Help me chose a backup GENERATOR please..?

Question

Help me chose a backup GENERATOR please..

I live in SW Florida where needless to say we have power outages sometimes. The last hurricane knocked out power for over 2 weeks. I want to be prepared for the next one. I have a 3 BR house where just I and my wife live. I have looked into those generac stationary units and just can’t afford one right now. My question is what would be the best portable generator? And what brand is the best? I don’t need to power the whole house. Here is what I want it to run. A 15,000 BTU 115-volt window A/C. A refrigerator, a small chest freezer, electric oven, TV, 2 fans, 2 lamps. I would also like to have one of those generator outlet things installed in my breaker box. Anyone know what they are called? How much it will cost?. Also what kind of power should I get? I mean there are Gas,propane,diesel powered generators. Which is best? And any suggestions on how to store fuel would be greatly appreciated as well. Trying to get gas after a hurricane is like black Friday x 100!!! And if any S-A says “Move” I’ve already tried that, the wife won’t have it! LOL Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Answer 1

Your oven is an issue, most have a 40 or 50 amp 240v plug, that's 10kw, it won't normally use that much, but then you add 1500 watts for AC, 1200 for fridge, 500 watts for freezer, the rest is really incidental. Get a 12kw generator https://amzn.to/2Hv1LTu it should handle most circumstances. Might even handle the 3500 watt water heater you didn't mention.



I say most, if it's 90 degrees out, you've been gone, generator has been off, fridge, freezer, AC all need to come on, you turn on a bunch of lights and stuff, then you decide you want to throw a bunch of tv dinners in the oven, and *snap* the generator breaker will trip. Leave that oven alone, then if you don't have an electric water heater you could probably get away with a 7500w, I had a 5500 watt generator, no AC, but being an electrician I could manage loads, even with a well and electric water heat I was able to get by for a full week a few times, but wasn't easy.



The gadget in the panel is called an interlock switch https://amzn.to/2HtLq1r , but you have to select one made specifically for the panel brand and style you have. And you will need a 50 amp inlet (inverted outlet) https://amzn.to/2JVHKUz .



Propane would be better to store but can be expensive if limited to store bought fuel, gasoline attracts moisture that ruins it, so you would have to dump it into your car every 6 months or so, but propane or diesel both could experience distribution issues. Any fuel you pick has issues, personally for me gasoline works good enough.

Answer 2

It sounds to me like what you really want is to not live in Florida.



Running the AC and the oven on a generator is doable, but you're going to eat a big bill building in that kind of capacity.



Here are your real necessities:

Freezer

Refrigerator



That's it. Size a genny big enough to power those two starting at the same time (running load + about 50%). About 3000 watts will do that, and have enough overhead to run quite a few lights. ALL your lights if they're LED.



Oven needs another 2000 watts. A 3000w genny is about $400 at Northern Tool (the cheapest model, mind you) while a 5000w generator is closer to $600 - again, the cheapest model. I wouldn't buy either of them.



AC needs another 1000 watts, and another $50 minimum on the generator purchase price. Again, you're still buying the lowest-tier generator. Some of the engines in these models can be pretty sketchy.



Now you're looking at close to $1000 for a generator that likely won't last.



Spend an extra $1000. Here's why:



Going up to $2000 gets you a lower-spec Generac generator. This has many advantages to it.



1) Generators is what they do. Look at the name, they're serious about it.

2) They build their own engines for the smaller models. For the bigger ones they build in engines from General Motors or Kubota. They're not screwing around on the engines.

3) Generac offers models at the lowest size that run on LP or natural gas - they hook up to the city gas.

4) Generac offers automatic isolation switches that shut out the city power in the event of a power failure, and switch in the generator. The generator starts automatically to power the circuits you've wired up to it.

5) They also offer automatic exerciser systems, which will fire up the generator automatically every week and run it for ten minutes or so, circulate the oil, warm up the bearings, etc.

6) Generac built-in gennies look like air conditioners from a distance. Nondescript housing, nothing ugly plugged in to the side of your wall or begging to be stolen in an emergency.



My recommendation:



Install the smallest Generac unit: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200665207_200665207



Make the necessary wiring changes that your fridge and freezer are on these backed up circuits.



There's sufficient power in this unit to also run the air conditioner. In summer in Florida, you'd probably want that just to be able to sleep.



Also install a protected circuit in the kitchen so you can operate a hot plate or microwave. Don't try to do both at once. After a storm just having that is going to be downright luxurious, if it isn't everything you hoped for, it's more than a lot of folks so count your blessings. And you can do a lot of cooking outside, on a propane grille.



Stock up on propane. it keeps forever so no worries about storage.



That's it.



Total outlay for everything I just described, probably under $5000.



Don't forget: annual oil changes in the genny, or immediately after deploying for a storm, whichever comes first.

Answer 3

Minimum size for a home for 2 weeks is probably about 12KW IF it is diesel, Propane about half again that rating, while gasoline is about 15 KW. These units should be 120/240 volt and provide at least 30 amps steady load. You also need a transfer switch installed by a qualified professional electrician if you power through the home wiring. There are some dual power units on the market that may be desired. I used a Generac for many years as a plug in with extension cords to the freezer but NOT for electric dryer or range. The portable units may give electronics problems so do some research on them. Honda is a nice quiet unit, Generac has a higher noise level. Allison is quiet compared to Caterpillar but both of those are for larger permanent installations. Good luck to you. The best solution may be to contract with a electrical contractor for a design build unit but that will be expensive.

Answer 4

do nothing,,till your wife starts talking about moving,,,then say okay

let it be on your head

Answer 5

Electric oven?? Lol.



Your outlook is rather unrealistic.

Answer 6

I have looked into those generac stationary units and just can’t afford one right now.

If you can't afford a Generac unit, you can't afford any other unit of similar size.

Either commit to saving up for what you want, or admit you are not prepared to do so.

Answer 7

add up all of your power needs by watts. you'll have to look some of them up on maker's website. your freezer and refrigerator only need to run about 8 hours a day, even where you live. that "electric oven" makes me wonder ... not sure what that is [toaster oven?].



add 15 percent to account for startup current needs. that's the minimum size you want.



Honda is probably the "best brand" -- and costs like it, too.



What you need to do with the power connection is hire an electrician. Probably, you want the switch system he installs to lock out the FPL power in order to connect the generator. Go over to home depot or lowes and talk to the electrical parts guy on duty there ... he'll tell you what the switch alone costs. And if you're going to interconnect, you likely want 220v system.



You will have to make sure the load is approximately balanced between halves. The electrician can figure this out for you and make any changes that may be required.



Frankly, I'd plan to do without the AC unit. And the tv. and probably the "electric oven". I have a gas grill with a spare tank. I also have a backup charcoal grill -- it'll burn wood in a pinch.



as to which fuel source -- it costs money to have extra fuel on hand. gasoline is probably the most dangerous. a single propane tank will run an approx. 8kw generator for 20 hours or so -- that's 2.5 days if all you're running is the fridge and freezer at 8 hours a day. for diesel you'd want to have a LOT on hand -- big tank holding at least 100 gallons since many gas stations don't have diesel at all and you can't know which will be able to open. {read up on this -- stations near the interstate are required to have backup generator and some brands have backup at all their stations]



btw, before the storm, you want to a) cook a large meal that'll keep as leftover in the 'fridge, b) load the freezer with ice to the limit and then c) move ice from the freezer to the 'fridge as needed to keep fridge temp under 40. This should keep you safe and healthily eating for four days even without any power.

Answer 8

To power all you want you need a whole house generator of at least 16KW and no portable generator will power that much. Generac is the brand I would go with. They have a finance plan so you can afford it.

Answer 9

Go propane. It can sit for years and be ready to go. Gas goes bad quickly, you'll have to deal with changing gas and carburetor troubles from bad gas. Diesel can sit a long time but still goes bad.



Your list of items. You need to read labels and figure out what they draw. Volts muliplied by amps equals watts, easy. Everything has a label stateing volts and amps. 2 fridges at approx 700 watts each, window A/C approx 1500 is a 3000 watt gen already. If your elec oven is a real oven it's 4000 watt. A little toaster oven is 1500. Full potential load you need a 10k gen. You can get by with smaller by knowing wattage of your items and disabling stuff to run other stuff.

The generac you have looked at is really what you want.

Answer 10

My suggestion would be to anticipate a little hardship if the lights are out for two weeks. From your description, you do indeed want to power the whole house almost. Get a box fan and forget the air conditioner. Get an electric skillet and forget the electric stove. Get a coleman portable cooler ($100) and forget the big refrigerator. So you have a cooler, a chest freezer, a box fan, a TV and a couple of lights. You could probably get away with a small gas generator, maybe 1000 watts, keeping in mind that the smaller it is, the less gas it uses. Siphon gas from your cars. You could also combine a small gas generator with the Zero Solar Generator (Costco) and solar panels.