Emergency Generator

[rogerrice60]

Our first year here.
Thinking of purchasing a Generac Generator.
Any suggestions or comments on need; ( normal duration) of outages due to storms.
Any special requirements from TV other than building permit?

[Bill14564]

Our first year here.
Thinking of purchasing a Generac Generator.
Any suggestions or comments on need; ( normal duration) of outages due to storms.
Any special requirements from TV other than building permit?

Two other threads about power and generators currently active.

Personal experience is two years with one outage of two hours and a rare blip. Others are reporting nothing more than a few hours during hurricane Irma. We won't be buying a generator.

[retiredguy123]

There must be at least 5 feet of clearance from windows and doors. That can make it difficult if you have a villa.

[villagetinker]

A lot depends on where you are located in The Villages, the area serviced by SECO seems to have a very low outage rate. This is where we are located and I can count the outages in the last9 years on one hand and the outages exceeding 1hour on 1 finger. I see no need for an emergency generator, however if you decide you need one, I would suggest a small inverter based unit (1.5 to 2 kw) located outaide away from windoes with a suitable way to get temporary cords to the equipment that needs to be operated.

[photo1902]

Our first year here.
Thinking of purchasing a Generac Generator.
Any suggestions or comments on need; ( normal duration) of outages due to storms.
Any special requirements from TV other than building permit?

This is very doable, in fact there are dozens installed. By and large, Trademark Electric out of Ocala seems to be the common company people use. There are plenty of locations where they can be installed, whether its a designer home or a villa. In fact a quick search found several villas where generators were installed in the last few years.

Trademark handled the ARC application.

[vintageogauge]

I bought a small Honda generator just for a a few fans and lights over 5 years ago and it's still in the box and that was before Irma. I figured that if power goes out too long, I'll just go for a ride to somewhere that has an open restaurant or bar and hangout there until they toss me out and then go for another ride if needed. Just have to remember to keep the cars full of fuel.

[photo1902]

Some people (my neighbor) had one installed for medical reasons.

[Papa_lecki]

Probably need ARC approval since its outside.

[photo1902]

Probably need ARC approval since its outside.

Yes, in addition to a building permit.

[JeanC]

FYI: in a previous home, we had a While house generac installed in southern louisiana. The cost was 10 grand 7 years ago. It was rarely used but did give us peace of mind. We did live rural and our power would go out on a sunny day for no reason any time of the year. We’ve lived here now for two years and have never lost power yet. We don’t even own a portable generator here.

[Miss B GA]

Been here over five years and never lost power more than a few minutes. During Irma (Cat 1 hurricane), a few hours. Unless you have a medical need that requires power 24/7, save your money and pass on the generator.

[NoMo50]

Agree that loss of power is a rarity here. Our provider is Duke Energy, and we have never lost power for more than a few minutes, and even that has happened only two or three times. Could it happen? Sure...but history shows this is a very uncommon thing.

For the cost of a whole house generator, you could sock away an emergency fund that would cover a whole lot of nights in a hotel, and even cover the cost of replacing everything in your fridge/freezer. In my view, an unnecessary expenditure.

[eeroger]

Just got a price from a neighbor who put in a Generac - approx $9k! Not worth the price unless you have some Medical machine that requires constant power. Portable generator works just fine for us.

[Altavia]

The probably of a long outage is small.

They stage the emergency power restoration crews here near Coleman.

[banjobob]

Save your money , not a necessity this far north in Florida .Bad Hurricanes are mostly farther south.

[B-flat]

A neighbor recently got a quote for a Generac cost $13,000 they decided againist it. I recently bought a portable dual fuel inverter( runs on gas or propane) for outages. With it we can keep the refrigerator going and charge our electronics.

[Shapdaddy]

Installed a 22kw General a few years ago with automatic transfer. Other than weekly testing it has only come on twice for a short duration. I lived through Superstorm Sandy in NJ and installed one after the storm hit. I had a 1,000 gallon propane tank for my heating source
If it never comes on again it will be the best insurance policy I ever purchased

[scottid]

Blackouts and brown outs are likely to occur more frequently now that many coal powered plants and nuclear plants have been closed in the past year due to Biden green energy policies. A duel fuel portable backup generator such as th Westinghouse WGen9500DF makes more sense at a $999 at Sams Club running at 9500W on gas and 8500W on propane. That is enough to power refrigerators, electronics and fans as well as a heat pump if used judiciously in conjunction with a lockout switch.

[gator17]

I grew up in Central Florida and wouldn't be without a whole house generator! We have a Generac installed by Trademark Electric of Ocala and they take care of ALL permits. It's not just hurricanes you have to worry about, rare as they are in Central Florida, and it only takes one to make you a believer. I weathered Hurricane Katrina in a suburb of New Orleans that didn't flood but lost power. Made me a believer in whole generators! Here in the Village of Pine Hills power goes out a lot. Whether it's from blown transformers, heavy use during those 100 degree plus heat waves, or whatever, the whole house generator keeps us going.

[DAVES]

I bought a small Honda generator just for a a few fans and lights over 5 years ago and it's still in the box and that was before Irma. I figured that if power goes out too long, I'll just go for a ride to somewhere that has an open restaurant or bar and hangout there until they toss me out and then go for another ride if needed. Just have to remember to keep the cars full of fuel.

I've done some reading. I do not claim to be an expert. Far as a small generator, which is what I would consider, far as my reading, my concern would be the refrigerator. Our refrigerator and I suspect most others has electronic controls. They suggest an inverter type generator as it provides more stable power. A refrigerator has a capacitor staring motor so at start up the draw is far more than run current. The draw, again not tested or confirmed at start up is 2200 PLUS watts. The small Honda generator is rated at 2000 watts. I would test it and see if it will power your refrigerator. There is a generac inverter generator that is 2000 W inverter type getting good write ups. It is 499. I don't think it will power my refrigerator. The next one up is 3500 watts-probably what I would need and it is 1,000.

We did not live in Florida at the time. Hurricane Sandy we were without power for 5-6 days. It was an adventure. I have coleman lanterns they work quite well. In after a hurricane fat chance to find mantles. We do not have gas. How would you cook?
Barbeque? Yup, I have a Coleman stove. I think like a generator, carbon monoxide, should not be used indoors. Hurricane, winds, rain would also so an adventure.

[Bill14564]

I've done some reading. I do not claim to be an expert. Far as a small generator, which is what I would consider, far as my reading, my concern would be the refrigerator. Our refrigerator and I suspect most others has electronic controls. They suggest an inverter type generator as it provides more stable power. A refrigerator has a capacitor staring motor so at start up the draw is far more than run current. The draw, again not tested or confirmed at start up is 2200 PLUS watts. The small Honda generator is rated at 2000 watts. I would test it and see if it will power your refrigerator. There is a generac inverter generator that is 2000 W inverter type getting good write ups. It is 499. I don't think it will power my refrigerator. The next one up is 3500 watts-probably what I would need and it is 1,000.

We did not live in Florida at the time. Hurricane Sandy we were without power for 5-6 days. It was an adventure. I have coleman lanterns they work quite well. In after a hurricane fat chance to find mantles. We do not have gas. How would you cook?
Barbeque? Yup, I have a Coleman stove. I think like a generator, carbon monoxide, should not be used indoors. Hurricane, winds, rain would also so an adventure.

Your refrigerator is probably on a 20A breaker which at 110V provides about 2200W. It is quite possible that the small generators are in the 2000W to 2200W range in order to match this single circuit in the house.

As I've posted before, a 3500W generator can/will/HAS run three refrigerators and a freezer with power left over for lights, internet, and television. (Yes, if they all tried to start at the same time it *might* have tripped a breaker. That didn't happen)

[larrycrilley@gmail.com]

Our first year here.
Thinking of purchasing a Generac Generator.
Any suggestions or comments on need; ( normal duration) of outages due to storms.
Any special requirements from TV other than building permit?

I was part of the Hurricane Sandy Emergency Management Process in the NYC area in 2012. One of the biggest issues was the availability of fuel. Since the electricity was out gas stations and wholesalers had no way to power their fuel pumps to meet the demand. Many folks who were prepared with diesel or gasoline powered generators ran out of fuel and were unable to acquire more thus putting customers in the dark. Some folks were guaranteed emergency fuel delivery by the company who sold them the generator and those companies were unable to fulfill that guarantee.

The folks who were able to fully able to use their emergency generators, uninterrupted, were those who were natural customers. Since natural gas is delivered directly to the generator by buried pipeline there were few to no problems keeping the lights on. The supply of natural gas is pretty much unlimited. The after action review recommendation is the most reliable fuel for home (or commercial) generators is natural gas if it is available to the users home. And that is what I will use if and when I decide to install backup generation.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

[worahm]

The engines used on most emergency generators are designed for a life expectancy of approximately 950 hours. Most emergency generators are required to run for up to 30 minutes every week to maintain reliability. A total of 240 hours in ten years. That means the real life expectancy of an emergency generator is less then approximately 700 hours to handle power outrages during a ten year period. Along with significant initial installation cost, the cost of required annual maintenance, propane, routine oil changes, engine valve clearance adjustments, electronic equipment failure, you can count on significant maintenance cost while you wait for the next power outage. Other then having an emergency generator to run electrical equipment for health reasons, there is in MHO, little reason to have an emergency generator in North Central Florida.

[retiredguy123]

I don't think a generator is worth the cost. In six years, the only outage I have had that lasted more than 2 hours was one 15-hour outage. My plan for a longer outage is to go to a hotel. Also, your HVAC system is more likely to fail than your electricity.

[defrey12]

Save your money , not a necessity this far north in Florida .Bad Hurricanes are mostly farther south.

Sorry to contradict, but “never say never.” We moved here from Jacksonville, Fl…arguably much further north than TV and lost power for 3 days in Matthew and 2 days in IRMA. So the North-South argument falls flat. The “more inland” argument might hold—hurricanes lose energy over land. The reason for fewer outages here is that 95% of the power lines are buried. Did we get rid of our generator? Not on your life…and the portable AC is still taking up space in a closet. Try 4hrs, let alone 4days, without AC. Then you’ll wish you had bought that $400 generator when you could—because they WILL be hard to come by when Jim Cantore starts spouting the worst. For about $600 (AC & Gen) we KNOW we’ll be able to sleep, and our groceries will be safe, when the wind starts to blow…

[defrey12]

I don't think a generator is worth the cost. In six years, the only outage I have had that lasted more than 2 hours was one 15-hour outage. My plan for a longer outage is to go to a hotel. Also, your HVAC system is more likely to fail than your electricity.

Hotel? Ha! Nice thought…you and everyone else.

[DaleDivine]

Blackouts and brown outs are likely to occur more frequently now that many coal powered plants and nuclear plants have been closed in the past year due to Biden green energy policies. A duel fuel portable backup generator such as th Westinghouse WGen9500DF makes more sense at a $999 at Sams Club running at 9500W on gas and 8500W on propane. That is enough to power refrigerators, electronics and fans as well as a heat pump if used judiciously in conjunction with a lockout switch.

May be getting more blackouts when everyone starts their chargers up for their electric cars. We've been here fulltime in Charlotte with SECO and our power has never been out for more than 10 minutes. Even when Irma went over us no outage. Knock on wood...

:pray::bowdown::pray::bowdown::pray:

[rogerrice60]

Agree that loss of power is a rarity here. Our provider is Duke Energy, and we have never lost power for more than a few minutes, and even that has happened only two or three times. Could it happen? Sure...but history shows this is a very uncommon thing.

For the cost of a whole house generator, you could sock away an emergency fund that would cover a whole lot of nights in a hotel, and even cover the cost of replacing everything in your fridge/freezer. In my view, an unnecessary expenditure.


Excellent advice;
Thanks...

[rogerrice60]

A lot depends on where you are located in The Villages, the area serviced by SECO seems to have a very low outage rate. This is where we are located and I can count the outages in the last9 years on one hand and the outages exceeding 1hour on 1 finger. I see no need for an emergency generator, however if you decide you need one, I would suggest a small inverter based unit (1.5 to 2 kw) located outaide away from windoes with a suitable way to get temporary cords to the equipment that needs to be operated.

Thanks for your comments.

[rjm1cc]

Loss of power should be minimal and of short duration but I had a stretch of about 5 days. The long term problem will be from a hurricane that takes down a lot of trees and in the process electric wires. Then you have to wait your turn to have your line replaced.
I have a Generac. TradeMark installed. You will also have to arrange for the gas hock up. Trademark will coordinate for you. Once a year you will have maintenance. It will run once a week for 5 minutes. You will also have battery replacement, changing oil etc. Cost was about 10,000 a number of years ago.

[scottid]

Our neighbor just paid $19,000 for a General installed with a propane tank.