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Electric Generators - Why?

gixxerjeff said:
There may have been a few things wrong there. Hyperbole for starters.
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Keep telling yourself that.

Instead of taking my word for it, talk to PG&E. Ask how many people have been hurt by improperly installed generators and lack of transfer switches. Cuz I ain't saying another word on this topic.
 
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afm199 said:
Keep telling yourself that.

Instead of taking my word for it, talk to PG&E. Ask how many people have been hurt by improperly installed generators and lack of transfer switches. Cuz I ain't saying another word on this topic.
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Relax.
You just made my point for me.
It was your use of the term *murder* in your previous post that got my attention.
 
That's why you should only go with 240vac no neutral with renegade setups. And use a meter to make sure your main breaker truly isolates the house when it's off. The biggest and easiest mistake is simply to forget to turn off the main when the power is already out. It's something you just can't fuck up, ever. Also, the risk is greater with some anomaly repair, as opposed to a planned outage.
 
byke said:
That's why you should only go with 240vac no neutral with renegade setups. And use a meter to make sure your main breaker truly isolates the house when it's off. The biggest and easiest mistake is simply to forget to turn off the main when the power is already out. It's something you just can't fuck up, ever. Also, the risk is greater with some anomaly repair, as opposed to a planned outage.
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Which is why transfer switches switch neutrals as well.:thumbup
 
And I really need one to help idiot proof this idiot!
 
NorCalAthlete said:
Shopping for a ~5,000w range for my sister's place at the moment - any recommendations? She averages ~12.5 kWh / day. Most of her stuff is gas but it's a decent sized ~1700 sq ft place. Fridge, wine fridge, couple other things + charging phones are her main concerns.
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The generator would most likely be able to meet her power demands. How involved of a process is she interested in? At a minimum this generator would require wheeling it from storage to an open area, carrying over a full propane tank. Connecting up and starting the generator. Then running extension cords into the home to the appliances needed. Then replacing the propane tanks every 6 or or fewer hours. This solution comes with other challenges to solve. If on a budget you make do with what you have. A Generac or similar house generator is the way to go if power outages are somewhat common.
 
My900ss said:
The generator would most likely be able to meet her power demands. How involved of a process is she interested in? At a minimum this generator would require wheeling it from storage to an open area, carrying over a full propane tank. Connecting up and starting the generator. Then running extension cords into the home to the appliances needed. Then replacing the propane tanks every 6 or or fewer hours. This solution comes with other challenges to solve. If on a budget you make do with what you have. A Generac or similar house generator is the way to go if power outages are somewhat common.
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She's looking at a long term solution but for now just needs something like what you described above and has the capability to do it.

Long term, solar + battery + Generac or similar for redundancy.
 
Decided to use my plug-in car as a generator because...that's exactly what it is. It's all electric, and when it runs out of battery, the engine turns on to charge the battery. I don't see the sense in spending multiple hundreds of dollars for something I'm unlikely use more than a week every year.

I'm not the first person with that idea.
 
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TheRiddler said:
Decided to use my plug-in car as a generator because...that's exactly what it is. It's all electric, and when it runs out of battery, the engine turns on to charge the battery. I don't see the sense in spending multiple hundreds of dollars for something I'm unlikely use more than a week every year.

I'm not the first person with that idea.
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in the middle of this blog is a snippet that mrzuzzo was asking about: whether yadda yadda sensitive electronics:

Inverter Selection
Make sure you get a "pure sine wave" inverter. Cheaper inverters generate a "modified sine wave" which creates a choppy AC oscillation that can damage sensitive electronics. The price difference isn't prohibitive.
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So basically, "a good inverter".
 
Yeah, its also the reason my UPS doesn't charge. It needs pure sine wave to charge.

BTW, cell phones and laptops are not sensitive electronics. Look at their power supply, they accept pretty much any voltage and frequency and work great using generators. They convert it to DC anyways.
 
mrzuzzo said:
Yeah, its also the reason my UPS doesn't charge. It needs pure sine wave to charge.

BTW, cell phones and laptops are not sensitive electronics. Look at their power supply, they accept pretty much any voltage and frequency and work great using generators. They convert it to DC anyways.
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Yes and no. They need stable sine wave AC to create a DC supply. They are remarkably good now. The old ones that had actual copper core transformers were not able to accept the range of voltage and frequency that today's can.
 
I've noticed my UPS keeps switching back and forth when there's very little load and the voltage is higher like 126, but if there's enough load to drop it down to 124, it'll start charging.
 
After two days of no power it is nice to rejoin civilization. Power was out for two days. Used the Generator twice a Day. 10am-2pm, 6pm-10:30pm
It saved all the food in the refrigerator and Freezer. Watched TV on the laptop. Baked up Costco Pizza, nuked some Burritos.

PROs Food kept chilled and frozen. No limits on Cooking. Baked up a Costco Pizza and nuked frozen Burritos. WiFi and Streaming TV.

CONs Have to get gas each Day. No big screen TV.
 
mrzuzzo said:
I still don't have power.
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giphy.gif
 
Ended up loaning my Honda generator to another BARFer who ran it from Sunday to Tuesday. Said it was a lifesaver, he was alternating between using it on his refrigerator and to keep connected to the internet (microwave) as well as keep the lights on for his wife who was studying for a midterm.
 
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