Sorry, didn't mean to come across as a hard ***.The house I lived in as a teenager caught fire due to the previous owner doing his own wiring .Luckily everyone escape unharmed but if it had been a few hours earlier we would have all been asleep and most likely have perished.I tell that story to everyone that tells me they're going to do their own wiring.
Propane vs gas generator
- Thread starter CruisnGrrl
- Start date
Ya, no probs....
It's always a tough balancing job between regulation and independence in all areas from construction, personal transportation, a walk in the park, smoking, skate boarding, I could go on ad nauseam (nauseam being the operative word) that when I perceive sky is falling warnings re: human error prone extension cords I see my way of life threatened and respond accordingly. Like a typical gun owner, as an example. All's good.
Interesting on cutting the power, I'd be finding some way to isolate the appliance rather than try to feed all of my electric system with a small generator.
My three cents, if you isolate appliances your good to go.
If your going to go to a transfer switch and have a smaller generator, you need to unplug all the phantom power appliances. Computer transformers,tv memory , stuff with clocks doesnt seem like much till you add it all up.
If you brown out a large draw motor like the furnace blower or a freezer, or lights over your weed garden you get other issues to deal with.
If your going to go to a transfer switch and have a smaller generator, you need to unplug all the phantom power appliances. Computer transformers,tv memory , stuff with clocks doesnt seem like much till you add it all up.
If you brown out a large draw motor like the furnace blower or a freezer, or lights over your weed garden you get other issues to deal with.
I don't need all that **** running when the powers out. Having water and possibly hot water are the two biggest things, fridge and freezer are another two, have BBQ and wood stove for cooking and heat, lots of candles and led lights for light. Though if I was building a new house I probably would make it so I can have certain circuits run off generator
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Motorcycle Mike
Well-known member
I had to bump this thread in order to ask:
Can modern high efficiency furnaces be run off of a regular portable generator, or will that fry the electronics and therefore require an inverter generator?
I've googled this same topic, and it appears that even at the HVAC forums the answer is not definitive.
Some say a regular generator is risky to use, others say that modern furnaces have built in power/voltage adapters so that the risk is much less.
I am thinking of buying around a 3000W generator that if I lost power I could use to run the furnace if I lost power in the winter, or run the fridge if I lost power in the summer. I have little or no need to run any complex electronics from the generator.
Can modern high efficiency furnaces be run off of a regular portable generator, or will that fry the electronics and therefore require an inverter generator?
I've googled this same topic, and it appears that even at the HVAC forums the answer is not definitive.
Some say a regular generator is risky to use, others say that modern furnaces have built in power/voltage adapters so that the risk is much less.
I am thinking of buying around a 3000W generator that if I lost power I could use to run the furnace if I lost power in the winter, or run the fridge if I lost power in the summer. I have little or no need to run any complex electronics from the generator.
Our last power outage was 23 hours, I've run my house off my portable generator many times. No problems using my modern DC motor furnace, fridge, tv, computer, internet , garage door opener etc.
All I can say is don't use a cheap generator. A quality unit, like a Honda
, even their non inverter ones make clean power and offer stable voltage delivery (its voltage spikes that you have to worry about as low quality generators are notorious for this).
The price of inverter gensets is getting closer regular so it may be worth getting a better unit. And as cautioned low priced Chinese generators which are really a version of a modified electric welder have start up voltage and running voltage that swings really wide and I would not trust the electronic control panel of my furnace with it. They aren't worth the risk, and be sure if buying a new unit it has a CSA sticker on it. There are units floating around the Canadian market that are not approved and potentially dangerous.
Even the mainstream brands that are not inverter technology are not safe for sensitive electronic controllers. RV and marine guys have been paying the price for this lately since everything seems to have a controller in it lately.
Even the mainstream brands that are not inverter technology are not safe for sensitive electronic controllers. RV and marine guys have been paying the price for this lately since everything seems to have a controller in it lately.
Home Depot and Lowes sell generator panels with a manual transfer switch built in that allows you to run I think 6-8 circuits safely isolated from the grid with the use of a single extension chord. That panel is between $100-$200. Another option is a new meter that has recently been approved.It allows you to plug your generator directly into your Hydro meter and would allow you to power up your entire house while isolating you from the grid.That costs about $1000 and comes with a 30 amp 120/240 volt 30 foot long extension chord.You would need a 120/240 volt generator, I would recommend 5000 watt minimum.Those are the two cheapest, safe, LEGAL options.
Just to answer the question about propane: I'd say it probably doesn't have issues with fuel aging since we have a forklift at work that we use for like 5 minutes a month, if that, and have probably 3 or so tanks for it that spend years sitting outdoors and they always seem fine when we swap them out.
Diesel lasts longer than gas. I've never heard of it going "stale" but it can have problems if water gets into it. Most of additives I've seen for diesel are just fuel system cleaners or anti-gel additives for the cold weather.
Diesel lasts longer than gas. I've never heard of it going "stale" but it can have problems if water gets into it. Most of additives I've seen for diesel are just fuel system cleaners or anti-gel additives for the cold weather.
Natural gas is the way to go if you have access to it.No worries about fuel going bad and gumming up your carb and you have an endless supply that is generally unaffected by power outages.
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The issue with propane is having enough of it around. If you have a submarine tank, you are golden, but IIRC it is roughly 20 lbs/8 hrs/5000W. With an extended outage, it is unlikely you will have enough tanks. The best bet (independent of money) is a dual/tri-fuel generator, you can use propane or nat-gas to exercise the generator (therefore keeping the carb from getting gummed up) and have 10 gallons of gas in the garage for extended outages(just dump it into the car every 6 months and replace).
rbjeepthing
Well-known member
Personally this is what I run. I have had it on two households which is a nice feature that you can take it with you vs a transfer switch that costs lots of money to install and is somewhat permanent.
http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm
http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm
That's what I was referring to.How much was it and did your local utilities charge you to install it?
rbjeepthing
Well-known member
I cant even remember exactly how much I paid but around $1000 comes to mind with a proper extension cord. I think Innisfil Hydro charged $180 for install but again cant exactly remember. I would suggest you call your local utility provider to get and exact quote.
That sounds about right, it only takes about 5 minutes to install.I know that when they first came out about a year or two ago,utilities in some areas had not yet approved their use.I do know that Toronto Hydro does allow them.Great product.
You may want to get a generator a little bigger than that one.Your 220v 2500w (draws approx. 11 amps)pump could draw twice that on start up.I think that generator would struggle to start that pump or may not start it at all.I would get something more in the neighborhood of 5000w.That would also give you the capacity to run a few other things such as your fridge ,freezer and most importantly your sump pump and sewage pump if you have one.Take a look the Generac GP5500, it's about the same price.Dont know if it can be converted to propane though.
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Motorcycle Mike
Well-known member
Is generac considered a good brand? Reviews online indicate so.
I see that Lowes has some pretty good deals on the generac brand sometimes.
I see that Lowes has some pretty good deals on the generac brand sometimes.
Hell yeah. I've installed natural gas and propane stationary versions, never had a single call back.
Sent from my Passport
Motorcycle Mike
Well-known member
One of the reviewers at Lowes for a generac generator said he wiped out his furnace board with it and it cost him $800 to replace. That's what got me thinking that I had better research this a bit before just going out and buying one.
I'll have to look up my furnace make and model and see what issues it might have, if any, if it were run from a generator.
