preparing for power outages

[Boog]

In preparation for possible weather related power outages, I'm heading out to get a couple of food items and truck gas as well as gas for the portable generator, just in case. We have been powerless for weeks before during hard winter weather. We stayed comfortable in our 5th wheel camper with the generator.
I started the generator back in warm weather so it runs. However, it takes a good amount of grunt to pull it fast enough to make it run. I don't know if I have it in me to start it anymore. It would be a fine time to have an electric start on it. This unit by the way is a Coleman 5 or 6000 with I believe a 10 hp (B&S ?) engine. Total hour use on it is probably 50 hours or less, so it has good compression.

[LockDoc]

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I gave my pull start generator to a friend of mine that has given me a lot of stuff and bought a new 9000 electric start with pull backup. I put the charger on it to top off the battery and tested it last week before the storms started rolling through. luckily I haven't had to use it yet but I am ready.

Can you buy an electric starter kit for yours?

[Boog]

I have no idea Doc. I posted this to see if someone had one or knew of a starter kit for an older, well 15 yr or so, 10 horse B&S generator.
I just filled up my gas cans with 93, "high test" as we used to call it.

Hmmm. Back last summer I found a used starter assembly kit for my 1981 Mercury 7.5 outboard motor, on Ebay. I'll do some shopping.

[special-K]

I got rid of my generators a few years ago and haven't bought another. We used to loose power if a cloud sneezed. Both jobs I have going now are on high points. I started the second one because my customer got covid. That's inside work. To keep rolling I started a framing and metal roof job. This place has an AT&T microwave tower right next to it, site is cut out of this guy's farm.
I had planned to get back over to job#1 inside today. She sent a text saying "No electricity". Oh well. I considered going to the other job because that storm last night brought warm air (upper 50s) with the rain and we have cold week out ahead. But this cold front is coming today on 25 mph winds. We'll be 20* colder by evening. I sure can't win for trying

[LS short box]

Thinking of back up power does anyone have a Generac or something like that for seamless back up power?

[PbFut]

I used a HF 8500. Great price. Uses Preditor engine. I see they have a 9000 peak 7250 continuous for 800 bucks and 10% off this weekend. Has battery start. I ran the house without issue.
The state had a stupid rebate program for powerwalls. I now have 5 walls. The power walls flip over and other than a notice on my phone I do not know we lost power. I will say that unless you get a huge rebate Powerwalls are probably not worth the price. They are expensive.

[richard2717]

Our electric Co-op has made great improvements in the last 2 years to the local grid. It used to be if you sneezed too hard around here the electric would go out for hours up to a day or so. They have pretty much replaced all the overhead as well as underground cabling around here so usually if the power goes out now it is due to an auto accident or a tree. It used to be I would wire up a patch cord from my crane truck generator to the house panel to keep the fridge, freezers and heat on. this one is only 5000 watts so it would not run my water pump. If the power was out that long that I needed more water I would have to break out the 10000 watt generator. That only happened once. I normally have enough jugs of water to not need it. Toilets were easy with 5 gallon pail of water from swimming pool


.

[tutone]

We experienced a 7 day outage in 2009 (ice storm), and a 5 day a year ago last Dec during the big tornado. First one we used a 5500 watt and made it by hooking into the panel. It sucked a ton of gas round the clock. Next time a Honda 2000 inverter with ext cords for the fridges and freezer and 1 lamp. Gas logs for heat and coal oil lamps for light. Coleman 2 burner camp stove for cooking. Extra water stored for toilets and drinking. We could make it for a while. Preparation is everything. Showers are the one thing you miss, although I can heat enough water for that.

[Getter-Done]

Good Thread Boog

I have been thinking about getting the HF 9000 generator.

https://www.harborfreight.com/9000-w...watt+generator

My Better half is even on board with this purchase.


What type of transfer switch do ya'll use for backup power in the house?

Or do you do this?

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Get Thread Boog

I have been thinking about getting the HF 9000 generator.

My Better half is even on board with this purchase.


What type of transfer switch do ya'll use for backup power in the house?

Or do you do this?

That is the exact model I have. So far it has worked great for me. I haven't had to use it near as much as I did my 4000 (which I ran for 3 days during an Ice storm) and numerous other short runs.

Just charge the battery every once in a while to keep it up good. And stabilizer in the non-ethonol gas. (at least that's what I use)

Wife and I built our house ourselves and I wired in a complete separate circuit for the generator so I don't have any kind of transfer switch. The outlets for furnace and all major appliances are split . Top half is for normal power and bottom half is for generator. Outlets are positioned so that nothing has to be moved to switch the plugs.
.

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

That is the exact model I have. So far it has worked great for me. I haven't had to use it near as much as I did my 4000 (which I ran for 3 days during an Ice storm) and numerous other short runs.

Just charge the battery every once in a while to keep it up good. And stabilizer in the non-ethonol gas. (at least that's what I use)

Wife and I built our house ourselves and I wired in a complete separate circuit for the generator so I don't have any kind of transfer switch. The outlets for furnace and all major appliances are split . Top half is for normal power and bottom half is for generator. Outlets are positioned so that nothing has to be moved to switch the plugs.
.

This is good to Know about the generator's quality.
A guy at work has one and he really likes it.

Yeah 31 years ago I had a Log house dried in.
I done a lot of the rest of it myself.

That's a Great Idea about the way you wired it.

It would have been good to wire it like that,
If I would have been thinking along these lines.

[Sheepdip]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Thinking of back up power does anyone have a Generac or something like that for seamless back up power?

I've got a Generac 2200 set up on the auto switch panel. It works great, power goes down, it kicks on.

It also starts automatically the first of the month and does about a 5 minute maintenance cycle to assure everything is up to snuff.

If you require to power the whole house you will need a bigger wattage unit.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Thinking of back up power does anyone have a Generac or something like that for seamless back up power?

Originally Posted by Sheepdip

I've got a Generac 2200 set up on the auto switch panel. It works great, power goes down, it kicks on.

It also starts automatically the first of the month and does about a 5 minute maintenance cycle to assure everything is up to snuff.

If you require to power the whole house you will need a bigger wattage unit.

A few years ago we got a 13kW Generac whole house unit which came with an auto transfer switch. We have been very happy with it so far.

The maintenance cycle is programmable but I kept it on the factory setting, which on this one is 5 minutes every other week.

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by PbFut

The state had a stupid rebate program for powerwalls. I now have 5 walls.

Any info or links to the rebate program??



OK let's try this for the R E B A T E program

[special-K]

Originally Posted by richard2717

Our electric Co-op has made great improvements in the last 2 years to the local grid. It used to be if you sneezed too hard around here the electric would go out for hours up to a day or so. They have pretty much replaced all the overhead as well as underground cabling around here so usually if the power goes out now it is due to an auto accident or a tree. It used to be I would wire up a patch cord from my crane truck generator to the house panel to keep the fridge, freezers and heat on. this one is only 5000 watts so it would not run my water pump. If the power was out that long that I needed more water I would have to break out the 10000 watt generator. That only happened once. I normally have enough jugs of water to not need it. Toilets were easy with 5 gallon pail of water from swimming pool


.

Your experience sounds a lot like mine, except you still have generators. I remember back when no one had back-up power and I was the only one with a solution...in the back of my truck. It got to where the only new homes I worked on would always have power, so my generators stayed at my barn/shop in Frederick since that had no power. My powerlines have been upgraded and they keep trees trimmed better and I don't recall the last time I lost power

You reminded me how I would prepare. I'd fill the bath tub for utility water supply and keep jugs of water for consumption. There is also a spring across the road and a running stream across the meadow. It went so long without losing power I don't fill the tub and no longer store water.

I have kerosene lanterns, DeWalt flashlight with 1/2 dozen batteries, Kelites, and candles. Woodstove for heat and heating food, grill, and smoker. I buy a 5# bag of ice and sit it on a pot in the fridge. That lasts 2-3 days. The freezer stays packed and that helps keep food frozen a couple days. But if the storm coming looks pretty bad I'll pack the food 100% full, no dead air space, in coolers. And if it's a winter storm with below freezing temps I can set the coolers outside.

So, I have spared myself the expense of a house generator, or even a portable because I can get by just fine without. It's never been more that a couple days here w/o power

[Boog]

We once went 2 weeks without power here in town when a Derrico type storm blew through the state with snow. It broke down almost 300 utility poles in the county they said. We have an all electric home. It happened late in the afternoon and after a bit the wife called every motel in town and all rooms were already occupied. I was fortunate to have a friend who had extra generators and loaned me a small one. We stayed in our camper those two weeks. After that I found the one I have now.

[DeadheadNM]

I recently purchased a Winco portable tri-fuel 12k generator that can burn gasoline, propane, or natural gas, uses a Honda electric start motor, and has a 15 gallon tank. Still making arrangements for the transfer switch install. The local propane supplier set me up with an additional tank that’s above ground and 320 gallons. The plan is to buddy up this tank with the existing tank to bolster available supply and install a quick connect with the 3/4 Npt gas intake on the generator. I’ll need to construct some manner of roof or enclosure for the generator when in use outside. Ducting the exhaust with some flex line out the garage is tempting but everyone says that’s a bad idea.

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by kwmech

Any info or links to the rebate program??

https://go.harborfreight.com/email/2...e_0_60_ENGAGED