What's needed to keep my refrigerator/freezer from warming during extended power outage?

[Muse]

I suppose the answer is a backup generator of sufficient power and enough gasoline to outlast the power outage. What are the details? Just how big, how much would it cost, how much gas should I keep on-hand (I have a 1 and a 5 gallon plastic gas container), caveats... how much space will it take up in my already pretty full garage?

This is earthquake country and PG&E (our utility company) has said power outages can be expected in our area, although I'm told that in the event of wildfires probably only areas threatened by fires are apt to suffer extended outages.

But a big earthquake could happen at any time and I figure it's anybody's guess how long the power could be out.

It's my refrigerator/freezer that I'm most concerned about. The rest is relatively unimportant, I suppose. I have a ton of flashlights and Eneloop batteries, candles too. I can live without my microwave and toaster oven, TV.

 

[herm0016]

look at the data plates for the things you want to power, and add up the watts. get a generator that is larger than the total wattage. then hire an electrician to put in a proper generator panel and switch. How long do you want to be prepared for? as long as the fridge and freezer are somewhat full you can run the generator for say, an hour each 6 hrs to keep them cold.

 

[Muse]

Thanks. Yeah, I figure 1200 to 1500 watts would be the general area. Have to look up my fridge's power requirements, or I could put it on my Kill-a-Watt meter and see what it's reading while the thing is making noise (i.e. the fridge's motors are running).

Do these generators support partial power? IOW, if I don't need the fridge working, could I get it to put out 300 watts for amenities like lights, etc. without supplying the full 1000+ watts which would use more gasoline than needed?

 

[crashtech]

Generators have a governor which responds to demand, meaning that throttle opening (or injector timing, in the case of diesels) is dependent on load, so fuel consumption is directly tied to load. But it's always going to use enough fuel to keep itself running unless it's tied to something like a big battery bank and inverter, like a solar power installation. In that case, the generator can shut itself off when the batteries reach a predetermined state of charge. But that is pretty expensive to implement.

 

[Muse]

So, there's a minimal gasoline usage, even if consumption is slight. I don't have solar panels, although my house is a good candidate in terms of the roof design. My power consumption is pretty low, so I have always thought it would cost more than I'd get back from an installation.

This morning, after starting this thread, I put my fridge/freezer on my Kill-a-Watt meter, F/F being silent, and the meter read ~4 watts. Came back to it while I could hear the F/F chugging a few minutes ago and it read around 165 watts power consumption, which surprised me. I expected 1000 watts or more. After it "turned off" (i.e. went silent), I glanced again and expected it to say ~4 watts (which is what it said when I plugged it in with the F/F being silent) but to my astonishment it said about 460 watts! I thought, how in the heck could the F/F be drawing that kind of power when silent? Is there something in there using power at that point? Must be! What??? This was just a handful of minutes after it went silent, maybe 3, I wasn't paying attention. But a couple of minutes later it went back down to ~4 watts, so whatever it was, disappeared!

 

[herm0016]

probably the defrost heater. there is a heat coil on the condenser in the freezer that keeps it from icing up from the moisture in the air.

 

[crashtech]

@Muse, I should rather have said "as with a solar installation." It is possible to have a battery bank and generator without solar, this is rare in homes, but common in remote microwave sites and the like where 24/7 operation is imperative.

 

[Greenman]

I suppose the answer is a backup generator of sufficient power and enough gasoline to outlast the power outage. What are the details? Just how big, how much would it cost, how much gas should I keep on-hand (I have a 1 and a 5 gallon plastic gas container), caveats... how much space will it take up in my already pretty full garage?

This is earthquake country and PG&E (our utility company) has said power outages can be expected in our area, although I'm told that in the event of wildfires probably only areas threatened by fires are apt to suffer extended outages.

But a big earthquake could happen at any time and I figure it's anybody's guess how long the power could be out.

It's my refrigerator/freezer that I'm most concerned about. The rest is relatively unimportant, I suppose. I have a ton of flashlights and Eneloop batteries, candles too. I can live without my microwave and toaster oven, TV.

Honda makes a nifty little unit that's very quiet, puts out around 20 amps, and sips fuel. I wouldn't even bother tieing into the main panel, just grab a couple extension cords and you're good to go.

Amazon.com: Honda 662250 EB2200i 2,200 Watt Portable Inverter Generator: Home Improvement

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I have a 40 amp MultiQuip that roars like a freight train, if PG&E kills my power this week as they claim they're going to do, I'll have to let my neighbors leach off of it so they don't shoot me for running it all day.

 

[mxnerd]

Honda makes a nifty little unit that's very quiet, puts out around 20 amps, and sips fuel. I wouldn't even bother tieing into the main panel, just grab a couple extension cords and you're good to go.

Amazon.com: Honda 662250 EB2200i 2,200 Watt Portable Inverter Generator: Home Improvement

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Still very noisy in my opinion.

End of video.

 

[highland145]

Honda makes a nifty little unit that's very quiet, puts out around 20 amps, and sips fuel. I wouldn't even bother tieing into the main panel, just grab a couple extension cords and you're good to go.

Amazon.com: Honda 662250 EB2200i 2,200 Watt Portable Inverter Generator: Home Improvement

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I have a 40 amp MultiQuip that roars like a freight train, if PG&E kills my power this week as they claim they're going to do, I'll have to let my neighbors leach off of it so they don't shoot me for running it all day.

Damn Honda likes their stuff. My 4500w generac was $550ish.

Some years back we had an ice storm/power outage for several days. Went over to my bro's. The whole hood is dark...and he does live in the hood. It's declined greatly since we were kids. Anyway, his house is lit up like a Christmas tree. Running 2 generators and lights on everywhere. Surprised he didn't get lynched.

 

[Greenman]

Still very noisy in my opinion.

End of video.

I used one regularly for several weeks, and was surprised how quiet it was. I wouldn't put it outside my bedroom window, but it was certainly an acceptable noise level.

 

[RearAdmiral]

I was surprised how long my chest freezer kept cold during a multi day power outage. I threw a bunch of crap in it from my fridge, and 2 days later the same chunks of frost were still on the inside.

 

[NutBucket]

Chest freezers are great. Cold air settles and with the door on top there's really nowhere for it escape.

That said there are a number of quiet generators in the 2kw range that aren't as pricey as a Honda. Or just do as I did and buy used. I paid $650 for my eu2000i.

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Amazon.com : Champion Power Equipment 100402 2000-Watt Dual Fuel Parallel Ready Inverter Portable Generator, Yellow : Garden & Outdoor

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https://www.amazon.com/Generac-7117-Portable-Inverter-Generator/dp/B071VNCWGL

RYOBI Bluetooth 2,300 Starting Watt Super Quiet Gasoline Powered Digital Inverter Generator-RYI2300VNM - The Home Depot

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[Muse]

Honda makes a nifty little unit that's very quiet, puts out around 20 amps, and sips fuel. I wouldn't even bother tieing into the main panel, just grab a couple extension cords and you're good to go.

Amazon.com: Honda 662250 EB2200i 2,200 Watt Portable Inverter Generator: Home Improvement

Buy Honda 662250 EB2200i 2, 200 Watt Portable Inverter Generator: Generators - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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I have a 40 amp MultiQuip that roars like a freight train, if PG&E kills my power this week as they claim they're going to do, I'll have to let my neighbors leach off of it so they don't shoot me for running it all day.

Thanks! That Honda ... Amazon sells another at about 1/4 the cost that's also highly rated, said to furnish even more power (3500 watts versus 2200 watts), Champion 3500-Watt RV Ready Portable Generator (EPA). Why would you prefer the Honda?

Even 2200 watts would seem to supply more than enough power for me. Noise is, of course, an important factor. I have no experience with these and have no personal experience with gasoline engines beyond having owned a few cars. Obviously, maintenance of a gasoline powered device, particularly one that's rarely used is a primary issue... stale fuel, whatever. I have zero personal experience.

 

[crashtech]

Typically, Hondas have always been the quietest and most reliable. Times change, though, and I do not have experience with too many models. I know the little Honda generator I had back in the day was ridiculously quiet, the sound was like if you took a quiet moped and put it in an insulated box.

 

[NutBucket]

Thanks! That Honda ... Amazon sells another at about 1/4 the cost that's also highly rated, said to furnish even more power (3500 watts versus 2200 watts), Champion 3500-Watt RV Ready Portable Generator (EPA). Why would you prefer the Honda?

Even 2200 watts would seem to supply more than enough power for me. Noise is, of course, an important factor. I have no experience with these and have no personal experience with gasoline engines beyond having owned a few cars. Obviously, maintenance of a gasoline powered device, particularly one that's rarely used is a primary issue... stale fuel, whatever. I have zero personal experience.

The reason that Champion is cheap is because it will be LOUD. And it does not have an inverter so it doesn't produce "clean" power. Additionally, I think because it is not an inverter unit it runs at a fixed RPM hence burns more fuel and is louder. The ones I linked throttle up and down automatically depending on load which helps with noise and fuel consumption.

Basically, you get what you pay for.

 

[lxskllr]

A low tech solution is keep your fridge/freezer filled, and it'll stay cold longer. Rectangular bottles of water are good for the freezer, and regular bottles of water are good for the fridge. Won't last a week or anything, but your food should be fine for 24hr outages.

 

[balloonshark]

If you can I would get a generator that's on the quiet end of the spectrum. I've been around 2 Tecumseh engine generators at work and the race track and you can't carry on conversation next to it. You also want at least a 12 gauge extension cord. You might need larger depending on how long you need the cord. I would also suggest a heavy chain and lock to secure the generator to something very sturdy so it doesn't get stolen. Also keep in mind if a disaster happens for an extended amount of time people will get desperate and need things like your generator, gasoline, medicine, food, etc.

I've seen several generator deals on slickdeals if you want to search and get and idea if you can find something similar to what you want to get a price history.

 

[Greenman]

Thanks! That Honda ... Amazon sells another at about 1/4 the cost that's also highly rated, said to furnish even more power (3500 watts versus 2200 watts), Champion 3500-Watt RV Ready Portable Generator (EPA). Why would you prefer the Honda?

Even 2200 watts would seem to supply more than enough power for me. Noise is, of course, an important factor. I have no experience with these and have no personal experience with gasoline engines beyond having owned a few cars. Obviously, maintenance of a gasoline powered device, particularly one that's rarely used is a primary issue... stale fuel, whatever. I have zero personal experience.

The Honda is an inverter, much cleaner power that won't harm whatever you plug into it. Aside from that, it's a Honda. Hondas start (some small gas engines just don't like to start, Hondas always start), they run forever, and they have a sterling reputation. That little generator should last you for years and years.

The problem with a cheap generator is that you'll think you have a reliable power source, until you try to use it and it won't start.

 

[Muse]

That Honda makes sense if it can be afforded. I take it I'd have to drain fuel from it between uses? Uses ordinary gasoline? I'll have to look into gasoline storage. Wildfires is one thing but a major earthquake, seems to me, power could be out for weeks! So, a lot of fuel. But in storage, it gets stale, right? That would mean I'd have to use it for my car and replenish my storage on a "regular basis?" Or would it use a different fuel from my car (regular).

 

[Greenman]

That Honda makes sense if it can be afforded. I take it I'd have to drain fuel from it between uses? Uses ordinary gasoline? I'll have to look into gasoline storage. Wildfires is one thing but a major earthquake, seems to me, power could be out for weeks! So, a lot of fuel. But in storage, it gets stale, right? That would mean I'd have to use it for my car and replenish my storage on a "regular basis?" Or would it use a different fuel from my car (regular).

They make stabiliser for gas, I don't know how well it works though. Another good idea would be to drive up past Napa where you can buy gas without alcohol in it. Most small engines don't do well with the E85 they sell in the bay area.

 

[pcgeek11]

That Honda makes sense if it can be afforded. I take it I'd have to drain fuel from it between uses? Uses ordinary gasoline? I'll have to look into gasoline storage. Wildfires is one thing but a major earthquake, seems to me, power could be out for weeks! So, a lot of fuel. But in storage, it gets stale, right? That would mean I'd have to use it for my car and replenish my storage on a "regular basis?" Or would it use a different fuel from my car (regular).

You can also get Propane powered generators or get the Honda converted to run on Propane.

Propane lasts longer and doesn't go bad over time.

 

[NutBucket]

One of the ones I linked is dual fuel.

Correction, 99% of CA gas is E10. It's actually quite hard to find E85 here. E10 does fine with stabilizer.

 

[Muse]

One of the ones I linked is dual fuel.

Correction, 99% of CA gas is E10. It's actually quite hard to find E85 here. E10 does fine with stabilizer.

So, add stabilizer to the gas in the generator AND storage can(s) and you're good? Indefinitely (i.e. until needed)?

Um, how do I know if the gas I buy is E10 and not E85? I just about always buy my gas at my local Costco (Richmond, CA).

 

[Muse]

Google popped up a link to a similar Honda offering, if not the same, and cheaper. Is this Honda EU2200i Portable Inverter Generator — 2200 Surge Watts, 1800 Rated Watts, CARB-Compliant, Model# EU2200iTA really the same as the Honda 662250 EB2200i 2,200 Watt Portable Inverter Generator?

Edit: This site indicates the following.

RECALL NOTICE American Honda is recalling Honda EU2200i, EU2200i Companion and EB2200i Portable Generators over fuel leakage concerns.

Name of product:

Honda EU2200i, EU2200i Companion and EB2200i Portable Generators

Hazard:
The portable generator can leak gasoline from the fuel valve, posing fire and burn hazards.

Remedy:
Repair

Recall date:
March 20, 2019


Units:
About 200,000