On Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:28:13 -0800 (PST), the renowned
" wrote:

On Nov 13, 2:57*pm, "Existential Angst" wrote:
Awl --

I was just informed of the existence of these, here's an example:http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect....andby-Generato...

$1700 (for 7 kW) doesn't seem too bad (altho 25 A x 240 V calcs out to 6
kW -- sigh).
They have a 17 kW for about $3500.

This seems like a really good idea, just for the lack of carburetor alone!
And of course the lack of stored gasoline....

Altho I (miraculously) escaped the wrath of this last early snow, 3 million
other people didn't, and overall I have (had) disconcertingly frequent power
problems, and should proly prepare.
As of a day or two ago, over 100,000 are STILL without power, mostly in CT.

Any comments, experiences generator-wise? *Comments on this particular
brand, other brands?
Generac seems to have some good SEO people on board, judging from search
results. *
--
EA

I have a neighbor that had a Generac automatic generator
that ran on natural gas. He paid $7K for it about 5 years ago.
It failed after 4 hours of use during the recent hurricane.
Company that installed it told him it's not worth fixing and
he bought a new one.

My two cents is this. The automatic transfer generators
add compexity and more sources of failure as well as
cost. For under $1000 you can buy a portable generator,
an interlockit kit for your main panel, and an inlet to connect
the generator, as well as a natural gas conversion kit. Some
kits are permanent, others allow selecting between nat
gas, propane, or gasoline.

IMO the automatic systems make sense if there isn't
going to be someone there to connect the generator and
start it up. Otherwise a portable that you can connect
when needed as well as have for other possible portable
uses and which costs a lot less could be a better choice.

And in my recommended solution, if the generator is
trashed, you can buy a whole new one for $600 or so.

At $1,250, something like this would appeal to me if I lived in an
area with unreliable power:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...od2450243#desc

It doesn't include a transfer switch, though. There are some systems
(such as the furnace and gas water heater electrics) that you'd want
powered in a long blackout.



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
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