Generators

[greybeard]

After losing power for so many days I have realized that I'm going to need a generator.

Many people on this site live North of me and I'm assuming have had generators for years.

A friend of mine had lived upstate and said that natural gas hookup was great, but I don't have access to it where I live.

I was thinking about getting one that uses propane tanks(20lb.) because I "believe" that I can store it longer.Also after seeing the gas lines I'm wondering if propane fills are better (not sure where I can get fills in the winter.. gotta check that)

I am totally ignorant about Generators and would appreciate any advice about gas vs propane, and anything else that I should know before purchasing one..

I guess I'll try to get one next week... I'm going to check Sears, Home Depot and Loews

[Early]

We have a whole house GENERAC generator....best $$ we ever spent. Ours runs on propane, but not on small 20 lb tanks. We have a large (200, I think) tank that will run the generator for several days if necessary. The generator comes on automatically if the power goes out. Thereafter, it can be controlled manually to extend the amount of time you can get out of a tank of gas: run for 2 hours; off for 4, etc.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Natural gas supply is endless. But think of the propane seller, that can't fill your tank, when he has no power.

[hunterjohn]

all i can say in my opinion the lp generators are great but the price of lp is not cheap esspecially if your running your whole house for a week... you have to refill a large amount of lp..... granted i have a gas generator and i spent about 200 dollars for 4 days but i dont have to worry about a big bill... winter time is the worst time to get your tank refilled

[HectorBuckBuster]

LP is not that bad if you own your own tank. If you own a 150 lb tank you can get propane delivered for $1.69 a pound right now in my area.

[Kot2B]

I'm a dealer for Generac and install quite a few standbys through out the year. They have a great interactive site that answers tons of questions, how big to run what you want, how much fuel it uses, warranties, multiple style transfer switches( load shedding, whole house or stadard) Typically an 8-12 kw runs most homes with the automatic transfer switch ranging from 10-14 circuits. The LP gives you more energy output on each unit by 1kw, 8kw is 9kw in LP. While natural gas is usually always available and constant if you don't have access to it, LP can be expensive in the winter with high demand. Also each unit exercises once a week to make sure they consistently operate normally. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I can give you my office number, it always helps when you shop to have some ideas.

[irish_redneck]

How much does a typical home generator cost?

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[pistolp71]

I'm shopping for a generator too. My power was out for 8 days. I have a small gas generator, it ran my fridge,freezer and some lights but I need something bigger. I tried to get a propane delivery for my stove at that time and it took 7 days to get a propane delivery @ $6.00 gallon, so I'm not real fond of propane. Natural gas isn't available where I am. I have decided to go with a diesel. I noticed diesel was available the entire time. Just have to find a good one.

[Early]

If I were you, I'd report the propane dealer for price gouging!

[Kot2B]

Diesel isn't a bad choice but you have to be careful of the diesel growing algae. We can install a 8 kw air cooled gas generator for under 5 grand, it varies by location though.

Edited November 10, 2012 by Kot2B