How large of a generator is really needed?

[SarcasticDwarf]

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about standby generators. Roughly what would it take to power a full kitchen, gas heat, a living room, and one bedroom in a 1500sf house? Websites seem to indicate anything between 20-45kw. And what would one be expected to pay?

 

[Specop 007]

Gets tricky honestly. By "power" do you mean all at the same time?
I have 2 gennys. First house has a Generac 5000 watt, second has a Honda 11000 watt.

The Generac will run most anything, but certainly not everything. The Honda is a "full house" unit in the sense I plug it in an enjoy life with electricity again.

I would shoot for at least a 4k generator but your needs will far surpass that requirement.

A 20kw genny would run your whole damn house without a second thought.

Which leads me to ask....What the hell is your budget for a generator? I wouldnt even think of a 20kw genny unless it was for an off grid location and even then I would give it long thought.

The more power you make the more fuel you take.

 

[WingZero94]

So how much for those setups Specop?

 

[Specop 007]

The Generac was right around 800 if I recall, the Honda quite a bit more

The Honda will set you back close to 6 with all the stuff such as the genny and transfer switch. We use a full transfer panel. Throw the main, plug in the genny and it feeds the whole house.

Different strokes for different folks. You really need to think long and hard about what you want to do and what its use is. If you live in town and just need something for the occasional storm I most likely wouldnt spring for a large unit.

If you live out in the boonies where a power outage could last for days and deep snow will keep you stuck where you are I'd give more serious thought to a larger unit.

Nice thing about living in a city you can try to find a hotel room or something. 9 miles out in the country, if you get deep snow and ice and lose power your STUCK.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: Specop 007
If you live out in the boonies where a power outage could last for days and deep snow will keep you stuck where you are I'd give more serious thought to a larger unit.

Nice thing about living in a city you can try to find a hotel room or something. 9 miles out in the country, if you get deep snow and ice and lose power your STUCK.

I was having a discussion with my family about it. In a few years I plan to move somewhere in the midwest where I would be likely to lose power for 3+ days at least once every 3-4 years (basically, anywhere outside the largest cities anywhere in the midwest). It is more a convenience thing than anything. I would prefer not to spend more than $4k.

The idea is that it would provide for survival + comfort, so keep the gas furnace running, keep the fridge going, and a room or two (probably just the living room).

 

[WingZero94]

Originally posted by: Specop 007
The Generac was right around 800 if I recall, the Honda quite a bit more

The Honda will set you back close to 6 with all the stuff such as the genny and transfer switch. We use a full transfer panel. Throw the main, plug in the genny and it feeds the whole house.

Different strokes for different folks. You really need to think long and hard about what you want to do and what its use is. If you live in town and just need something for the occasional storm I most likely wouldnt spring for a large unit.

If you live out in the boonies where a power outage could last for days and deep snow will keep you stuck where you are I'd give more serious thought to a larger unit.

Nice thing about living in a city you can try to find a hotel room or something. 9 miles out in the country, if you get deep snow and ice and lose power your STUCK.

Interesting. So do they make automatic transfer switches so I don't have to do a thing?

 

[Specop 007]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: Specop 007
If you live out in the boonies where a power outage could last for days and deep snow will keep you stuck where you are I'd give more serious thought to a larger unit.

Nice thing about living in a city you can try to find a hotel room or something. 9 miles out in the country, if you get deep snow and ice and lose power your STUCK.

I was having a discussion with my family about it. In a few years I plan to move somewhere in the midwest where I would be likely to lose power for 3+ days at least once every 3-4 years (basically, anywhere outside the largest cities anywhere in the midwest). It is more a convenience thing than anything. I would prefer not to spend more than $4k.

The idea is that it would provide for survival + comfort, so keep the gas furnace running, keep the fridge going, and a room or two (probably just the living room).

Well, again theres a few options.
One is, when you get ice you usually dont get a lot of snow. Snow doesnt cause power outages, ice does. Point being, if you lose power you can generally drive somewhere.

Not the best option I confess.

Another is to figure only the essential items. We actually have a few old storm lanterns that use kerosene for light and a bit of heat. Help keep some load off the smaller generator. Also, you could look into a fireplace or pellet/corn stove. You could find a non Honda generator for around 1-2000 that would serve you well and get all the equipment and have it installed.

For example, you could do something from this line. I have no experience with Guardians however so cant comment on reliability. Also, obviously those are not portable.

Then there ssomething from this line which is portable. More power, less price. Downside is its a bit more manual. YOU need to throw the switch, YOu need to start the genny and plug it in. Again, no experience with those brands.

Also you need to think about fuel type. Gas goes stale, diesel can gel in the cold......

 

[Specop 007]

Originally posted by: WingZero94

Originally posted by: Specop 007
The Generac was right around 800 if I recall, the Honda quite a bit more

The Honda will set you back close to 6 with all the stuff such as the genny and transfer switch. We use a full transfer panel. Throw the main, plug in the genny and it feeds the whole house.

Different strokes for different folks. You really need to think long and hard about what you want to do and what its use is. If you live in town and just need something for the occasional storm I most likely wouldnt spring for a large unit.

If you live out in the boonies where a power outage could last for days and deep snow will keep you stuck where you are I'd give more serious thought to a larger unit.

Nice thing about living in a city you can try to find a hotel room or something. 9 miles out in the country, if you get deep snow and ice and lose power your STUCK.

Interesting. So do they make automatic transfer switches so I don't have to do a thing?

Sure do, but units like this will tend to be more expensive then the "you do" versions.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: Specop 007

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: Specop 007
If you live out in the boonies where a power outage could last for days and deep snow will keep you stuck where you are I'd give more serious thought to a larger unit.

Nice thing about living in a city you can try to find a hotel room or something. 9 miles out in the country, if you get deep snow and ice and lose power your STUCK.

I was having a discussion with my family about it. In a few years I plan to move somewhere in the midwest where I would be likely to lose power for 3+ days at least once every 3-4 years (basically, anywhere outside the largest cities anywhere in the midwest). It is more a convenience thing than anything. I would prefer not to spend more than $4k.

The idea is that it would provide for survival + comfort, so keep the gas furnace running, keep the fridge going, and a room or two (probably just the living room).

Well, again theres a few options.
One is, when you get ice you usually dont get a lot of snow. Snow doesnt cause power outages, ice does. Point being, if you lose power you can generally drive somewhere.

Not the best option I confess.

Another is to figure only the essential items. We actually have a few old storm lanterns that use kerosene for light and a bit of heat. Help keep some load off the smaller generator. Also, you could look into a fireplace or pellet/corn stove. You could find a non Honda generator for around 1-2000 that would serve you well and get all the equipment and have it installed.

For example, you could do something from this line. I have no experience with Guardians however so cant comment on reliability. Also, obviously those are not portable.

Then there ssomething from this line which is portable. More power, less price. Downside is its a bit more manual. YOU need to throw the switch, YOu need to start the genny and plug it in. Again, no experience with those brands.

Also you need to think about fuel type. Gas goes stale, diesel can gel in the cold......

For fuels my thought was to use natural gas if possible (preferably with a diesel backup) as it is rare that the gas lines go out. That pretty much forces you to use a permanent generator.

 

[Specop 007]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

For fuels my thought was to use natural gas if possible (preferably with a diesel backup) as it is rare that the gas lines go out. That pretty much forces you to use a permanent generator.

I would say a 5k generator would be able to run any single item in your house, if just barely. Obviously you could run many small items like light bulbs and such, but the big 220 stuff (Washer, dryer, well pump) would really give a 5k generator a work out at start up.

I'm sured you understand, I'm hesitant to simply say "you need this" because I;d hate for you to just run out and get it and find out it didnt do what you needed it to do.

I would also add anything 8kw and up should serve you very well as long as you dont try to use your house like when your on commercial power.

I guess I'll sum it up like this.
People made it a loooong time without generators. That said, when the weather man goes on about cold winds, blowing snow and heavy ice I sleep well at night. Its a large investment to make, but if you ever need it it sure seems like a good one to have made!

 

[Specop 007]

While I'm at it, heres a good link for what people are using and what they are powering with it. Give it a read and see what wattages people are using and what they are running with it.

Point is, if the salesman is tryin to sell you a 20kw genny hes trying to oversell you.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: WingZero94

Interesting. So do they make automatic transfer switches so I don't have to do a thing?

Yep, I helped my Dad install one at my folk's house last fall, it was fairly painless. The worst part was wiring the transfer panel because some of the wire nuts were getting full. I remember it being really heavy and it was just about all I could do to pick one end up.

They have one like this I believe:

http://www.northerntool.com/we...70_200323151_200323151

It's actually a Bryant but it sure looks like they just rebrand those with different names because that's identical to the one they have (right down to the transfer panel).

The break in was slightly complicated because you're supposed to load it gradually (25, 50, 75, 100% each for an hour I think), which is kind of tricky. It runs the appliances and the well pump, so they'd be set if they ever lost power for a significant period. It comes on every week and runs for about 10 minutes to test itself.

If I ever end up in a place where I can install one, I probably will. It's not THAT expensive and other than oil changes, it's pretty much "set it and forget it".