Portable generator advice
I am looking to purchase a portable generator to power some of my home during a power outage. While I don’t lose power very often, storms are getting more unpredictable and I would rather be prepared....
Forum Discussion
I have the Honda EU7000, earlier version with carb. However, I outfitted it for propane from the get-go and have never run gasoline through it, just propane. I had a plumber run a line from my house propane to where the genny sits near the meter and panel. The purpose of this is so I never have to store gasoline in quantities that would make owning a genny for power outages practical. Gasoline gets old and stale. Especially this alcohol laced ****. Propane never goes bad. I tapped into the main panel and run the whole house off this generator. Since I heat with propane, in winter I could never max out the genny's capacity even if I tried. In summer I MIGHT be able to if I ran both house air conditioners (I have 2 AC's to split the house chilling in order to cut down on ducting and it's paid off)
Recently here in California, the electric company, PG&E, purposefully shut off power to homes in my area due to fire hazards. They were found to be responsible for several major fires here in California and now just shut down the grid when the fire danger is high and won't turn it back on again until the danger has passed AND they inspect every inch of overhead lines for any damage. This resulted in power off for 2 days. As the temps were mild, I didn't need AC, but the writing is on the wall; expect many more power outages in hot weather when fire danger is high. Our community lost a lot, considering all the stores, businesses and homes that had food needing to stay chilled. A few hours is one thing, a few days is gonna destroy a lot of food.
Spend all you want, but remember; if you do have extended outages, will the genny you buy last through the outage and save you from losing food or other stuff. We don't notice any difference when we have outages. All I have to do is watch for neighbor lights to return in order to know when to switch back to the grid.
Oh, the Honda is quiet. My neighbors never knew I had power or else I'm sure they would have asked to run extension cords to keep their fridges running. I'm not a jackass, I'd be happy to help them set up a genny if they wanted, but I'm also not going to risk my own need after doing all the work and spending all the money to do so either.
Recently here in California, the electric company, PG&E, purposefully shut off power to homes in my area due to fire hazards. They were found to be responsible for several major fires here in California and now just shut down the grid when the fire danger is high and won't turn it back on again until the danger has passed AND they inspect every inch of overhead lines for any damage. This resulted in power off for 2 days. As the temps were mild, I didn't need AC, but the writing is on the wall; expect many more power outages in hot weather when fire danger is high. Our community lost a lot, considering all the stores, businesses and homes that had food needing to stay chilled. A few hours is one thing, a few days is gonna destroy a lot of food.
Spend all you want, but remember; if you do have extended outages, will the genny you buy last through the outage and save you from losing food or other stuff. We don't notice any difference when we have outages. All I have to do is watch for neighbor lights to return in order to know when to switch back to the grid.
Oh, the Honda is quiet. My neighbors never knew I had power or else I'm sure they would have asked to run extension cords to keep their fridges running. I'm not a jackass, I'd be happy to help them set up a genny if they wanted, but I'm also not going to risk my own need after doing all the work and spending all the money to do so either.
