serial # location
From : john
Q: after reading replies i had to laugh... folks had you pouring slabs... electric start....electric sub panels etc. if you do not need electricity quick or when you are gone a portable is fine. i have installed ng power generators for many people with basements that would be flooded without backup power. a portable sucks if it is raining hard or nobody is home. also in here in tropical north dakota a few hours without heat and broken water pipes are a big problem. that portable genny will not save you if you are not home! many times i hear comments of the cost to remodel the flooded lower level of a home. the $6000 to install a ng generator is small to these people. eight years ago we had a nasty spring ice storm then it got cold. many areas were without electricity for 2-3 weeks. i know of some people that were not home went south for a few weeks. the standby genny started and ran for the week or so the power was out! a portable would have done them no good. myself i have a portable. 15 years in this home and never any water in the finished basement. for me it is more of a convenience thing. living in the city we are rarely without power for more than an hour or so and that has been rare. the last time we ran the genny we had just returned from a day at the lake. we were hungry and tired and a storm had just come through and wiped out the power. so i drug out the portable so we could fire up the microwave! greg .
Replies:
From : badger
yes you can use ng lpg and gasoline but if the gen set is supposed to support your household in an emergency you must consider the reliability of the fuel supply the expected run-time as well as noise. i would not consider any other fuel except diesel for efficiency reasons nor would i consider a 2 pole alternator 3600 rpm. the unit should be capable of running for at least 5 days without servicing. i consider these as a minimum. so a silenced 10kwor more 4 pole 1800 rpm manual switch over panel at the power entrance of the house and a 500 gallon heating fuel tank 2 weeks would be the way to go. you should be able to do this for 5 - 8 k$ if you do the work yourself. you can have electric backup for less but not without sacrificing dependability efficiency duration or economy. steve sorry for the ot post but figured this group if any might have the answers. am looking for a portable standby generator about 5kw. can anyone here recommend a specific **brand** or maybe suggest a specific brand to **avoid** living down in hurricane country texas gulf coast and so far in 18 years have never needed one. figure im pushing my luck and am thinking about one in the 5kw size range enuf to run fridge & deep freeze a few small wattage flourescent replacement lamps + tv and satellite rcvr prolly a fan or two. realize i cannot afford something the size that would pull our central ac. also what about fuels gasoline would ordinarily seem easiest to obtain and therefore most logical but what about natural gas not propane w/gasoline youd be constantly running out to purchase more else stick a georgia credit card in your vehicle tank. 5kw genset consumes between gal and 1 gal gasoline per hour depending on load. how much line pressure would it take for a ng powered genset im leaning toward gasoline but thought id ask. locally available brands & engines onan cummins troy-built briggs & stratton coleman honda honda honda thanks .