Generator advice?

Dave is right, I should've been more specific. It's gotten where we have about 1 outage a year that last a few days and several that last 3 or more hours.

I don't need to run everything, mainly water, a few lights, TV, fridge, freezer, water heater and maybe heat. I can stagger like some suggested. I'll have a fireplace and probably have a couple propane wall heaters, so I'll have the propane tank.

I'd like one that cuts on automatically. If I go with propane, I don't think I want it doing a test run every week like some of them claim.

It will definately be installed by an electrician with a transfer switch.

If you want completely automatic backup and want to run the entire house with things such as deep well pumps, electric heat, etc then you're talking 10's of thousands of dollars.

If you want to select a few critical circuits which you can stage manually and you're only concerned about a few hours every few years then a portable unit may be fine.

If you need to start induction motors it's essential to match the generator to the starting code for the motors. The starting code should be on the motors nameplate.

Like others have said, fuel storage is a major factor. A couple 5 gallon jugs of gas will probably give you a few hours a day for several days. You'll need a plan to keep the fuel fresh.

However if you want to run continuously for days at a time you better consider natural gas, propane, or diesel.

My generator is a Dayton 7200W powered by a Honda 13 HP gas engine. My main concern is getting water during an outage. (I have a 1.5 HP deep well pump). I stage all circuits manually so the pump gets exclusive use of the generator when it kicks on. Once the tanks are filled, I turn of the well circuit and the generator can run everything else but my electric heat. (maybe it could, but I just use the stove for heat).

Things are at there very worst during an outage. Unless you have a completely automatic system that has a weekly self test cycle, then you need to have periodic "practice outage" sessions.

Will you have fresh fuel? Will the unit start? (rebuilding a gummed up carburator in the middle of the night a 20 below zero with candle light isn't much fun). Can you get it to the house if everything is covered in ice?? (once I wasn't able to get my sliding barn doors open due to ice. Luckily the genrator fit thru the walk in door but just barely!!). Do you have the proper connections?? (you can easily kill yourself fumbling with a generator.)

I won't get into the backfeed debate!!

You might want to checkout www.grainger.com. They have lots of info on generators.

If money was no object, I'd sure like to have a portable Multiquip generator or a Kohler standby unit. You can stand right next to a Multiquip unit and have a normal conversation they are so quiet.

A couple of years ago, one of the gas companies unveiled a battery pack/inverter for when electricity goes unregulated so that they can jump into the mix too. At first I scoffed at the idea, but I'm wondering if can be used as a reserve so long as can open the main back to the pole. Or if can float a charge to it when power from the pole is live.

There's a farmer down the road who still has and uses one of the windmill generators. That thing's been there for 20 years and still goes from time to time. I'm guessing that he has commercial power as primary because sometimes it just sets there not rotating, even in the wind. Other times... I've considered one, but kind've figure might be a lightning rod in storms - and it might not be.

Mark

LP gas is probably the best way to go as you don't have to worry about the fuel supply going bad over time.