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That big black thingie with all of the ominous music going on...
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Registered Users
Oh....THAT thing!! Scary thing fer sure!
BTW, you have a remote with batteries in it??? Wow, yer on the cutting edge of technology, I gotta pedal my gener-cycle for 16 minutes just to change one channel!!
And to turn the volume up............OIY!!
'09 SM5, Hindle pipe, K&N, sport rack, backrest, Givi shield EVO swaybar, Symtec grip heaters, Spyderpops belt guard....some other stuff.
Don't worry about the bullet with your name on it,
Be afraid of the one saying 'To Whom it May Concern'!
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Very Active Member
Take it from someone who years ago had just a 'manual' switchover setup... which required shutting off main breaker.. then turning on breaker that generator was plugged into to power the house....... don't do it that way.. go with the proper switch!!!!
Once..... years ago... I attempted to convert electricity back into gasoline (flipped main breaker back on without disconnecting generator)..... it didn't work out so well.... only thing I was able to generate was smoke coming from the generator........
Spyder #1 - 2008 GS SM5 Premier Edition #1977. RIP after 80,000 miles.
Spyder #2 - 2012 RT SM5. Traded in after 24,000 miles.
Spyder #3 - 2015 F3 SM6. Put 13,000 miles on and sold it.
Spyder #4 - 2017 F3 SM6. Too good of a deal to pass up!
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Active Member
From an economy point I would go for a diesel powered unit for the following reasons. Gasoline has a shorter storage life than diesel. Diesel units use about half the fuel per hour of gasoline units. Propane has less energy per gallon than either gas or diesel, so you will need more gallons of it to run the same amount of time. Also you can transport diesel yourself if need be. Unused fuel can be run in the home oil furnace if needed.
12.5K watt diesel unit usage
(.48 Gal/h @ 1/2 Load)
12K watt Propane unit usage
LP Consumption (50% Load) |
1.42 gallons/hr |
12.5K watt gas powered unit usage
6 hr run time @ 50% with 8Gal. tank = 1.33 gal per /hr
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Very Active Member
Originally Posted by Bob Denman
And I thought putting batteries in the TV remote was tough...
Transfer switches, killing folks, fires... This is so far over my head now that I feel like the cavemen at the beginning of "2001; A Space Odyssey" when the obelisk showed up onscreen...
I hear a waltz playing somewhere.
USAF '69-'89 E7
Thailand/Vietnam 1972
Member: Royal Order of Rat Bastards
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman
And I thought putting batteries in the TV remote was tough...
Transfer switches, killing folks, fires... This is so far over my head now that I feel like the cavemen at the beginning of "2001; A Space Odyssey" when the obelisk showed up onscreen...
Sorry,but being an electrician and also having some personal experience with shocks and arc flash scars couldn't let it go without commenting.
Didn't mean any harm, just want folks to do it right. Now I'll go back to being the quiet member I usually am.
2010 RT A/C - SM5, Orbital Blue.
Corbin seat & passenger backrest, Kewl Metal highway bar,ESI high mt brake light, RT Day Runners, mud flap lights, fender tips, and led marker lights. Tric Led "Tric Fenderz" dual color strips.
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Registered Users
Originally Posted by cearley
From an economy point I would go for a diesel powered unit for the following reasons. Gasoline has a shorter storage life than diesel. Diesel units use about half the fuel per hour of gasoline units. Propane has less energy per gallon than either gas or diesel, so you will need more gallons of it to run the same amount of time. Also you can transport diesel yourself if need be. Unused fuel can be run in the home oil furnace if needed.
12.5K watt diesel unit usage
(.48 Gal/h @ 1/2 Load)
12K watt Propane unit usage
LP Consumption (50% Load) |
1.42 gallons/hr |
12.5K watt gas powered unit usage
6 hr run time @ 50% with 8Gal. tank = 1.33 gal per /hr
Thats great info -- but wow , you see how much those diesel generators are ! And not much wattage for a homeowner to afford one .
2012 RSS orange / black SE5 , Sport rack , backrest , comfort seat , console protector , front trunk liner , yoshimura R-77 carbon fiber , two brothers juice box pro using PC map 6 , K&N air filter , factory fog lamps
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Originally Posted by Dwanton
Does anyone use a whole house propane generator ? .
About 5 years ago, I bought a Generac whole house generator after I lost electric for 6 days in the middle of winter.
The model I purchased is rated at 16KW (propane) and 15KW (natural gas). The difference has to do with the volatility of the fuel source and its effect on engine power (note: this is my layman's explanation for the difference). Since my purchase, it has been needed 3 times including the most recent power outage many experienced in the mid-west due to the high wind damage. I live outside a metropolitan area and power was out from a few hours to 9 days within 5 miles of me. In my case, it ended up being only 3 hours, but the temperature was hot outside and it quickly became uncomfortable.
My unit came with 16 120 volt circuits. It was installed using propane. Later, when a natural gas line was installed in my area, I switched to natural gas. There is a small switch that you can turn to change the generator to run on natural gas.
The owner's manual for the unit I have is HERE. The manual covers all similar generators as well as my particular model.
It is important to know what circuits you want to maintain in your house when the power goes off. You also need to put things in perspective, i.e. what do you want to maintain if there is a SHORT power loss and what do you want to maintain if there is LONG power loss. The two lists will be different. You will need to decide what is more important to you. For example, if the power loss is short term, you might not worry too much about power in your bedroom. If the power loss is long term, you might wish you had electric service in your bedroom if you are used to watching TV there, etc. before going to bed. I watch a lot a TV before going to sleep (broadcast and DVDs) so it was important for me to have power in my bedroom.
All of your 240 volt needs will use 2 of your available circuits. At the time of my original installation, I need 240 volts for (1) heating - heat pump with propane backup system which also provides my air conditioning; (2) electric water heater; and (3) well pump for water. I chose NOT to power the (1) clothes dryer and (2) electric stove and oven. I figured short or long term I could do without the clothes dryer. I have one of those small convection ovens so I figured I could do without the oven - short or long term.
If you have a wife and/or kids, she may feel differently about going long-term without a way to dry clothes or cook. My neighbor bought the same generator I did and during the recent outage, his wife complained she could not bake bread, etc.
THE REAL POINT IS YOU HAVE 16 CIRCUITS - CHOOSE WISELY !! And yes, what you want powered will vary slightly if a long term or short term outage is experienced. OR EVEN TIME OF YEAR !! For example, I decided to add my garage door opener to my list of circuits. I did this because I did not want to have to get out of my car in a snow or ice storm to open the garage door. In the summer, that is not such a big issue with me since I could just park in the drive. But remember, my first extensive outage was in the winter and I was focused on what issues I had during winter weather.
A breakdown of the circuits I chose can be viewed HERE.
I almost considered taking the heat pump out of my list of 240 circuits because I figured I could just use emergency gas backup function of my system to heat the house (REMEMBER, MY ORIGINAL MAJOR OUTAGE WAS IN THE DEAD OF WINTER AND THE SYSTEM USES A BLOWER POWERED BY ITS OWN CIRCUIT). Now, that it is summer, I am glad I had A/C and had not taken the heat pump out of my list of covered circuits.
Besides the items I already mentioned - you will want power to your refrigerator and all of your freezers. I actually have 3 freezers (2 large and 1 small). In my area, we are susceptible to water so the sump pump was important to me also.
Pictures of my entire setup can be viewed HERE
Last edited by Knarfoh; 07-10-2012 at 09:45 AM.
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Originally Posted by Knarfoh
About 5 years ago, I bought a Generac whole house generator after I lost electric for 6 days in the middle of winter.
The model I purchased is rated at 16KW (propane) and 15KW (natural gas). The difference has to do with the volatility of the fuel source and its effect on engine power (note: this is my layman's explanation for the difference). Since my purchase, it has been needed 3 times including the most recent power outage many experienced in the mid-west due to the high wind damage. I live outside a metropolitan area and power was out from a few hours to 9 days within 5 miles of me. In my case, it ended up being only 3 hours, but the temperature was hot outside and it quickly became uncomfortable.
My unit came with 16 120 volt circuits. It was installed using propane. Later, when a natural gas line was installed in my area, I switched to natural gas. There is a small switch that you can turn to change the generator to run on natural gas.
The owner's manual for the unit I have is HERE. The manual covers all similar generators as well as my particular model.
It is important to know what circuits you want to maintain in your house when the power goes off. You also need to put things in perspective, i.e. what do you want to maintain if there is a SHORT power loss and what do you want to maintain if there is LONG power loss. The two lists will be different. You will need to decide what is more important to you. For example, if the power loss is short term, you might not worry too much about power in your bedroom. If the power loss is long term, you might wish you had electric service in your bedroom if you are used to watching TV there, etc. before going to bed. I watch a lot a TV before going to sleep (broadcast and DVDs) so it was important for me to have power in my bedroom.
All of your 240 volt needs will use 2 of your available circuits. At the time of my original installation, I need 240 volts for (1) heating - heat pump with propane backup system which also provides my air conditioning; (2) electric water heater; and (3) well pump for water. I chose NOT to power the (1) clothes dryer and (2) electric stove and oven. I figured short or long term I could do without the clothes dryer. I have one of those small convection ovens so I figured I could do without the oven - short or long term.
If you have a wife and/or kids, she may feel differently about going long-term without a way to dry clothes or cook. My neighbor bought the same generator I did and during the recent outage, his wife complained she could not bake bread, etc.
THE REAL POINT IS YOU HAVE 16 CIRCUITS - CHOOSE WISELY !! And yes, what you want powered will vary slightly if a long term or short term outage is experienced. OR EVEN TIME OF YEAR !! For example, I decided to add my garage door opener to my list of circuits. I did this because I did not want to have to get out of my car in a snow or ice storm to open the garage door. In the summer, that is not such a big issue with me since I could just park in the drive. But remember, my first extensive outage was in the winter and I was focused on what issues I had during winter weather.
A breakdown of the circuits I chose can be viewed HERE.
I almost considered taking the heat pump out of my list of 240 circuits because I figured I could just use emergency gas backup function of my system to heat the house ( REMEMBER, MY ORIGINAL MAJOR OUTAGE WAS IN THE DEAD OF WINTER AND THE SYSTEM USES A BLOWER POWERED BY ITS OWN CIRCUIT). Now, that it is summer, I am glad I had A/C and had not taken the heat pump out of my list of covered circuits.
Besides the items I already mentioned - you will want power to your refrigerator and all of your freezers. I actually have 3 freezers (2 large and 1 small). In my area, we are susceptible to water so the sump pump was important to me also.
Pictures of my entire setup can be viewed HERE
SPECIAL NOTE: After I wrote this up, I got a call from my Generator Service Company. I had contacted them about switching over some of my unused circuits. They came today and made the changes I requested and charged me $70 for the work they did.
When my generator was first installed I had an electric water heater and well pump. Since those were 240 volts each, I used 4 of my 16 circuits for those two (2) purposes.
I had them switch out those 2 items (since I no longer need them) for 4 other circuits in my house. I have now connected to the village water system (my well water was terrible) and I replaced my old electric water heater with gas model so I picked up 4 120 volt circuits I could use for other purposes. I made sure the entire upstairs (all the bedrooms) and a 2nd garage (detached) were covered as well as the lights in my basement.
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To get you started here are a great few articles that should help answer some of your questions as well as give you some more insight into generators themselves ...
http://www.norwall.com/blog/generator-sizing-guides/
http://www.norwall.com/blog/news-and...ators-running/
http://www.norwall.com/blog/generato...-fuel-choices/
These few articles should give you a better understanding of generators overall ,, Hope this helps in your search
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HONDA
I bought a Honda tri power gas 10,000 watt 13,000 surge last year 2012 . on Craig list 1400.00 with 74 hr on it....
20 hp Honda . Have not had to use it at this time .
This is a back up from my 1973 E 1500 Honda (slight used ) not really .......
The owner also gave me gas hose with fitting and also a 50 amp long power cord Heavy Heavy i forget the the wire size it over kill for the length. Should run my hole house . I guess i need to clarify hole house , I would only need to run 1 ac window unit 1 ref , 1 freezer, 1 tv lights . Live in Houston so no real winter , no well , no washer dryer . This would be for Hurricane prep to have just bare minimum , but more then the 1972 E 1500 watt can do...
Jim
Last edited by jhutch713; 03-26-2013 at 09:35 PM.
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Motorbike Professor
Originally Posted by jhutch713
I bought a Honda tri power gas 10,000 watt 13,000 surge last year 2012 . on Craig list 1400.00 with 74 hr on it....
20 hp Honda . Have not had to use it at this time .
This is a back up from my 1973 E 1500 Honda (slight used ) not really .......
The owner also gave me gas hose with fitting and also a 50 amp long power cord Heavy Heavy i forget the the wire size it over kill for the length. Should run my whole house .
Jim
Not by a long shot! Do not exceed the rating of the cable, or the lowest amp rating of any supply component. A fire could be the end result. The average house these days has a 160-200 amp electrical service. 50 amps absolutely will not do the job for the entire house. Also remember that a motor load (refrigerator, freezer, furnace blower, water well) will take 3-7 times the running current to start. Your generator and supply cable have to be capable of handling the starting load. Get an electrician to advise you.
-Scotty
2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine)
2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes
2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
Mutant Trikes Forever!
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Originally Posted by boborgera
If you have natural gas where you live i would go that way much cheaper than propane and its always there' No tanks to fill, or to run out of.
Actually most home standby natural gas generators run on both natural gas and propane, and you can easily switch between the two. Sometimes during natural disasters like hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, you know, situations when you might really need to use your genny, natural gas compression stations may get damaged by floodwater, earthquakes can rupture natural gas lines and so on.
So I'd advise having a few propane tanks as backup, just in case. Since you can store propane pretty much indefinitely as long as its in metal propane tanks that are in good condition. That's one of the reasons propane is also better for this purpose than gasoline, for gasoline generators you always have to renew your supplies because gasoline spoils after a while. Same with diesel.
I bought my Generac LP55500 through this site: http://propanegenerator.biz
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