Generators

[Volphin]

My wife's dad is quite frail and lives in rural MI. Due to health issues the man is always cold, and last winter they lost power for an entire week. We are afraid that in his weakened state, if it happens again, he will need to be transported back to the hospital. How do I pick a generator and hook it up? One concern is that my mother in law will have to start it.

 

[scipper77]

Whole house setup or a large portable?

 

[Volphin]

That's just it. I have no idea where to start! LOL Are whole house systems super expensive?

 

[oldjeep]

Best option is nat gas/propane setup with an automatic start/transfer switch. Not knowing your budget makes a recommendation impossible.

Start looking here and then remember that there will be installation costs
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors...Ntt-generator?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5

 

[Volphin]

OK, that was enlightening! I reviewed those natural gas ones and their cost. I need to spend WAY less on one. Maybe I need to look at gasoline powered ones with the outlet or something.

 

[ehenry]

If the house is all electric you'll need to figure out what all you want the generator to run. Go to a generator site that has a sizing chart like Generac's.

http://www.generac.com/for-homeowner...your-generator

I had an 8KW Generac on my house and it ran lights, heat exchange, refridgerators/freezers, various outlets in the house. It wasn't big enough to power the whole house. I've since upgraded to a 24kw that is whole house.

 

[Scott Danforth]

there are 8-10KW portable contractor grade gensets with a key fob electric start. you can find them at many pawn shops. However these are portable units requiring to be refueled about every 8 hours.

Natural gas unit would be better.

however I highly recommend at least a manual transfer switch (kills incoming power, connects to genny). I myself backfeed my welder outlet after manually killing the main for the one time every 5 years that I need to power the house. each breaker that needs to be on for emergencies is tagged.

 

[Grandad]

I'm wondering if this might be the best approach, especially for those who are not technically strong. You just need to know which breakers to keep on and which circuits or appliances you can't use dependent upon how big your generator. - Grandad
www.generlink.com/documents/Generlink-Your_Path_to_Power.pdf

 

[gm280]

Okay, unless you seriously understand what it take to connect and run one, I honestly suggest you have someone setup any generator you decide to go with. This isn't changing batteries in a flashlight. You can be seriously injured or even killed with such generators if not careful and understanding of such. JMHO!

 

[bruceb58]

You can be seriously injured or even killed with such generators if not careful and understanding of such. JMHO!

Or kill the people working on the dead line.

 

[alldodge]

My wife's dad is quite frail and lives in rural MI. Due to health issues the man is always cold, and last winter they lost power for an entire week. We are afraid that in his weakened state, if it happens again, he will need to be transported back to the hospital. How do I pick a generator and hook it up? One concern is that my mother in law will have to start it.

First find out if they have all electric or gas/propane for heat. If it's gas/propane the fix to get heat is fairly simple if you understand electrical house wiring. If its all electric, your going to need a bigger Gen and GM280 hit it with you need to call in a professional

 

[MTboatguy]

A whole house set up requires a professional, certified electrician, it is not just a weekend job.

 

[roscoe]

I'm wondering if this might be the best approach, especially for those who are not technically strong. You just need to know which breakers to keep on and which circuits or appliances you can't use dependent upon how big your generator. - Grandad
www.generlink.com/documents/Generlink-Your_Path_to_Power.pdf

The generlink system would be good for many people.
Problem is, many electric providers will not allow or support its use.

 

[Volphin]

Looking over some of the installation guides I can say that I'm very comfortable with the electrical and gas hookups guys. I have just never had to mess with one before. I'll be going up in a few weeks anyway, so I'll get a better look at the type of service they have, the panel and load on the system. It will probably not be a whole house unit, but a critical systems unit instead.

 

[scipper77]

Slightly off topic but I've always wanted to make a bracket to mount one of these Generator heads to the pto of my 20 hp riding mower: http://www.harborfreight.com/engines...ead-45416.html
It would be the best bang for your buck in getting a generator and wouldn't require any maintenance when not in use like portable generators with their own engine do. Neighbors might wonder why I am mowing my lawn in the dark...lol

 

[bigdee]

Slightly off topic but I've always wanted to make a bracket to mount one of these Generator heads to the pto of my 20 hp riding mower: http://www.harborfreight.com/engines...ead-45416.html
It would be the best bang for your buck in getting a generator and wouldn't require any maintenance when not in use like portable generators with their own engine do. Neighbors might wonder why I am mowing my lawn in the dark...lol

Yes that is the cheapest way to get 10kw. Just wish it had a hertz meter to set correct speed.

 

[scipper77]

Yes that is the cheapest way to get 10kw. Just wish it had a hertz meter to set correct speed.

I would probably only run lights, furnace, fridge and gas oven with that. Of those my concern would be having adequate startup voltage to the fridge. Underpowering the startup circuit to the compressor can lead to early failure.

 

[bruceb58]

Yes that is the cheapest way to get 10kw. Just wish it had a hertz meter to set correct speed.

That's why I like my inverter generator, it can run at idle speeds for light loads.

 

[bigdee]

Of those my concern would be having adequate startup voltage to the fridge. Underpowering the startup circuit to the compressor can lead to early failure.

that would not be an issue with a 10kw unit. most refrigerators are only 1/8 to 1/6 hp, even a 5kw gen will run a fridge. I have run mine with a Harbor Freight 1000 watt 2 cycle generator. The defrost cycle pulled the generator some but the compressor is not used during defrost.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Yes that is the cheapest way to get 10kw. Just wish it had a hertz meter to set correct speed.

tachometer would get you there. 3600 RPM on a 2-poll genny is 60 hz, 3000 RPM is 50 HZ (4-poll gennys are 1800 RPM and 1500 RPM)