backup generator

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shaz said:
I have an old 5kw gas generator with the 230 plug connected to a circuit breaker. Power goes out, turn off the 200a main, crank the generator and turn on the breaker. Limited to 5kw but I can run lights and freezer.
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Silver pointed out that trick last winter and it works. You just gotta make sure you turn off that main. You can really get in alot of trouble.
Lee VanRoss said:
My question is, How many among the contributors to the subject matter in question have had losses approaching the cost of the
installation of a generator in the past 40 years? That is, with losses that can be directly attributed to the loss of electrical power?
I can appreciate the application with regard to an agricultural enterprise such as a dairy, pork or chicken operation but to invest an
amount disproportional to the amount of product at risk , should in my opinion, only be taken after careful economic consideration.
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Good point.
During the great Texas freeze the only thing we ran short on was coffee and whiskey. That won't happen again.
Probably 5 portable welders and as many small generators on the place.
The only thing I remember starting a generator for...was to make coffee.
Didn't have to do that it was just easier.
 
I have a small portable generator that will run well pump, refrigerator and a couple of lights. Have to swap out what I have plugged in. I have never lost a lot of stuff money wise to offset the cost of a full whole house generator but for comfort and security I am saving up for one. Last year 84 hours without power was a lot of refueling and swapping and I had to do it at my parents house also.
 
Watch the government auction sales and sites on the internet. They are always upgrading their systems and you can get a well maintained generator for pennies. Natural gas or propane is the best. If you have natural available, there is usually natural still available after a disaster. Propane has to be delivered like diesel. The auto transfer switch is expensive. The best generators are 4 pole that run only 1800 RPM. The big box store generators are 2 pole and run at 3600 rpm. They are loud and don't last very long... The old ONAN generators were the best ones made. I collected generators for many years. Just my 2 cents.
 
cfpinz said:
Same here. We have one in the shop about 200' from the house so we don't have to hear it, backfeeds the house from there.
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The little generator I have on the front porch is deafening at first. If I ever get another one, it will be a quieter Honda.

I would never use a pto driven generator on an older tractor. Many of the older ones didn't have a governor that can meet the demands for clean power in regards to cycles. The voltage regulators can compensate for voltage low/high to a far greater extent than can for cycles, by changing the excitation current but the prime mover's rpm (engine rpm) solely dictates what the cycles (hertz) is.

USA cycles is 60 Hz and the standard kept by the power companies is very close. 59.7Hz to 60.3Hz . That is +/- .5%.
For a motor, like the ones driving refrigerator/freezer/well pumps or compressors it just means the motor will rotate a little slower or faster but for anything with electronics in it (which is almost everything nowadays) a few full hertz can really make a difference and can be very harmful for anything other than a transitory change.

A self powered genset uses a constant speed governor that maintains ONE rpm (or tries to) -no matter what the load, that is the rpm the engine runs and the RPM the generator turns. Tractors use a variable speed governor. As load increases on the engine, RPM drops and the tractor's governor attempts to compensate for the load change. This can cause a lot of fluctuation in both cycles and voltage if the load swings are high enough.
Things like TVs, computers, even 'smart appliances' do not play well with big frequency changes.

Modern tractors use electronic fuel injection and fuel control and are much better at maintaining constant pto output rpm. Older tractors, even worn throttle lever to governor linkage can result in variation of up to 5% change in engine rpm.
 
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simme said:
Other than oil change and general maintenance, the issue with seldom used generator sets is fuel systems - even when tested weekly.
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As well as the oil quality. For normal engine use in anything else, miles or hours is the dictating benchmark, but with gen sets, oil sitting in a crankcase for weeks or months on end with just a few minutes weekly scheduled run time doesn't result in good filtration and reduction in the acids and other corrosives that all used oil has in it from the combustion process. Moisture condensation from temperature changes on the metal parts is also an issue. Over time, moisture builds up, droplet by droplet and ends up in the oil. In automobiles, that little bit of moisture is evaporated by daily use. Most generators are years old with comparatively little actual run time. Some maintenance protocols I've seen for gensets is monthly, which imo, is too long between runs. (many, like Generac are on a timer and they automatically start, switch the house over to gen power and run for a few minutes, then shut down and restore power back to mains)
I have to manually start and run my little one every week. 2 weeks at the most. I usually just plug a hair dryer and a fan into it just to provide some load.
 
You can get up to 7.2 kW from the onboard generator in the new Ford F-150s, it's portable just hop in and drive it where you need power. You're going to have a truck anyway and keep it maintained, just need some extra fuel on hand.
 
You can get up to 7.2 kW from the onboard generator in the new Ford F-150s, it's portable just hop in and drive it where you need power. You're going to have a truck anyway and keep it maintained, just need some extra fuel on hand. Plus, it has the inverter for clean power
 
J+ Cattle said:
You can get up to 7.2 kW from the onboard generator in the new Ford F-150s, it's portable just hop in and drive it where you need power. You're going to have a truck anyway and keep it maintained, just need some extra fuel on hand. Plus, it has the inverter for clean power
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Yeah, but I'm not ready to pay upwards of $40K just to have a 7.5KW generator.
There's a reason, that I don't want a generator in the back of my truck or on the ground behind a tractor.

trk3.jpg
 
J+ Cattle said:
You can get up to 7.2 kW from the onboard generator in the new Ford F-150s, it's portable just hop in and drive it where you need power. You're going to have a truck anyway and keep it maintained, just need some extra fuel on hand. Plus, it has the inverter for clean power
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7.2kw at 12V is 600 amps! I don't believe for a second that it would supply that for more than a second... a 100 amp alternator is 1200W, so you MIGHT be able to get 2kw steady from it, being generous

We've got 4 diesel generators and a gas one... This one here is a mitsubishi diesel, I bought it engine/generator, no frame for $1100 CAD (800 USD), engine was never fired, I think it's 10kw, and can do 120, 240, and 480V 1ph or 3ph, it's a brushless Stamford generator unit on it.. it's a 3600 RPM unit so a bit noisy, but should be very reliable, and we have lots of diesel on hand at all times
IMG_20190121_113924.jpg

Guy I bought the above unit from knew of another, for the same price, so I bought that one as well.. also new, never fired.. I might make that one into a stationary unit

I picked up an old Petter diesel powered 6kw for $200, gave it some diesel and it fired up and ran nice, pretty quiet, price was right!

Last diesel gen set I have is a 5.5kw Yanmar powered one... it's got a lot of hours on it by the looks of it.. Every year on the coldest day of the year, I go give the rope a pull and it fires up first pull every time even at -10F.. pretty impressive unit

the gasoline powered one we have is just a wee little 1kw Kawasaki.. good enough to keep a couple freezers going and lights... I wouldn't mind finding an inverter generator but I'm a tightwad

Oh, forgot about my Miller 302 trailblazer welder... that's an 11kw source if I need it
 

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