You don't need a generator....until you do.

[HardDrive]

When we move to Ohio 5 years ago, I bought a small Honda generator, essentially because I was worried about being without power if there was an ice storm. Well, not ice, be we are powerless due to a wind storm. Huge pine crashed into a complicated junction of power lines 2 blocks away. Power company says 2 days to get it sorted out.

This is not a hard wired generator, so I took the box going to to the furnace apart, spliced a heavy duty extension cord in. Ran another cord into the house, and made sure the internet router had power, and put a power strip in the kitchen for charging devices. Heat + Internet = dad is super hero.

Gotta celebrate the small victories.

[Evans, Marv]

Good luck. That sounds like a lot for a "small Honda generator." I'm thinking of biting the bullet and getting a diesel powered generator to replace my 10Kw gas one.

[chapo]

I bought the small Honda for us, its enough to run the tv, internet, and fridge plus a few lights. Worth every penny of 900$ when they are monkeying with the power here.

[Baz]

Generators are the bees knees......

[JackDidley]

I have an inverter that runs off my car. About 10 years ago we had an ice storm. I had my car idling on and off for 3 days but I also spliced into the furnace for heat and had the TV, cable and modem plugged in. Internet and cable were were on and off due power line problems but mostly on. I no longer have a car that will run without sucking gas so a generator may be coming soon.

[PD41]

Make sure you buy one with enough watts. Add up the watts for each device you want to run.


If a device rating is amps you can use OHM's law to calculate watts.

Example. 10 amp refrigerator. 120 volt x 10 amps = 1200 watts

To find the Power (P)

[ P = V x I ] P (watts) = V (volts) x I (amps)

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/dccircuits/dcp_2.html

[Bill Douglas]

Yay, your bet was correct - you did need a generator. And I'm pleased it worked for you too.

those sweet sounding engines on those Honda generators. Sort of like the mechanical equivalent of a cat purring.

[wdfifteen]

Congratulations on your Superhero status. And thanks for the reminder. We’ve got the outdoor connector and a 16 year old transfer switch that electricians tell me is old technology. I need to redesign the system and get a generator.
What do you do with a generator for the 99.9 percent of the time it is not responding to a power outage?

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

What do you do with a generator for the 99.9 percent of the time it is not responding to a power outage?

Aye, that is the rub. I've seen TV ads for natural gas powered units that naturally kick in when power goes. $pendy, so not worth it to me.

I just go back to basics. Have a hand pump on the well head for water, a wood shed full and a wood stove not needing power to provide warmth. Longest power outage here in 40 years has been 8 days. Cooked on a one burner camp stove or the propane BBQ. Roughing it life style, but we survived well. Neighbors began to love my hand pump..

[KFC911]

I am gonna hate myself....probably in two weeks....

I have never used a generator in my life

Had a big ol' nice Honda for my parents' place...sold it after a decade...unused. Dad just wasn't gonna (a couple of short 3-4 dayoutages in 50 yrs.)....

So there!

We have lots of ice storms, etc. but I don't live in hurricane areas or out in the boonies either.
The power trucks are like a regional mobile army combat team when storms hit...

I hope those guys get paid a LOT....they are worth more than 20k generator to me

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Congratulations on your Superhero status. And thanks for the reminder. We’ve got the outdoor connector and a 16 year old transfer switch that electricians tell me is old technology. I need to redesign the system and get a generator.
What do you do with a generator for the 99.9 percent of the time it is not responding to a power outage?

Sell it...like I did my dad's (incl transfer switch)....unused...ever....

[Seahawk]

Good for you. There is nothing like a generator coming to life when needed.

We lose power due to ice storms and hurricanes so I have three: a 5kw diesel, 10kw gas, and a 15kw PTO powered one.

I like the variety

Between outages, I drain the tank on the gas gen and winterize it.

The diesel is electric start and I use it around the farm year round.

[T77911S]

went about a week without power after a hurricane.
I have an 80gal hot water tank and took very quick showers. hot water lasted 4-5 days.

was not a big deal other than losing frozen foods. good way to get rid of some of those science experiments the wife has been keeping.

I have one now only because it was free.
you have to run them once a month or when you need them they wont run.

[greglepore]

PLEASE turn off the main breaker so you're not backfeeding the line-you could kill a lineman working to restore power if you don't.

[unclebilly]

We have a couple generators. I just got a Honda this past summer for the race trailer at the track.

When our power goes out, I have a cord wired into the furnace and can plug my rinnai and the well pump into the generator and we are in business. We have a natural gas stove so we need to light it manually.

This happens once per year.

[cabmandone]

I have a 5kw gas generator and have often thought about getting a Generac whole house generator but the cost has kept me from buying one.
Wind was NUTS yesterday. My pool cover took flight and I had three vinyl fence sections come down. I'll have my work cut out today and tomorrow getting things back together.

[Tim Hancock]

Wind was indeed nuts yesterday here in Ohio.... Power outages all over northwest Ohio, but somehow we were spared this time. We have electric heat... my 5kw generator useless when it comes to heat, but at least we can keep the fridge working, run the sump pump and watch tv on the rare occasions we lose power.

[KFC911]

I'm really gonna jinx myself now....

I have had one flat tire on the side of the road...bass boat trailer 2 decades ago....

Karma I reckon

Ducking....

[Baz]

I have a couple window AC units that run off 110v I can plug into my generator when we lose power. It's usually during a hurricane in the warm season so not having heat is not the problem but not having AC is.

I also plug in the refrigerator, lamp, fan, computer, washing machine, TV, and portable DVD player.

That's why they make generators, right?

[GH85Carrera]

Every one of the generator threads seems to lead me down the path of wanting a natural gas powered unit, with the whole house hookup. Then I get into pricing it, and I figure it is just it worth it. In the last 20+ years of living here we have had a few power outages. The longest was in the heat of summer. My brother in law and his wife were here for the night after going to a NBA basketball game. Of course with no electricity it got a little warm, but not bad. He said he did not get much sleep because he had to keep getting up to spin the ceiling fan for his wife.
The next morning of course the fridge was off, so we ate the ice cream before it melted so he loves to tell his friends when he spent the night here his sister served him ice cream for breakfast.
The power cam back on shortly after they left so I always tell him it was his fault we lost power.
Other than that we have not had a power outage that lasted more than a couple of hours in the 20+ years of living here. I just can't justify the cost as much as I want a Honda inverter unit.