re: Finally got power back after 5 days in Shreveport (This ain't happening again)

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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.

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It will not prevent it...it only means that the phase conductors are open...the neutral is a current carrying conductor and will take the unbalanced load to ground along the path of least resistance, ideally, but not always...that path may be back to the utility company's transformer where the lineman, having ensured that the circuit is no energized (no voltage present) will find the current from the unbalanced load indeed present and could be killed. It is not legal in most areas. It is done regularly...been a heap of them installed...but they can expose you to liability.

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in my opinion simply dragging cords around is easier, cheaper and prevents issues.

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That was my original plan, but I was under the impression the power inlet to the breaker box was "safe".

You're right. It's cheaper and safely isolated to just run extension cords through a window and seal it with a towel.

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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.

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i have the same exact generator, and plug as you. during the test run, we ran everything except the microwave. 2 fridge/freezers, dishwasher, lights, 3.5 ton central ac unit. NO MICROWAVE.

this test run was done with the generator running on gasoline. with the natural gas hook-up i now have, i will lose +/-15% of the power. if power is out, but I have fridge/freezer and ac....i will be good.

So, I have been contemplating on putting solar panels on my house as a primary means of power. Would solar panels have survived the storm that hit your area?

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I have a Westinghouse 9500, but not a dual fuel. Once a month, I plug two shop fans and two shop lights into the 110v outlets. Let those run 10 minutes. I bought these 30 amp and 50 amp adapter cords to run the same 4 things for 10 minutes in the 30 amp then 10 minutes in the 50 amp. Not a huge load, but keeps it ready to go. I then turn off the fuel line and let the fuel run out.

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That is more than sufficient for a portable. Full load banks on water cooled commercial and industrial models are required but just some load at temperature is all that is needed for a portable. They are not designed to run 24 -7 for as long as they are needed like a permanent installed genset is.

Anyone with a on board RV generator needs to exercise it as well....save tons of headaches and no small amount of money. Crank it, turn the AC on and run it for 30 minutes a month....those little Onans will last forever if oil is changed and they are exercised...if the sit 2 months you may need a carb LOL.

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That was my original plan, but I was under the impression the power inlet to the breaker box was "safe".

You're right. It's cheaper and safely isolated to just run extension cords through a window and seal it with a towel.

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It is relatively safe compared to a suicide cord or a homeowner temporarily attaching some romex to the dryer breaker and flipping the main off...but there are always issues when a prolonged outage is experienced and line crews get in the area. It can also cause issues with standing water and downed services...the neutral only exists to take current to ground...we are taught that this is always through the path of least resistance...the problem is we do not always know what the resistance is and depending on the pressure current will go wherever it pleases...apply enough voltage to a 2X4 and it will become a current carrying conductor...happens with lightning all the time. Having the unbalaned load discharging into a wet lawn adjacent to a porch and a kid with no shoes on could be tragic. Electrical contractors like this installation because it is easy to do and they can charge a good bit for what is actually involved....adding a manual transfer switch requires redoing the line side of the main and that is much more difficult and costly....the system in the video is seen as a good alternative until something goes wrong and then the homeowner is the one liable...the electrical contractor may be if it gets litiguous enough but they probably ain't got any money that can be detected LOL.

The drop cord solution is not much more trouble than switching breakers...and as a side not breakers are not designed to be used as switches, it will cause them to fail prematurely...and is cheaper....plus you have a couple of 12 gauge drop cords to use when needed for other things.

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So, I have been contemplating on putting solar panels on my house as a primary means of power. Would solar panels have survived the storm that hit your area?

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If your home is fairly new and has the conveniences of a fairly new home it is doubtful you would have the area on the roof required to run a AC unit...some lights, a TV and maybe a fan, but not at the same time. You would need a storage system which is, in my opinion, problematic although the technology is evolving quickly.

Solar is currently good for reducing your consumption while connected...if and only if the utility is doing what they should and not charging you for production...it is not sufficient as a stand alone system for much of a load for any length of time.

My BIL has that same generator and it works great. But get the dual fuel version and get a 100 gallon propane tank. It’s to hard looking for gas during a hurricane.

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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.

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if your running window units in your room, why have a dedicated power plug?

We've had a standby-generator (Kohler) for 15 years. The longest we went w/o power, i.e. relied on the generator, was 10 days (natural gas).

I firmly believe a homeowner will recoup the price of the generator when/if he sells the home. In the meantime it's a nice feeling to have power automatically provided within 10 seconds of the power outage -- day or night.