Who has a standby generator

 
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ShawnTRD
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Post by ShawnTRD » Tue. Dec. 22, 2020 10:11 pm

Looking to get a standby generator with a Automatic Transfer Switch in the spring. Wondering what people have brand and size wise. I think the calculators seem to over sell people. It's just me and my wife. We have the Keystoker boiler or a fuel oil boiler if needed that run basically 24/7. Then I have a well pump and sump pump in the septic tank. One fridge/freezer and a freezer downstairs. After that would only need to run a couple LED lights at any given time. We do have a washer and electric dryer but I don't think that's needed if the power is out even for a few days.


 
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 10:42 am

My mom and dad have a Generac Guardian. They have had it about 3 years, and it has been trouble free.

I suggest getting one that is connected into your main service entrance, rather than the style that requires to you to wire in the particular circuits that you want to be powered by the generator.

Also, if you end up getting a propane unit, make sure your tank is big enough to vaporize enough propane in cold weather.

 
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Post by Homesteader » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 4:40 pm

I was going to get a Generac last summer after we lost power for 8 days after a tropical storm but when I went to order one no one had them in stock and the lead time was 4 months so I ordered a Westinghouse 9500W dual fuel and in my case a manual transfer box with outside 30 amp hookup box. After wiring everything up between the main panel and the transfer switch I was able to run the well, furnace, fridge, freezer, kitchen outlets, other outlets for computer-router-modem, living room outlets, 6,000BTU window AC, kitchen-dining-living room-master bedroom lights and lights and power for my garden shed-chicken coop. I ran it on a test for 3 hrs. w/o a problem. Depending on what you want to power you may not need as big a unit that I got. Anyway a couple of pictures of my setup:
Panel wiring.jpg

Wiring transfer switch

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Panel finished.jpg

Finished wiring

.JPG | 50.5KB | Panel finished.jpg
Generator 1.jpg

Generator

.JPG | 104.7KB | Generator 1.jpg
Generator 2.jpg
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I got it out today and filled it with gas and ran it for about a 1/2hr because we are expecting a storm tomorrow night with winds up over 60MPH. I like the dual fuel feature as when test it I just hook it up to my grill tank that way I don't leave fuel in the tank or carb that can go bad. Next spring I'm going to pipe a gas outlet so I can run it of of my 100 gallon house propane tank.

 
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Post by ShawnTRD » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 4:51 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 10:42 am
My mom and dad have a Generac Guardian. They have had it about 3 years, and it has been trouble free.

I suggest getting one that is connected into your main service entrance, rather than the style that requires to you to wire in the particular circuits that you want to be powered by the generator.

Also, if you end up getting a propane unit, make sure your tank is big enough to vaporize enough propane in cold weather.
What size do they have?

 
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ShawnTRD
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Post by ShawnTRD » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 4:53 pm

Homesteader wrote:
Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 4:40 pm
I was going to get a Generac last summer after we lost power for 8 days after a tropical storm but when I went to order one no one had them in stock and the lead time was 4 months so I ordered a Westinghouse 9500W dual fuel and in my case a manual transfer box with outside 30 amp hookup box. After wiring everything up between the main panel and the transfer switch I was able to run the well, furnace, fridge, freezer, kitchen outlets, other outlets for computer-router-modem, living room outlets, 6,000BTU window AC, kitchen-dining-living room-master bedroom lights and lights and power for my garden shed-chicken coop. I ran it on a test for 3 hrs. w/o a problem.
That seems like a good amount of stuff powered at once. I'm thinking 10 or 13 will be plenty.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 5:00 pm

ShawnTRD wrote:
Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 4:51 pm
What size do they have?
20kw, but theirs was sized to run central A/C and several freezers. I could probably run my house with half that.

A competent installer should quickly be able to determine your electrical load.

 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 5:34 pm

For the stuff you listed, a10 K would be more than enough. Your biggest load would be your deep well pump. That should be around 3500 to 4000 W. All the others are intermittent loads. You should be able to run your stove also as long as you don't run the water while your cooking.
Last edited by Scottscoaled on Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.


 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 5:34 pm

if you are cost conscious shopping, a 16 circuit ABT would be enough to suit your needs. A whole house ABT is quite a bit more to buy and install.

 
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Post by Homesteader » Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 9:13 am

ShawnTRD wrote:
Wed. Dec. 23, 2020 4:53 pm
That seems like a good amount of stuff powered at once. I'm thinking 10 or 13 will be plenty.
Here is a load calculation guide from Generac:
Electrical load req..jpg
.JPG | 255KB | Electrical load req..jpg
When I started looking for a generator and transfer switches I looked at Northern Tool, Amazon, and Electric generators Direct.
Don't know if you have propane devices in your house with a large tank but if you do I would seriously look at one that can run on propane and have a plumber plumb in a hookup for it. Most problems that people have is stale gas that gums up the works.

 
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Post by McGiever » Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 10:08 am

May not be well know outside certain circles but Honda EU7000i is a masterpiece of technolgy in generators.

People who use their generators as their sole electrical supply have nothing but high praise...fuel consumption and running noise are just a couple notable attributes...check them out,,,

 
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 7:16 pm

Shawn- If you label your breakers well and can switch off some of your load (fridge, freezer, etc) and then run the well pump, you can get away with a smaller powered generator. Think "fuel consumption"

Making sure your water check valve doesn't leak and either adding a second large or oversizing your main expansion/pressure tank will keep pressure a LOT longer between cycles.

 
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Post by ShawnTRD » Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 8:04 pm

Yeah I'm thinking the 10,000 would do the job.

 
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Post by ShawnTRD » Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 8:10 pm

Anyone know if the automatic transfer switch would need to match the box at the house? I have a 200A box but most ATS at the 10,000 range come with 100A.

 
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 8:42 pm

ShawnTRD wrote:
Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 8:10 pm
Anyone know if the automatic transfer switch would need to match the box at the house? I have a 200A box but most ATS at the 10,000 range come with 100A.
Here's a page that helps you calculate amps, watts, etc

https://www.generatorsource.com/Power_Calculator.aspx

I have a 60 amp 220v with a manual lockout that will be soon connected to my electrical box. It isn't about the 'capacity' rather the 'usage requirement'

My generator is 10k continuous, with 12k surge. Be careful, *some* places started listing the SURGE watts as the advertised size.

10k is about 60 amps. You are talking about 220v, right?

BTW, good idea getting a generator setup. Just remember FUEL storage and consumption. Gasoline dies after 6 months due to the ethanol contamination. Diesel or Propane don't really have that problem.

 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Fri. Dec. 25, 2020 7:58 am

McGiever wrote:
Thu. Dec. 24, 2020 10:08 am
May not be well know outside certain circles but Honda EU7000i is a masterpiece of technolgy in generators.

People who use their generators as their sole electrical supply have nothing but high praise...fuel consumption and running noise are just a couple notable attributes...check them out,,,
X2
Hard to set up for automatic system though. They are nice.


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