Anyopne here have a generator for if the power goes out?

[Archae]

My Mom lives up in northern Wisconsin, and the power went out.

She bought one of those big auxiliary generators a couple years ago.

This is the one she bought.



She's going to have a sort of "party" at her place, her neighbors will be there watching the Packers stomp the Seahawks!

Anyone else have something like thins, or one of those smaller gas-powered generators?

[NightWatcher]

1. My uncle built one out of an '05 Chevy Silverado engine

He has a cover on it so you'd never know...till the power goes out, when it roars to life.

My family is populated by two types of people, geniuses and fundie tea baggers.

[femmocrat]

2. That is really nice!

I've never seen one of those. We have a propane generator. I read about them here on DU and we bought one. We have never used it, knock on wood.

Our power goes out for no reason at times. The worst was several years ago when it was out during a blizzard for three or four days. We froze!

[MADem]

3. How much did it cost? Is it gas or propane? Is it hard to maintain?

I want one of those!

[NYC_SKP]

6. Around $4,500 and run on gas or propane:

http://www.norwall.com/products/Generac-Guardian-20kW-Standby-Generator-Pre-Packaged-200-Amp-Service-Rated-ATS-6244.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwm6CgBRC0zOmrydrqmosBEiQA_xoLRkhejP54x9oXRtIYdDuOaVE0y7hew7u-9pOgB_-V-hMaAs7x8P8HAQ

They come smaller, like at Home Depot an 8 kW for $2,400.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Generac-8-000-Watt-Automatic-Standby-Generator-with-50-Amp-Pre-Wired-10-Circuit-Transfer-Switch-6237/204006863?cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-204006863&ci_sku=204006863&ci_gpa=pla&ci_src=17588969&gclid=Cj0KEQjwm6CgBRC0zOmrydrqmosBEiQA_xoLRk-86fv8TK_WlvJwaWDG_S8dtfy_2hHkpXeukl3pFtIaAlfp8P8HAQ

[MADem]

8. I WANT ONE!!!!

How hard was the installation? I'd be interested in hooking up to the gas line, if possible.

They do come on automatically, right?

I'd like one that kept the damn heat on in the winter, kept the fridge working, and the tee vee. I have a MASSIVE stone house with foot thick walls, so they'd have to do hook ups through a basement window or something. I wouldn't be interested in keeping the whole thing lit up, just the heat and a room or two.

I am just too effing old to be COLD in deepest winter!!!

Oh, on edit--one more thing; is the maintenance much of a drill or is there a guy you can call?

[NYC_SKP]

9. The units are almost care free compared to a traditional gasoline generator.

Yes, they are automatic, you don't even need to be home!

But remember to include installation costs such as permits, running gas line and conductors from the unit to your distribution panel, and pouring the slab.

You should be able to find someone to come do an estimate of size and cost.

Your installer and/or Generac will recommend a maintenance schedule, maybe a once/year check up depending on use.

[MADem]

10. Wow. I gotta start economizing!

I like to pay for stuff, don't like to put things on credit!

I really do want one of those things!

[Archae]

15. What you've said is true.

My Mom bought it (paid 3500,) and just loves it, she bought it mostly for in winter, so the furnace will stay blowing heat in her house.

Without it, on ends of the house where the furnace is not, the pipes would freeze up.

[In_The_Wind]

4. We have a generator. It's not as impressive as that one.

I should charge the battery soon. It hasn't been used since we moved here two years ago.

I hope your mom doesn't need to rely on hers this winter.

[NYC_SKP]

5. My 1984 El Camino worked during a two-day black out in Sunnyvale.

I ran out and bought an Inverter to run the fridge and TV.

Now I have a Prius, I don't see why it wouldn't work just as well or better, given it's battery bank.

For people who want a little backup plan for under $100.00 for emergencies:

Just be sure to match the inverter capacity to your combined load. I used a 500 watt model for fridge and TV.

[Chan790]

7. Yes.

Both an auxiliary and a gas-powered.You wouldn't want to live here without both, it can snow here 9 months (Sept. to May) of the year...though only 5 are likely. (November through March.) The auxiliary is for the house, the gas-powered for uses where portable power is necessary.

[sarge43]

11. Two gas generators nt

[sendero]

12. Generators are cool..

.... as long as you can get the fuel to run them.

[hunter]

13. Our climate is mild. Don't need one.

Our heater and water heater are gas and don't need A.C. power.

I have a mess of stuff, including solar panels, batteries, and inverters that can be reconfigured to charge cell phones, laptops and reading lights.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. Yes, we have one.

It runs on natural gas.

We never used to have power outages, but these days we do.

It's kind of weird, being the only house on the block with the lights on...

[Brother Buzz]

16. I have a hand crank start four cylinder Kohler generator

I have to manually disconnect my house from the public utility before I engage my five-hundred pound wussy, but it fires up every time I test it.

115 volt, AC, 60 cycle, 1500 watts (that's a whopping 15 amps!).