Submitted by VegUltraGirl t3_zvlair in Maine
Tronbronson t1_j1pycu4 wrote
I know it's probably not in the average home budget, but a Generac whole home generator is so crucial for Maine winters. The first year I got it (almost a decade ago) it ran for almost 2 weeks straight and almost a cumulative month that winter. Having run it this long, I can tell you it's not a big drag on the yearly propane bill, and what it provides in comfort and security, well you just can't put a price on that.
- My other suggestions are getting a wood stove installed.
-keeping a large cooler or unplugged freezer in the garage for food storage
-Keeping multiple sources of water in the house. 5 Gallon potable tanks for drinking, 5 gallon buckets for flushing/washing.
-Propane stoves still work when the power is out. The first thing I did when I moved in was add that propane generator and a stove.
-Indoor propane heater. They make these rated for indoor use. still need to use safely.
-Non Perishable food supplies. Bonus points if you can plan for enjoyable meals. No need to be hungry dark and cold
-Large portable Battery with solar panel. These will set you back 200 for the battery and 350 for the solar, but all your phone/laptops will be charged for a week/month, and you can charge the battery in your car as well. Most devices are rechargeable these days so have a large source of power in an emergency to suit your needs.
-Radio - I actually need to get one of these, had no power/phone service for a minute there. Good to have a link to the outside world, news of more danger, entertainment, etc.
Thats all for now, good luck out there to everyone, hopefully something on this list helps
VegUltraGirl OP t1_j1q19aw wrote
This is a great list! We have a wood stove which is a life saver. Our generator does a decent job, but an upgrade would be great.
[deleted] t1_j1qlmnd wrote
Does the generator automatically kick on when you lose power? I use propane and this sounds great
- another thing I used this year that was helpful was actually some glow sticks. When I lost power I just threw some glow sticks by places like the stairs so they were clearly visible and I didn't trip down. They last all night it was helpful
AriusTech t1_j1qygvd wrote
Generac systems self cycle weekly minimizing service/maintenance and yes they automatically switch the power system and run when the power goes out. They are $7k - $10k tho, so it's definitely an investment. I live in the city, so a full system is a waste as our power is repired pretty quickly 99% of the time... My camp, on the other hand, looses power for 2-4 days at a time so currently I have to go up with my little 2000watt inverter generator to run the heat every day or two so it doesn't freeze up. I want a nice automatic generator up there, but it's alot of cash to spend for a few weekends a winter. Edit: I have a 7000watt generator that I can attach to my panel in the city too, but it was about $800 and I went to school for electricity so I can safely patch it in on the few occasions I need it.
reddit-toq t1_j1rp18b wrote
If you can’t afford the $7-$10K for an automatic failover Generac system look into a self installed transfer switch and a regular 5-8K watt gas generator. The transfer switch isn’t difficult to install yourself but if you are worried an electrician can do it for you. 8K likely won’t be enough to power your whole house but should be enough to power the furnace fan, a few lights and the fridge. Total costs should be in the $2K -$4K range.
ozzie286 t1_j1r2wcd wrote
I live a bit outside the city, but have an older 7000w generator. I didn't lose power, but my brother did. I lent him my generator, and turns out it has issues, because it hasn't been run since I got it a couple years ago.
EDIT: before anyone says it, it was completely drained of gas (tank emptied, float bowl removed and dumped) before storage.
AriusTech t1_j1r5b8a wrote
Regular startups are important. The shizz is like $25 a gallon, but "True Fuel" is the key to maintenance IMO. I run fresh 93 octane when I need to run it for hours, but I run it out or drain it and put about a half gallon of true fuel in and run it into the fuel system for storage. It's long term stable and ethanol free, so I just fire the sucker up a few time a year and haven't had issues since.
eljefino t1_j1s6c44 wrote
I've got a dual fuel generator, gasoline/ propane. I always "finish" by shutting off the gas and running propane through it, which absolutely completely dries out the carburetor of any gas residue whatsoever.
Anyone shopping generators should consider one, they aren't much more than gas-only models. You can also get a retrofit carb for $35 on amazon.
ozzie286 t1_j1r8exz wrote
Stop wasting your money on 93 octane. Higher octane rating fuels exist to prevent detonation (fuel igniting before the spark plug fires) in high compression/forced induction engines. Small engines are neither. Some cars can adjust their ignition timing to compensate for power octane and take advantage of higher octane. Small engines cannot. There is no benefit, at all, to running high octane fuel in any small engine.
I also don't buy true fuel, I suspect it's no better than pump gas + stabil.
I worked for several years as a small engine mechanic. I had fully intended to check/clean the carb before running it, but in the craziness of Christmas Eve, didn't get a chance to, so rolled the dice. He got his power back Christmas day, so I never went out to his house to fix it. I'm seriously debating filling the carb with motor oil, to protect it from corrosion and not have to worry about it.
AriusTech t1_j1rckb7 wrote
Interesting. I have been told by relatively high level mechanics that higher octane is better, but that was for my tuned and high output modern engines. I instinctively applied that conclusion to my small engines, but after reading up just now I see that you are correct. I also read that stabilizers increased corrosion in the past, but apparantly Stabil does not. Thank you for drawing my attention to this!
Despite this info, I will probably still run 93 because I have it for my boat, and still store my small engines with trufuel because it is ethenol free. Thanks again.
JAP42 t1_j1rwq75 wrote
Canned fuel is much better then pump fuel due to ethanol. No stabilizer will stop phase separation. Fill the tank and carb with canned fuel and it will start easily for 2+ years. If you drain out pump fuel that already had water that moisture won't pour out, it will stay there and corrode. I manage a small engine shop, we do this work daily and we test pump fuel monthly. We've gotten 10% water in "fresh" 90+ fuel. Usually no more then 1 or 2% in 87. In a vented generator tank in the fall with humidity and temperature all over the place there can be 10% water in 2 weeks.
ozzie286 t1_j1s41fu wrote
Many gas stations sell ethanol free fuel. Even if you have to drive a bit to find it, it'll still be cheaper than the true fuel.
JAP42 t1_j1s84cc wrote
Ya, IDK about many. In northern Maine where the fuel comes from Canada premium can be Ethanol free. Southern and Central Maine are much farther and fewer. And from the few places I've gotten some from its been really poor quality. In reality what's $25 of fuel to store your equipment and know it's going to run vs $200+ carb repairs.
ozzie286 t1_j1sgbv3 wrote
I can buy a carb for my snow blower for $25, and I know of at least 3 gas stations within a half an hour drive that sell ethanol free fuel.
JAP42 t1_j1sgtjz wrote
Congratulations, not everyone can buy 4 Amazon carbs the day the generator does not start on the off chance one works every time the power goes out.
AriusTech t1_j1t3h3j wrote
Not to mention that the Chinese carbs on Amazon are hot garbage. My $500 Mikuni on my ATV is not equivalent to the $60 "replacement" on Amazon... Speaking from experience unfortunately.
TristanDuboisOLG t1_j1r8jdb wrote
All you need is a transfer switch for it to turn on in the case of an outage. You will need an electrician to install it, but they’re worth it.
My parents had one put in for ~$800 with a little bit of work.
carmicdy t1_j1w7k3d wrote
Thats insanely expensive.
TristanDuboisOLG t1_j1wbsy1 wrote
All depends on what needs to happen to your existing electrical to get it ready and how much the parts cost. That’s really not that much after parts and labor.
[deleted] t1_j1qn8si wrote
[deleted]
[deleted] t1_j1qnwqg wrote
One of these days I'd love one this past power outage I was so worried about my pipes
Gunnersandgreen t1_j1qogrm wrote
They are very nice to have but you have to keep up on the maintenance. We got slammed with service calls and troubleshoots last weekend, and like everybody else, we are severely short staffed.
Also, I ran mine about 2/3 of the time the power was out last weekend, then I got our propane topped up. We used about 150 bucks worth of propane in a couple of days.
We'll be budgeting its usage more next time.
theora55 t1_j1qv7f0 wrote
Power goes out and my neighborhood is so noisy with generators, houses all lit up. It makes sense to run the heat and fridge, but a lot of people have to have every convenience.
oldncrusty68 t1_j1rdh7j wrote
On my general 6500 it isn’t any quieter if I run less appliances. So we use lighting so we can actually see
Snotrockett t1_j1regyi wrote
That's the thing. Whether my generator is running one light bulb or the whole house it's using the same amount of gas and making the same amount of noise.
eljefino t1_j1s6mi0 wrote
Its governor keeps it at 3600 RPM to make 60Hz power but you are saving gas by using fewer appliances. Many people over-size their generators and aren't operating in the "sweet spot" of efficiency- 50-60% of full output.
Gas itself can be hard to come by in an extended outage, so it pays to plan.
Snotrockett t1_j1qyvkq wrote
The difference between being able to power your entire house vs running individual extension cords to things in a house is minimal at best.
A 5000 watt generator will power 90% of an average house.
ozzie286 t1_j1r3a8c wrote
This. Most people have a furnace that's wired in, so you can't easily plug it into a generator. Just make damn sure you turn off the mains when you plug in the generator! And if you have LED lights, the additional power drain is minimal, might as well use them instead of wasting batteries.
eljefino t1_j1s6sy3 wrote
BoomerTookMyUnicorn t1_j1wk3wi wrote
This here. We lived in Vermont (my son lives in Maine now) and got by with a wood stove and a small generator. Even with some space between homes the drone of four or five generators was terrible.
draggar t1_j1qpj42 wrote
>I know it's probably not in the average home budget, but a Generac whole home generator is so crucial for Maine winters.
I'll second a whole house generator with the auto-transfer. We just had one put in (plus 120-gallon tanks) over the past year and it was a life saver this weekend. The power was out for about 30 seconds to a minute and it came on.
As for solar panels - you can get some that are small and have suction-cups to go on windows and can (slowly) charge mobile electronics - I think you can find them on camping supply stores or on Amazon (a quick look on Amazon I see many under $50 but these do not have batteries (or if they do it's a small one), just for charging).
eljefino t1_j1s6z47 wrote
I know someone who has the self-starting Generac. They like it because if they're at work, it kicks in and the food doesn't spoil.
When they get home, they switch over to a smaller portable to save gas. They manage loads. But the first 12 hours are covered automatically.
No-Tumbleweed9002 t1_j1uhi3f wrote
>-Propane stoves still work when the power is out. The first thing I did when I moved in was add that propane generator and a stove.
Propane stove tops will work - but new propane ranges (at least the oven portion) will not work due to the igniters requiring electric power and also some sort of safety device. If you buy a new propane range that is still manual light pilots then no worries at all :)
Tronbronson t1_j1uj90m wrote
Not my old piece of junk, thing spews gas lol throw a match in and duck for cover!!
No-Tumbleweed9002 t1_j1ujhh3 wrote
No argument from me - I just got rid of said old piece of junk for a new range - things i miss from old piece of junk - it heating up a good portion of the house due to it not being insulated compared to a new range.. ahahaahhaha, and of course, no electronics. :)
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