Just be aware if you depend on natural gas that you can lose gas pressure in a extended grid down..
I had no idea! Thanks for the info.
So, my advice is to locate your generator where a tree cannot possibly fall on it.
Good thought! Actually I have an excellent spot behind the house near the man door from the garage; the septic field is there so the trees are further away at that point. Hidden from the street and right next to the utility room so a short run for gas line and electrical connection. Only one window close and plenty of air flow so not worried about exhaust fumes.
Generac will only honor its warranty only if you've had it regularly serviced by their approved technicians and service providers. I dont know if that has changed but that was a big cost since the one n only approved technicians was 2.5 hours away n charged way too much for a yearly service.
Good to know! I really hate that idea, I'm over an hour away from a town big enough to have techs or companies like that.
I would also suggest setting the generator on a pedestal 2-3 feet high. That way you don't have to go dig it out of a big snowstorm. I did that and except for a 4' storm we had one year, I just shovel around it every 3-4 snows on a bright sunny day. Could also just put a roof over it, I guess. Thought about it.
That's something to think about. If I get a portable one I'd likely build a little shack for it, but having it up a bit would make it easier to start and do things like check the oil.
Before being able to answer, I would ask what your plan is as you age. Is there someone who can come help you or live with you? It’s not an easy thing to answer.
I know for me (which might not be for you) I tried to get as close to not needing power as possible. I had it down to the freezers and fridge and well pump though we had a river which was an option but not convenient. We lost power semi regularly. We shut the main and plugged in the generator (gas powered). I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Prior to having the generator, we just did without- longest 4 days. Boiled water on wood stove and hauled buckets for flushing also- so more work.
I’d say really look at your priorities and let them guide you.
My plan is to leave this earth as soon as God allows and be reunited with my Husband. Until then I need to get through each day and be there for my Mom and my Daughter if they need me. Daughter lives an hour away and is a great help when she comes to visit, but I will not be expecting her to come do generator stuff. I've talked to Mom about moving in here, but she wants to stay on her own.
So it's just me, no medical equipment, and I'm just looking at maintaining a level of comfort, and shelter for family or friends who might get cold.
I even considering what my wifes' cousin told us about in changing all of the door knobs to lever types, like our entrance doors already have, if I have a bag of food I can just move the lever with the bag and don't have to set the bag down to turn a knob to get in.
Good for you on getting the solar set up and thinking ahead. My Mom had those doorknobs put in and they drive me nuts. They make my wrist bend the wrong way or something and if my hands are full I always end up twisting too far trying to open the darn door and dumping out whatever I was carrying. Yeah I know, I'm weird.
Being older and the wife needing an array of medical equipment, started making "stand by" battery packs and solar charging arrays. What I learned is that unused power is very expensive (you pay for something and get nothing) and that to depend on solar you need almost 5 times as much capacity as your demand dictates. This is because it you have overcast days your solar output drops drastically. I also learned that placement for battery banks can be problematic depending on their chemistry, most lead acid batteries need to be in a vented space, lithium ion can have unexpected exothermic reactions, leaving LiFePO4 the only option for indoor energy storage. They cost almost 3 times as much as lead acid batteries and are not as energy dense as the lithium ion units, but they last longer, hold a charge for a long time, and do the job. I ended up setting up a bank of 8 of them for my wife's medical equipment (just enough to cover 14 hours), they do require a smart charger. I have a bank of lead acid batteries in my greenhouse along with my solar charge controllers and inverter. This gives me the ability to charge the indoor batteries from the outdoor solar/battery array using an inverter.
I have off-loaded as much of my electrical load from the grid as possible, according to the power company I have reduced my grid power use by ~20%. It is expensive power, but by using it every day I get some use from my solar and I know that everything is working on a daily basis. Then again if I get $100 worth of power every month from my initial investment, the system will eventually pay itself off.
I think that for backup power, planning is essential: You need to know what the Maximum load is that you NEED to cover (in kWs) and how long you need to cover it.... If you are planning on relying on solar you need to get a feel for the percentage of sunny days you can expect... That varies greatly by geographic location. In the US along the southern border you may get 300 sunny days a year or an 82% chance of a sunny day, where I am now it's closer to 40%.. The other thing is that you only get "good" solar power from about 1 1/2 after sunrise and before sunset (in other words you lose about 3 hours per day from what you expected), so if you are planning on 12 hour days, you may only be seeing 9 usable hours, in the winter it's worse. Your solar array need to provide all the power you need for a 24 hour period by you only get to charge your batteries during your usable hours....
Well, I went on too long, but the point is that you need to think it out carefully before you start making investments, because if you buy too small, you will find yourself replacing components (increasing costs) as your system grows due to your unplanned needs....
A whole lot of wisdom in that post, thanks so much for sharing!
Besides the generator, I also have a propane heater in the pump house. I have the generator set up to start when the pressure tank drops below a certain PSI, then start the pump. When the pressure tank is full, the pump will shutdown while the generator will keep running for a few minutes then it'll shutdown too. This time of year I doubt if that generator runs more than 30 mins a day.
I haven't really considered solar, it seems too cost prohibitive, there's a lot of trees around the house, and MI has plenty of cloudy days.
My Husband was the brains of the outfit and the very thought of trying to figure out how to do it on my own makes my eyes glaze over. I had always heard that a submersible well pump pulls too much starting power to be run by solar, but it seems things have changed. Your set up sounds amazing! I have neither the brains or the money to do that, but it sure would be the dream!
There's a lot to think about, and I appreciate all the insights! Y'all have been a big help in this question asking stage. I'm reading and researching and asking questions all over, and looking at options to reduce my electrical usage and yet keep my creature comforts - I do like to have the tv on with documentaries and old sci fi shows pretty much all the time to distract from the quiet house, but I have also invested in a better fridge; had the hot water boiler serviced; I'm canning up stuff to reduce freezer usage, using LED bulbs, and so on. (Yep, have my cake and eat it too) I'm also going to install a fireplace insert to make using my wood heat more efficient, and a minisplit for AC/supplemental heat, so it's going to take some figuring to determine how big of a generator I'll need.
So if anyone has further thoughts or ideas, please keep them coming. The shared knowledge is valuable! Thank you.
