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Message
Finally got power back after 5 days in Shreveport (This ain't happening again)
Posted on 6/20/23 at 10:42 am
Posted on 6/20/23 at 10:42 am
What's up baws? It's been a hot and humid holiday weekend up in Shitport and surrounding areas. Prayers for Salmon and the destruction his house got. Our house was okay and no big trees down. Just a few limbs in the yard.
Luckily I had a buddy offer me his camp on Toledo so we were able to get out of town until the power came back on yesterday. People across the street from me are still out.
With all the extra family time we've had, my wife and I have talked a lot about a whole home generac generator and other options. Here is where I am and what I plan to present this afternoon to her once we get off work.
Correctly power house with 50 amp power inlet.
An electrician friend of mine said do not backfeed through the dryer plug. While it may work, your lines will be juiced over capacity and could potentially cause a fire hazard. Instead, correctly install a 50 amp power inlet next to your breaker box with a switch that only allows the generator feed breaker to turn on when the main is turned off. This then correctly feeds power into your breaker box where you standard breakers can operate properly and flip/throw if you have a problem.
Top 10 Best Generators
This is an article I found about top generators. Our electrician recommended the #2 Westinghouse over the #1 rated duromax. It puts out more power and Westinghouse is an old company, not some fly by night cheap generator with some off brand stickers on it.
Westinghouse 12,500 watt Generator
This is the generator I am looking at. 12,500 peak watts, but more realistically about 9500 running watts. Plenty to power the house except the AC unit, but enough to plug in a 110 outlet style 6000-8000 btu window unit or two in the bedroom and living room. My mom wants to do this too, so we are planning on buying two of the exact same generators and having insurance of a parts generator in case of an apocalypse and one were to break down in the future.
One thing is for sure. Between hurricanes/tropical storms that get to us in Shreveport like Laura (down 4 days), to ice storms like 2020 (down 8 days), to the most recent 80 mph straight line wind event out of Oklahoma (down 5 days), this shite ain't happening to me again.
This seems like it would be right up the OB's alley, so lets discuss. I'm open to any criticism or ideas y'all may have.
Luckily I had a buddy offer me his camp on Toledo so we were able to get out of town until the power came back on yesterday. People across the street from me are still out.
With all the extra family time we've had, my wife and I have talked a lot about a whole home generac generator and other options. Here is where I am and what I plan to present this afternoon to her once we get off work.
Correctly power house with 50 amp power inlet.
An electrician friend of mine said do not backfeed through the dryer plug. While it may work, your lines will be juiced over capacity and could potentially cause a fire hazard. Instead, correctly install a 50 amp power inlet next to your breaker box with a switch that only allows the generator feed breaker to turn on when the main is turned off. This then correctly feeds power into your breaker box where you standard breakers can operate properly and flip/throw if you have a problem.
Top 10 Best Generators
This is an article I found about top generators. Our electrician recommended the #2 Westinghouse over the #1 rated duromax. It puts out more power and Westinghouse is an old company, not some fly by night cheap generator with some off brand stickers on it.
Westinghouse 12,500 watt Generator
This is the generator I am looking at. 12,500 peak watts, but more realistically about 9500 running watts. Plenty to power the house except the AC unit, but enough to plug in a 110 outlet style 6000-8000 btu window unit or two in the bedroom and living room. My mom wants to do this too, so we are planning on buying two of the exact same generators and having insurance of a parts generator in case of an apocalypse and one were to break down in the future.
One thing is for sure. Between hurricanes/tropical storms that get to us in Shreveport like Laura (down 4 days), to ice storms like 2020 (down 8 days), to the most recent 80 mph straight line wind event out of Oklahoma (down 5 days), this shite ain't happening to me again.
This seems like it would be right up the OB's alley, so lets discuss. I'm open to any criticism or ideas y'all may have.
19
Posted on 6/20/23 at 10:55 am to Clyde Tipton
Asking out of ignorance because the new wife wants one...do you have gas to the house, and if so, why not one that runs off it?
Posted on 6/20/23 at 10:56 am to Clyde Tipton
Depending on your AC, if you install a soft or hard start system, you can run your AC on that 12k generator. Source- I did this while out of power for Ida. My home is only 1600 sq ft living though, so results may vary.
That being said, generators are a PIA. You need to run it monthly with a load for at least 15 mins to keep them reliable. If you don't, expect problems when you really need it. If everyone is out of power, gas is difficult to source. A buddy brought me a 50 gallon drum and pump, and I still needed to fill that 50 gallon drum every 5 days.
Whole home generators are worth their weight in gold but come with drawbacks. Expensive to install and these air cooled ones aren't meant to be run at 95% load for 5 days straight in Louisiana heat. My neighbors shite the bed day 7 of Ida and he's religious with changing oil, checking spark plugs etc.
That being said, generators are a PIA. You need to run it monthly with a load for at least 15 mins to keep them reliable. If you don't, expect problems when you really need it. If everyone is out of power, gas is difficult to source. A buddy brought me a 50 gallon drum and pump, and I still needed to fill that 50 gallon drum every 5 days.
Whole home generators are worth their weight in gold but come with drawbacks. Expensive to install and these air cooled ones aren't meant to be run at 95% load for 5 days straight in Louisiana heat. My neighbors shite the bed day 7 of Ida and he's religious with changing oil, checking spark plugs etc.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:00 am to Clyde Tipton
DId something similar a couple of years ago and luckily haven't had to use it yet. I did get a tri-fuel generator and got a quick connect installed on my gas line, so no gasoline tanks for me hopefully.
Running on nat gas drops the output of the generator though.
Running on nat gas drops the output of the generator though.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:02 am to AlxTgr
quote:
Asking out of ignorance because the new wife wants one...do you have gas to the house, and if so, why not one that runs off it?
Yes. That would be on a permanent system like a Generac. These will run everything including your AC. But you are looking at a cost of $10,000-$14,000 depending on your home size. I already got a quote.
What I am describing is a $1000 generator, $250 in parts to rig it up correctly and a system that runs enough to keep you comfortable with a couple of window units in your bedrooms, have lights, TV and internet and your freezers/refrigerators on.
This post was edited on 6/20/23 at 11:08 am
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:07 am to Pauvetibete
quote:
That being said, generators are a PIA. You need to run it monthly with a load for at least 15 mins to keep them reliable.
I'm a big believer in running things to keep them in good shape. I don't have power at my deer camp, so using the generator for that is an added bonus to this for me.
quote:
If everyone is out of power, gas is difficult to source.
True. Shreveport had diesel and premium only after the first day. You need to top off your vehicle and all gas cans ASAP. Luckily my boat has a 30 gallon tank on it and I don't premix, so there's another option that usually is 1/2 to 3/4 full.
I've been thinking about this a lot the last few days.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:08 am to Clyde Tipton
Never lost power at my house in Shreveport, parents lost power at theirs for about 2 days and ran my generator there for their fridge and freezer. They lose power everytime a mosquito farts near their subdivision though, been telling them to get a whole house stand-by generator.
With gasoline generators it matters the oil and gas you use as well as how you store it. My little 4kW CPE hasn't been used in years, only had 6.4 hours on it until this last storm but fired up and ran like a top for 14+ hours of use over those 2 days. I filled it up with Shell 89 oct treated with Stabil360, will drain it and run a little TrueFuel 4-cycle to flush out the carb before storing it again. Mobil 1 10W30 oil that got changed out at 15.5 hours, wrote that info on the gas tank with a sharpie.
With gasoline generators it matters the oil and gas you use as well as how you store it. My little 4kW CPE hasn't been used in years, only had 6.4 hours on it until this last storm but fired up and ran like a top for 14+ hours of use over those 2 days. I filled it up with Shell 89 oct treated with Stabil360, will drain it and run a little TrueFuel 4-cycle to flush out the carb before storing it again. Mobil 1 10W30 oil that got changed out at 15.5 hours, wrote that info on the gas tank with a sharpie.
This post was edited on 6/20/23 at 11:19 am
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:10 am to Clyde Tipton
You can get these on Amazon. Just find the correct one for your breaker box. It makes it impossible to have the generator input on while the main is still on.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:11 am to Clyde Tipton
quote:Gotcha. I did that once in my last house. Worked well because I could move the little A/C from the living room to the bedroom every day. I got by on a somewhat small generator too. I rationed the fridge/freezer somehow. I think I didn't supply the outside freezer during the day and we limited opening it. Lost no food and the late wife was reasonably happy.
What I am describing is a $1000 generator, $250 in parts to rig it up correctly and a system that runs enough to keep you comfortable with a couple of window units in your bedrooms, have lights, TV and internet and your freezers/refrigerators on.
I no longer own one of those A/Cs and not sure I could make it work in my new house. We have no conventional windows in the main living area.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:13 am to Clyde Tipton
I bought a Champion 11,500/9200w portable generator in June of ‘21 at the recommendation of my electrician who installed my 50amp plug directly to my panel. He told me he had one and it would in fact run my entire house including my AC and refrigerators. I put a soft start kit on my AC unit and was advised when using the generator, start by only having the AC breaker on at first and slowly add the breakers you need while watching the output meter on the generator. Then put your AC thermostat on 55° so it won’t cycle on and off while using the generator.
Now of course you want to be very selective what you turn on after the AC and fridge/freezers. No laundry or pool pumps without turning off the AC breaker. But lights and tv are easily handled with this generator.
I’ve done 3 test runs so far without a problem.
Now of course you want to be very selective what you turn on after the AC and fridge/freezers. No laundry or pool pumps without turning off the AC breaker. But lights and tv are easily handled with this generator.
I’ve done 3 test runs so far without a problem.
This post was edited on 6/20/23 at 1:16 pm
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:15 am to Clyde Tipton
I have a 50 amp plug that i used for my travel trailer. I would have had to use a suicide cord which i had but was never comfortable backfeeding house with the main situation etc.
I don't own travel trailer now. I guess i could convert to a 30 amp inlet. I have a 30 amp inverter generator that i could do same, use for lights and fridges in house, i now own a window unit i can take down from attic.
I don't like the idea of a big generator powering house etc cause they drink too much gas. I like to be conservative with essentials.
I don't own travel trailer now. I guess i could convert to a 30 amp inlet. I have a 30 amp inverter generator that i could do same, use for lights and fridges in house, i now own a window unit i can take down from attic.
I don't like the idea of a big generator powering house etc cause they drink too much gas. I like to be conservative with essentials.
This post was edited on 6/20/23 at 11:22 am
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:17 am to Shexter
quote:
You can get these on Amazon. Just find the correct one for your breaker box. It makes it impossible to have the generator input on while the main is still on.
1000%. I consider myself pretty level headed, but that's a very important part to make sure you don't have a brain fart and electrocute a lineman trying to get you back up and running.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:22 am to GCTigahs
quote:
start by only having the AC breaker on at first and slowly add the breakers you need while watching the output meter on the generator. Then put your AC thermostat on 55° so it won’t cycle on and off while using the generator.
Now of course you want to be very selective what you turn on after the AC and fridge/freezers. No laundry or pool pumps without turning off the AC breaker. But lights and tv are easily handled with this generator.
That's solid sounding advice. That's what I'm looking for in this thread. I knew we had to have some OB'rs who are doing this.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:27 am to Clyde Tipton
i get confused with the big breaker box in garage and i have another box that's outside. I think the outside box has the big breakers for ac units or something.
If i turn the main breaker off inside, does that also turn the big ones off in the box outside? if that makes sense.
If i turn the main breaker off inside, does that also turn the big ones off in the box outside? if that makes sense.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:30 am to Chad504boy
quote:
If i turn the main breaker off inside, does that also turn the big ones off in the box outside? if that makes sense.
I'm not sure. You'd have to play with it to see. I have 2 boxes, one big one outside and one inside a closet. I turn the main off the biggest box outside and it all shuts down.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:34 am to Chad504boy
You might want to open the doors of those panels and look. For me, I have a large outside panel under the meter that feeds the AC unit, the detached garage, one exterior outlet and one 20-A interior outlet directly. The panel inside is actually a sub-panel that holds all the other interior circuits.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 11:52 am to Clyde Tipton
quote:
Instead, correctly install a 50 amp power inlet next to your breaker box with a switch that only allows the generator feed breaker to turn on when the main is turned off. This then correctly feeds power into your breaker box where you standard breakers can operate properly and flip/throw if you have a problem.
This is what I'm about to do.
I'm in Bossier and this outage sent me over the edge. Too little of an expensive to fix a huge need for the area. A strong fart could put the power out in our neighborhood for some reason.
quote:
generators.
%1,000 will be going with a Honda. All of our work generators are Honda's and we put them through the ringer and we've never had one break down. They are expensive, but I've had too much success with them to get something else.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 12:12 pm to Clyde Tipton
I have the exact same generator for my house. Have not put a full load on it yet, but I crank it monthly. I had a similar plug placed in my shed that is detached approximately 100ft from my house just so it wouldnt be out in the weather when I needed it. I have a 250gal propane tank that I plan to use as a back up if I run out of gasoline. Like you said, should be enough to run everything but central AC. I have 3 10k btu window units just in case.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 12:37 pm to Clyde Tipton
The system shown will work BUT it can be dangerous and has been outlawed in some jurisdictions because it does not break the neutral conductor which means than any unbalanced load MAY travel to the center tap of the utility companies transformer and can be dangerous to workers at that or any transformer in the system. It has been done probably hundreds of thousands of times but it there are also claims where someone is injured or killed due to there being an unbalanced load at a transformer which was not energized and had been verified as de-energized. There is also the very distinct possibility that a ground fault would not clear in a timely manner with that set-up...this is pretty common and has caused numerous verifiable accidents. The correct installation is a 4 pole transfer switch which disconnects ALL of the incoming service conductors AND grounds the generator to the facility grounding system instead of possibly the utilities system at the transformer. Both phase conductors, the neutral and the grounding electrode conductor.
A far more cost effective and less problematic way to negotiate the issue is to simply stretch drop cords to the devices you want to use from the generator. Outside of the cost of the generator it is essentially the same thing as the system in the video without the exposure to liability of feeding an unbalanced load into the distribution network or having a ground fault that does not clear in a timely manner. I did this several years ago for over a week due to an ice storm and it was no more trouble than turning breakers on and off. Unless you are going to have a permanent generator capable of carrying the entire load of the house a portable and some drop cords strung around the place will do exactly what the system in the video does and does not pose any added risks to anyone.
A far more cost effective and less problematic way to negotiate the issue is to simply stretch drop cords to the devices you want to use from the generator. Outside of the cost of the generator it is essentially the same thing as the system in the video without the exposure to liability of feeding an unbalanced load into the distribution network or having a ground fault that does not clear in a timely manner. I did this several years ago for over a week due to an ice storm and it was no more trouble than turning breakers on and off. Unless you are going to have a permanent generator capable of carrying the entire load of the house a portable and some drop cords strung around the place will do exactly what the system in the video does and does not pose any added risks to anyone.
Posted on 6/20/23 at 12:41 pm to Pauvetibete
quote:
That being said, generators are a PIA. You need to run it monthly with a load for at least 15 mins to keep them reliable.
With a load is essential. Under no load all you will have is a reliable gas engine...the generator section may or may not work at all and if it does it will most likely not work to capacity. Running a portable set up like the video suggests under a load is problematic....in my opinion simply dragging cords around is easier, cheaper and prevents issues.
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