Does Anyone Here Prep for if the grid goes down or a cyberattack?
- Thread starter TomFord1980
- Start date
For the last few years I've been hoping to get a Generac generator. Their ads are often on tv, and Home Depot carries them. They don't work with gasoline, but rather when the power goes out a switch is triggered and the generator uses natural gas to provide power. The two things that made me hesitate are price and lack of references from people I know. No one I know has one. The price for each model goes up as the number of items hooked up to it increases.
Unless you've been leaving ethanol gas in it, ten years should be fineGood to know that my setup is above board. Not that I had any doubts, but it's good to be triple-sure. I'm glad you mentioned the model number because I do have an EU2000i. It's about 10 years old now, but it's still a good idea to have a new carb like you said. Better to have it on hand instead of waiting until the next time water is pouring into the basement or I'm in the dark freezing my ass off
Thanks again for the valuable tips.
. If you think it is within your abilities you can also just pull the bowl off for a general condition check for rust or residue. But be forewarned, dicking around with smal engine carbs can be a bit black magic. They are simple but for some reason I don't have good luck with them. Give me an old Quadrajet or Holley or Marvel Schebler airplane carb and I can do anything with them. But I curse doing anything to those fucking little lawnmower carbs except bolting on a new one!So yeah, at 10 years, maybe leave well enough alone! Worst case is that if it fails, you can order a new one on Amazon Prime and get it the next day. That is if there is not a zombie apocalypse!
I don't leave fuel in the tank so I'm good there. I also don't like to mess with anything small because there's always something hiding inside that breaks as soon as you touch it.Unless you've been leaving ethanol gas in it, ten years should be fine
So yeah, at 10 years, maybe leave well enough alone! Worst case is that if it fails, you can order a new one on Amazon Prime and get it the next day. That is if there is not a zombie apocalypse!
Isn't amazing that there was a time when Amazon didn't exist? We had to go to the store(s), look all over, and sometimes go home empty handed. What stone age did we grow up in? All of our prepping is kind of irrelevent if Amazon ever gets taken out
My bigger concern is if Amazon is going to have stock of what I need when I need it.
DO NOT BUY A GENERAC STANDY GENERATOR!
They are cobbled together differently from year to year, model to model, Home Depot version to Rona to Costco, to Dealer/Installer models. They can be a mofo to get parts for. Circuit board, relays, sensors and the engines are often Chinesium versions of brand names.
Take my advice for whatever you think it is worth but I recommend Briggs and Stratton's homeowner line. And depending on where you are located Sommers is about the best company you will ever hope to deal with, for anything. https://www.sommersgen.com/
Their prices are fair, their installation is first class and their service is quick and fairly priced. They have tons of parts in stock and Briggs has evolved a long time ago into the best parts and assemblies.
Whatever you do, don't buy a home gennie or installation through Home Depot. They farm it out to third party installers who might not be around in a year or two WHEN you need a repair.
A cottage neighbour had one and had three technicians out five times and nobody could fix the problem. Starter was burned out the first winter. Took 3 weeks ot get a new one insatalled. The is still wouldn't always start. Said it was the carb, then the control panel, then it needed an engine rebuild. Not evn 100 hours on it in two years.. Then it was out of warranty. Sometimes it would work, other times not.
Took me 15 minutes to diagnose that the engine block heater was not connected. Wasn't ever connected since new. So it would start only above certain temps. When it got really cold, like -20F it just wouldn't fire up. It would crank a few cycles, then shut down to let the started cool off. Then it would crank again for a while then shut down. Sometimes it would start, other times not. Home Depot and Generac were less than useless. The original installer had gone tits up. Blah blah blah.
Googe to find out about how bad the problems people have with the brand. Disregard the positive reviews because there is nothing to gush about if the generator works. It's not like you can compliment them on the ride quality being smooth enough to circumcise a baby.. or fine corinthian leather. They either start and run or they don't.
Hope this helps.
Oh and Briggs and Stratton has a pretty good webpage to help you decide on the right model. Coiuple things... If you can stay under 10kw, you will use a smaller engine with better fuel economy. And because they are not inverter systems, they run at wide open throttle whether you only have a nightlight on or have AC and the clothes dryer running.
If you don't have an elelctric stove and are ok without using air conditioning and the clothes dryer during an outage, a 3000 sf house should be fine with 10kw.
Also, Briggs has a smart load sensing system that can allow AC, Dryer, Stove to be conencted and the load managed if adequate power is left within the generator's rating.
All so true!I don't leave fuel in the tank so I'm good there. I also don't like to mess with anything small because there's always something hiding inside that breaks as soon as you touch it.
Isn't amazing that there was a time when Amazon didn't exist? We had to go to the store(s), look all over, and sometimes go home empty handed. What stone age did we grow up in? All of our prepping is kind of irrelevent if Amazon ever gets taken out
Ever since I moved into a condo, I have dramatically cleared out so much shit I stored just in case I needed it someday. I couldn't find half of the things when I did anyways.
So I'm ok with being betrothen to Amazon! lol. I don't need my own PrincessAuto store in my locker and storage units!So true. Dealing with big box stores like HD, Rona, Best Buy and the defuinct Bad Boy are the worst. The sales people don't know anything, are usually pushy and support is non-existant. I've had good experiences with Kooy Brothers for my mower and snowthrower, but I haven't needed service yet.
Window shopping is fun. Even more so in Amsterdam.I don't leave fuel in the tank so I'm good there. I also don't like to mess with anything small because there's always something hiding inside that breaks as soon as you touch it.
Isn't amazing that there was a time when Amazon didn't exist? We had to go to the store(s), look all over, and sometimes go home empty handed. What stone age did we grow up in? All of our prepping is kind of irrelevent if Amazon ever gets taken out
Another reason why I went my route. If something happens to my genny, it’s easy peasy replaced relatively inexpensive in an hour. Also easy to take with me if/when I move.
something with around 6000 start up will work for most households. just figure out what your criticals are and go from there. In my case
Furnace
Fridge/freezer
Well pump
Sump pump
Stove
If during the outage I want to run anything that might over load it, I just hit some breakers on my panel.
Water heater, Dryer etc but even then there’s breakers on the genny.
To date, anytime I’ve lost power I’ve literally just plugged it in and fired it up. The one downside really is winter and if away for a day or more. Pipes might freeze or if you have a freezer full of meat in summer. That said, my neighbor can get to it, fire it up, run it for a few hours off and on.
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Star Tron breaks down excess water and sludge to sub-micron size allowing it to be safely burned away during normal engine operation. Therefore Star Tron prevents phase separation and fuel gelling, eliminating ethanol fuel problems.
I've had a home 8kw generac for many years and had no problem. Get the yearly maintenance done on it and very happy I have it. My opinion is the opposite of SchlongConery but I'll admit there are other home generators as good as Generacs. At the time, me and my neighbour got one that was the best value/performance for the money spent. But I will say I am very shocked by the price for a home generator if I had to buy one today.
Every person has to do their homework before buying any kind of generator, gas powered (had one of these before the one I have now) or natural gas.
LTO_3
Every person has to do their homework before buying any kind of generator, gas powered (had one of these before the one I have now) or natural gas.
LTO_3
Sounds like marketing BSIAB to me.
Maybe a real organic chemist can analyze that marketing claim quote better than I can.
I wonder what exactly do the "enzymes" break the H2O down into? AFAIK the next step to break water down into is two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.
Has this boat wax company finally made the quantum leap in H2O catalysis? Well then they will certainly be awarded the next Nobel Prize in Physics as they will have solved the world's clean energy problem by chemical water splitting into clean energy hydrogen!
And they say they are even breaking down the water into "sub-micron size"?
Again, not even theoretical physics has attempted that! Again, I'm no Startron marketing scientist, not even a dumb petro-chemist So maybe there is a Sheldon Cooper level Theoretical Physicist on TERB that can reboot my understanding of the size of atoms..
A single water molecule of 2 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of water is already only 0.27 of a nanometer across! So I guess StarTron could even say that their bottle of kerosene breaks down water into sub-meter sized particles...
One micron is a millionth of a meter. > One nanometer is one billionth of a meter.
I'm not clever as the Startron marketers to know the word or to express the relative size of 0.27 of a nanometer. But again, that is already how small a water molecule is!
But I hope y'alls get the spirit of the true magic formulas of Bull Shit In A Bottle marketers and products!
I'm super happy you have had a trouble free experience with your General. Like I said in my post, it's all good... until it isn't.
Value/performance is a very subjective analysis. Simple dollar per watt measures how cheap or expensive the installed generator is.
The value of reliability when you need it, the ability to get parts, repair time etc is different for every application. If all you need is to keep meat frozen and the furnace running, then you can get a 3000 watt used Chinesium off Kijiji for $200.
If you are running a data center, or hospital then you'll want redundant Caterpiller or maybe even German MTU diesel engines.
That's why I have found Briggs and Stratton to provide the best balance in cost per watt, reliability and servicability. As the cost of installation involves a lot of wiring, gas piping, controls and switches, labour etc, the cost of the actual genset itself becomes les and less of a fraction of the total installed cost.
But that's just my experience that and opinion.
The topic is the reason I initiated a thread on the Technology forum herein with the subject ‘Heat pumps for homes’.
Will probably install one this year, providing finds allow, some excellent intel were communicated therein, in case you are intersted.
The following my current plan. As heat pump would lessen the load for generator and inverter.
“Installed a DPDT switch during the previous basement upgrade to just before and inline with the furnace's power wiring, and one of the positions wired it to a receptacle outside the house. Hence during a power failure, one only has to switch the DPDT and the furnace power wiring is isolated from the power grid and connected to the receptacle on the outside of house, which can be connected to the dual fuel generator. This configuration also grounds the generator to the existing house ground.
A Reliance Controls WKPBN30 Portable Generator Through-The-Wall Transfer Kit was also installed which easily facilitates connecting the generator to stuff inside of the house, up to 6 power bars ( Hence no need to leave door or windows open for power cords).
The goal is easy and economical application and maintenance, so the girls can use when I am not available.
The next phase is to deploy heat pump and solar/ inverter technology. The details of which are being researched.
Will probably install one this year, providing finds allow, some excellent intel were communicated therein, in case you are intersted.
The following my current plan. As heat pump would lessen the load for generator and inverter.
“Installed a DPDT switch during the previous basement upgrade to just before and inline with the furnace's power wiring, and one of the positions wired it to a receptacle outside the house. Hence during a power failure, one only has to switch the DPDT and the furnace power wiring is isolated from the power grid and connected to the receptacle on the outside of house, which can be connected to the dual fuel generator. This configuration also grounds the generator to the existing house ground.
A Reliance Controls WKPBN30 Portable Generator Through-The-Wall Transfer Kit was also installed which easily facilitates connecting the generator to stuff inside of the house, up to 6 power bars ( Hence no need to leave door or windows open for power cords).
The goal is easy and economical application and maintenance, so the girls can use when I am not available.
The next phase is to deploy heat pump and solar/ inverter technology. The details of which are being researched.
Do you have or know off a simple mean to transfer has from the vehicles to a container , as the new designs for reducing has theft pr minimize gasoline theft poses a challenge to me .
Thanks
Are you talking about a pump? All modern cars have fuel doors that can only be opened from the inside with a small lever that's near the driver's seat. I think the fuel door on newer cars unlock when the passenger doors are unlocked. You could take things a step further and buy a fuel cap that has a lock in it.
Referring to the process
Thanks
Referring to the process for syphoning the gas from the vehicle’s tank to a container, to fill up a generator. In the old days it used to be straight forward and simple, unless you managed to swallow some, now you cant fit or get a hose deep enough to reach the fuel.
I live in a remote area along Georgian Bay. There are literally two houses at the end of a 4 km road, so you can imagine how Hydro prioritizes us. We also lose power a lot here. I think there's basically one wire that runs up the Bruce Peninsula.
I have a 5000 kW generator that is semi-permanently wired to the house. I also heat primarily with wood, and my stove and hot water are both propane. So the genny is mostly for my water pump. I travel a lot and in the winter, I drain my pipes and pretty much let the place got to sleep, with the electric heat on just enough to keep the frost out. So I agree, having the flexibility to move a generator around isn't a bad thing. I use mine for a bunch of things, but I also lock it up in a shed when I'm away so it doesn't grow legs.
As for preparing for a grid collapse, I have enough canned food here to last for weeks, but mostly because I bulk shop when I'm in the city. The lake is only 50' away so water isn't an issue even if I can't keep my pump going. I have about 30 face cords of wood currently, so I'm good for heat for a few months.
Living in the boonies, adjusting to a major grid collapse is a lot easier than it would be if I was living in a condo in downtown Toronto.
