After having our power out for 3 days, my wife and I have decided to look into purchasing a generator to back up our house. We don't want to power the whole entire thing, just the basics. We don't have natural gas so it would have to be gasoline, diesel, or propane. We would like to be able to run electric water heater, electric heat pump, some lights, microwave, and possibly a tv. We wouldn't be running them all continuously just here and there. What brand of generators do you guys have experience with. I already have a Honda 3000 watt portable generator but would like a bigger one but don't want to pay the Honda price. I know I definitely will have a transfer switch installed instead of running all the cords.

 

Oh did the recent ice storm in the Ohio valley whack you too huh?

They are forecasting a blizzard on Monday for us. YAY!!

 

My dad has a 7500 Watt Honda that he uses and you can only run two major appliances at any given time. You are going to probably need at least a 14k Watt back up generator and a generator panel so you dont back feed the power lines.

 

Yep ice storm got us. We have a smaller generator and a kerosene heater so we weren't too bad, but I am looking to upgrade. I found a complete kit to do the back up with a transfer switch for 2800. That's a 14000 watt generator, cord, switch box and all you need to do is have an electrician wire it. It is a guardian generator. I don't know if I like the idea of it being gasoline though, but I guess you can't be totally self sufficient unless you had a windmill or some sort of solar panel. Anyone ever used a Generac generator, or a Guardian? I really like my Honda but you definitley pay for it. What part of Kentucky are you in Turd Ferguson? I am about 30 miles south of Lousville.

 

I've used the Generacs. The units we have are diesel powered and the engine is a John Deere 6 cylinder. The diesel is by far the better of the two options but it isn't the cheapest. If you are on propane, that's the best way to go. The fuel doesn't get old like gasoline or diesel. Gasoline will also have water issues if it has any ethanol in it and the shelf life of ethanol gas is weeks, not months. A little unit like your Honda is not near enough for the things you are wanting to power even individually. You might take a look on Ebay and on Craigslist for a used 14K or bigger unit. I've found them used for under $2,000.00 and some are like new but maybe 3-4 years old. Hooking one up is a no brainer once you've seen what it takes.

 

Heck I am in the most Northeast portion of KY. Right near Ohio and West Virginia. We received 8" of snow first from this storm, then it rained a while, then went over to ice. We received about 1" of ice, then it snowed about 2 more inches. Luckily my home had power the whole time. 90% of ppl are without power here. And to top it off, we received another 7" of snow today as a band of snow went from Louisville eastward for a couple hours.

But the real kicker here is that they believe we have a blizzard that will be swooping into our area starting Monday that could dump 20" of snow. OMG !! My truck couldn't make it through the thick stuff as I am needing new tires now.

 

What part of Kentucky are you in? I am in Ashland and they are saying 10"-20" by mid week.

 

I know my Honda won't power what I want it to, that is why I am getting a bigger one. I found a 14000 watt Guardian with transfer switch and cord for 2800. I wouldn't be powering everything at once but just when needed. I would love to have a big Honda but don't want to spend $10,000. Our power usually goes out atleast 2 times a year and it usually goes out when it is the least convenient, either sub freezing temps or during heat waves. So I am definitely going to do something this year.

 

The generac is fine but get it so it runs on propane, then its always ready to go. If you shut off your main breakers in the house then you may not need the transfer switch. I just shut off the mains breakers coming into the house and wait for the power to come back on. A electric hot water heater will eat amps fast so i would run it only when needed.

 

Thanks for all your guys advice. We don't plan on running any major appliances full time just when needed. Thanks again.

 

Remember, an electric water heater pulls over 5500 watts when it working.....

Steve

 

We were without for about 36 hours. Lucky for us, we're very near a substantial KU substation and, as I'm told, they typically start at the substation that is one of the distribution points for an area without power and work away from it.

I feel for you guys that are still without... it was incredibly tough to be in a house that was approaching 40 degrees with a 19-month old in the house. We finally were going to abandon the house... I set up a hotel reservation in Carrollton. About 5 minutes (literally) after I set up the reservation, we got a text from a neighbor letting us know that our power was back on!

 

Here is the irony, I live in Ashland too. heheheheh.....

 

They've really trimmed back the prediction of snow around here... in fact, I think it's only a 30% chance now (per NWS)... The ice is really coming off of the trees right now with the temp at 45 and the sun shining (thank god).

-RP-