Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   Contractors and Services (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/)
-   -   Electrician to install portable generator transfer switch (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/electrician-install-portable-generator-transfer-switch-246524/)

autumnspring 12-27-2017 09:16 AM
Interesting
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbussone (Post 1495732)
It was $8K for a 22KW generator installation, including the transfer switch. Mine was complicated by the fact that we don’t have natural gas south of 466A in TV. So...I bought a generator that was convertible to propane and buried a 250 gallon propane tank in my yard.

A side benefit is that I can also use the propane to fuel a gas stove - which we prefer over electric.


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Like everything else there will be difference of opinion. We have an all electric home and like you would need to install a propane tank. Your listed 8K price does not include what it would cost to install a propane tank. I'm sure you would need to pull permits. I expect an above ground tank is illegal.

Dan9871 12-27-2017 09:21 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbussone (Post 1495739)
And you are assuming they run on gasoline. Mine runs off a very large propane tank buried under ground; others run on natural gas.


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We had a generac before we moved to The Villages. It ran on propane, with a 100 gallon tank. We had a number of storms that left the generator running full time for 4 to 6 days straight without a refill. After the storm it was still about 1/3 full.

It hard to value the comfort of going through a multi-day power outage with a generator until you've done it....

Been there, done that with both gas and diesel generators before we had the Generac. They are a real pain to keep operational and keep running. Better than no generator though...

Dan9871 12-27-2017 09:40 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by suesiegel (Post 1495746)
Like everything else there will be difference of opinion. We have an all electric home and like you would need to install a propane tank. Your listed 8K price does not include what it would cost to install a propane tank. I'm sure you would need to pull permits. I expect an above ground tank is illegal.
Don't knowFL but about but above ground was legal in MA. With all the farm land in FL it seems like they would legal here too.

The tank is inexpensive if you get a propane contract from a dealer. They actually track power outages and know when to refill your tank just like an oil dealer watches degree days and knows when to refill you oil tank.

You do need permits but it's no big deal the generator installers have that all figured out.

Running an AC, probably the biggest thing in FL, is no problem even for a smaller generator. Winter here is so mild that I doubt you would need a very large generator for emergency heat which you could leave off the generator.

An electric stove is a real problem that could push you into 22KW or greater but you can always leave that off the generator. It's pretty easy to go through even a week long outage without the electric stove. A microwave and toaster oven can easily fill in.

So, at least at first glance, 8K seems like a reasonable estimate for an all electric home in Florida.

Actually when we had our generac in MA the thing that pushed the generator as big as it was (14KW) was our oil furnace, not our AC or well pump. An oil furnace has a big startup current and the 14KW was the smallest Generac that could handle it. Otherwise we could have had a smaller one.

dbussone 12-27-2017 09:49 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by suesiegel (Post 1495746)
Like everything else there will be difference of opinion. We have an all electric home and like you would need to install a propane tank. Your listed 8K price does not include what it would cost to install a propane tank. I'm sure you would need to pull permits. I expect an above ground tank is illegal.


Correct. The tank must be buried. You have a choice of leasing or owning the tank. I bought mine. Propane is currently about $2.30 per gallon. There was a cost associated with running the piping to the generator, and an optional run for the gas stove we wanted.

All in, just over $10K. The installation of the generator and transfer switch required a permit. Another permit was required for the propane tank & piping, including a necessary pressure test to be certain there were no leaks.

If you were to live in a section of TV with piped natural gas (north of 466A, or in Fineey) the cost would be much closer to the $8k I noted earlier.


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dbussone 12-27-2017 10:02 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan9871 (Post 1495756)
Don't knowFL but about but above ground was legal in MA. With all the farm land in FL it seems like they would legal here too.



The tank is inexpensive if you get a propane contract from a dealer. They actually track power outages and know when to refill your tank just like an oil dealer watches degree days and knows when to refill you oil tank.



You do need permits but it's no big deal the generator installers have that all figured out.



Running an AC, probably the biggest thing in FL, is no problem even for a smaller generator. Winter here is so mild that I doubt you would need a very large generator for emergency heat which you could leave off the generator.



An electric stove is a real problem that could push you into 22KW or greater but you can always leave that off the generator. It's pretty easy to go through even a week long outage without the electric stove. A microwave and toaster oven can easily fill in.



So, at least at first glance, 8K seems like a reasonable estimate for an all electric home in Florida.



Actually when we had our generac in MA the thing that pushed the generator as big as it was (14KW) was our oil furnace, not our AC or well pump. An oil furnace has a big startup current and the 14KW was the smallest Generac that could handle it. Otherwise we could have had a smaller one.


Sumter County & The Villages require an underground tank in TV. I had a 17KW generator in NC. We have a 22KW generator here. It truly is sized to be a whole house generator. The size of the generator you need will be determined by the size of your home, what is powered in your home, and what you want to use when you lose power from the grid.

That is a simplification, but you can go to Generac’s website, feed all the information about all those things you want to power into a formula, and it will tell you what size generator you need.


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Dan9871 12-27-2017 12:53 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbussone (Post 1495762)
g the tank. I bought mine. Propane is currently about $2.30 per gallon.
When they buried your tank did they put in a concrete casket for it or was it put directly into the ground?

dbussone 12-27-2017 04:11 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan9871 (Post 1495895)
When they buried your tank did they put in a concrete casket for it or was it put directly into the ground?


Directly in the ground.


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Villagevip 12-27-2017 05:40 PM
House(area) out of power for awhile.. Throw out all the perishables, lock up the house... and go on a vacation cruise, or just a vacay....Prolly, cheaper in the long run...IMHO..

dbussone 12-27-2017 08:06 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Villagevip (Post 1495934)
House(area) out of power for awhile.. Throw out all the perishables, lock up the house... and go on a vacation cruise, or just a vacay....Prolly, cheaper in the long run...IMHO..


Except for the surge which occurs when the power comes back online and takes out a bunch of electronics.


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Villagevip 12-27-2017 08:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbussone (Post 1495991)
Except for the surge which occurs when the power comes back online and takes out a bunch of electronics.


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BestBuy, high quality surge protectors, bought a few, many years ago...:icon_bored:....

dbussone 12-27-2017 09:05 PM
Electrician to install portable generator transfer switch
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Villagevip (Post 1495996)
BestBuy, high quality surge protectors, bought a few, many years ago...:icon_bored:....


I have those also. And a surge protector on the main electrical box. Believe me, I’m well prepared. You do what you want, or not, and I’ll do what I think best.


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Villagevip 12-28-2017 12:12 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbussone (Post 1496006)
I have those also. And a surge protector on the main electrical box. Believe me, I’m well prepared. You do what you want, or not, and I’ll do what I think best.


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You got it!

Nucky 12-28-2017 05:46 AM
We have a neighbor who just had the entire system installed last week. Very impressed with the tank installation. There is not a trace that they were ever there digging to bury the tank. The generator itself is very quiet.

dbussone 12-31-2017 04:05 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Villagevip (Post 1496042)
You got it!


P.S. my comment was not intended as a wise crack. If you took it that way, I apologize.


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cb1972 01-02-2018 07:52 PM
in regards to the switch at the panel, consider having your electrician ( if Codes allow) install a simple " Interlock" device about 35 dollars. This is a simple device that blocks the main breaker and allows power to the panel from the generator. You can select the circuits you want and switch back and forth if needed . You will have to know the draw from specific circuits but it doesn't limit you to four or eight choices etc.


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