Stranger gives desperate Florida shopper store's last emergency generator

[jpak]

https://www.today.com/news/stranger-gives-desperate-florida-shopper-store-s-last-emergency-generator-t116072

As Hurricane Irma bore down on her state, Pam Brekke drove 30 miles to a Lowe's in Orlando on Thursday morning to buy an emergency generator. Her father is on oxygen and cannot be without power during the coming storm.

Yet as she was standing in line, she watched as the last generator was sold to the customer in front of her.

Brekke, who is from Sanford, broke down in tears and wondered what she would do. Then, a customer with a generator in his cart approached her and told her she could have it.

Brekke gave Ramon Santiago a big hug, crying tears of thanks. The heartwarming scene captured on video by NBC Orlando affiliate WESH.

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[csziggy]

1. That is sweet - I hope she can get fuel for it

We tried to get a generator here in Tallahassee on Monday - they were all out. I considered hanging out at some of the stores to wait for another shipment but then I realized that even up here gas supplies are getting iffy. Plus, in the last storm it took a day or two before the roads were clear to get into town, then another day for the gas stations to get supplies AND their own generators to pump fuel.

What good is a generator without fuel?

In the next few years we will figure out how to afford to put up solar panels with battery backups. Fewer moving parts, no fuel to have to keep supplied, and it will cut our power costs all the time rather than just give us power in emergencies.

[leftofcool]

2. Have you looked into a Gerinac (sp) generator

We are going to get one this next spring. They are a bit costly but they sit on the outside of your house, run off propane and will automatically come on and power your entire home including air/heat and then shut of automatically when your power comes back. They do require a propane tank but you shouldn't have to fill it up but once every three years or so, depending on how much your power goes out. We have total electric and no where to put in alternative heat like a wood burner so we are going to spring for one.

[FBaggins]

3. They don't necessarily require a propane tank.

Most will run on natural gas (which is reliable even after severe storms) if that's available... and a cheap conversion kit will allow you to switch to propane as a backup if you might lose natural gas. Though other than a severe earthquake or a supply problem, I can't imagine natural gas failing.

[csziggy]

5. Yes -by the time we buy one and pay for installation it's $10,000 minimum

That is well on the way to paying for solar panels that would reduce our electrical bill permanently AND supply power in emergencies.

In addition, for a Generac there are maintenance considerations. my husband is NOT mechanically inclined and while I used to be somewhat interested in that sort of thing I am no longer physically able to do that kind of work. So we'd have to pay someone to come in on a regular basis to power it up, check it out, and keep it working.

From what I understand the biggest maintenance issue with modern solar panels and batteries is keeping the panels clean. We need to hire someone to come in and pressure wash the house and clean the gutters out every so often so having them also do the solar panels would be simple.

When we built this house ten years ago, the estimate was that it would cost $30,000 to install solar panels to power it. Instead we put extra money into building a tight envelope with the plan to add solar later. Not I understand that the panels are much cheaper and the batteries much better so I suspect the cost would be 1.5 to 2 times the cost of a Generac stand by generator - and that solar would be a MUCH better investment!

The last argument against a stand by generator - we have an all electric house because I have had bad experiences with gas appliances and don't trust them.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. You make me proud Ramon Santiago!