Home generator backup question

[wapiti hunter2]

A 7500 watt will easily run it. Where you run into problems is trying to run a electric oven,water heater or a well.  Right now i run everything on a 3500 watt honda but no oven,no water heater and no well

I can run my whole house plus my well on a 5kw. I have recently upgraded to a 6500w but that's because I got a good deal. I have a fairly small place and my stove and water heater are propane. I have a chest freezer and refrigerator as well as all the lights in the house. I also heat with wood but can run 3 plug-in oil heaters off the gen. In 2012, we had an ice storm and the power was out for 6 days. We carried on like nothing was wrong. We only ran the gen for about 6 hours/day though. No real reason during the day and the 6 hrs/day kept the freezers frozen. Be sure to have plenty of gas. In the ice storm, Yelm was out as well and we had to drive to Olympia to get gas.

[Special T]

My folks have a dual fuel generator that they are planning to hook up to thier 500 gal propane tank that heats the home and water. Fuel becomes a non issue if you do that.

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[Special T]

Propane vs Gas vs Diesel debate is important, but very application specific.  If your goal is to run essentials sporadically for shorter periods of time the comparison of production isnt all that important.
Gas and diesel have a storage shelf life. Propane does not. Few people have a 500gal diesel tank at thier home, but many have a propane one.

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[baker5150]

I separated my comments out because the last time I mentioned this I got an ear full.

If you turn off your master breaker in your home you isolate you while house from the grid. If you hook the power of your generator to your home and do not isolate your home you are financially and I belive criminally liable for damage or injury.

The generator isolation breakers are made so they are idiot proof. It isnt possible to put power to your home  without disconnecting it from the grid. This doesnt mean it isnt possible to power you home without one.  If you main breaker is off and you connect your generator to your 220 welding plugin that is next to the breaker box all your power is isolated.

I remember finding a "certified product" that was some kind of mechanical lockout that went over the breakers on your existing panel for much cheaper than the $1200 panel mentioned. $2-300.

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You will need an Interlock and breaker as mentioned, it will need to be installed on the right hand side of the panel at the very top.  It will not be able to be turned on if the main is on, and the main will not turn back on until this breaker is off.  There is a lock out bar as a fail safe that makes it idiot proof.

If you do it this way PLEASE, check the neutral bar for voltage when the main is off.  If you have voltage there, find out why and fix it. 


This is how my panel is set up and it works great.  They are made for most popular panels.

A similar product to what I used.
https://www.ebay.com/i/172254359314?chn=ps 

[shallowforks]

Looking to pick up a generator to wire in for home backup for emergencies, power outages, etc.  we dont seem to lose power much..but i'd ike to be prepared.
i saw this one at costco
https://www.costco.com/Firman-Power-Dual-Fuel-Generator-7500-Running-Watts.product.100417697.html
with 7500 running watts, i like that it is dual fuel.
anyways..i have a 3 bedroom home, currently in the process of switching the furnace, hot water heater, and stove to natural gas.
so this would mainly be to run lights, keep the freezer in the garage going, fridge in the kitchen, and a few small things.
would a generator of this size be sufficient?
i've run through a few online calculators and it seems as though it would be..just wanted to check with people who have actual experience.
thanks.

Yes with this generator you will be able to run lights, fridge, freezer, and gas furnace with room to spare. I recommend that exact generator to all my customers. (Im an electrical contractor)

[Special T]

I separated my comments out because the last time I mentioned this I got an ear full.

If you turn off your master breaker in your home you isolate you while house from the grid. If you hook the power of your generator to your home and do not isolate your home you are financially and I belive criminally liable for damage or injury.

The generator isolation breakers are made so they are idiot proof. It isnt possible to put power to your home  without disconnecting it from the grid. This doesnt mean it isnt possible to power you home without one.  If you main breaker is off and you connect your generator to your 220 welding plugin that is next to the breaker box all your power is isolated.

I remember finding a "certified product" that was some kind of mechanical lockout that went over the breakers on your existing panel for much cheaper than the $1200 panel mentioned. $2-300.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

You will need an Interlock and breaker as mentioned, it will need to be installed on the right hand side of the panel at the very top.  It will not be able to be turned on if the main is on, and the main will not turn back on until this breaker is off.  There is a lock out bar as a fail safe that makes it idiot proof.

If you do it this way PLEASE, check the neutral bar for voltage when the main is off.  If you have voltage there, find out why and fix it. 


This is how my panel is set up and it works great.  They are made for most popular panels.

A similar product to what I used.
https://www.ebay.com/i/172254359314?chn=ps

I knew the member that installed one  would post up the link... way cheaper than the other options.

[Katmai Guy]

I knew the member that installed one  would post up the link... way cheaper than the other options.

Most people don't have their generator permanently connected with auto start so this is the best way to do this vs a transfer switch if they can/want to run the whole panel.  Also, it's safer for the lineman trying to restore power than just trying to backfeed a recept.

[thinkingman]

I separated my comments out because the last time I mentioned this I got an ear full.

If you turn off your master breaker in your home you isolate you while house from the grid. If you hook the power of your generator to your home and do not isolate your home you are financially and I belive criminally liable for damage or injury.

The generator isolation breakers are made so they are idiot proof. It isnt possible to put power to your home  without disconnecting it from the grid. This doesnt mean it isnt possible to power you home without one.  If you main breaker is off and you connect your generator to your 220 welding plugin that is next to the breaker box all your power is isolated.

I remember finding a "certified product" that was some kind of mechanical lockout that went over the breakers on your existing panel for much cheaper than the $1200 panel mentioned. $2-300.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

You will need an Interlock and breaker as mentioned, it will need to be installed on the right hand side of the panel at the very top.  It will not be able to be turned on if the main is on, and the main will not turn back on until this breaker is off.  There is a lock out bar as a fail safe that makes it idiot proof.

If you do it this way PLEASE, check the neutral bar for voltage when the main is off.  If you have voltage there, find out why and fix it. 


This is how my panel is set up and it works great.  They are made for most popular panels.

A similar product to what I used.
https://www.ebay.com/i/172254359314?chn=ps

This is the only way to go.
I got one from the same manufacturer. 
It looks home-made but works great.

[WAElkhunter89]

When we had our home built, we had a Generac 22,000KW wired in. Probably a little overkill, but it will power the whole house which is all electric. We also have a wood stove for heat if the power does go out. I believe we paid around $3,750 for the 22,000KW from Lowes after discounts, then an additional $1,500 to completely wire it up, and then we purchased a 250 gallon propane tank dedicated for the generator. Once the power shuts off, the generator automatically kicks on within 30 seconds and powers everything. Figured we would pay the upfront cost and not have to worry about anything.