generators!

Honda ES6500.
6500 watts, gasoline, love it since Friday AM. Going to convert it to propane and get a 200-500lb tank on my front lawn.

I've been noting some flickers when the fridge kicks in, possibly because I've been using lights for the first time instead of flash lights.

I'd get something like this put in regardless of which generator you purchase. We have installed a bunch of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Contr...9393571&sr=1-1

Homelite 5700 watt. Yamaha gas engine, 7gal gas tank. $599 at Home Despot.

I bought it spur-of-the-moment to get through this long term outage, because it was available, cheap, and I needed it, now.

I'm actually quite happy with it and I'm now glad that I DIDN'T spend more on a bigger whole-house genset like I had considered in the past. Seems to have plenty of power, is reasonably quiet, runs for a damn long time on a tank of gas (~12 hours), and cost less than my PC (which would be useless right now without it).

So far, the only thing I don't like about it is that it's not diesel, and it doesn't have a voltmeter or ammeter.

Now I just have to get a transfer switch and external plug wired to properly tie it into my house circuits, and we'll really be all set.

I know it won't last forever, but I'll take care of it and when it does eventually croak, I'll replace it with a somewhat more robust diesel genset of similar wattage.

I wonder if we could do a group buy on these. If only we bought a container or a couple pallets of these, we'd be rich.

Thinking ahead, could always do this with sump pumps, leaf blowers, air conditioners, or other high-demand items.

Some cautions about generators:

1) These are not DIY installs. Attempting to apply a standby genset to an installed circuit system in a house without doing it right invites lethal threats to both the occupants of the house and third-parties (i.e., occupants of other houses on the same side of the transformer and utility workers trying to restore power). I am not a fan of those circuit-by-circuit transfers (such as the one in the Amazon link); you really need a "critical circuits" panel that can function as a sub-panel under utility power and a main panel under genset; the transfer switch, in addition to switching the hot legs and the neutral, must also make the bond under genset and lift it under utility. Spending the cost of a qualified electrician is money well spent.

2) All liquid or vapor-fueled gensets emit large quantities of CO. Installs must take this into account.

3) A vapor-fueled (propane) generator requires some fairly large bottles, not simply to provide enough fuel, but to maintain vapor pressure in the cold.

4) In many, if not most, towns, gas pressure in street gas systems is inadequate to sustain even small (10-15 KW) gensets. These usually require 12-14" WC; in most towns, you'll be lucky to see 6"WC. In some towns, the gas company can increase pressure by swapping out the regulator; in many, low pressure is inherent in the system and cannot be ameliorated by any practical means.

5) Liquid-fueled gensets present a whole host of fuel management issues. It is hard (and can be dangerous) to store a useable amount of fuel, and if you do, it will likely become stale before it is used (and, in the case of diesel, is likely to gel if stored in the cold).

6) Gensets should be sized on the basis of the starting loads of critical circuits. For most folks, critical circuits are the heating plant, refrigerators and freezers, sump pumps, and (for those on well water) potable water pumps. Forget about powering lights (LED flashlights will give you all the light you need for the duration, on a handful of batteries), TVs and the like. An outdoor propane grill can supply your cooking needs.

7) Small gensets are not designed for continuous duty, and most will not handle even sustained duty at more than 50% rated capacity. The good news is that you can cycle the genset on and off to handle house heating and refrigeration chores, which are themselves cyclical.

8) A genset must always be isolated from load when started and then isolated from load before being shut down.

9) A genset must be wired with its own earth ground.