Whole house Generators

[rjm1cc]

Interested in your experience. Please include years you have had the generator, brand, reliability etc. Looking for which brands to consider buying and which to avoid.

[SKIMAN]

check out,central maine diesel generator for models an ideas

[Madelaine Amee]

Interested in your experience. Please include years you have had the generator, brand, reliability etc. Looking for which brands to consider buying and which to avoid.

I have never needed a generator until this last storm - my neighbor shared his with my refrigerator:smiley:! However, my son lives and runs a business out of one of the new affluent "villages" springing up in the suburbs in Northern NH and he loses power continually. He tells me there is a new generator on the market, two in fact, they are whisper quiet and can be lifted with one hand. BUT, they are expensive, I believe he quoted me in the $4,000 range. If you are interested I will ask him for details or you could google it. I do remember he said Kohler makes one of the new whisper quiet models.

[OldManTime]

keep in mind the amount of fuel that needs to be stored, for months, even years.

[village dreamer]

if you want to do your house ac , you need a big gen. normally nat, gas, if just a few things,lights, frig , tv, you can buy a gasoline gen. but you have to store 20 gal. of gas. and run out to get more. about 6 gal every 12 hrs to run a gasoline gen.

[dnobles]

My friend lives in Jacksonville She bought one and her neighbor turned her in because it had to run every week. The noise bothered the neighbor and my friend could never run it. Double check before you spend the money to make sure it's not an issue here. I don't know I'm just throwing this out to you. You know if people complain about a bird!

[justjim]

Unless you have a "health condition", I personally wouldn't even consider one. We have very reliable electricity in The Villages. Just my opinion but to each his own. You might get a recommendation from SECO?

[villagetinker]

I think the small very quiet generators are the HONDA inverter based units, back up north I rented one and it was so quite, you could have a normal conversation next to it while it was running, and yes they are easily twice as expensive as a similar rated traditional generator.
Next, small portable generators are NOT meant for extended run times, they do not nave oil filters, etc, and have specific requirements for maintenance. Also, back up north, I burnt out one of these, on the gasoline engine side, apparently an intact valve failed.
Generac (trade name) and similar outdoor pad mounted generators are designed for extended run times, electric start, automatic operation, etc, these are being advertised on TV for a 7 kw unit starting at just under $2000, note this does not include installation, the transfer switch, etc., figure at least twice that price.
As note previously, you need to consider fuel, gasoline does not store well for months on end, propane is probably a much better choice, but much more costly.
Finally, I agree with many of the comments, if you want to protect you food supply, be able to charge your phones, turn on a couple of lights, and maybe a TV, you can get by with a smaller unit 3kw(?), and cycle it to keep your food cold.

[CFrance]

My friend lives in Jacksonville She bought one and her neighbor turned her in because it had to run every week. The noise bothered the neighbor and my friend could never run it. Double check before you spend the money to make sure it's not an issue here. I don't know I'm just throwing this out to you. You know if people complain about a bird!
Ha ha, I remember that! Mockingbirds making too much noise at night.:swear:

I wonder how many hours per week your friend had to run her generator.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I think the small very quiet generators are the HONDA inverter based units, back up north I rented one and it was so quite, you could have a normal conversation next to it while it was running, and yes they are easily twice as expensive as a similar rated traditional generator.
Next, small portable generators are NOT meant for extended run times, they do not nave oil filters, etc, and have specific requirements for maintenance. Also, back up north, I burnt out one of these, on the gasoline engine side, apparently an intact valve failed.
Generac (trade name) and similar outdoor pad mounted generators are designed for extended run times, electric start, automatic operation, etc, these are being advertised on TV for a 7 kw unit starting at just under $2000, note this does not include installation, the transfer switch, etc., figure at least twice that price.
As note previously, you need to consider fuel, gasoline does not store well for months on end, propane is probably a much better choice, but much more costly.
Finally, I agree with many of the comments, if you want to protect you food supply, be able to charge your phones, turn on a couple of lights, and maybe a TV, you can get by with a smaller unit 3kw(?), and cycle it to keep your food cold.

There's a gasoline additive that will extend the shelf life of gasoline. Sorry, I don't recall the name.

The other thing is that we usually get a week or more notice before a major hurricane is coming this way. Usually, there's no problem getting gas until one or two days before.

[dewilson58]

Not a whole house generator comment, but here's a different route.

Up North I had a 5000w generator. Used it five times over a 15 year period. If I did not use it for six months, I would fire it up and let it run for five minutes. Regarding gas, had three five gallon gas cans and would rotate them with my mower so the gas was reasonable fresh. Changed the oil only five times in 15 years (I know, I know......bad boy). Never had any issues and did the job for me for short-term outages.

Now in Florida, same thing except I don't mow.......so I give my gas to the lawn service every six months and purchase new.

I'm probably not drawing within the lines.

[Challenger]

We all have autos. Is there some way we can draw down power (interface) from the car. I know we can recharge telephones etc this way.
What about more electric "thirsty" devices?

[saratogaman]

Had one up north...lived in a rural area with above-ground wiring and frequent outages. It was a Generac and covered all but the AC. It ran itself once a week for about 5 minutes -- 'exercising' they called it -- to keep all things lubricated. Ours ran on LP (can run on natural gas). Since we had a well, power was essential. It ran well, just changed oil & filter once a year (DIY). Didn't bother with one here...so far...because of underground wiring.

[rjm1cc]

My friend lives in Jacksonville She bought one and her neighbor turned her in because it had to run every week. The noise bothered the neighbor and my friend could never run it. Double check before you spend the money to make sure it's not an issue here. I don't know I'm just throwing this out to you. You know if people complain about a bird!

Good point. Their are noise rules and they do make a little noise.

[golf2140]

The power is not out long enough to justify the purchase.

[Opmoochler]

Ha ha, I remember that! Mockingbirds making too much noise at night.:swear:

I wonder how many hours per week your friend had to run her generator.

Our Annapolis MD Generac propane- fueled whole house generator used to run for 10 minutes every Wed at 11:00am to check all systems. After losing power one winter for 2 frigid days due to ice and also frequently losing power in 100degree heat, we decided to invest in a generator that would keep the furnace or AC running along with the lights, well pump and sump pump. What peace of mind it afforded us each time the power went out and the generator kicked on effortlessly!

[jchase]

But, can we have one of the big generators here in the Villages?

[tuccillo]

Just a few thoughts: check your deed restrictions (online at districtgov.org) and since it would be a permanent structure you may need to go through Architectural Review. Depending on where you live, you may need to bury a propane tank. If you are serious, I would start by making a few phone calls to your CDD.


But, can we have one of the big generators here in the Villages?