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cybersaga
join:2011-12-19
Selby, ON

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Re: [Electrical] Re: Generator advice

It's actually more dangerous when it hovers around the freezing point, because then we get freezing rain. If that happens, then the temp stays below freezing for a few days, that spells fallen trees and lines.

Makes for stunning pictures though.
cybersaga

cybersaga

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Worked on it a bit more today. I pulled the spark plug out and it was definitely flooded. I cleaned it up with a torch and wire brush, put it back in. It sounded like it was going to start, but puttered out again. After lots of pulls, it was much the same thing: a few putters, but no-go.

Then I remembered that I had a brand new small-engine spark plug in my garage. I dug it out, and it happened to be a perfect fit! I put it in, and it fired right up! I had it running for a few minutes. Then I cut the fuel and let it stall out.

It has fresh fuel in it now, but I need to pick up some stabilizer.

I emailed the seller to ask if he knew when the oil, oil filter and air filter were last changed. He doesn't remember ever doing it, so I'm going to change everything too.

Although it really hasn't gotten much use. In the ad, he put that it had 360 hours on the meter. But the last digit is says "1/10" below it, which I'm pretty sure means 1/10th of an hour. So that means it's only got 36 hours on it.

The manual is copyrighted 2001, so it won't be any older than that.

Grumpy4
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join:2001-07-28
NW CT

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Re: [Electrical] Generator advice

Forgive me in advance for not reading every post and reply. That said, here goes anyway - as culled from my research 7 years or so ago.

Go device by device in your home and come up with a working wattage you'll need. Motor start loads will need to be addressed as well. As you are likely aware, there are multiple tiers of comfort, from indoor home camping level up to every possible electrical device all at once, and hey- what the Hell - let's throw the neighbors an extension cord too!

Generators are much like cars -- there are Yugos and there are Mercedes. One of the Mercedes - Onan. While driving around here and there, see who uses what brands at hospitals, and emergency services facilities like police and fire. Don't think you will find any Generacs with too many hours on them, but don't want to engage in a Generac debate.

Gasoline as a fuel - as you posted, it's a great deal of trouble to move gas through it's staleness periods. One has to find a home for the eventually stale gas. Treated for preservation gasoline still has a specific shelf life, and needs a place to go when the stale date comes. Yes it can be cycled through your cars, but one has to be willing to do the product transfers. Filling cars with gas cans (especially of the modern gas can varieties) is not my idea of a fun job.

LP / Propane as a fuel - your desired generator should have a spec sheet listing fuel usage per hour or the like. If you have yet to choose a wattage size, just do the math on a 10 K unit for now. I think it's safe to assume you'll need pretty close to 10 K or more for a family your size. You will also need to buy or lease LP / Propane storage. I think you may discover that using propane may end up as more expensive than motel and restaurant emergency relocation costs. Really. That math excludes the comfort of home vs. a motel, but you should know in advance how expensive propane expense per day through a generator is. Even with Summer propane prices, you might just be surprised.

Diesel fired, and fed by a home's heating oil tank or other tank. No question this is the ultimate home owner solution. The downside - the extreme price of a diesel generator.

It's very likely posted above, but auto switch and control gear with an exercise cycle is an excellent idea. If you are away from home and a power incident should arise, having auto gear is just right. Making the generator enclosure physically mouse proof far above and beyond dryer sheets and the like is a very very good idea too. To somehow avoid extensive moisture collection within the enclosure is also a good idea if possible. Internal combustion engines generally prefer a fairly dry home and location. The north side of a house can be fairly wet in many locations. Perhaps very obvious, but just sayin...

The research I did was on someone else's nickel. For my own home, I bough a simple low budget 8 K gasoline unit, the po' boy way. The very very cheapest electrician's installation price for a non-auto manual breaker box interface and bring wiring to the outdoors - $1,000 from a half dozen quotes. It seems very high, but they all landed right about at $1,000. To go DIY on a generator install makes me wonder about homeowner's insurance issues. I would want to think if one does go DIY, to have a licensed electrician come do an inspection would be a good idea. To prearrange this scenario with an electrician would be good, as many may not want to participate in such a practice.

Also likely posted somewhere above - to back feed a generator through the electric dryer wiring - just don't. Yes, it can be done, but many are grave bound because of the practice.

cybersaga
join:2011-12-19
Selby, ON

cybersaga

Member

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, I'm going to go the less-expensive route. Auto-transfer would be nice, but not the cost. And we aren't going to be in this house forever. So I can take the portable generator with me.

I ended up getting a 6500W (8100W peak) generator. It should do the trick for the essentials.
said by Grumpy4:

To go DIY on a generator install makes me wonder about homeowner's insurance issues.

At least here in Ontario, you won't be denied an insurance claim because you did something not-to-code. They cover stupidity. My wife worked for an insurance company until we had too many kids to make it worthwhile.
said by Grumpy4:

I would want to think if one does go DIY, to have a licensed electrician come do an inspection would be a good idea.

Here in Ontario, you're allowed to do your own electrical work, as long as you get it inspected by the Electrical Safety Authority. Even electricians' work needs to be inspected by the ESA. But they charge a non-contractor more for the inspection, presumably because they expect that they'll find more things wrong.
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill

Member

said by cybersaga:

said by Grumpy4:

To go DIY on a generator install makes me wonder about homeowner's insurance issues.

At least here in Ontario, you won't be denied an insurance claim because you did something not-to-code. They cover stupidity. My wife worked for an insurance company until we had too many kids to make it worthwhile.

this is the same in the US, i literally asked my insurance company if i did the work and it wasn't too code would i be voided. they said no as long as the work was not intentionally bad to cause a fire etc.

which is a relief, since reading the posts every day on here, especially the electrical outlet one from this week. i have come to the conclusion, i break code roughly every 3 minutes
DoctorStinky
join:2011-11-10
Brunswick, ME

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As I write this, heavy wet snow is falling and winds are gusting up to 40mph in much of southern Maine. Over 77,000 homes are without power.

Turn the clock back 40 minutes or so: The lights flicked off and back on again a few times, then went completely dark. After 15 seconds or so, though, I could hear our standby generator start to crank and a few seconds later it roared to life. 5 seconds after that, a solid *thunk* as the ATS did its part and transferred the entire house to generator power. And with that *thunk*, our lights, heat and all other systems are back on.

The rest of the neighborhood, unfortunately, is dark. I suspect it will be sometime tomorrow morning before power is restored. But things are pretty much normal here at La Maison du Stinky.

Best of luck to my neighbors in the region; it's a nasty storm.

disconnectef
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Diesel. Wet-stacking.
RickWakeman
join:2013-06-23
Springfield, MA

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Grumpy was that $1,000 just for the installation or did that include the generator?
RickWakeman

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Power just went out here. I have a brand new genny with no way to hook it up. Going to be using extension cords if it lasts until morning.
DoctorStinky
join:2011-11-10
Brunswick, ME

DoctorStinky

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Aaaand the power's back. Time to dig out
RickWakeman
join:2013-06-23
Springfield, MA

RickWakeman

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Still out here but the generator fired right up even though the battery hasn't been charged for a year.
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill

Member

went out for 30 seconds here last night, i was running for the generator but the power went back on before i got down stairs.

i got 8 inches of snow
RickWakeman
join:2013-06-23
Springfield, MA

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Mine came back but too late to host any guests. Thanksgiving has been postponed until tomorrow.

Grumpy4
Premium Member
join:2001-07-28
NW CT

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said by RickWakeman:

Grumpy was that $1,000 just for the installation or did that include the generator?

That was for just the wiring parts and labor to bring gen power from the unit's outdoor outlet and to the indoor in my cellar breaker panel. The wire run is around 30'. The price was for a manual gen to breaker switch - the kind that slides into place making the main switch stay in an OFF position. Seems high, but that is a difficult labor intensive trade. Being an electrician sounds easy 'til we see what they really do. It is indeed a body buster occupation for many.

Jack in VA
Premium Member
join:2014-07-07
North, VA

Jack in VA

Premium Member

The more educated, experienced electricians never run conduit and wire or heavy installation of equipment. That's not a good use of their talents. There are plenty of apprentices that come out of the union hall for that.

robbin
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join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

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robbin

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Would you really hire a union electrician to do work on your residence?

Coma
Thanks Steve
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join:2001-12-30
NirvanaLand

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Coma

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said by robbin:

Would you really hire a union electrician to do work on your residence?


I have a union electrician as a tenant, other then being an asshole, he charges too much.

Jack in VA
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join:2014-07-07
North, VA

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If I had need to YES. I've dealt with too many since 1963 that somehow passed the test but know little to nothing. That's why they're wiring houses. The one who wired my last house had his 14 year old son and 12 year old daughters as helpers.

Unfortunately most of the large union contractors in Richmond area are gone. Couldn't compete with the hacks.

Pureblood
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PorkRoll NJ
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said by Grumpy4:

said by RickWakeman:

Grumpy was that $1,000 just for the installation or did that include the generator?

That was for just the wiring parts and labor to bring gen power from the unit's outdoor outlet and to the indoor in my cellar breaker panel. The wire run is around 30'. The price was for a manual gen to breaker switch - the kind that slides into place making the main switch stay in an OFF position. Seems high, but that is a difficult labor intensive trade. Being an electrician sounds easy 'til we see what they really do. It is indeed a body buster occupation for many.

If it locks out the Main Breaker then it sounds like you have the GENERATOR INTERLOCK KIT, correct? The INTERLOCK KIT is supposed to save you money, for example a Square D (brand) INTERLOCK KIT goes for about $80 opposed to let’s say a $300 8-ciricut Manual Transfer switch. I went for the Manual Transfer Switch because I wanted the gauges and figured it would be easier to load balance the system, plus I got a good deal on it. That said you could still add gauges to a INTERLOCK KIT if you want them, it's just an add-on...


chip89
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join:2012-07-05
Columbia Station, OH

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Re: [Electrical] Re: Generator advice

It does there's cell sites by me that I'm sure that have diesel that is more then a year old.