What have you done this week to prep?

[churchmouse]

Still shopping for the right genny. Rotated fuel.

 

[Meister]

I have lots of experience being in the electrical industry and installing several backup systems. What are your specs?

 

[churchmouse]

I have lots of experience being in the electrical industry and installing several backup systems. What are your specs?

I have many years in the trades. Build my own batt. inverter systems and such.

I have 2 houses on the property and I am looking for enough umph to run the frigdes (4) and furnaces in winter. Low lighting load. there is a small unit heater in the shop I need to power in winter as well.I have 3 gennys now but I am looking to centralize the power source. Pu the genny in the shed between the house and put the battery's/inverters in there as well. The inverters will run the lights. The genny will run the equipment and recharge the batt. bank. I have done a rough load and that should cover it if I did my start up inrush calculations correctly.
I figure in excess of 7.5 KW delivered. I may need to charge the bank while running the equipment. I want to run as silent as possible at night. The area we are putting this system will be insulated for sound with fresh air exchange. I have my existing units muffled very well. Will need to do this with what ever I buy. Lots of things to figure out yet.

 

[Meister]

I'd go with either the Generac, pramac or cummins/Onan 12k in diesel. Diesel lasts much longer and is better suited to use in an emergency. You should consider getting a larger gen than you need to keep the unit operating reliably. The 10k honda gasser is what I would go with if I was in your position and wanted to use gas.

 

[churchmouse]

I'd go with either the Generac, pramac or cummins/Onan 12k in diesel. Diesel lasts much longer and is better suited to use in an emergency. You should consider getting a larger gen than you need to keep the unit operating reliably. The 10k honda gasser is what I would go with if I was in your position and wanted to use gas.

Being located in the city and all vehicles run on gas I feel that is the best way to go. WE keep a good reserve on hand. We keep the tanks full or near full so we could draw from them as well. We have a neat siphon pump system that runs 12V DC.

The 10K might be best for us. 7.5K will handle the load well enough but if everything is on it would be a push. I have not looked at the larger Hondas. We had a smaller one for the racing operation and it was great.

 

[churchmouse]

Just looked at the Hondas. Holy crap are they proud of those.

 

[Meister]

They sure are, but you get reliability. My buddy has one and it's very nice. Dual 30a outputs so you can install dual transfer panels.

 

[churchmouse]

They sure are, but you get reliability. My buddy has one and it's very nice. Dual 30a outputs so you can install dual transfer panels.

EU3000 was a great genny when we had it for the race trailers. I got it used in a trade. Owner said it would not run. I had maybe $100 in the trade. New battery, plug, oil change and it ran like a top. It would not turn over with the key so he was convinced it was junk.
You are correct, they are one of the best.

I know the folks at Dryer Honda real well. They sell these units. Maybe they can hook me up.
I am still getting all the logistics worked out for splitting the power.

 

[woowoo2]

Splitting power means splitting grounds, and that concerns me. .02

 

[churchmouse]

Splitting power means splitting grounds, and that concerns me. .02

Not if done correctly. No short cuts involved. I am even considering running everything through the battery bank/inverter like a solar rig. Just working it out right now.

All the lights will be off the batt. bank. Only real loads will be refrigerators and furnaces. If I do this right with the isolation switch gear they will all be tied in on the same ground. I will also be sinking a ground rod.

 

[woowoo2]

CM, have you found a transfer switch that switches the ground? If not, wont the houses grounds still be active? Just wondering.

 

[churchmouse]

CM, have you found a transfer switch that switches the ground? If not, wont the houses grounds still be active? Just wondering.

That is a good point and it has me re-assessing what I am doing. I am now considering adding additional plugs that are dedicated to the genny system and not tied in with the house. The close proximity of the houses will allow this with just a bit more work and expense. Merely unplugging the equipment and moving to the aux. plug in might be the way around this. This will also eliminate the need to use transfer switch gear. We have some re-model to do in both houses so adding the wiring will not be difficult. An aux. breaker panel may be needed to keep everything safe and in code.
This is why I post in here. So much good info and the right questions.

 

[Meister]

<----Master Electrician. The ground stays, isn't switched and doesn't need to be isolated. The ungrounded conductors should be . Manual bypass switches are designed to easily and economically do it. Like these: Reliance Controls 30216AK 30-Amp 6-Circuit Power Transfer Kit w/ 25 Foot Cord

I install these quite often. Even those without electrical experience can install them and they allow for custom install if you are more able. My house has one, my best friend with the 10k honda has 2.

 

[woowoo2]

<<-------- Amateur Electrician who has done this a few times. I have done quite a bit of facility wiring in an audio / video environment, All I know is that without a central ground things tend to get noisy. CM have you considered dual generators?
That's how we did my last transmitter project.

 

[skulhedface]

Refrigerators and furnaces don't care too much about noisy grounds. Just a random thought, but why run the fridge and furnace at the same time? When it's cold enough for the furnace just keep the fridge cold with ice from outside.

 

[churchmouse]

Refrigerators and furnaces don't care too much about noisy grounds. Just a random thought, but why run the fridge and furnace at the same time? When it's cold enough for the furnace just keep the fridge cold with ice from outside.

All good points.

I have 3 gennys right now. 1 for each house and 1 for the shop. All just big enough for the equipment load. The lights run off the battery/inverter bank.

I have (after reading these comments) figured a way to run dedicated circuits to each house. Will not be much more involved than what i had planned originally.

Reason for 1 genny is stationary/centralized location with the battery bank. No struggling in a storm to roll out the gennys, run the cords and fire them up. We did this a few times this winter and I decided that was enough. WE can make this so much easier. Just go in the big shed, fire the genny and isolate the houses off the grid. 1 fuel tank to monitor. Still working out a few details and making the material lists.

I want to make this as easy as possible for everyone involved. 4 fridges and 2 furnaces is not a huge load especially for a 10K genny. If I wash the power through the batt/invertor bank all the noise should be gone. I know what RMS is.......
Going to the Honda dealer today and see how deep they want to get into my wallet.

I am always open to ideas and suggestions. This thread has changed my plans around to something better than I originally planned.

 

[woowoo2]

Modern furnaces DO care about the quality of the ground.

 

[skulhedface]

All good points.

I have 3 gennys right now. 1 for each house and 1 for the shop. All just big enough for the equipment load. The lights run off the battery/inverter bank.

I have (after reading these comments) figured a way to run dedicated circuits to each house. Will not be much more involved than what i had planned originally.

Reason for 1 genny is stationary/centralized location with the battery bank. No struggling in a storm to roll out the gennys, run the cords and fire them up. We did this a few times this winter and I decided that was enough. WE can make this so much easier. Just go in the big shed, fire the genny and isolate the houses off the grid. 1 fuel tank to monitor. Still working out a few details and making the material lists.

I want to make this as easy as possible for everyone involved. 4 fridges and 2 furnaces is not a huge load especially for a 10K genny. If I wash the power through the batt/invertor bank all the noise should be gone. I know what RMS is.......
Going to the Honda dealer today and see how deep they want to get into my wallet.

I am always open to ideas and suggestions. This thread has changed my plans around to something better than I originally planned.

Aux outlets might get a little pricey if you're going to run them through their own breaker boxes and whatnot. Plus then your limited to only being able to use those outlets even when you have surplus power capacity. Love the idea of a central location though. Should make everything from sound dampening to fuel storage a little easier.

 

[churchmouse]

Modern furnaces DO care about the quality of the ground.

Yes they are very picky.

The aux. circuits I am thinking about will not go through the main panels. They will be dedicated point to point from the aux. power source through a panel mounted by the source. No tie in with the grid at all.
The receptacles will be orange so no confusion. My goal is to make this a simple process so the wife or daughter can handle it in my absence if need be.
Move three plugs for the appliances and fire the genny. I am still thinking about the lighting.

Sound is all important. If the Zombies hear the genny the will come.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Love these discussions. I just read and learn.....