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WHOLE HOUSE GENERATOR WIND OR SOLAR ??


Bubo

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2 hours ago, pbphoto said:

In 1999, I bought a 2500W Honda portable generator that saved my butt (and my neighbors') several times over the years.  A few years ago, I went all-in with a 20Kw Generac whole-house unit that runs on natural gas.  The transfer switch cuts over in less than 20 seconds when the ComEd service fails.  It's been fantastic.

I have mine set for 12 seconds.

 

It just came back on as we hit another rolling blackout.

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1 hour ago, Bubo said:

 

Charges batteries off of the grid, so it's doesn't have to kick on once a month

The generacs have an exercise cycle that makes itself run once a week at half speed.  It let's you know if there's any issues. Ive had mine 12 or 13 years and its been stellar. 

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If you’re concerned about your electronics in your home the best generators out there or the Yamaha brand. My brother used them exclusively in all of his enclosed trailers for his electronics. What his company does is they have automated tractors with high definition cameras and lasers on them , and they drive them into pipes to inspect them and laser measure all the gaps and cracks in the pipes. In only the Yamaha generators can provide good clean steady Power for these electronics that are in there . Each one of his trailers has approximately $300-$500,000 worth of electronics in it. When he was using the Honda generators in the Generac generators he would have a lot of problems with his electronics getting burned up, but when he switch the Yamaha those problems have gone away and he’s gone 10 years without any problems when using a Yamaha generators


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7 hours ago, Marvel said:

 

Depends...

 

While living in the Madison, Wisconsin area, had friends on the west side of town. They owned two acres of land and built their own house. Totally passive solar, just for heat.

Bruce , , I hear you  , with the hydro bills we pay   ,  solar would be a breeze  , once solar panels are more efficient in the cold  , I''ll have them  --

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20 minutes ago, RandyH000 said:

Bruce , , I hear you  , with the hydro bills we pay   ,  solar would be a breeze  , once solar panels are more efficient in the cold  , I''ll have them  --

 

Not sure what you are thinking here, but solar panels (generating electricity) are more efficient in the cold than in warmer air (upper 70s).

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1 hour ago, carlthess40 said:

If you’re concerned about your electronics in your home the best generators out there or the Yamaha brand. My brother used them exclusively in all of his enclosed trailers for his electronics. What his company does is they have automated tractors with high definition cameras and lasers on them , and they drive them into pipes to inspect them and laser measure all the gaps and cracks in the pipes. In only the Yamaha generators can provide good clean steady Power for these electronics that are in there . Each one of his trailers has approximately $300-$500,000 worth of electronics in it. When he was using the Honda generators in the Generac generators he would have a lot of problems with his electronics getting burned up, but when he switch the Yamaha those problems have gone away and he’s gone 10 years without any problems when using a Yamaha generators


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Your brother  should shop around.  A lot has changed in 10 years - just about all name-brand generators can reliable power any modern electronic gear found in a modern house, probably at a more consistent voltage with less THD than the utility electric service.  My La Scala's sound fantastic on generator power, especially when my neighbor's homes are dark and quiet 🙂

 

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1 hour ago, Marvel said:

 

Not sure what you are thinking here, but solar panels (generating electricity) are more efficient in the cold than in warmer air (upper 70s).

we tried  solar panels on a flat roof ,no good   the snow covered the panels  or ice formed -and days are shorter in winter -

we are gonna try a couple of panels  on a steel roof next year ,   the snow slides right off the roof   -

 

 

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If enough property wind or solar would also give you the benefit of protein if things got tough, just need a book on cooking wild birds, or cooking them the rest of the way.

 

I know, it's not the same but was surprised when I read it, I still think dead dinosaurs are the way to go.

 

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-solar-plant-accidentally-incinerates-up-to-6-000-birds-a-year

 

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-many-birds-do-wind-turbines-really-kill-180948154/

 

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2 hours ago, dtel said:

 I still think dead dinosaurs are the way to go.

yeah same here ---birds no longer have a chance in the big cities , they crash right  into the glass buildings -

I used to live in a concrete  highrise , first thing I did was paint the concrete outside balcony white  ---and put out bird seed -  birds would come and nest -

 

 

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I have a whole house generator save the AC. Mine is setup with a manual breaker. I’ll rant now. It’s ridiculous that the US has not embraced basic common sense. I do not work for nor endorse Verizon, but because they are fiber, if I lose electric service to the house, I can power up my generator and have www. I say that’s a big deal. I have everything, but AC and that’s
Only because I was too cheap to pay for a generator that could supply the 50 plus amps to start my AC unit. And it’s rare that I lose power in the warm months. Any power loss, neighbor plugs in every time to power his well, fridge, and lights.

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7 hours ago, pbphoto said:

Your brother  should shop around.  A lot has changed in 10 years - just about all name-brand generators can reliable power any modern electronic gear found in a modern house, probably at a more consistent voltage with less THD than the utility electric service.  My La Scala's sound fantastic on generator power, especially when my neighbor's homes are dark and quiet 🙂

 

I agree. And you get what you pay for. Harbor Freight might have a deal, but it will be loud and unreliable. Honda and Yamaha are still some of the best portable gens, very quiet also. I've heard good things about Predator also.

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11 hours ago, pbphoto said:

Your brother  should shop around.  A lot has changed in 10 years - just about all name-brand generators can reliable power any modern electronic gear found in a modern house, probably at a more consistent voltage with less THD than the utility electric service.  My La Scala's sound fantastic on generator power, especially when my neighbor's homes are dark and quiet 🙂

 

Agree.  I've had my Generac 12-14 years and have run laptops, chargers PC, TV, HT receivers and amps, etc.  Never once had an issue with electronics.  Worst thing that happens is that I get a voltage sag when it fires up my 5 ton AC unit for the house.

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4 minutes ago, JL Sargent said:

And sold at Harbor Freight.

 

On the subject of generators, look at the cost to run the generator your interested in over time. It gets very expensive and quick.  $150 a day is common.

https://homeguide.com/costs/generator-cost

These are not a substitute for the grid and shouldn't be run 24/7.

 

The saving are impressive though.  It'll keep freezers full of food from spoiling, keep pipes from freezing and cool you off when it's 90+ degrees outside with over 90% humidity.

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1 minute ago, CECAA850 said:

These are not a substitute for the grid and shouldn't be run 24/7.

That's right, unless you've got some serious bank. There were 2 of us that worked in New Orleans for Norfolk Southern in the aftermath of Katrina as their maintenance guys. We had (2) 250Kw Gensets + one 125kw providing power for a kitchen, dining room, 2 doz campers, and power for reconstruction of yard tower, RR motel, etc. Each month the number one expense was power and it was by a landslide. Other expensive stuff was portable toilets, handwashing stations, on site laundry service, fresh water that was trucked in, etc.

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If a whole house generator is your choice, Cummins/Onan what else,  splurge on an ATS.  Automatic Transfer Switch -> senses utility loss and transfers the load to the, already started, generator.  And when the ATS senses utility is back on line, transfers back to utility and does a shut down of the generator.

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5 hours ago, Seadoc said:

If a whole house generator is your choice, Cummins/Onan what else,  splurge on an ATS.  Automatic Transfer Switch -> senses utility loss and transfers the load to the, already started, generator.  And when the ATS senses utility is back on line, transfers back to utility and does a shut down of the generator.

 

They are very expensive.

JJK

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12 minutes ago, JJkizak said:

 

They are very expensive.

JJK

 

Sometimes you can find the transfer switches on Craigslist, FB Marketplace, etc. on the cheap.  I just did a local CL search and found an automatic transfer switch, 100 amp service for $300:

 

https://ocala.craigslist.org/for/d/crystal-river-transfer-switch/7268593947.html

 

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00W0W_203zYAIP0l7_0t20CI_1200x900.jpg

 

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