the wife has a green house for fresh veg 
all year around . Nothing like having a tomato or green pepper 
fresh off the plant this time of year and the strawberry's just came into flower so fresh berries 
soon . Yes there is a small bee colony in the green house for pollination and a little honey


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## MissMac (Jan 22, 2019)

johneh said:


> sorry no grow opp.
> To old for that chit
> But the wife has a green house for fresh veg
> all year around . Nothing like having a tomato or green pepper
> ...


ok, i think i got it.  you're actually utilizing the geny every day?  i'm just looking for one as back-up during power outages.


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## Dataman (Jan 22, 2019)

If you do buy generator be careful of ones with with bonded power.  They require the Generators Manufacture transfer panel.   I have 7 year old Briggs & Stratton 7kw (Obsolete).   Since we already had Transfer Panel all I needed was Generator.    You can undo the Bonding.

https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Briggs-&-Stratton-40301-Standby-Generator/p891.html


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## paulnlee (Jan 22, 2019)

WiscWoody said:


> But I wanted a inverter generator since they have a pure sine wave that’s easier on delicate electronics. Non ethanol gas can be good for over a year with a little Stabil in it. I haven’t seen any LP run inverter generators but there might be some available..? I had thought about getting a propane portable genny before but my reason was so that I could run a hose to a quick connect on my 1000 gallon LP tank so I could run it for long term if needed and LP is cheap that way. Around $1.10 a gallon here in the summer when I fill my tank.



Just got my latest LP bill. Only run the dryer and HWH, 100 gal tank, four fill ups a year. $5.3991 a gallon


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## johneh (Jan 22, 2019)

MissMac said:


> ok, i think i got it. you're actually utilizing the geny every day? i'm just looking for one as back-up during power outages.


No just back up because we have so many power outages 
At least 1 a week in the summer and more often in the winter


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## velvetfoot (Jan 22, 2019)

When the electric utility trimmed the trees on my circuit a few years ago, the outages went way down.  Might be time soon for another visit.


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## WiscWoody (Jan 22, 2019)

paulnlee said:


> Just got my latest LP bill. Only run the dryer and HWH, 100 gal tank, four fill ups a year. $5.3991 a gallon


Get a bigger tank. I used to lease my tank but I bought it after the gas company wanted to hike my lease up after I started to burn wood for heat. Your out east so the cost is going to be more there already but no that high. Talk to your gas company to see how you can get a better deal on the LP.... I would.


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## 7acres (Jan 23, 2019)

jerrieric said:


> Mine was 9k installed. Wife thought I was crazy but every time the power goes out she says glad we have the generator. 2 days is the longest it's been out since we got it



Same here. We've got a Generac 17Kw. For the past 9 years the power has gone out many times. We're always so tickled that we don't participate in power outages. Life just continues as normal for us. Earlier this Winter the power company shut off power several days in a row right during the time I shower and get ready for work. Then I'd head in and drive right by the crew doing the work. Thank God I got a nice hot shower and didn't have to get dressed by flashlight!


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## begreen (Feb 11, 2019)

Power went out a few days ago. I ran the generator for a few hours a few hours to give refrigeration a chance to catch up. I like having a propane generator. The oil is cleaner and the fuel is just waiting there, no worry about it going stale. The Yamaha is pretty frugal so we can go quite awhile on a tank full.


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## fbelec (Feb 14, 2019)

begreen what size tank do you run your propane gen with and how long does that tank last


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## greg13 (Feb 14, 2019)

sportbikerider78 said:


> Dealing with power outrages sucks.  Ironically...when i lived in highly populated CT I had outrages all the time.  Now that I live in rural NY with property, my power almost never goes out.  I think the difference is that they really do a good job trimming the trees from the power lines there.  They don't ask permission. If your tree is in the way, its done for.



If you are rural, Redfield must be bonnieville. Yes, both Grid & NYSEG do a good job trimming. I know the head arborist at grid and they are all the time having issues with people that plant trees that grow 50' under the lines and scream when they have to be trimmed.


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## begreen (Feb 15, 2019)

fbelec said:


> begreen what size tank do you run your propane gen with and how long does that tank last


We have a 100# reserve tank with a capacity of 23 gallons. How long it will last is hard to say. Our generator throttles back as the load is reduced. This normally happens once refrigeration is up to temp and starts to cycle. I figure about ~8 hrs a gallon. During an extended outage I run the generator about 6 hrs per day. For shorter outages I run the genny off of 4.6 gallon propane tanks. We have a couple of these for the BBQ and I try to keep one full. During the last set of snowstorms we just burned through about a gallon.

In a dire emergency we also have an 80 gallon tank feeding the kitchen stove. I could tap into that if I had to. This may seem like overkill, but a 5 day outage is not unheard of here. And if there is a serious earthquake we could be on our own for weeks.


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## fbelec (Feb 16, 2019)

begreen said:


> We have a 100# reserve tank with a capacity of 23 gallons. How long it will last is hard to say. Our generator throttles back as the load is reduced. This normally happens once refrigeration is up to temp and starts to cycle. I figure about ~8 hrs a gallon. During an extended outage I run the generator about 6 hrs per day. For shorter outages I run the genny off of 4.6 gallon propane tanks. We have a couple of these for the BBQ and I try to keep one full. During the last set of snowstorms we just burned through about a gallon.
> 
> In a dire emergency we also have an 80 gallon tank feeding the kitchen stove. I could tap into that if I had to. This may seem like overkill, but a 5 day outage is not unheard of here. And if there is a serious earthquake we could be on our own for weeks.



wow 8hrs a gal. that's super


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## begreen (Feb 16, 2019)

fbelec said:


> wow 8hrs a gal. that's super


Depends on the load, it could drop down to 6hr with a heavy load. This is why we have a smaller generator and one of the reasons we don't rely on the onboard fuel tank.


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## Highbeam (Feb 16, 2019)

begreen said:


> Depends on the load, it could drop down to 6hr with a heavy load. This is why we have a smaller generator and one of the reasons we don't rely on the onboard fuel tank.



Worst case, you could use gas from vehicles, mowers, etc. in addition to propane. The “dual” part of dual fuel is very nice. 

We lost power last night and just went to bed. The refrigeration systems can cruise over night and our wood heat means we’re warm. Don’t be the guy who thinks he needs a genset running 24/7. 

After upgrading to an inverter genset a few years back I will only use a noninverter set for short term needs like a well pump or heating water. Fortunately we don’t ever need air conditioning in my location.


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## begreen (Feb 17, 2019)

Heads up. Honda recall.


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