Powering your home during power outages

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Crazyboat

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This last hurricane got me thinking, a very dangerous thing. Where I live, I'm very fortunate to never have lost power more than 24 hours and we rarely loss power at all. But there are millions that routinely lose power for days on end. In a widespread black out it's even hard getting gas to refill your generator, so conserving fuel is a key factor. Which leads me to this. Assuming money isn't a factor, it would be wise to buy a battery backup system, large enough to power the refrigerator, the internet, charge laptops and phones a box fan and a few lights for 12 -14 hours. Then you crank up the generator twice a day for an hour or two to recharge the battery pack. Of course, you can add a solar panel or two during sunny days to help power things. This way you have round the clock power and you burn far less fuel then if you ran the generator 24/7.

I'm not the smartest man, so feel free to shoot holes in this plan/idea.
 
What n we built our home back in 1999 we gave serious consideration to a backup generator. After much research we decided not to go that way due to the location of our home. However the research did lead us to propane powered generators as they are far more efficient and a 500 gallon propane tank will run a really long time. We already have propane for our home heating so it was a no brainer for us. We are fortunate to live in an area where power can be drawn from three different directions so power is rarely out for more than a few minutes before automated switching changes where the power is drawn from.
 
While it sounds like a great idea, and actually is for a survival situation, one would need a good-sized battery bank to power things like a fridge or A/C or furnace. Motor loads burn up a lot of power, thus batteries would get drained pretty fast.

You have to do the math calculations to see it, but generally, power in has to equal power out. Example; If a fridge requires 1500 watts/hr at 120 volts for 10 hrs, then it needs 15,000 watts total. You will need a battery bank that can supply that wattage, while still maintaining it's voltage at something greater than 12 VDC. Add to this the intrinsic losses converting that 12VDC into 120 VAC through an inverter, and you need to add a "fudge factor" to the total. Since power in watts, divided by volts equals amps, then 1500/12 = 125, then you need a battery bank that can supply 125 amps per hour in order to power that fridge for just 1 hour. Now, if you need to run it for 10 hours, then it becomes a daunting task to expect that bank to supply that for ten hours. Realistically, the fridge compressor won't be running the whole time, so the numbers I just gave are more than actually required.

From a purely practical viewpoint, the gas or propane powered generator is THE way to go, and you don't truly NEED one much larger than about 5000 watts. That will supply your house with about 20 amps at 240 VAC, and if you're judicious with what you attempt to run, then survival mode is quite attainable. There was a time when I lost power for three days, and I lost a BUNCH of food. (At the time, I was powering two fridges and two freezers, plus needing a furnace and minimal lighting.) I got myself a 6.5K generator and never looked back. I have lost power since then, and unplugged a fridge and freezer for a day, then alternated between the pairs to maintain temps.

My recommendation would be a propane generator, as a gasoline or even diesel one has to have a standing fuel supply, and both gas and diesel gets stale, can dry up out of the carb (long term), thus requiring one to service the generator not less than every year. It would also be quite wise to start and run the house on that generator not less than every 6 months.

Now, I'm not saying a solar system and good-sized battery bank won't work, but one will have to plan it out well, and one would still need a small standby generator for those times when it might be cloudy for a week, in order to charge your battery bank. (Like during and after a hurricane.)

BTW.....forget the laptops, TV and internet during those times. Even that miniscule amount can add up, and there's very little that you really NEED to look at online that will help you survive an emergency situation. The phones I'll concede, a fridge, a furnace, a few lights, and that's about it. You don't need to run the A/C....draw a cool bath or shower of you need to cool down. If you have DETACHED garage, run the generator in there, back-feeding through the garage's electrical system. That way, you can lock the garage up and maintain some modicum of security for your generator. (Yes, your neighbors will steal your stuff in an emergency situation.)

Roger
 
A hybrid house! It should work fine.
My parents have a NG whole house generator. I have a 12,000-watt portable generator. It has a 7-gallon gas tank but I'm building an 18-gallon gravity feed auxiliary gas tank on a stand. Just in case I need to run it for a long time. My weather extremes are tornadoes and winter weather. If a tornado takes out the power lines, I can go a few miles over and find a open gas station. In winter it's harder to get out but gas stations should be open.
 
What n we built our home back in 1999 we gave serious consideration to a backup generator. After much research we decided not to go that way due to the location of our home. However the research did lead us to propane powered generators as they are far more efficient and a 500 gallon propane tank will run a really long time. We already have propane for our home heating so it was a no brainer for us. We are fortunate to live in an area where power can be drawn from three different directions so power is rarely out for more than a few minutes before automated switching changes where the power is drawn from.
If I ever move to Florida, I want a home with natural gas, so I can run a generator without ever worrying.
 
While it sounds like a great idea, and actually is for a survival situation, one would need a good-sized battery bank to power things like a fridge or A/C or furnace. Motor loads burn up a lot of power, thus batteries would get drained pretty fast.

You have to do the math calculations to see it, but generally, power in has to equal power out. Example; If a fridge requires 1500 watts/hr at 120 volts for 10 hrs, then it needs 15,000 watts total. You will need a battery bank that can supply that wattage, while still maintaining it's voltage at something greater than 12 VDC. Add to this the intrinsic losses converting that 12VDC into 120 VAC through an inverter, and you need to add a "fudge factor" to the total. Since power in watts, divided by volts equals amps, then 1500/12 = 125, then you need a battery bank that can supply 125 amps per hour in order to power that fridge for just 1 hour. Now, if you need to run it for 10 hours, then it becomes a daunting task to expect that bank to supply that for ten hours. Realistically, the fridge compressor won't be running the whole time, so the numbers I just gave are more than actually required.

From a purely practical viewpoint, the gas or propane powered generator is THE way to go, and you don't truly NEED one much larger than about 5000 watts. That will supply your house with about 20 amps at 240 VAC, and if you're judicious with what you attempt to run, then survival mode is quite attainable. There was a time when I lost power for three days, and I lost a BUNCH of food. (At the time, I was powering two fridges and two freezers, plus needing a furnace and minimal lighting.) I got myself a 6.5K generator and never looked back. I have lost power since then, and unplugged a fridge and freezer for a day, then alternated between the pairs to maintain temps.

My recommendation would be a propane generator, as a gasoline or even diesel one has to have a standing fuel supply, and both gas and diesel gets stale, can dry up out of the carb (long term), thus requiring one to service the generator not less than every year. It would also be quite wise to start and run the house on that generator not less than every 6 months.

Now, I'm not saying a solar system and good-sized battery bank won't work, but one will have to plan it out well, and one would still need a small standby generator for those times when it might be cloudy for a week, in order to charge your battery bank. (Like during and after a hurricane.)

BTW.....forget the laptops, TV and internet during those times. Even that miniscule amount can add up, and there's very little that you really NEED to look at online that will help you survive an emergency situation. The phones I'll concede, a fridge, a furnace, a few lights, and that's about it. You don't need to run the A/C....draw a cool bath or shower of you need to cool down. If you have DETACHED garage, run the generator in there, back-feeding through the garage's electrical system. That way, you can lock the garage up and maintain some modicum of security for your generator. (Yes, your neighbors will steal your stuff in an emergency situation.)

Roger
A fridge doesn't run around the clock. It kicks on, runs for 10-15 minutes and shuts down until the temp goes up, much like the heater in your house. I saw a chart and a typical fridge runs about 20 minutes an hour. So that 15K number which is high imo gets cut to 5k straight away. No way I'd want to run AC on batteries as like you said, the draw would be great. It's why I used the example of box fans to keep cool.
 
A hybrid house! It should work fine.
My parents have a NG whole house generator. I have a 12,000-watt portable generator. It has a 7-gallon gas tank but I'm building an 18-gallon gravity feed auxiliary gas tank on a stand. Just in case I need to run it for a long time. My weather extremes are tornadoes and winter weather. If a tornado takes out the power lines, I can go a few miles over and find a open gas station. In winter it's harder to get out but gas stations should be open.
As I mention in the other post/response I like the idea of a NG generator. The propane option is a nice one too as long as your tank isn't low when the storm hits. That 12K watt generator must drink some fuel, but you'll live in comfort for sure.
 
As I mention in the other post/response I like the idea of a NG generator. The propane option is a nice one too as long as your tank isn't low when the storm hits. That 12K watt generator must drink some fuel, but you'll live in comfort for sure.
We have about 11 hours on the Hobbs meter over 3 uses. It has 30- and 50-amp outlets and can run the AC if needed. Still need to set it up to back feed the panel.
 
When I first moved to Washington there was a huge ice and wind storm in the Pacific Northwest. Power was out in several states. Being in a rural area our house had no power for three weeks and intermittent power for another six weeks.

I installed a 240V outlet at the panel, shut off the main breakers and back fed the house with a 6kW generator. It wasn’t ideal but we could run the fridge, a few lights and watch TV. Fortunately the furnace was propane.

I had similar incidents at my remote log cabin in California. No power for two weeks.

Funny that this topic came up. The power is out right now. I’m out for a bourbon and a sandwich. Cheers!
 
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Batteries large enough to power all that are not going to recharge in two hours of running a generator.

At our camp, most people use propane auto switch generators. Currently we do not have any back-up power there. I have looked into some battery back-up for the FIOS and wireless router. The closest cell signal(1bar) is 5 miles away.

At home, have a manual gas generator, that has its own breaker at the panel. It is mechanically interlocked with main breaker. I forgot the wattage size, but runs off a 13hp Honda engine. Not enough to power the whole house. I can switch in/out breakers to keep most things going. Well pump, furnace, refrigerator, freezer, are the key items. Internet is down because the cable power is down. At least we have 1bar for the cell phones.

We were away, and lost power for three days this summer. Lost just about everything in the fridge and freezer. :(
Way back when, we had a major wind storm across the state. Power was out for a week. That was challenging and prompted the generator purchase.
 
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My plan is simple. I have a 2500 Watt inverter that can be run off of a 12 volt battery. The battery can be your car battery or be recharged with your cars charging/alternating system. It is enough to keep the refrigerator/freezer cold for days or weeks if need be. It will not need to be plugged in continuously to keep the goods at the correct temp if the door seals are good. When a refrigerator is running it will use about 100-400 watts depending on the model. Starting it up is where you need more wattage. It may take up 1500 watts or more to start it again depending on the model. A little tip on checking if your freezer has thawed out at some point is to put a of frozen water in there with a spoon sitting on top of the ice in the cup. If you open the door and the spoon has sank into the cup, it has thawed out at some point.

I do not need to run my A/C as I can live without it. As for heat, I can live comfortably as long as it does not drop below about 40 degrees in the house. I can live without all other home appliances for weeks if I have to with no ill effects. Phones, laptops, TVs, radios, and other items of the like are just a luxury I can do without for a spell.
 
i live on the Chesapeake bay in southern Maryland. we get storms, we get tornados, we get hurricanes. our power company did some extensive trimming a couple of years back and our power interruptions became fewer. I've always had a gas powered generator to run things during an emergency. last year we were without power for 5 days and the generator wouldn't start. we decided to get a whole house generator that runs on propane. now, it turns on automatically when power is lost and runs until its restored. best investment we ever made.
 
I have a portable solar generator. It's enough to run a fan, cook, and charge communication devices. I've had to real world test it and its enough for me, but I do take precuations otherwise like freezing jugs of water and keeping them in the freezer to protect food loss. It wont last a week, but it will last a few days.

That's just the beginning of my preps, but I very much prep as a hobby and my next step is a more advanced solar generator.
 
We live in an area that loses power from time to time, sometimes for long periods. I've learned that fuel-efficient generators are the way to go, over power.

I have two Generac 4000XL machines with a peak of 6400 watts. They run all the essential things in the house. They will NOT run the HVAC system, but in an emergency, who cares? They will run 24 hours on 5-gallons of gas in eco-mode as long as I don't have too much stuff on.
I turn off the breakers or unplug non-essential stuff like coffee makers, printers, electronics and so on. I have 6 gas cans that I keep ready, plus the fuel tanks to 3 boats, giving me at least 75 gallons at any time. That's about 8 days of power if used full time.

Also, I have a super-efficient 2000W inverter generator by Wen. It runs for hours and hours on a single gallon of fuel. So long that I've never tried measuring it. If things get really tough, that is what we will probably use the most.

Recently, on Amazon Day, I bought four 100AH LiFeP04 batteries, a 300W portable solar panel set and a 4000W inverter. This isn't a lot but will help if power is lost and gasoline isn't available.

We live in the woods, heat with wood and have a well for water, so the essentials are covered. The biggest concern is keeping the food in the freezers from spoiling.

I hope it never happens, but best to be at least a little prepared.
 
I don't how long my generator will really run on it's 7-gallon tank. Knowing that will tell me how long my 18-gallon auxiliary tank will last. Between the 2 tank I'll have 25 gallons. I have to count all of my gas cans. I will report back.
 
When I first moved to Washington there was a huge ice and wind storm in the Pacific Northwest. Power was out in several states. Being in a rural area our house had no power for three weeks and intermittent power for another six weeks.

I installed a 240V outlet at the panel, shut off the main breakers and back fed the house with a 6kW generator. It wasn’t ideal but we could run the fridge, a few lights and watch TV. Fortunately the furnace was propane.

I had similar incidents at my remote log cabin in California. No power for two weeks.

Funny that this topic came up. The power is out right now. I’m out for a bourbon and a sandwich. Cheers!
What kind of sandwich did you get?
 

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