OT: External Home Generators

[SuiteSuccess]

I have long considered adding a propane home generator to our house for use in power outages.  Our HVAC is hybrid heat pump/ propane and with the recent arctic storm here in Tennessee it rekindled the issue. Thank heavens we weathered the storm without any lengthy outages unlike last year when we had several days of rolling blackouts. For those of you that have knowledge or experience with such systems would you recommend?  Size?  Justify cost? Manufacturer?  Our home sq ft is approximately 3600 sq ft.  BTW our propane tank is a buried 1000 gal. (Yes we went big, lol.)

Edited January 26 by SuiteSuccess

[lappir]

Do you have a Generator in your RV?

Is it close to you Home?

How much do you use the RV Genny?

Last year I bought a "Dual Fuel" Westinghouse portable generator that will power my whole house on wheels, but it's noisy doing so and a 20lb tank wouldn't keep up with it during single digit temps. Worked fine when I filled it up with Gas. a few weeks ago before the near zero degree cold spell I finally started it again on LP and hopefully found a way to keep the tank heated if the power went out. It didn't and I didn't test my theory, maybe I will never have to now. 

I do want to change the location of it so it's farther away from my sleeping area and I need to remember to get more of those "Soft" ear plugs until then. 

 

Rod

[TXiceman]

A propane generator will have about 80% of the capacity of a gasoline powered rating.   On a larger propene fueled generator, a 20 LB bottle will not last all that long.  The propane draw off will drop the bottle pressure to the point where the generator will starve for fuel until the bottle is warmed and the pressure in increased.   The bottle needs to have a heated blanket wrapped around it to keep the bottle warm enough to vaporize the propane.

 

Ken

 

[spindrift]

32 minutes ago, SuiteSuccess said:

I have long considered adding a propane home generator to our house for use in power outages.  Our HVAC is hybrid heat pump/ propane and with the recent arctic storm here in Tennessee it rekindled the issue. Thank heavens we weathered the storm without any lengthy outages unlike last year when we had several days of rolling blackouts. For those of you that have knowledge or experience with such systems would you recommend?  Size?  Justify cost? Manufacturer?  Our home sq ft is approximately 3600 sq ft.  BTW our propane tank is a buried 1000 gal. (Yes we went big, lol.)

That's a challenging question to answer without knowing what loads you want on the generator.  Generac, Kohler and Onan (from least expensive to  most expensive) dominate the residential market.  Personally, I'd research the installers in your neck of the woods that represent either of those three.  Often times, they're an electrical contractor that is a dealer one or more of the Big Three.  They'd be more than happy to come to your home and determine individual loads.

[Randyretired]

As others have suggested a local company can help with sizing.  Sizing will include anything you will want to run.  Many like to select just the most important appliances only as this will allow a smaller generator and save on cost.  As for justifying the cost it would seem that is up to you and your circumstances.  How often do you experience outages and how comfortable do you want to be during these outages.

[Nigel]

For us the power is quite reliable so we have no need for an expensive whole home solution.  I have the furnace wired on a plug and I have a fifty foot extension cord hanging by the furnace for the odd chance we have a lengthy power failure in the winter.  Then I would plug into my 3500 watt portable generator and keep the heat on gas and not worry about the heat pump.  I’ve tested it but haven’t had to use it yet.  For television and internet I run an extension cord out to truck inverter for a short blackout.  
Here is a link that describes how to wire the furnace.  https://youtu.be/1JNuovFpCpQ?si=LA-buFrAVb9YEFio

Nigel

[sandsys]

We were at a model railroad operating session when the power went out. The owner brought in railroad lanterns for light then started his generator. He said we could run the railroad OR flush toilets. You can guess which we chose. You need to size your generator according to your own needs.

Linda

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Add a 5,000 or 10,000 gallon diesel tank to the backyard and an extension onto the garage with a 50KW gen set inside of it. That should hold you for a bit.... 😁

[Larry Burkett]

We added a whole house generator a year ago, and could not believe how many time the power actually goes out in the night, whether a minute or an hour. We talked about it a lot, then when we were out traveling, the power wen tout for 4 days, and the kids unloaded the fridge and freezer. Last summer the power was out 3 days and it was nice to have all the comforts of home. We have a 14 kw generator that will run everything at the same time.

[SuiteSuccess]

Thanks for the input. Nigel, I have watched that video on wiring the furnace and it’s definitely worth considering. I have a 3500 kw gas powered generator for emergency and I store about 20 gallons of gas during the winter for “just in case”.  If not used, it’s rotated into my cars. As for the propane, my tank is buried so heating it is not really an issue. The essential items I would like to run would be the fridge, the HVAC furnace, and some lights. I’m thinking a 22.5 kw unit might suffice. BTW truck and trailer at a storage facility so no help for solving power needs. 

Edited January 27 by SuiteSuccess

[SuiteSuccess]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Add a 5,000 or 10,000 gallon diesel tank to the backyard and an extension onto the garage with a 50KW gen set inside of it. That should hold you for a bit.... 😁

Somehow I suspect you may already have something like this, lol. And of course the tank is red with SnapOn painted on the side. Believe me I would love to have a diesel tank in my back yard area but don’t want to be lynched by the HOA. 

Edited January 27 by SuiteSuccess

[SuiteSuccess]

1 hour ago, Larry Burkett said:

We added a whole house generator a year ago, and could not believe how many time the power actually goes out in the night, whether a minute or an hour. We talked about it a lot, then when we were out traveling, the power wen tout for 4 days, and the kids unloaded the fridge and freezer. Last summer the power was out 3 days and it was nice to have all the comforts of home. We have a 14 kw generator that will run everything at the same time.

Thanks. I assume it is propane?  Everything I’m reading is saying 2-5 gallons per hour at full capacity but less if not at full load. What manufacturer did you choose?

[SuiteSuccess]

Pricey but an option 

https://outboundpower.com/products/ecoflow-delta-pro-ultra-portable-power-station-and-whole-home-backup?currency=USD&variant=44260308779257&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&stkn=64962be9bee8&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAzc2tBhA6EiwArv-i6bkm7xw8E-8gESdiCj0HaVT5PF0F_KTs1-3222aFmEyyFLybXKocUBoCgSMQAvD_BwE

[rickeieio]

Forget spending mountains of money, and buy a pto genny for the back of your Kubota.  Have an electrician fix you up with a drop cord and transfer switch.  Way cheaper than the other suggestions, though not as fancy.

[SuiteSuccess]

11 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Forget spending mountains of money, and buy a pto genny for the back of your Kubota.  Have an electrician fix you up with a drop cord and transfer switch.  Way cheaper than the other suggestions, though not as fancy.

Elaborate please.

[jenandjon]

We have a generator that runs off the PTO on a tractor. Similar to this. I will get a picture of our setup later today. It's all hooked up and ready to plug in if I need to. 

PTO Generators | Northern Tool

[palmeris]

Our all electric S&B is in south Florida. After no power for over 2 weeks due to hurricane  we made some changes.  Water heater, clothes dryer changed to propane. In ground 500 gallon tank, lines and regulator to outdoor kitchen for grill, also added a pool heater, and a regulator with a QD for propane generator. Didnt change house stove as DW wants electric.

Put in a 30 amp manual transfer switch and purchased a tri fuel generator with a wheel kit. Its not big enough to run the whole house, no HVAC, but its 30 amp 240 ran the water pump as we were on well water. The remaining circuits were for fridge, freezer, microwave, master bedroom ceiling fan, bathroom lights and outlets etc.  Enough power to survive until FPL can get the real power restored. 

Fill the propane tank once a year in May before hurricane season, do a generator tune up then too

[lappir]

1 hour ago, jenandjon said:

We have a generator that runs off the PTO on a tractor. Similar to this. I will get a picture of our setup later today. It's all hooked up and ready to plug in if I need to. 

PTO Generators | Northern Tool

My dual fuel with a 50 amp plug already wired in was a lot less expensive than any of those PTO unit's listed. 

Rod

[jenandjon]

PTO generators are a little more expensive, but they have certain advantages and disadvantages. I have both stand alone and PTO. I use the PTO to power the entire farm. 2 houses 80x80 shop a number of other out buildings and a feed mill. I hook it to the tractor with the biggest fuel tank and then I park a 500-gallon nurse tank next to it. Then we take the 7000 Kubota stand-alone diesel generator and a bunch of gas cans to my nephew's house, and he gets to babysit that. A second PTO generator gets taken to my brothers place down the road to power his place. 

I have a cord on a pole with a throw switch. I shut the tractor down twice a day to check the fluids and fuel. 

In the background of the 3rd picture, you will see the second PTO generator. It's much smaller because it only needs to power one house. 

The longest I have been on generator power was 3 days. I was never so happy not to have to mess with gas cans. 

 

[rickeieio]

Carl, from what I'm seeing, Northern Tool has a 12k watt pto unit that would get you through a disaster for under $2k.  Plus, no extra motor to worry about like a stand alone genny.  Why mess around with something that has a separate motor, requiring oil changes, or using  up your propane that you might need for heat?

Edited January 27 by rickeieio

[Av8r3400]

21 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Forget spending mountains of money, and buy a pto genny for the back of your Kubota.  Have an electrician fix you up with a drop cord and transfer switch.  Way cheaper than the other suggestions, though not as fancy.

I've thought about this.  But the idea or running my Kubota at PTO speed for days or longer is not something I want to do.

I may consider it as supplemental power if needed, but not as a whole house gen-set.

Edited January 27 by Av8r3400

[Av8r3400]

On 1/26/2024 at 9:14 AM, SuiteSuccess said:

I have long considered adding a propane home generator to our house for use in power outages.  Our HVAC is hybrid heat pump/ propane and with the recent arctic storm here in Tennessee it rekindled the issue. Thank heavens we weathered the storm without any lengthy outages unlike last year when we had several days of rolling blackouts. For those of you that have knowledge or experience with such systems would you recommend?  Size?  Justify cost? Manufacturer?  Our home sq ft is approximately 3600 sq ft.  BTW our propane tank is a buried 1000 gal. (Yes we went big, lol.)

Our home is slightly smaller (about 3000') and I would not even consider an LP generator without adding a 2nd 1000G propane tank in our situation.  My research has pushed me toward a 20KW size unit and they burn approximately 2.5 GPH of propane.  That's 60 gallons per day.  If it kicks in, mid winter when your 1000 (800 usable) tank is half full, that's less than a weeks run time, factoring in LP usage for heat, hot water, cooking, etc.

If I had GeorgiaHybrid's money (first off, I'd just burn mine) but I would definitely go with a big diesel tank and Genny per his suggestion....

Edited January 27 by Av8r3400

[rickeieio]

Keep in mind, depending on the size of your power plant and how the pto is configured, it's likely that you can run a pretty big genny at roughly half rated engine speed.  But, tractors are built to run at full rpm for days on end.  You'd likely be using less than half the rated power, so fuel consumption would be quite low.

Looking at the pics Jon posted, it wouldn't surprise me if he is running a 540/1000 rpm adaptor which would put his engine rpm around 1.300-1,400 ish.  Some tractors even have two pto shafts, for different speeds, my New Holland being one.

[rickeieio]

3 hours ago, Av8r3400 said:

I've thought about this.  But the idea or running my Kubota at PTO speed for days or longer is not something I want to do.

 

2 hours ago, Av8r3400 said:

I would definitely go with a big diesel tank and Genny per his suggestion....

So, why run a genny for hours on end, but not the tractor?  It's probably far more cost effective to use up the tractor than to have another engine just waiting.

[SuiteSuccess]

Thanks folks.  Lots to consider.