- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Home Standby Generators
Posted on 7/15/19 at 9:36 am to sec13rowBBseat28
Posted on 7/15/19 at 9:36 am to sec13rowBBseat28
(no message)
This post was edited on 1/11/21 at 1:39 pm
0
Posted on 7/15/19 at 9:48 am to Areddishfish
I'm 45 years old and was born and raised in South Louisiana. We had several hurricanes during the 80's. We had a few floods. All of which were big power outage events for multiple days (if not weeks). Hell, one day with no power feels like a few days!
Then we had Katrina, Rita, Gustav, 2016 floods in the new century. So it feels like this long stretch of no significant Hurricane is kind of a rare event (if based off my entire lifespan and the weather events we've had just in my lifespan). Not that I'm complaining, by any stretch. But to say that a weather event causing a major power outage of multiple days (weeks) is rare, is inaccurate. Save that message for the Chamber of Commerce brochure.
Then we had Katrina, Rita, Gustav, 2016 floods in the new century. So it feels like this long stretch of no significant Hurricane is kind of a rare event (if based off my entire lifespan and the weather events we've had just in my lifespan). Not that I'm complaining, by any stretch. But to say that a weather event causing a major power outage of multiple days (weeks) is rare, is inaccurate. Save that message for the Chamber of Commerce brochure.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 9:54 am to RealityTiger
I think i paid 8k total including installation for a Generac 22k NG. My place is 4500 sqft with 2 AC units. The gen powers it all. I explain it as something you don't really need until you do, then you really need it. The potential to have no power for days is something that would drive me to consider evacuation. With the gen, i don't even consider it now. Is something a luxury but one that I think it's very worth it. Some people in BR were without power from Fri night until Sun night this past weekend.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:07 am to redandright
Most Generators over 22KW are going to be liquid cooled and therefore the price is going to be much more. Most 20-22KW generators will run 2500 sq ft homes or less. THe best advice I can give is to buy someone that will service 24/7. Doesn't do any good to have one if it doesn't run.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:12 am to fishfighter
quote:
This and the better ones have a timer that will auto start once a week and run for 5-30 mins at a time
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:14 am to redandright
All I need is a small generator to run a window unit. If you haven't lost power in 11 years since Gustav I can't justify the cost for something not needed the last 11 years.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:17 am to redandright
quote:
What do you guys think?
I'm not sure I would pay to put one in but the house I bought already had one and it sure is nice!
You could get a maintenance contract but servicing them yourself isn't very hard. I do my own.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:26 am to Scooba
quote:quote:
They say the cost is about $70-$100 per day to run;
I guess it beats the price of a week long hotel stay.
Yea, no fricking way it's $70 - 100/day to run a standby natural-gas generator, especially with natural gas prices right now.
Mine is a Briggs & Stratton 18kW, powered by a 993cc Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine. At 50% load, the engine is rated to burn 187 cubic feet of natural gas per hour. Based on my last bill, Entergy is charging me $0.36452 per every 100 cubic feet of natural gas I use.
Of course, there are a ton of variables that would contribute to the burn rate, but let's just use those numbers as a basis:
187 cf /hr x 24 hr/day x $0.36452/100 cf = $16.36/day
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:29 am to Scooba
quote:
Has anyone discussed the cost of running the generator over say 1 week of no power. What are yall seeing as far as gasoline/natural gas prices?
Ours ran for 5 days after Gustave. When we got out gas bill we broke it down and it cost us around $25 a day to run. That was 2008 so I don’t remember what natural gas prices were but it was a hell of a lot cheaper than regular gas generators at the time considering it was over $3 a gallon back then.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:41 am to FlagLake
We moved into our forever home after being flooded out in 2016. Had a manual transfer switch put in during construction - switches between the mains and the generator plug. We don't want full house comfort during an extended outage, just want to keep the Refrig/Freezer underway, ceiling fans and maybe one TV with the internet modems. A $2000 gasoline powered Honda should do the trick for us.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:42 am to Skillet
quote:
My biggest worry is the AC going out and having to lug my heavy arse window unit out of the garage
How much does it take to run central A/C? I'm talking a 3 ton system.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 10:47 am to redandright
Bought a 16k watt from Lowes for $4000, no interest for 2 years. Transfer switch is about $900, and I had someone install for about $900. We pre-wired our house for it, so I am not sure what the cost is for that. 16k watts runs everything in my house: 2 refrigerators, 1 deep freeze, 4 ton ac unit, washer and dryer, etc
It's probably not a "sound" investment, but I could afford it and it is peace of mind, especially when you have young children. I feel safe staying for most hurricanes at our house and I'd prefer to stick around with power rather than pack up the kids and evacuate.
It's probably not a "sound" investment, but I could afford it and it is peace of mind, especially when you have young children. I feel safe staying for most hurricanes at our house and I'd prefer to stick around with power rather than pack up the kids and evacuate.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 11:36 am to Tempratt
quote:
How much does it take to run central A/C? I'm talking a 3 ton system.
I have a 22k genny and a 4 ton AC...It'll run everything in the house.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 12:15 pm to redandright
Size house?
Posted on 7/15/19 at 12:38 pm to member12
(no message)
Posted on 7/15/19 at 1:38 pm to Areddishfish
I was out 13 days for Gustav, wouldn’t pay 10k to change that, and I’d likely move move another one like that hit. That said, I live in an area with a much better grid now.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 2:09 pm to RealityTiger
quote:I'm 71.
I'm 45 years old and was born and raised in South Louisiana.
quote:Mine was underwater for a few days. We changed oil 4 times, new filter and it hasn't missed a beat since.
We had several hurricanes during the 80's. We had a few floods.
quote:Bad statement. This all depends on where a person lives. Rural areas can still be without power long enough to be miserable as well as losing everything in frig. and freezer.
But to say that a weather event causing a major power outage of multiple days (weeks) is rare, is inaccurate.
The cost is really up to the individual. Some may NEED and some might just want the convenience.
It is more convenience in a person's early years vs becoming need as one gets older.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 2:21 pm to Tempratt
"Running" the AC is not the problem, it is the start up of the central unit (not portable). I think the majority of the whole home generators have switching and load management intelligence. When the power goes out, the smart switch can do a load manage and control what units come on and when. For example, when AC unit one comes on line, it can be programmed to wait for it to be up and running before the other AC unit can be allowed to start up.
With load management, you can get by with a smaller (KW) generator. The KW calculator may say you need a 30KW (liquid cooled) to run everything but you may be able to get by with 22KW (air cooled) if you stay away from using an electric dryer, an electric over, at the same time you are running both AC central units.
With load management, you can get by with a smaller (KW) generator. The KW calculator may say you need a 30KW (liquid cooled) to run everything but you may be able to get by with 22KW (air cooled) if you stay away from using an electric dryer, an electric over, at the same time you are running both AC central units.
Posted on 7/15/19 at 3:40 pm to redandright
Depends how reliable your power provider has been. I have Demco, and in the past 25 years, including hurricanes, I have lost power 4-5 times for a total of 8 days. Three days was the longest without power. When I was restoring my home after the 2016 flood I had one company come out and give me an estimate for a 22kw and install. With the little time I am without power I could not justify the investment of $10-11K on something that I had so little use for, plus a service agreement which if you own one of these things, you likely need to have. I also know that when folks are freshly removed from a storm, the generator companies ramp up their ads during a time when as they say the iron is still hot. I have 2 95kw generators, and a couple of small AC units I keep stored in my shop for occasions when I need them. They have done a good job for me. In most cases, I loan one of the generators to family members when they lost power. In saying all that, if your utility compony isn't that reliable, and you constantly lose power, then you probably need to invest in a standby generator. Having a standby generator may help you sell your home faster, but I seriously doubt it would raise the value any by having one.
Page 4 of 4
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News