Home Generator

[NightShade]

Yep, when you are used to having information available in a particular way having it just blink out during a major storm causes a lot of grief. A generator is not feasible where I am at so I am stuck with battery backups. Even with a whole house automatic generator I would still keep a UPS for certain things as even though it's only a few seconds that the power will be off the reboot time on the modems and routers can fray your nerves when the storm is bearing down on you.

 

[jrusling]

Well you could always get a small one to run just that stuff. That or grab a large battery backup just for the modem, router and AP. A 1500 like this one should be able to keep everything going for at least a couple hours. It will keep my monster server up and running for about 15 minutes and at 50 watts it should run about 180 minutes. If you look at the wall wart's they are plugged in to you can figure the approx wattage but I know it's not a lot. Worked for a WISP at one point and we had some high power 802.11B stuff that ran off a couple batteries and were charged with a solar panel, over a year of working for the guy I never once had to hike out there and lug a battery along or worry about it.

It doesn't sound like much but in a storm where the threat of tornado's and such are out there 3 hours of internet access gives you a good sized window to be able to check weather and such where the TV may not be showing what is happening. Once it does finally die you could grab it and plug it in at your place on the generator for a few hours to charge it back up.

And I shy away from APC, they cook batteries. I have 4 small APC units that all have dead batteries which are now basically just really expensive surge protectors. Have replaced batteries and I am lucky to have them last a year. The Cyberpower that I have has been in use for at least 4 years and still works just fine.

If you wanted to go the REALLY cheap route find one at a Goodwill and pick up a deep cycle battery even the crappy APC one should have a problem causing the battery any issues. Just don't load it up with other stuff and it will probably keep the internet on for a day or so though you will probably want to set it in the garage and run a cord through to run the modem, router and AP.

I agree with you on APC units. I have replaced all of mine with Cyberpower ones. They also do not get warm unless they are charging the battery. I also get the true sine wave versions. I also have a couple of gel cell 12 volt batteries hooked up to a 1500 watt sine wave inverter in my computer room.

 

[CHenry]

You all are talking like this is some rocket science or something lol
It's very basis and cheap to run a house on a 5k geny for under a grand , Lmao at all this stupid

 

[KOPBET]

...I then came across something called a generlink. It is something that connects to the electric meter and allows the generator to plug directly into the meter. No transfer switch to run. rs. And it had the reviews to back it up.

I've had one for years. PSO did charge me to hook it up. Sure makes it easy to connect a genset.

 

[dennishoddy]

You all are talking like this is some rocket science or something lol
It's very basis and cheap to run a house on a 5k geny for under a grand , Lmao at all this stupid

It isn't stupid. Some folks aren't versed in how electricity/wattage/amperage and sizing appliances with the correct extension cords or backfeeding a breaker panel works. People and families have died with lack of that knowledge.
I'm sure there are some folks monitoring this thread have learned some things they didn't know before.
That is the purpose of a discussion forum. It's sad you have to be so egotistical about what you think you know.
Perhaps you should lead off with your immense knowledge of electrical principles in the thread Dave started about the Grid.
https://www.okshooters.com/threads/power-grid-discussion.272061/
I'd be happy to engage and discuss with my limited knowledge.

 

[Parks 788]

You all are talking like this is some rocket science or something lol
It's very basis and cheap to run a house on a 5k geny for under a grand , Lmao at all this stupid

Yes, it can be very basic/basis and cheap to run a house when the power is out but not everyone wants to use your "High Point" method to power their home in an emergency.

 

[p238shooter]

I live very rural in a total electric house. No power 7 days during the ice storm 10 or so years ago. Water plant was down 4 days, had to chip ice into a 5 gal metal bucket for the exhaust to melt to dump in the toilets to flush. Cell phone and internet out of backup power after 4 days. I have a 7500/6500W portable gas powered generator. Ran quality cords under the garage door, filled in the gaps, ran those stacked through the door into the house, used painters tape and towels to seal that crack. Used four of the little box heat strip heaters with the fans scattered through the house. Unplug one to make coffee and touch up the refrigerator and freezers a couple hours each day. Made up a good list of what to do if I might expect that to happen again. Electric water heaters will stay warm for a couple days. Get everything else done and take a hot shower, might be the last one for a while. Ha Ha Right now my boat and mower gas cans are full with stabil. I burn them out in my cars in the spring and get fresh. Ham radio was handy to keep in contact with the outside world.

Like others here, can not justify the expense of a whole house to run my heat pumps, don't know how long I might live here, and it does not happen often. If the SHTF, gas may not be easily to get, so it won't matter will it? JMO

 

[golddigger14s]

I have these two setups:
https://www.goalzero.com/shop/kits/goal-zero-yeti-400-power-station-nomad-28-plus-solar-kit/
https://www.renogy.com/renogy-100-watt-12-volt-monocrystalline-foldable-solar-suitcase-w-voyager/
Two 6 volt Golf cart batteries
This is mainly for my camper.

 

[yukonjack]

You all are talking like this is some rocket science or something lol
It's very basis and cheap to run a house on a 5k geny for under a grand , Lmao at all this stupid

That's what my FIL did. He just back fed the 220 from the generator into the 220 dryer outlet.

 

[CHenry]

That's what my FIL did. He just back fed the 220 from the generator into the 220 dryer outlet.

Well that works too but I installed a welder plug to the breaker box so I didn't have to run the cord into the house and leave that door cracked open.