Coop Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 I recently experienced first hand that hurricanes are not the only cause of extended power outages. Does anyone have experience with the type of generator that is natural gas powered and comes on automatically to power your whole house? As opposed to the portable type that require extension cords and stand by gasoline? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Hey Coop! Hope you're doing as well as possible with the weather. I have a portable generator and can connect it to the house if needed - but in the 25 years we've lived here, we've never lost power for more than a few hours (and in recent years it's only been 10 mins max.....we're fortunate to have a great local power system). I *have* looked into permanent standby-by generators (natural gas; automatically engage; etc). The real trick comes into sizing - if you want to run A/C, or just critical items like lights and heat. Prices have come way down from when I first thought about it when we moved in. We do, however, know several people who have them. Natural gas powered, automatic testing (weekly), and they automatically engage when power loss is detected. There is work do be done around the main panel, since you need to isolate via a transfer switch (isolate the house from the main feed when generator is on; and need to isolate generator-powered loads from those in the house that are not). I want to say the last time I looked, a 10-12KW Natural gas unit for our house would have run me in the range of $10K. But I've not priced it in a few years. AS I pointed out above - we lose it so infrequently that depending on a portable generator (and manual work to get it going) is not an issue for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post difalkner Posted February 19, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 I priced a Generac 20kW unit five or six years ago and it was going to be around $7k, turnkey installed. To go larger gets really expensive, not only for the unit but for the installation, as well. My guy said going larger than 20kW means a new and larger gas meter and the lines have to be increased to (I think) 1 1/2" diameter all the way to the Generac. However, in looking at the Generac website, I see a 25kW costs less than a 22kW but I didn't look at the details. There's a decent amount on top of this for transfer switch, electrician, plumbing, installation, etc. Our next-door neighbor had a 20kW Generac and when they moved he took it with him. It was pretty quiet and he offered to let us run an extension cord if ever needed but we never had the need. The ice/snow storm that hit us this week and took power out for 14 hours is the worst we've seen, and while it would be nice to have the Generac I don't think we're going to go that route. David 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 I just looked and they do sell natural gas portable generators. Get a natural gas line ran out to your grill and you can probably just disconnect the grill and hook up the generator when needed. Might be a nice intermediate option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 An older thread - And there is always this option... https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/man-used-2021-ford-f-140213250.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted February 19, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 A lot of people here on the lake have them. No natural gas here, so it's all propane. My only complaint with the automatic ones is that they run fairly frequently, just to keep the motor viable. It seems like most of the repairs are to the motors getting worn out. We have a portable gasoline one, that I keep a spare carb for. Running non-ethanol in it only, it'll go years between uses, after running all the gas out of the carb, and start right up when needed. We did go about 10 years between hurricanes once, and I had to put the spare carb on to get it going. I have it so I can hook it into the house system, to run the water pump, and other essential stuff, but it's not large enough to run everything. I understand electrical though, and can safely deal with the switching over, and double ended male cord. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 I use a portable, and connect in a similar fashion as Tom. While my current unit is a 6.5kw model, the one I used through the last major power outage was only 4.5kw. With propane providing the actual heat for our central system, the single 20 amp, 240 volt circuit from that generator kept the central unit, fridge, electric water heater, lights, electronics (pc, tv, etc...) and the occasional microwave meal going without a hitch. It takes less than you think for 'necessities'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 I'm with Tom and Wtn .... I have a portable and deal with the "switchover" manually (only had to do it as a test; never needed it for emergency use). Mine is gasoline powered, though - no propane here outside of the gas grill. It's 6500W, so strong enough to run the entire house with the exception of central AC. The suggestion for keeping a spare carb on hand is a great idea.... We have natural gas to the house (used for heat, hot water, and cooktop) and an already oversized gas meter and supply pipe (took care of this when we renovated a few years back). If I go the route of an installed standby generator, I keep coming back to the dilemma* of fuel supply - what happens if the natural gas supply is interrupted? From what I've been reading, this has been one of the big issues in TX beyond the electricity outages. Locally, we had an incident a few years back where an entire area had the natural gas *shut off* for moths, due to gas supply issues (house fires and explosions, leading to shut-off off of the natural gas supply .. check it out here ). I'm debating either going with natural gas - and hoping it's only needed for electricity blackouts - or going with diesel, which would be more 'self contained', but brings its own set of issues with regard to run time and fuel storage. Any thoughts or experience regarding diesel standby generators? *dilemma vs dilemna: I learned it as dilemna, but apparently all major dictionaries are smarter than I am. So "dilemma" it is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 @Jfitz, I have experience with diesel power standby generators at work. All I can say is to be prepared to cash in a CD or three, those things are not cheap. If you REALLY want uninterruptible power, there are industrial units on the market that operate as motor/generators. With line power available, the line drives an electric motor, which drives an alternator, which supplies your load. Big flywheel in the middle. If line power is lost, flywheel inertia cranks the combustion engine to keep the alternator spinning. No batteries, no transfer switch. No blackout, unless the engine fails to start. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 One more consideration for those that may want to feed your home panel from a portable generator. It is NOT safe to assume that turning your panel's main breaker to the 'off' position will protect a lineman from your generator. I see breakers with welded contacts fairly often. Back-feeding the power grid this way is very dangerous, and highly discouraged by utility companies. Might even result in civil or criminal charges if someone is injured. In the two cases where I have fed my home this way, I first alerted the utility of my plan, then cut the lock and pulled the meter from its base to ensure an air gap between my panel and the main line. Also, if you have a tractor, one of these might be a good way to generate electricity without maintaining another combustion engine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Notifying the supplier and pulling the meter is a darn good idea Ross and never thought about it. As my son is not a lineman but works for the line maintenance company here in Houston, he has many friends that are and we want to keep them safe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 We're on a mile long, dead end road. There are about 75 lake houses on it, that have to drive through our place. Any time the power company needs to reconnect a broken line in here, they come in, and ask everyone to turn off their generators, if they have a portable one running in their yards, like us. Now, they stop at the head of the driveway, blow their horn, and wait for a wave back. I always check the service entrance lines feeding the main breaker, after I turn the generator on, and the breaker is off. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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