saraha Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 Going to the best crowd sourcing I know! Can anyone recommend (or tell us to stay away from) a gasoline powered generator? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashfern Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 I don't know since we're in the market for one as well. My parents sent me this article though. https://www.post-gazette.com/business/money/2020/09/03/Don-Lindich-Sound-Advice-Generac-Home-Backup-Generator-power-transfer/stories/202009030074 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 We are very happy with our Honda 2000 watt portable generator. They run +/- $1000. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 I’m just having this conversation with my dad (in Northern California) about whether they are safe to use in such conditions. I honestly don’t know. 😞 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 1 hour ago, MEmama said: We are very happy with our Honda 2000 watt portable generator. They run +/- $1000. How often do you use it or fire it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 We are glad to have one. They have improved our power grid stability, but we used to lose our power rather frequently for random things like wind storms that would take down trees. They made a LOT of effort to clear right of way around the power lines, so that happens less often now. Biggest danger is you leaving it in your garage. It happens in FL after hurricanes. I don't know how they're all done, but ours runs through a special box and we had to choose what outlets and appliances it would run. So there can be some expense getting it set up correctly, depending on what you're doing. The generator has saved our butts multiple times when we had week long (or more) power outages. One was in winter, if you can imagine. But I never had one growing up as a kid, so I don't know that it's essential. Have you been having issues with power outages? 1 hour ago, ashfern said: My parents sent me this article though. https://www.post-gazette.com/business/money/2020/09/03/Don-Lindich-Sound-Advice-Generac-Home-Backup-Generator-power-transfer/stories/202009030074 I don't know enough about the electrical to speak to an automatic transfer switch. We decide whether to turn ours on or not. If the power is off just an hour, we don't worry about it. If it's going to be a day or two, obviously we run it. And we don't run it nonstop. We turn it on, take showers, cook, get the frig/freezer cold again, and then turn it off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 We have one from Champion and it's been fine. We live in a hurricane area, so we wanted to have one. We have only used it a couple of times, but it's been pretty straightforward to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 I'm reading that article some more. I agree with the point that very few people need EVERYTHING running or bells and whistles. Your heat, your deep freeze, and an outlet to run a toaster oven or microwave. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) Ours is a Generac, and it will power the whole house. It’s not a portable generator — it sits permanently in our yard and it’s hooked up directly to the natural gas. It turns on automatically whenever there is a power outage and keeps running until the power comes back on. We love having it! Edited September 11, 2020 by Catwoman iPad doesn’t believe that Generac is a word & it keeps changing it to General. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) 31 minutes ago, saraha said: How often do you use it or fire it up? We bought it a few years ago after a wind storm knocked our power out for 10 days. Because the biggest concern here is heating, we use it to run our pellet stove plus a couple lights, wifi and the fridge if necessary (although in winter we can just put food in a cooler in the 3 season porch). In summer we would run the fridge and deep freeze. I think we’ve used it a couple times each year since we bought it. It’s simple enough that I’m confident using it on my own. For showers, I bought a battery operated shower head. We are on natural gas so I can heat up water on the stove and fill one of those big Home Depot buckets in the bathtub, stick the shower head hose in the bucket and shower like usual. It is AWESOME. 🙂 Similar to this : https://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Portable-Outdoor-Battery-Powered/dp/B00IFHFJXI/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1NKUL83NBM7NS&dchild=1&keywords=battery+operated+shower+head&qid=1599852615&sprefix=Battery+operated+shower%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-5 Edited September 11, 2020 by MEmama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Catwoman said: Ours is a Generac, and it will power the whole house. It’s not a portable generator — it sits permanently in our yard and it’s hooked up directly to the natural gas. We love having it! I desperately want of these. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 Just now, MEmama said: I desperately want of these. I know they are expensive, but the peace of mind makes it worth every penny for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 4 minutes ago, Catwoman said: Ours is a Generac, and it will power the whole house. It’s not a portable generator — it sits permanently in our yard and it’s hooked up directly to the natural gas. It turns on automatically whenever there is a power outage and keeps running until the power comes back on. We love having it! This is my dream. I do remember being really ticked off one year after our third outage that the electric company had an advertisement in our bill for automatic natural gas powered generators. My husband keeps trying to talk me out of it, but I really want one. He thinks it is cheaper to just replace the stuff in the freezer than get a generator, but throwing out food really makes me mad. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 We have a Generac. It is a portable but powerful enough to power the house. No issues with it and it has been our lifesaver through multiple hurricanes, storms, and random power outages. We also have a Honda 2000w for our travel trailer. Very quiet and works well. Our neighbor uses it during storms for her house. It powers just what she needs ( Fridge, coffee maker to keep her human, etc). I have been very happy with both of them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Mom2mthj said: This is my dream. I do remember being really ticked off one year after our third outage that the electric company had an advertisement in our bill for automatic natural gas powered generators. My husband keeps trying to talk me out of it, but I really want one. He thinks it is cheaper to just replace the stuff in the freezer than get a generator, but throwing out food really makes me mad. I agree! Before we got the generator, power outages were so stressful. I still remember needing things out of the refrigerator or the freezer, but being afraid to open them, and when I did go in there, I would try to do everything all at once so I could close it back up as fast as possible. I was so paranoid! And it’s not just the food — it’s also the general inconvenience of not having power, like no heat, no air-conditioning, no lights, no ability to do laundry, no ability to charge electronics... or watch TV... or use the computers. And the worst thing is the uncertainty of not knowing if the power will be off for an hour or for a week! Edited September 11, 2020 by Catwoman 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 19 minutes ago, Catwoman said: Ours is a Generac, and it will power the whole house. It’s not a portable generator — it sits permanently in our yard and it’s hooked up directly to the natural gas. It turns on automatically whenever there is a power outage and keeps running until the power comes back on. We love having it! This is what we have, too. It is so nice to not have to worry about power outages anymore. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashfern Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 1 hour ago, PeterPan said: I'm reading that article some more. I agree with the point that very few people need EVERYTHING running or bells and whistles. Your heat, your deep freeze, and an outlet to run a toaster oven or microwave. Our power went out Saturday morning on a sunny, windless day for 1.5 hours. Luckily it was the weekend because DH works from home & needs the internet and his computer for work. In the 1 year we have lived in this area the power has gone out more than the 20 years we lived in our old county. We want to get one that we can hook up to our propane tank. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 We are thinking about a small one just to run the deep freezers in the detached garage. We have provisions for all of our house systems, just not for the freezers outside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 10 hours ago, saraha said: We are thinking about a small one just to run the deep freezers in the detached garage. We have provisions for all of our house systems, just not for the freezers outside The portable generators are simple enough to use. Just make sure to keep it outside the garage—every year I read about sheds and garages blowing up from improper ventilation. IIRC deep freezers will stay safely frozen for around 3 days in a generally cool environment. Obviously if your garage gets hot you’d want power sooner than that, but at least they don’t warm up as quickly as kitchen refrigerators. That’s my understanding, anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 17 hours ago, PeterPan said: I'm reading that article some more. I agree with the point that very few people need EVERYTHING running or bells and whistles. Your heat, your deep freeze, and an outlet to run a toaster oven or microwave. Agreed, but, those of us on wells need power to flush the @!%@!! toilets or clean the dishes or water the Victory Garden (we recently endured 8 days of no power and are now awaiting our new generator, LOL). So while we don't need every outlet (or the AC) hooked up, I expect we'll need to unit continuously just for the water. Pam in CT with Newfound Appreciation for How Fundamental Water Really Is to Life 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 We have one that is not set up for automatic switching or whole house. It's a portable that is in a shed on the side of the house. When it's needed, we wheel it out of the shed, turn it on and run extension cords through the window. I had to start it myself in our last hurricane because dh was away and it wasn't bad at all. I had to get a neighbor to help get it out of the shed because it's heavy and it's just gravel so didn't roll well. We have one plug right by the window it comes in with our internet, tv, snakes heat pad and some charging stations so we can switch that over easily. We run another cord to our fridge so we don't lose food and to some lights. We eventually want to get a whole house one that runs off propane but that's a very expensive set-up and we haven't been ready for that yet. We don't lose power more than a few times a year usually. We do have a well so we do lose water when the power is out but we get buckets of water if we know it could go out so we can still flush, and bottled water to drink (usually my science center has power even if home doesn't so we can grab water there usually). We have propane for our stove so we can still cook. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 My parents and both sets of grandparents have whole-house Generacs. They live in an area where hurricane/storm power outages can be lengthy. My dad said that the install company in their area is super backed up right now (long waiting list). We have a small, portable gas-powered. We've never used it. Our power outages have never been more than a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 We decided to order the Honda 2000, thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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