Generator question

[jeffmb]

Since hurricane season is upon us I finally broke down and bought my first generator. In order to stretch fuel I would try to only run it enough to keep food in fridge and freezer(one unit) from spoiling. Would 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before bed be enough to do it?

 

[coach]

Since there is a good chance you'll be opening it during the day I would think you may want to run it more often or even whenever you open it. A thermometer would give you a good idea.

 

[DGW1949]

Since hurricane season is upon us I finally broke down and bought my first generator. In order to stretch fuel I would try to only run it enough to keep food in fridge and freezer(one unit) from spoiling. Would 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before bed be enough to do it?

Hard to say really...Depends on how cold they are to start with, how tightly the doors seal and how many times you open them.
What I'm saying is that to get the best long-term results, turn both up to their highest settings a couple of days ahead of time, don't open the freezer unless you absolutely have to, and give some consideration to using a GOOD ice chest for regularly used refrigerated items like milk, butter, lunch meat and stuff.

Another thing I've learned to do is eat-up all the ice cream ahead of time. Besides being a good excuse to eat all I want, it also frees up space which could be better utilized for more important items. Same goes for frozen pies and/or other types of perishable junk food too...or anything else which takes up a lot of space yet gives limited returns in terms of helping you get though a SHTF situation.
New circumstances call for new thinking, that's what I'm getting at here.

Hope this helped.

DGW...who's been through extended power outages many times.

 

[gramps]

How many KW is your generator, and how big is your engine in hp? That also will have an impact on how much fuel you use. The manual should give you an idea of how much fuel it will use per hour under load.
gramps

 

[y2k-fxst]

If your freezer is not completely full, fill some milk jugs with water and freeze them before hand. The extra mass will slow the raise in temperature. Plus if drinking water is in short supply you can take it out one at a time and let it thaw for drinking water. Definitely limit the amount of times you open your refrigerator and freezer during the day. I would think a better plan is to run the generator 1 hour 4 times per day and limit access to both only while the generator is running, that way you don't have to worry as much about temperature shifts. Don't forget to stockpile gas also, with power out the gas pumps at the corner station will not be running either! I keep my generator full, 5 gallons, and keep another 10 gallons on hand at all times. Also don't forget to use fuel stabilizer in all the gas you have on hand, and avoid anything with alcohol in it. I change out my gas every 6 months by pouring it into vehicles and refilling everything including the generator itself. If you can't get non-alcohol gas I'd change it every month, that stuff is crap when it comes out of the pump and gets worse quickly!

Make sure you are familiar with your generator prior to needing it! Also, unless you are running individual extension cords to each appliance. Invest in a transfer switch, some Mickey Mouse generator connection can back feed into the mains. Don't want to fry the guy that is trying to get your power back!

Also if your generator has electric start, keep your battery charged at all time. I use a battery tender on mine. Also not sure if all are the same but, mine is a total loss starting system, meaning the generator does not have a way to recharge the battery. If you are going to be starting the generator multiple time wouldn't hurt to hook a battery charger to it to keep the starting battery charged. I used the manual pull start on mine once out of curiosity, I could pull start the 7 hp motor, don't think my wife could!

 

[JCW64]

2-3 hrs morning and evening should get you by. For Hurricanes Katrina and Gustave that is about all I ran mine. the key is you don't know how long power will be off. Both storms we were told it could be 2-3 weeks but actually both times were around 5-7 days.
We always assume we will go ahead and eat the frozen food in the freezer during this time as it defrosted. We don't open it up for the first couple of days and it will keep for that long. Another trick is to freeze 2-3 gallons of water and that helps keeps things cool longer.
We have natural gas in the kitchen which helps in the kitchen but we prefer to keep charcoal handy and cook on the pit to keep heat out of the house.
Bottom line it depends how much gasoline you have to use. I like to be conservative and not run the generator too much, just enough to keep the food cool. We would also watched tv during that time to keep up with news.

 

[jeffmb]

2-3 hrs morning and evening should get you by.

That's what I hoped. I figure run it in the morning, that way we can open it for breakfast stuff and it will get back down to temperature before shutting gen off. Then 2 hours or so in the evening for dinner and some entertainment (tv or internet if available). Now I need to figure out how to run it in the rain and how to make it quieter. It's 7,000/8250 watts and appears to be a bit noisier than I anticipated.

 

[JFB]

...Another trick is to freeze 2-3 gallons of water and that helps keeps things cool longer...

I have a couple gallon juice bottles with VERY salty water such that it is mushy frozen in the freezer section, that I could move down to the frig section. also I have two half gallons of oil in the frig section that turn waxy with frig setting, (thermal phase transition storage)

something that might make a differacne is that new energy effecient frigs are design to run longer and not cycle as much. I ran into this disusssion with manufacture due to new frig can't be set as cold as older models

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Buy a thermometer and put in it. That will tell you the temp when you open the door when you get your stuff out.
Learn to live with the noise, at least you have cold food. :wink:

 

[jeffmb]

Buy a thermometer and put in it. That will tell you the temp when you open the door when you get your stuff out.
Learn to live with the noise, at least you have cold food. :wink:

It's the neighbors that worry me with the noise.

 

[RalphS]

I live in South Florida and have had a generator for 25 years and used it once during Wilma. We didn't lose power during Andrew or Irma. We had a transfer switch installed so it's easy to switch between the different circuits -

Run it first thing in the morning connected to the hot water tank to heat up the water for showers. We have an electric tank.
Run it during breakfast, lunch and dinner to allow for coffee machine, microwave, small oven, hot plate etc and to run the fridge.
Run it in the evening for lights and to let the fridge get really cold.
Shut it off at night. Keep the fridge door closed.

If you run it all day long, you'll burn alot of gas, plus the noise will drive you crazy. They are all noisy, unless you buy a Honda. I can run 10-14 days on 40 gallons of gas.

 

[jeffmb]

I live in South Florida and have had a generator for 25 years and used it once during Wilma. We didn't lose power during Andrew or Irma. We had a transfer switch installed so it's easy to switch between the different circuits -

Run it first thing in the morning connected to the hot water tank to heat up the water for showers. We have an electric tank.
Run it during breakfast, lunch and dinner to allow for coffee machine, microwave, small oven, hot plate etc and to run the fridge.
Run it in the evening for lights and to let the fridge get really cold.
Shut it off at night. Keep the fridge door closed.

If you run it all day long, you'll burn alot of gas, plus the noise will drive you crazy. They are all noisy, unless you buy a Honda. I can run 10-14 days on 40 gallons of gas.

So run it 4 times a day for 2 hours at a time?

 

[DGW1949]

Do not run a portable generator in the rain. Also note that to be completely safe, you'll need a chassis ground with it's own earth-rod.
Also be aware that most manufactures require the first oil change be done relatively quick. Mine said @ 10 Hrs. There's also recommended oil changes as time goes on, likely about every 50 hours, so keep up with them so ya don't get caught with your pants down, so to speak.

In other words, don't neglect the manual, memorize it....be good to your equipment and it'll be good to you.

DGW

 

[Mobuck]

"Would 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before bed be enough to do it?"

If your fridge/freezer is one of the newer "efficiency" units, I vote NO. The last time we had a long term outage, Mom had a brand new fridge. We found our 25 year old unit could get by on 2-3 hours twice a day but hers had to run twice that 3 times a day. That's how those units save electricity-running a tiny compressor longer. My plan is to run the generators 4 hours at least 3 times per day in warm weather.

 

[jeffmb]

How about exhaust? I'd like to place it on a covered patio that extends for 6 feet from the house. This would provide some shelter from the elements. Would fumes get in through the vented soffits 9 feet off the ground?

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

Since hurricane season is upon us I finally broke down and bought my first generator. In order to stretch fuel I would try to only run it enough to keep food in fridge and freezer(one unit) from spoiling. Would 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before bed be enough to do it?

Jeffmb,
No. that won't work! keep the doors closed. Take out a steak or two, put them on the grill, and
feed the family. Leave your freezer, and fridge closed. We had a power loss back in
Oh, god knows when, and left the doors closed and kept everything cool.
Keep the generator running at least three hours a day AM and PM.
Blackie

 

[glodell]

I haven't done this yet ,but I intend to use my generator to charge a bank of 10 12volt car batteries with a inverter to run my backup power.Not much different than a ups for a computer just bigger.Generator comes on to charge batteries as needed.Now I only have to find some car batteries I can afford at ten a time.
Hey,this is the first time I've sumbitted a reply,hope I did it right.

 

[RSIno1]

I haven't done this yet ,but I intend to use my generator to charge a bank of 10 12volt car batteries with a inverter to run my backup power.Not much different than a ups for a computer just bigger.Generator comes on to charge batteries as needed.Now I only have to find some car batteries I can afford at ten a time.
Hey,this is the first time I've sumbitted a reply,hope I did it right.

Look into 6V Trojan golf cart batteries. Normal car batteries won't last long you need deep cycle. In a little while Tesla will have a whole house battery system that makes sense. Today you sell your solar power to the utility during the day when you are at work and buy it back from them when you are at home. Tesla will use solar to charge a battery pack during the day and you use it at night when you are home - no utility involved. https://www.tesla.com/powerwall

 

[blume357]

That is what I hate with most generators... the noise and for the life of me I can't figure out why they have to be so loud other than it's just cheaper... think about your car... most cars while idling you can't even hardly hear... even when racing the engine they don't make that much noise.... why can't you have the same on a generator?

I keep a couple gallons of water frozen on our freezer.... just in case.

 

[RalphS]

So run it 4 times a day for 2 hours at a time?

That's what we do.

Also note that to be completely safe, you'll need a chassis ground with it's own earth-rod.

This is good advice. In my case, I use a transfer switch and the cable from my generator to the switch has a ground wire so the generator is grounded. Otherwise, I would get a ground rod and pound it into the ground near where the generator would be running and ground it that way.

Do not run a portable generator in the rain.

Also good advice but if it's grounded properly, it should be safe.

the noise and for the life of me I can't figure out why they have to be so loud other than it's just cheaper.

if you want quiet, buy a Honda.

How about exhaust? I'd like to place it on a covered patio that extends for 6 feet from the house. This would provide some shelter from the elements. Would fumes get in through the vented soffits 9 feet off the ground?

Put it as far away from the house as possible and with the exhaust going away from the house. The number one danger is getting carbon monoxide into your house. I put mine in front of the garage with the door closed and it's fine. I also cable lock it to my vehicle parked nearby so it won't get stolen while it's out there.

 

[Mobuck]

Why is the generator LOUD?
Well for one thing,it's usually a single cylinder engine often running at it's peak output. A multi-cylinder engine has the advantage of other cylinder(s) providing the umph to push the exhaust through an effective muffler and sucking air/fuel into the cylinder(s) while providing power. A single cylinder doesn't have these advantages doing all the work plus exhausting and sucking air/fuel with every cycle. A quieter exhaust would create even more work so the single cylinder would have to be bigger, heavier, less fuel efficient, and more expensive.

 

[BucolicBuffalo]

We got away from the portable units and the extension cords. Went with an automatic on unit run off natural gas. I can change the supply and flip a valve and be on propane in minutes. Automatic transfer switch and larger size. Insulated cover that will allow use in any weather. No worries of killing the family trying to run a generator in a garage. Or starting it on a morning when it's -6F and the wind blowing 30mph. Appliances do not struggle as much as they do with the not quite so perfect power supplied by smaller portables. Covered stationary units are just slightly quieter than most portables. But when the power is out and it's dead quiet in the middle of the night, any generator is going to be heard for blocks around. And if I am not home, it works. Especially important when you need the sump pump. Get one big enough to run everything including the A/C.

 

[jeffmb]

Do not run a portable generator in the rain.
DGW

I was wondering about this. My internet searches found many instances of people saying they run them in any kind of weather. In fact, my sister and bil have a honda inverter they run no matter what it's doing outside.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I live in South Florida and have had a generator for 25 years and used it once during Wilma. We didn't lose power during Andrew or Irma. We had a transfer switch installed so it's easy to switch between the different circuits -

Hi,

Years ago, a lot of folks around here were buying generators in anticipation of the big Y2K deal. The power company had constant PSAs on radio and TV advising people they had to notify the power company if they had a generator so that the company could double check the installation to prevent workers from getting zapped by an improper back feed into the grid by a non-isolated generator.

Dunno if that was a law at the time, though I've heard it may now be. Do your power companies in disaster prone areas do anything like this?

Rick C

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

Since hurricane season is upon us I finally broke down and bought my first generator. In order to stretch fuel I would try to only run it enough to keep food in fridge and freezer(one unit) from spoiling. Would 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before bed be enough to do it?

jeff,
We bought a 6000 Watt Briggs and Stratton, and ran it twice a day for about 2 hours, and it kept our
Fridge and freezer nice and chilly. I built a 6' by 6' shed to keep it in, and left it in there to run.
Ran service lines from the jenny to the floor in the dining room, and installed a plug on the wall
to run heavy duty extension cords to the freezer and fridge. When not running the fridge and freezer,
we had TV. Only broadcast but it was better than nothing.
And lights at night.
Blackie

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

Buy a thermometer and put in it. That will tell you the temp when you open the door when you get your stuff out.
Learn to live with the noise, at least you have cold food. :wink:

It's the neighbors that worry me with the noise.

jeff,
What, the neighbours don't have a jenny?
Blackie

 

[RalphS]

Do your power companies in disaster prone areas do anything like this?

I don't know about the power companies. An electrician can install a transfer switch. Some are automated and some are manual but they are designed to not allow generator power to backhaul into the grid.

The danger with backhauling power from the generator to grid and killing someone comes from people who connect their generators to their electric dryer outlet and then disconnect the power mains from the main feed. Sometimes they forget to disconnect from the main feed and let it backhaul. This is illegal but it's done.

Do not run a portable generator in the rain.

My generator is well grounded and I let it run in the rain without problems. To be safe, it has to be grounded.

 

[Daveboone]

no expert on generators, but...
I wouldn't have a gas operated machine in the house / porch. Gas: exhaust, both potentially pretty lethal, even the best running machine is a fire risk that isn't needed especially at the worse of times. My generator is in the garage, gets rolled out if needed BUT with a butt big cable lock on it to a immovable object. We also have a high end cooler, with a couple blocks of ice (allways present in the freezer), that would be my choice for loading with refrigerator perishables. the food will keep 5 days easy, if you don't go crazy opening it.

 

[Dan in MI]

I often wonder about the back feed scenario. (not recommending it or anything close just an "I wonder" question)

Let's say you do have your genny hooked up to the grid. Wouldn't all the local houses trying to draw off your 5k, 7k, even 10k genny completely kill it? I just see the genny getting destroyed in very short order trying to power four or five (or more) houses.

 

[JFB]

good point...like you state. in the event one hooks up generator to their house without seperating and backfeeds the nieghbor hood, the load could be great and trip out the generator breaker. I have the problem of limiting how much I can put on my little generator anyway

But there is that remote chance that the house cable to the street transformer is down and someone (utility worker) picks it up to reconnect.

just want to emphisize that a normal circuit breaker "switch" is NOT enough to prevent backfeed. they are design to seperate the normal direction of current flow and may not provide seperation with backfeed.