Like I posted up above, my gasoline generator has been worth its weight in gold. I was out of power during Ike for 2.5 weeks, granted we didn't have kids at the time, but it kept a window unit running in the bedroom (NOTE buy a window unit to install when needed), the fridge powered up, internet running and television (NOTE buy a HD antenna in case the cable is also out) and most importantly a toaster oven and COFFEE MAKER. During Harvey, we lost power for 5 days. Didn't need the window unit due to the moderate temps after the storm but it kept everything else going. I am shocked that every Gulf Coast resident who owns a home and can afford one doesn't own one.
If you have nat gas at your home there's a conversion kit for the gen too. It won't be as efficient but cleaner and more reliable. https://centuryfuelproducts.com/duromax-xp4400e-df
Our friend in Florida had one installed. Around $97,000 with a tax credit that brings it down to the high $70s. Powers his whole house. 3 5 hour batteries that power his whole house. Sends energy back to the grid which pays him. Maximum of about 15 years to break even on the cost. Should be less.
Ours sits on a similar cement cast slab like our A/C unit outside. It's about 3-4" off the ground and fortunately our backyard hasn't flooded (hope I didn't jinx myself) to the point of getting water inside the generator.
Silly question, but if water gets inside a generator...are you ****ed pretty much? or does like a warranty cover it or something?
Not a silly question but I honestly don't know. We've had our Generac since 2009 so it's definitely out of warranty. I would imagine if there was at least a foot of water in the backyard then it would be easily the same inside the house. At that point the house and generator are toast and we would hope to have evacuated to higher ground by that time. You may have to check the Generac site for detailed warranty information and if it would cover catastrophic events like that.
No HOA issues but the installer did have to get permission to get it installed even though it's completely out of sight. Maybe due to the noise and safety requirements the HOA requires it?
I made 35kwh off of solar power today. Best day ever actually. Which is great for getting the electricity bill down, but does nothing for outages. For the ~3 weeks without power for Laura and ~two weeks for Delta, I had a crap ton of two year old, very few cycle gc2 batteries that struggled to run a one ton mini split overnight while doing just fine during the day. It would work (only just) if I ran a little harbor freight tailgator 700w 2 stroke gen into a battery charger and left it running but it told me the batteries were shot. There was only about 500w difference between what the tailgator was putting out after accounting for losses going from ac to dc... and what the mini split draws when running. I had nominally 19kw hrs of battery hooked up... it should have run that air conditioner flat out for 8.5 hours+ after accounting for Peukert effect. Crapped out at less than 2 hours of intermittent 1kw draw without the charger. That is all to say.... Just Say No to lead acid batteries. Next up is absolutely lithium batteries and a hybrid inverter. I won't be anywhere near the prices you guys are talking about for the big boy generators or tesla stuff. But I have unused field for a solar array, doing the electrical myself (must be inspected in the end though) and am not opposed to buying used panels and rolling the dice since i have a way to use any ground fault panels for something other than a string inverter. Oh, this is about generators... right. I got really tired of doing oil changes and driving all over creation looking for gas. Ol' Westinghouse generator was a trooper though. 100 hrs between oil changes might have been overkill with synthetic but I couldn't afford to have it fail. Would have gone a lot smoother if I didn't have family over running around turning things on without any concept of a "power budget".
If you really do the math, the paybacks on this are actually like 25 to 30 years. The $100 payment you get from time to time doesn't help that much.
So ours was set outside on a little pad like an AC unit, but we had our landscaper build up a little area so it is even with the house slab. If it floods, our house floods and we're SOL anyways.
I’m with you 100% on not paying $10k for something that will rarely get used. I’ve got a Generac 10k watt generator with a 30amp inlet/breaker tied to my house. It runs all my lights, Tv, Fridge, Computer, a portable AC unit or a couple electric heaters. I honestly have everything I need/want with that unit! I paid $650 for a 1yr old Generac off a guy in Magnolia who posted it on OfferUp. I paid an electrician $110 to hook up the power inlet box to my breaker box and I spent $50 for a Reliance 30amp Inlet box and $100 for a 50ft 30amp generator extension chord off of Amazon. Grand total of $910 I can take it with me when I move or lend it out to a family member if need be... If I had a bunch of stacks just laying around collecting dust I still don’t think I could spend 10k on a Home Generator, but that’s just me being me. Spoiler: Cue: Lynyrd Skynyrd ....... ....... .......
Any feedback on Champion generators? One of my tenants can get me this one for $300 with his employee discount. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cab...-watt-generator-with-remote-start-by-champion Looks like a rebag of this one Champion Power Equipment 76533 4750/3800-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Generator with Electric Start
Why get bottom of the barrel? If it's all you can afford that's one thing. Much better features and quality else where.
Stopgap. Not the bottom of the barrel, either, from what I read. Still looking in to a natural gas setup.
They're loud. We used to use them when going fishing at night with lights. But, it always started up, as long as used correctly (draining fuel and whatnot when not in use).
