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Generac home standby generators
I am trying to choose between different standby generators. Don't want to use diesel because of the problems with fuel oxidation, microbial growth, etc. Of the LP types, Generac seems to be the best rated in the 15KW size with slow turning (1800RPM) engines. Does anyone out there have any experience with this size Generac? I'd like to know its reliability, fuel consumption at various loads, etc. Out here, we seem to lose power for about 1 week every winter. This is usually spread over 2 or 3 ice storms, so it isn't all at once. The people get along fine without power. It's kind of hard pumping water for the horses out of a 1000' well with no power, tho [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
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Re: Generac home standby generators
I have that model (Generac 1800 RPM, liquid cooled) purchased last year. The 1800 RPM was what sold me (over the 3600 RPM) - a much less frantic engine. Mine looks a little different compared to the ones at the Generac site now - I don't know what is different internally. It's relatively quiet (but the enclosure is not sound-proofed as well as my friend's Kohler unit), but I paid 1/2 what he paid. It is such that you can have a normal conversation next to the unit, but you can hear a hum from inside the house. I'm planning to add a 4' vertical extension to the muffler so the sound is dumped a little higher in the air. Mine runs on Natural Gas, so I can't tell you about consumption - I'll have some idea next month when I get my bill - it ran for 24 hours with the recent big blackout. The auto-transfer switch works well, so I don't have to worry about my wife when I'm gone. The only thing is that the electrician was pretty unselective about what was wired. With the house going full bore (but no AC) I was only pulling 5 amps @ 220v. Although I need some slack for motor startups, I think I'll be adding some additional lighting circuits.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
I have the 15KW, 3600 RPM unit in a home that's under construction. I went with the 3600 RPM because of anticipated use and lower initial cost. (almost 3K) I may someday regret the decision!
According to the manual, my unit consumes 2.8 Gal/Hr under full load and 1.73 Gal/Hr under half load.
The info on the 1800RPM liqued cooled 15KW unit states it uses 3 Gal/Hr under full load. No half load figures are given for this unit.
I don't see any noise figures for either unit.
I went with propane over diesel for the same reasons as yours.
Hope this helps
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Gary,
I've been looking at the 12KW unit @3600RPM. I know it is better to use the 1800 RPM units, but cost is a factor as well. We did not lose power (except for 10 secs.) during the blackout. But we have in the past, for hours. I need something my wife will not have to worry about if I'm not home......or if we're at work.
We are on a well here, so there's nothing if there's no power, no water or worse, no sump pump. The water level is high here and the pump runs even in a drought.
I gave my wife a few nasty stares when the blackout was happening [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] . Her mother lives in Cleveland and did not have power until the next day......steady power anyway.
Oh yeah.....we have NG here, so I'd get it plumbed in to that. Gas has never failed me yet [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Inspector,
The consumption figures I furnished were for propane. If you have NG available, it's less of an issue as you have a virtually unlimited supply. There is a note on my unit that details the CF volume needed for NG. I didn't make any notes on that as I'm using propane.
I bought mine from www.electricgeneratorstore.com. Free shipping!
There are links to the specs and manuals for the various units.
As you said, I'd rather have the less expensive 3600 RPM unit than no unit!
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Re: Generac home standby generators
You are counting on NG pumping plants to be up and running during the electrical outage. By no means a gimmie. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
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Re: Generac home standby generators
That's a point to consider, but I'd prefer NG over propane because a truck doesn't have to come and fill my tank. But there's no NG in most areas of Missouri. Outside of metro areas, propane is pretty much it.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
And the NG distribution systems are interconnected just as is the electrical grid. Lots of variables there to shut it down as has been stated by Slamfire.
Egon
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Egon,
Is there a good distribution of NG in Canada? Until I started construction in "the country", I never gave it much thought. I had been raised in NYC and moved to the St. Louis area 37 years ago. In general, just how far out side a major metropolitan area is NG available.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Canada does supply a little bit of NG.
Egon
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Well I wasn't really asking if you supplied any, but more along the lines of distribution around the countryside. I've visited NS a few times. Do the folks in North Sidney and places around there have NG, or do they use propane?
How about on PEI? NG or propane? Newfoundland?
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Quebec on west has NG distribution lines. The Maritimes have offshore NG but it all goes to the US.
Egon
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Hey, wait a minute, man... What is all this trash talk about diesel? There are stabilizing additives, similar to those used for long term storage of gasoline (Stabil to name one) that keeps diesel usable for quite a time. An alternative plan would be (if your tractor uses diesel) to plumb the genny to your overhead diesel storage tank or use a pump to bring it up from a ground mounted one. If it is good enough for our tractor it is good enough for the genny. Using fuel for the tractor will require replenishing the diesel tank with fresh fuel. If FIFO is an issue and you don't store much diesel for your tractor then when you buy diesel for your tractor fill the tractor from the genny supply and put the new stuff in the genny supply. That shold keep it fresh.
Diesel availability is a lot less in question than the electric grid or the "natural gas grid." If ultimate reliability were not a consideration, then natural gas and or propane are excellent choices.
Onan makes some real good air cooled diesel gennies. I once filled a box with electronics and powered it with a diesel genny. I iinstalled a 12.5 Kw air cooled Onan diesel inside a Helicopt Hut to be carried on a duce and a half at the Army's National Training Center between Barstow, CA and Death Valley. It powered a roof mount Coleman RV type A/C, a computer, and a few hundred thousand dollars worth of electronic stuff. It was a mobile microwave spectrum analysis system. We had the same Onan units in fixed installaltions as well.
These units were used frequently as commercial power was often subject to interruption by lightning storms in the desert. We never had a failure and never interrupted the desert tank warfare (simulated combat) due to power outage.
I don't recall the exact capacity of the overhead storage tanks at the fixed installaltions but I quess the army is experienced in diesel storage and gave us (AMEX) the right specs and requirements.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
I'd go diesel to. Don't want nothing to do with NG and C3 if it's for the long haul.
Egon
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Re: Generac home standby generators
GaryM,
I think I have decided to go with the 12KW 3600 RPM Natural Gas unit. I weighed all the options........
A portable unit my wife probably could not get out of the barn, wheeled over to the house and connected properly if I was not at home. Gas does go bad, besides you need to have a supply on hand for an extended outage. Diesel, same reasons. And if the area is out of power......the local suppliers won't have power either. LP........?? that would be the only thing here on LP, but that is still an option as they come prepared to work on LP or NG.
Now, for NG......?? the booster pump stations I am familiar with all have back up power. I have done all the calculations on the the gas lines we have now. We currently have a demand of 175 cubic feet/hour and will need 355 cubic feet/hour after the genset. The lines are good for 680. Think I'm good to go. Now just a visit to the credit union to do a "funds transfer" and I can place my order from http://www.electricgeneratorstore.com./
I need this to be as simple and foolproof as possible. My health in the future will never be as good as it now, so I need to take a look at the future and get us prepared [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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Re: Generac home standby generators
I didn't bad mouth diesel, I don't think I did. I just felt that propane, or NG, was a better choice for my needs. Based on convenience mostly. for my JD I buy fuel 5 gal at a time. I don't have any storage tank and don't intend to.
The folks at the Electric Generator Store were good to work with and the unit was delivered when they said it would be. I paid $30 extra for a truck with a liftgate. As it truned out my GC had his Bobcat on site with forks, but I couldn't depend on that happening.
I eliminated the portable unit for the same reasons you did. Convenience when I'm not home. I can count on the lights being on when I get there!
The cables that connect the outside box to the load center are 30' in length. In my case that's not enough. My electrician is putting a connection box in place and then continuing on from there with his own cableing. Needed another 15' or so.
Here's a picture of the 15KW unit with the cover open. Reasonable amount of soundproofing inside. BTW, you need to supply your own starting battery. Do you think those Optima batteries are any good? Oh wait, that's a different thread!
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Re: Generac home standby generators
We (The CFO and I) discussed the Optima. I think I may try it.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Well..........the 12KW is on order........they're out right now, go figure. More should be in on Friday in Delta, OH. Might be delivered to my place on Monday.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
I was out at the homesite this aftenoon to show the propane guy where I wanted the tank and where the line had to meet the house. They want the tank no further than 80' from the drive or other paved surface. I guess they don't want to drag the hose any further than that. My plumber/HVAC guy was there too, so they had a discussion about who was doing what.
The label on the 15KW unit says the NG line needs to supply 288K BTU/Hr in addition to what the rest of the house needs.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Gary,
288K BTU/hr sounds about right for 15KW. The 12KW unit requires 185 ft³ at full load, which is about 166K BTU depending on the gas thats supplied. Did you get the optional booster kit that goes with the 15KW unit. It makes it produce a full 15KW. Without it, you'll be somewhat less.
Jerry
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Jerry,
Yes, I did get that kit. It consists of nothing more than heavier guage wires to connect to the load center. No changes to the generator unit itself. All I had to do was call Generac and tell them I had purchased a unit from the Electric Generator Store. The upgrade kit arrived via UPS a few days later.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Thanks for the info guys. My decision to go LP over diesel had as much to do with the amount of diesel I normally keep on hand as it did with anything else. I know you can use fuel stabilizers and antimicrobial treatments, but the stuff in a standby generator's tank eventually gets grungy unless you are running it out on a regular basis.
Also, there are times we are away and a boarder is taking care of the horses. I've got a 1000 gal. LP tank that runs the water heater, stove, clothes dryer, and gas logs for backup heat when the power goes off. We are on top of a mountain with no NG lines, and I want to know that if we are gone for a few days, the generator is not going to run out of fuel because none of the service stations in town have power to run the diesel pumps or the boarder didn't know how to fuel and service the generator. I want an idiot proof solution.
In answer to the battery question, I have never used the Optima batteries, but I have a lot of experience with Interstate. I have a 60 month Interstate in my farm truck that I bought 89 months ago. This was a daily driver until 2 years ago. Now, it is started once a month or so. It cranks in a couple of seconds every time. If I need a starting battery for the Generac, it will be an Interstate.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
rlevan, Seems to me you have a good handle on your specific requirements which transcend issues of FIFO diesel consumption, "Biobor", and the like. A couple things came to mind: 1. It is difficult to make things fool proof because fools are so ingenious at fouling things up. 2. What about a run time limiter or scheduler?
Since the BIG BLACKOUT of 2003 and the expectation of repeats, not to mention weather induced local failures that can last over a week (in our area), it occured to me that a standby genny installation could profit from a runtime limiter/scheduler.
For example, your power fails, your geny comes on line and all is well but the commercial power is out for a long time. Will the genny consume all your propane and leave you freezing in the dark?
What happens if your genny only runs part of the time on a preset schedule with manual overide for activities requiring electrical power? That will stretch your fuel supply and delay the time when you will be without hot water, backup heat, A N D electricity. If the conditions requiring your use of a genny are severe and or extended in time, you might not get a timely propane delivery on request.
I had a recent "cluster" of failures with my small farm truck, a Dodge Dakota. Plastic upper radiator tank split stranding me and requiring a new radiator, then two days later the battery (60 month Interstate) developed a shorted cell stranding me. I netted about $5 on the waranty and replaced it. A few days later we were stranded again when the fuel pump (inside the tank) failed to make enough pressure.
What does our different experiences with Interstate batteries mean? Not much. It is just two samples out of the zillions of batteries they sell. You can't prove a trend or family characteristics by one sample, good or bad.
Batteries tend to deteriorate over time, even when not being used much and even when kept topped off with distilled water and kept properly charged. A typicall first indication of a problem is when the engine won't start. Not a good thing with a standby genny. I would recommend a couple things. 1. Install a larger capacity battery than the MFG says is needed so you have considerable reserve capacity in the outyears and 2. measure battery capability with a battery load tester at least once a quarter. This does not guarantee you'll catch a failing battery but it ups your chances A BUNCH.
An unattended start by the automatic exerciser might "just barely make it" and you won't know it if you didn't just happen to be there. Battery load tests put you in a position of knowledge and eliminate the wishful thinking. If you have a DC voltmeter and don't want to buy a load tester (a real load tester is a handy thing if you have many starting batteries in various vehicles and pieces of equipment) you can still get a fair indication of starting performance of your genny.
Shut off the fuel supply to the genny, attach the DC voltmeter to the battery and note the voltage. Leave the meter attached and crank the engine for say, 10 seconds while watching the meter. Note the voltage while cranking after 10 seconds. As soon as you stop cranking the voltage will likely rapidly recover to a value close to what it was before cranking. That is why you want to note the value at 10 seconds but while still cranking. Over the useful life of the battery this 10 second load voltage will continue to drop until it will be marginal to give a reliable start, especially in cold weather. Be warry of a battery that sudddenly reads much lower in this test than it usually does as it is likely to fail. Temperature plays a big part in battery performance and a cold snap can cause a battery to give poor performance in a load test just like it could fail to give adequate cranking power in a real startup situation in cold weather.
Final comments: I have had several Interstate batteries and find them to be good performers, not better or worse than other "good" brands. In batteries, buy cheap and get cheap holds true more reliably than for many other automotive parts. Over the years (decades) I have evolved a battery buying policy that seems to work(and is only slightly re$ource intense). If the battery is in something that demands reliable starts then when replacing its battery I buy the largest electrical capacity best warranty battery that will fit in the space available. I don't think of it as overpaying, I think of it as anti-stranding, anti-hassle insurance.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
To insure a battery has full charge it is possible to have a voltage regulated charger run on conventional ac hooked up all the time. This is a very common practice.
Egon
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Egon, That is true. Also you have to exercise caution when leaving battery chargers connected for extended periods. Many have output waveforms with peaks in excess of the desired "float" voltage. They are OK for charging a battery but should not be left connected for an extended time after the battery specific gravity (for the electrolyte temp) has arrived at or near nominal value or in voltage terms when the float voltage is achieved, chargers not specifically designed for long term "float" operation should be disconnected.
Bad things like severe loss of electrolyte and sulphation(sp?) resulting from "over charging" with non-float designed chargers can destroy an otherwise good battery. There are small (look like wall charger/battery elliminator) float type battery maintainers available from around $10 on up. They are essentially useless for a battery that is discharged but are great for their intended use, keeping a battery from "self" discharge during long term storage or in service with infrequent use.
Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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Re: Generac home standby generators
The Generac unit, and I'd guess most others, have a built in battery charger. Now, how gentle that charger is to the owner supplied starting batttery...?
I plan to buy a good battery though. I'd like a larger than 250 Gal. propane tank, but the supplier seemed reluctant to supply a larger tank for my low anticipated useage.
The exerciser on the Generac runs to unit for about 12 minutes every seven days. It runs at the time the user initiates the system. So if you do it on Friday at 1800, it will run at that same time every week.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
runs to unit for about 12 minutes every seven days
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm curious; does it just run the engine under no load or do you cut the power and run it under a load? And of course 12 minutes seems like a very short time to me, but maybe it's adequate.
I say that because on one of my RV generators, it was recommended to run 30 minutes under at least a 50% load at least once a month. I know RV technicians who say most of the RV generator problems are caused by lack of use.
When I was first promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned as Commander of the Communications Division, the old city hall had a standby generator powered by natural gas. It was run for 30 minutes once a week, but was not actually powering anything, so the first time we had a power outage, it came on, the lights and radios in Communications worked, but it seemed that whoever wired it up had forgotten about the telephones. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] No ring; no lights on the buttons.
So when we built the new city hall and new emergency communications center, we had two monstrous diesel generators and every Sunday morning, the power was cut off for 1 hour and everything was powered by those generators.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Bird,
As far as I know it just runs the engine. No power transfer. Of course you can open the cover on the generator and flip the switch to manual and transfer the load that way. But I think a better way would be to kill the incoming power by switching off the main brakers in your service panel. that way everything get tested. Not just the engine starting system, but the load transfer system too.
I plan to run such a test at least every two months. I plan to make up a calander and post it in my utility room and garage. It will list periodic maintainance items: Change furnace filter, clean dryer lint trap, clean filter on septic tank, etc.
At work we have a big Cat diesel generator set to run our server farm incase of power loss. They run it once a month and run the servers from the generator for at least two hours at a time.
As you mantioned in your tale, you need to test the system, not just the engine.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Gary, I think you've got the right idea and will do well with your maintenance and testing plans.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Gary, Generac has an acceptable track record for their mid-line generators. I would be surprised if their charger was an old technology transformer and rectifier that would "cook" your battery right away when left connected continuously. On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend that you accept on blind faith that they gave you the top of the line high tech (most expensive) technology either.
For something that you want to rely on like a parachute, you might want to check it yourself prior to any operational failure. There are a few simple tests that will give you confidence in its function. What is the batt voltage after it stabilizes in long term charge. If this is too high you may outgas too much for comfort. Even if this voltage reads good, you should check the electrolyte level frequently until your confidence is established. The float voltage as read by a meter could be good but you could still have excessive outgassing and electrolyte loss due to peaks in the charging waveform. A check of charging current with the battery fuly charged would be a hint. Of course, not everyone has or can use an o'scope but that would sure give a direct reading of the quality of the chargers output waveform with the battery at full charge, preferably with a current probe.
The practical low tech approach is to monitor elctrolyte levels and if the cells require too much topping off the charger is set too high or has an unacceptable waveform for long term float operation. Color me old fashioned but I would not personally choose to use a sealed "maint free" battery in this application. Since you can't check them for electrolyte, the first indication of failure would likely be when the battery would not start the genny when needed.
Of course you could buy some of those catalytic caps for your battery. They recombine outgassed hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen and drip the resultant water back into the cell that supplied the hydrogen. These see beneficial use in the solar electric storage battery application and aren't just advertising hype.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Pat,
I'm a ham radio operator and our club repeaters have a battery backup provision. The repeater supplies approx 100 MA to keep the battery topped up. It won't recharge a depleated battery, just keep it from going flat.
Now the charger in the Generac must be more like an automobile in the respect that the power lost during starting must be made up. But if the unit isn't run for some time the battery will self discharge. Maybe it depends on the 7 day cycle of start and run for 12 minutes to keep the battery from going flat? Is there a system to keep the battery charged if the automatic exerciser is not enabled?
I need to review the manual and see if it gos into any useful detail.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
GaryM de N6AYR
Roger, OM. For $10-$20 you can get a little battery float charger that plugs into the wall (looks like a battery elliminator/wall charger) that is designed to be connected to a 12 volt lead acid battery and left powered up indefinitely without harming the battery. They usually come with a set of medium small battery clips color coded red and black for + & - and some also include ring terminals for permanent mounting to the battery posts (use anti corrosion stuff on them after installaltion). Some of mine came with mounts to mount underhood next to the battery and have a short power cord that is not in the way wihen unplugged (driving the vehicle). I have one on my dune buggy since it doesn't get used so often and on the 12 volt battery that powers lights and stuff for mom's safe room. I use one on my Dodge 1 ton when it isn't getting used very often.
The "heavy lifting", i.e. replacing the charge consumed by the weekly startup will be done while the genny is running. The system will most likely work fine on weekly discharge/recharge cycles but I would personally want the cheap insurance of one of the little float chargers hooked to commercial power. A fully topped off battery could make the difference during a cold snap.
Since the genny is probably outside, subject to ambient temps, and the battery performance is reduced tremendously by cold weather, I'd put a thermostatically controlled heater on the battery to keep it from getting really cold. A fully charged battery won't freeze easily like a discharged one but even a fully charged battery at cold temps has a seriously reduced capability.
There are a couple easy ways to protect a battery from cold. Some auto parts catalogs (J.C. Whitney etc.) sell a heater plate that goes under the battery (get one with a thermostat). You can buy some "heater tape" like is used to wrap pipes to prevent freezing. I would recommend one of the ones with a thermostat built in. Just mount the thermostat against the battery so it works appropriately, wrap the heater wire around the sides of the battery and then secure it with electrical tape (lasts better than duct tape). If it were me, I would place a piece of rigid foam insulation under the battery as a thermal break and probably box it in with scrap foam as well. I think EPS is acid proof and should last a long time. The bottom and sides of the foam box could be glued together or taped or both. I wouldn't make the top "air tight" as there will be some hydrogen generated and you need an easy access to check and top off with distilled water.
Of course a clever electronics guy like you could do some Ohm's law calcs and wire up some resistors with a thermostat to make a battery box heater but the flexible heater tape with thermostat is so convenient. Maybe a good way would be to put the batt in a plastic batt box and build the foam box around that. I suppose the foam isn't absolutely needed but it would let the heat average itself out and keep the battery at a more even temp throughout (saves electricity and fosil fuel too if you are a green guy)
I've seen both batts and well houses with light bulbs running 24 hrs a day in winter to keep them from freezing with no thermostat or insulaltion involved. Seemed too brute force and awkwardness for an elegant guy like you.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Pat,
Sorry to hear about your bad Interstate battery. I've had 7 Interstate, but never a bad one, vs. 3 out of 3 for DieHard, a 60 month Delco that died at month 59, and various others that lasted a few months longer than their warranty period.
I have considered what happens if we are out of power for a long time. That's why I had a 1000 gal LP tank buried in the yard (REALLY big hole!). I know what my fuel consumption is, and it's never been allowed to go below 500 gal before a fillup just in case. I've been told that fuel consumption on the Generac 15KW 1800 rpm model is approx 3gph at 75% load, dropping to .5GPH at 25% load. Even if I only had 1/2 tank of LP, I could be away for several days in the winter and not worry. During our outages, the propane companies still manage to make their deliveries. I don't know if they have backup gensets or whatever, but they do keep the trucks running.
The run time limiter/scheduler is a good idea. Thanks for that. I was not planning on running it at night anyway, and being a programmer, I like to automate what I can. I'm not worried about being able to start it. The Generac does an automated startup every week. I plan on adding a control circuit to take the mains offline and power the auxiliary house wiring to properly exercise the generator instead of just the engine, then put the mains back online after the gen shuts down.
For cold weather, there is a thermostatically controlled battery heater plate that you put underneath your battery to keep it warmer in the winter. Goodbye cold cranking problem.
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250 Gallons is all the propane tank I have, but I am constantly getting billed for not using enough gas. During an extended outage our practice is to heat everything with the wood stove. We even cook on it, my wife has a lot of experience, and is very good at it. We run a few flourescent lights, and the radio. The main job is the freezer, the refrigerator, and the water pump. We turn off the generator when we go to bed, then fire it up for a couple hours at a time during the day. I think we'll be in fine shape if we have another 9 day outage. My truck has two gas tanks and one of them is always full. I cycle them so the gas is fresh, backing up that supply with the propane tank ought to do us just fine.
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rlevan, Yet another software guy! I thought the anti-creativity squads had rounded up the last of those guys...
Of course for great reliability ("Trusted System") you'll undoubtedly code in Ada... or do you prefer its bastard offspring C++
Isn't it nice that C++ has relatively mature "native" compilers now with no interpreters reducing your code to just plain "C" prior to compilation. Takes all the fun out of hand optimization and reduces the co-workers question with furrowed brow... "how did you do that?"
Your genny installation sounds like it is in good hands.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Pat,
Actually, I'm an Assembler programmer from way back. In fact, I cut my teeth on 2048 bit real time encryption in the bad old 'Big Iron' days! With the availability and low cost of programmable controllers, I am seriously considering building my own. All of the required hardware (breakers, boards, isolation transformers, etc., are relatively cheap. I've just got to find the time. Must have left some around here somewhere....
Once again, thanks for the great ideas.
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Re: Generac home standby generators
rlevan, From Wayback, that's a small town in Georgia isn't it? My first brush with software was a ForTran course when I was a physics undergrad. Patch panels custom wired to latest revs. Card punches and readers. Dropped decks. The vaccination didn't take and it was over 10 years later before I took any more software classes but ended up with a BS in computer science in '84 and a masters in software engineering in '86. I took the required assembler class (Intel 8086) and it was fun but bit fidling went out of favor as appropriate activity for an engineer in accordance with the gospel according to the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie-Mellon U. I had a class where we had to write our own assembler and a compiler too and it was OK but it didn't really light my candle. I enjoyed actually engineering readable maintainable code but ended up doing a lot more project management than desiging (the fun part.)
With all the modular hardware with decent interface and integration standards and stuff like solid state relays and so forth you shouldn't have any trouble making your genny perform like a trained animal act.
About the evolution of computers and the price performance miracle... I drove over to my neighbors place yesterday about sundown to invite him over to my place to view Mars at its closest approach using my 8 inch S-C scope. He showed me his latest acquisition, a PC running WinDoze 98, 15 inch color monitor, P-2 processor, with CD etc. He paid $40 to someone who had bid on a "lot" (group) of computers at a state sponsored auction. Seems some offices were being upgraded. Not bad. Now if he only had a phone line he could get on the net.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
I can't speak much about computer programming, but creating a trained animal act, I can do that.
I thought I'd chime in on the Optima battery question, brought up earlier. My experience involves using them in the 4 wheel and off road arena. Many of my cohorts swore by them. Many other brands would not stand all of the bouncing around and would short out internally.
My friends also raved about the ability of the battery to be drawn down, while winching, and recharged with no negative effects.
Clint
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Clint, Withstanding deep discharge and recovering and taking lots of vibration and shock are both valuable traits in a battery, depending of course on the intended use. If any of us opt for installing emergency generators in our serious off-road or rock hopper vehicles then the "Optima" should be on the short list.
It is all trade-offs. It is usually price versus all the other traits. High capacity cranking (short term) requires lots of plate area for a given size battery which tends to force the design toward thin plates. Thin plates tend to warp if seriously overstressed electrically or mechanically such as bouncing around off-road and so on and so forth.
Deep cycle batteries give excellent service over extended periods with medium to light loads but aren't worth squat cranking a cold engine. There are some "compromise" deep cycle batteries on the market which claim to be deep cycle with starting ability. They might be good for starting a well tuned medium or small outboard but what it takes to make a good deep cycle battery is somewhat contradictory to the make up of a good high amp starting battery. It is like looking for a plump thin blond brunette, kinda short tall scantily prudishly dressed for swiming-going to a formal affair or setting the room thermostat to both ends of the scale at the same time.
The traits required of a battery used to crank a stationary standby generator are significantly different from those of an off-road vehicle.
Oh by the way... I attribute my recent plastic upper radiator tank failure and batery failure to a fast bouncy trip across my property, off-road. Went for 7 yr waranty batt (3 yr no cost exchange) from Wally World. Seemed like a good deal for the $ but only time will tell.
Pat
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Re: Generac home standby generators
Hope that wasn't from my "tour" [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]