Oh the joys of home ownership

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

KenB259

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
3,537
Location
Michigan
For my newly built home,
We purchased a 22kw Generac
You may want to check them out
The cost is/was less then $5000.oo

Yup saving restarts. That's the one I was looking at but around here they are about 5K yo buy and another 5K for the install. At least that's what i have been told by people that have them.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 

monophoto

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
2,542
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
Regarding emergency generators -

I know that power outages are inconvenient, but realistically, the actual need for a generator varies widely, and everyone is in a slightly different situation. At one end of the spectrum there are people who live alone, or couples without small children, and for whom a power outage is merely an inconvenience that they can deal with. People who enjoy wilderness camping might look on a power outage as just another adventure. At the other end there are those who have some kind of powered life support device that they cannot live without - an oxygen concentrator, for example. Where you are in that 'need spectrum' is a major factor in the decision process.

Another big factor is whether you can afford the cost - these things are not cheap; my estimate was that the installed cost of an emergency generator for our house would cost around $7000 ($5K for the machine, and another $1.5 - 2K for installation), and as Ken noted, there are annual maintenance costs on top of that. Furthermore, there are complicating installation issues - where should it go (which side of the house), installation codes governing minimum spacing between the generator an any windows, noise, etc.

Another there is whether you have access to fuel - we have natural gas, so fuel would not be an issue for us. Likewise, folks with propane tanks probably are probably OK although they may want to consider installing a larger tank, or perhaps adjusting the delivery schedule to make sure that they always have enough gas on hand to run the generator for several days. But in our former home we had neither natural gas or propane, so arranging for fuel in that situation would have been a complication. And realistically, relying on gasoline just doesn't make sense to me - I prefer to minimize the amount of gasoline I store around the house (for safety reasons), and in the event of a prolonged, widespread outage, refilling a tank may be impractical.

Finally, there is the issue of where you live, and what is the expected power reliability in your area. Reliability is lower in more rural areas, while heavily urbanized areas generally have excellent reliability. Now, it is true that the totally unexpected can happen - I grew up in Florida where we had to deal with hurricanes, and power outages lasting several weeks were possible. However, hurricane season in Florida is predictable - it happens every year, and long-term residents are prepared. (We won't talk about the snowbirds who naively fail to prepare and then complain when a hurricane happens.) But in general, contrary to what you read in the media, the electric grid is very reliable, and more important, it is resilient meaning that if there is an unexpected outage, it is almost always possible to restore service fairly quickly. In general, remote rural areas will have lower reliability, and longer restoration times, both of which favor emergency generators. Conversely, the higher reliability and shorter restoration times in urban areas make it harder to justify generators.

We live in a suburban development that is surrounded by farms - and when we first moved here, our power reliability was dictated by that rural setting. We did have one prolonged (two day) outage a couple of years after we moved in, and it was unpleasant because it happened in the winter, and we need power to supply our grinder pump. But we learned that our gas range can cook food, our gas fireplace can keep the house warm enough to survive, and if the nearby McDonalds is open, we have access to toilets. And since that initial bad experience, our local utility has reinforced their distribution system in the area so today outages tend to last at most a few hours, or perhaps overnight. My wife and I have looked into buying a generator, and I talked to an electrician about the practical aspects of installation. But eventually, I decided that an emergency generator doesn't make sense for us. That said, some of our neighbors have them and are glad they made that investment.

So it's definitely something to consider, but I would expect that each of us would arrive at a different answer.
 

KenB259

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
3,537
Location
Michigan
Regarding emergency generators -

I know that power outages are inconvenient, but realistically, the actual need for a generator varies widely, and everyone is in a slightly different situation. At one end of the spectrum there are people who live alone, or couples without small children, and for whom a power outage is merely an inconvenience that they can deal with. People who enjoy wilderness camping might look on a power outage as just another adventure. At the other end there are those who have some kind of powered life support device that they cannot live without - an oxygen concentrator, for example. Where you are in that 'need spectrum' is a major factor in the decision process.

Another big factor is whether you can afford the cost - these things are not cheap; my estimate was that the installed cost of an emergency generator for our house would cost around $7000 ($5K for the machine, and another $1.5 - 2K for installation), and as Ken noted, there are annual maintenance costs on top of that. Furthermore, there are complicating installation issues - where should it go (which side of the house), installation codes governing minimum spacing between the generator an any windows, noise, etc.

Another there is whether you have access to fuel - we have natural gas, so fuel would not be an issue for us. Likewise, folks with propane tanks probably are probably OK although they may want to consider installing a larger tank, or perhaps adjusting the delivery schedule to make sure that they always have enough gas on hand to run the generator for several days. But in our former home we had neither natural gas or propane, so arranging for fuel in that situation would have been a complication. And realistically, relying on gasoline just doesn't make sense to me - I prefer to minimize the amount of gasoline I store around the house (for safety reasons), and in the event of a prolonged, widespread outage, refilling a tank may be impractical.

Finally, there is the issue of where you live, and what is the expected power reliability in your area. Reliability is lower in more rural areas, while heavily urbanized areas generally have excellent reliability. Now, it is true that the totally unexpected can happen - I grew up in Florida where we had to deal with hurricanes, and power outages lasting several weeks were possible. However, hurricane season in Florida is predictable - it happens every year, and long-term residents are prepared. (We won't talk about the snowbirds who naively fail to prepare and then complain when a hurricane happens.) But in general, contrary to what you read in the media, the electric grid is very reliable, and more important, it is resilient meaning that if there is an unexpected outage, it is almost always possible to restore service fairly quickly. In general, remote rural areas will have lower reliability, and longer restoration times, both of which favor emergency generators. Conversely, the higher reliability and shorter restoration times in urban areas make it harder to justify generators.

We live in a suburban development that is surrounded by farms - and when we first moved here, our power reliability was dictated by that rural setting. We did have one prolonged (two day) outage a couple of years after we moved in, and it was unpleasant because it happened in the winter, and we need power to supply our grinder pump. But we learned that our gas range can cook food, our gas fireplace can keep the house warm enough to survive, and if the nearby McDonalds is open, we have access to toilets. And since that initial bad experience, our local utility has reinforced their distribution system in the area so today outages tend to last at most a few hours, or perhaps overnight. My wife and I have looked into buying a generator, and I talked to an electrician about the practical aspects of installation. But eventually, I decided that an emergency generator doesn't make sense for us. That said, some of our neighbors have them and are glad they made that investment.

So it's definitely something to consider, but I would expect that each of us would arrive at a different answer.

Yes all good points to consider.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 

gimpy

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
2,579
Location
Danville, Pa
Yup saving restarts. That's the one I was looking at but around here they are about 5K yo buy and another 5K for the install. At least that's what i have been told by people that have them.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

Try to contact a generac dealer, or check the web
22kw is the biggest air cold unit the have

oh ya, get on generac website their web site and complete
The form and your phone want stop ringing
 
Top Bottom