In Home Generator all hooked up and Ready for use need be

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

It took two full days to set up with the two propane tanks..... They did a trial run yesterday to make sure it was working .... switched off the electric power and the Generac generator immediately switched on.... no delay.... all lights... TV,... wifi... refrigerators...etc. working like power never went off. We have enough propane to run 24 hours a day for 8 days straight before needing to refill the tanks. That should be more than enough unless we have a real disaster. It really is not that loud at all. Much quieter than a lawn mower.

I did this for peace of mind. We are not getting younger and to have not power in the winter time with the cold temps etc is not getting easier. All of our wind storms happen in the winter with the cold temps.... I hate having NOTHING.... and to just have some creature comforts will be such a blessing when the next wind storm hits the coast. Wifi and computer will be really nice.

I can also make coffee, and cook. My neighbors will wonder why we have lights and they do not.

wishmoon · ‎08-14-2013

You'll really appreciate your generator, I have a Generac all house one and love it. We have "Hooterville Electric Co" and it goes out often in the winter. With the generator, it immediately clicks on and I don't even have to reset the satellite. Enjoy not waiting for the heat to come back on!

millieshops · ‎03-09-2010

@SeaMaidenHaving lived through both a week of southern Florida with no A/C but also a week of Long Island winter with no heat, I'd say you were wise. For me the winter week was sheer h-ll - the hurricane week in FL was uncomfortable but easier. In both cases being prepared and healthy at the start of the storms definitely were assets.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

We are seriously thinking about installing one of these. We would get the natural gas option. We should always have natural gas. May be hard at times to refill the propane if there was some type of disaster going on. We have never had an issue getting our natural gas. When our electric went out we still had hot water so we could shower.

We have room to install a slab to put it on top of right next to our AC unit outside. The natural gas line is just around the corner so should be an easy setup.

I would also like some solar panels.

mimomof4 · ‎03-08-2018

Congratulations to you for investing in the generator.

Hopefully you won't have to use it but its great peace of mind to know its there. We have been saying for years that we eventually need to upgrade to a whole home generator.

Catiele · ‎08-20-2012

You will love it. Your lights will flicker and on it comes. We were old enough to say we need this. It was our gift to each other.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

We have had a gasoline generator large enough to power our whole house for years now, and it is a comfort to know you can have power in a longer outage (we don't bother if the outage is only a few hours).

I have a couple of questions for you.

Is there an override function, so you can cycle it off and on, if you want to conserve your propane and not let it run continuously? That would be a big deal for me, as we can live for hours without power, and cycling saves a ton of money/fuel.

What size (in gallons) are your propane tanks, and why two?

I'd love to get a standby generator some day. We currently don't have propane (just a tiny tank for the stove), and they 'punish' you something awful in fees every year if you don't buy so many gallons, plus rent for the tank. So because of all that, we have never had one installed (no natural gas lines in this area, and no other need for propane, as we don't even have a furnace, but all electric).

@SeaMaiden

Bri369 · ‎11-03-2018

We have one but it's hooked into the natural gas line. We actually had it moved to our new home.

I believe it can be cycled on and off. We've never had to do that. The longest it ran is 4 straight days.

It's a big expense, but well worth it.

Drythe · ‎07-09-2011

@SeaMaiden

Happy for you!

We have had one for a while, it still amazes me when it silently slides right into place.

Hope you enjoy it.

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@Mominohio wrote:
We have had a gasoline generator large enough to power our whole house for years now, and it is a comfort to know you can have power in a longer outage (we don't bother if the outage is only a few hours).

I have a couple of questions for you.

Is there an override function, so you can cycle it off and on, if you want to conserve your propane and not let it run continuously? That would be a big deal for me, as we can live for hours without power, and cycling saves a ton of money/fuel.

What size (in gallons) are your propane tanks, and why two?

I'd love to get a standby generator some day. We currently don't have propane (just a tiny tank for the stove), and they 'punish' you something awful in fees every year if you don't buy so many gallons, plus rent for the tank. So because of all that, we have never had one installed (no natural gas lines in this area, and no other need for propane, as we don't even have a furnace, but all electric).

@SeaMaiden

@Mominohio We are all electric. We opted for Two120 gallon propane tanks. The next size up was a 500 gallon tank....too big and that would have to be buried....not an option for us!

Yes, the generator cycles up and down the power automatically as needed. We will always leave it on so freezer and fridge remain cold.... but like at night,bedtime, we would not have a lot of lights etc on so we would not be using much energy.