On Sun, 16 Jul 2017 19:39:52 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:


Next genset you buy..get a 1800 RPM genny. They last forever and can
be had really....really cheaply on Ebay, government auctions and so
forth. And get a diesel one.

No diesel for me. Too much fuel maintenance plus diesel engine parts
are expensive. Plus I can't stand the odor of diesel exhaust.

Propane is the way to go for emergency standby. Propane is
maintenance free. Plus one can get it delivered much more easily here
in the South where oil heat is very uncommon.

I have a 500 gallon propane tank that is about to be converted to
underground since some bullet dings have appeared in my above-ground
tank.

My current generator consumes 1/4 gallon/hr at half load. So I can
run 2000 hours or 83 days continuously. In an extended outage, I only
run the genset about half of each day. Enough to keep the
refrigeration cold and to charge my whole-house UPS.

I have my house divided into "vital bus" and "balance of plant" loads,
to use nuclear terminology. Vital bus include lighting, refrigeration
and the computers. My UPS will run the Vital Bus for 24 hours. The
battery bank charges in about 5 hours during the time the genset is
running.

If I had a diesel genset, I'd have to worry about water collection,
fungus growth, waxing and so on. I get my fuel in the spring when
prices are lowest. If I bought diesel then, I'd get high paraffin
summer fuel which would require an anti-waxing additive to protect it
during winter months. Propane is fill-it-and-forget-it.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address