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Survival and Preparations Long and short term survival and 'prepping'. |
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#41
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I doubt a $500 generator will have the ability to put out 220 volts.
Most of the generators in the $500 range only put out 20-30amps of 120volts . if the generator isn't putting out 220 volts your only going to be feeding half of the bussing in your panel board using the above method. |
#43
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If you know an electrician (or if you have some electrical experience), you can install a 2nd main breaker that takes the power from the Gen and sends it to all the places that are currently powered by the electric company. You need to be sure to leave your Generator breaker off whenever the electric company breaker is on, when you loose power make sure you turn off the electric company breaker before turning on the generator breaker, and when going back, turn off the generator breaker before turning on the electric company breaker.
This is completely illegal, and if you forget/mess up and send power down the line and harm someone you'll probably do time over it - so if your going to consider this, make sure you know what you are doing. There are ways to rig your panel so that one breaker cannot be turned on while the other is on, but it still won't be legal. The generator breaker can be mounted in a different location (like inside the garage as opposed to on the outside wall). |
#44
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#46
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But please identify a $500 generator that will supply enough AMPS to run an electrical panel.
__________________
If you build a man a fire, you'll keep him warm for the evening. If you set a man on fire, you'll keep him warm for the rest of his life. |
#47
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I love my generator. I think it's made by Murphy. Every time there is an outage I wait a few hours to see if it comes back on. After a few hours I go get the generator out of the shed, drag it up to the house and
BINGO the power comes back on.
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Only slaves don't need guns We stand for the Anthem, we kneel for the cross We already have the only reasonable Gun Control we need, It's called the Second Amendment and it's the government it controls. What doesn't kill me, better run |
#50
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Not a Honda but better than nothing...I've been running a 4k Harbor Freight for well over 10 years waiting for it to die. I found a used honda EM6500 so its my main but the HF keeps running. We had a big power outage over the winter and it was nice to have a spare to loan out. It ran for 8 days almost continuously with only fuel and and oil change mid way. Last edited by luckylogger6; 06-28-2019 at 11:40 AM.. |
#51
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only 3500 watts, but with 220 output backfed through a dryer outlet, it will feed both buss bars and shouldnt have an issue keeping the fridge and a couple light and outlet circuits live. I wouldnt run the A/C, dryer, stove, electric water heater, or anything else with a large draw.
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson |
#52
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Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk |
#54
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No chance, I'm going to be in the extension cord camp with this one.
Also I was looking at doing the exact same thing just in the potential collapse of the economy or worse, and found the same costs involved with the exception of my neighbors and electrician and was going to give me a screaming deal for closer to the three to $500 range |
#55
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following this thread. Trying to find options for my renters up in Georgetown where PG&E likes to play games.
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#56
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Haha. Options for me: Solar, Batteries, Generator, etc. Options for renter: Candles & flashlights!
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#58
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I eventually upgraded to a 10k and could run everything plus AC or stove. One or the other. It was hooked up the same way. Just kill the main breaker prior to hooking up. Last edited by GuamSAR; 06-29-2019 at 9:14 PM.. |
#59
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I’m a generator newb.. decent size to run a house?
__________________
“People believed that the opposite of war is peace. The truth is that the opposite of war is more often slavery” - Battlestar Galactica Member: Patron member NRA, lifetime member SAF, CRPA |
#60
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#61
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Only when an earthquake knocks out the natural gas lines. On site tank is the way to go.
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#62
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Kilowatts not Megawatts. My old Bluebird Wanderlodge came from the factory with a 12.5Kw gennie powered by a 4 cyl diesel. Motorhome had a 250 gallon fuel tank. I always figured that was my back up until I sold it. Now I have 9Kw available from 2 gen sets.
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#63
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Here's an estimate page from a commercial buy-a-generator site: https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect...Generator.html
__________________
ARCHIVED Calguns Foundation Wiki here: http://web.archive.org/web/201908310...itle=Main_Page "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."Ann Althouse: “Begin with the hypothesis that what they did is what they wanted to do. If they postured that they wanted to do something else, regard that as a con. Work from there. The world will make much more sense.” Not a lawyer, just Some Guy On The Interwebs. |
#64
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__________________
1 Corinthians 2:2 "Orwell was an Optimist" - Cali-Glock "May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one." - Mal Reynolds Freedom Week: March 29-April 6, 2019 // Freedom Day: April 23-24, 2020 - Thank you, Judge Benitez! NRA - Endowment Member // CRPA - Life Member (Disclaimer: Everything I write is fiction. I am just here to try out ideas for my to-be-written great-American-novel.) |
#65
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__________________
“People believed that the opposite of war is peace. The truth is that the opposite of war is more often slavery” - Battlestar Galactica Member: Patron member NRA, lifetime member SAF, CRPA |
#66
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“Originally Posted by gorn5150
I was just pricing natural gas gens. Is there much difference between them and propane? Propane is more 'energy-dense' - for a given load and time, a gen will use less propane than natural gas.” While this is true, you never run out of natural gas—and it is cheaper. With propane you have to keep refilling the tank. |
#67
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Pretty sure it runs out most every major earthquake when the lines brake.
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#68
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Where ever there is a earthquake or fire area that has had major damage. They shut off the natural gas.
__________________
Been gone too long. It's been 15 to 20 years since i had to shelf my guns. Those early years sucked. I really miss the good old Pomona Gun Shows. I'm Back. |
#69
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I've been through a lot of earthquakes in the last 60+ years and never had a gas line break.
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#70
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The one at the new house runs off a buried propane tank.. the neighborhood just got gas.
I'm thinking I should run gas to it and keep the propane with some sort of valve to switch to propane if the gas goes out.. It runs on both.. so would it be as simple as a valve to close off the NG and turn on the Propane?
__________________
“People believed that the opposite of war is peace. The truth is that the opposite of war is more often slavery” - Battlestar Galactica Member: Patron member NRA, lifetime member SAF, CRPA |
#71
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I've been through a lot of earthquakes in the last 50 years and never needed to keep extra food on hand But that doesn't mean the "big one" won't require it.. So I think that was the point.
__________________
“People believed that the opposite of war is peace. The truth is that the opposite of war is more often slavery” - Battlestar Galactica Member: Patron member NRA, lifetime member SAF, CRPA |
#72
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But, it seems to be a common question, so it appears there are kits to do that: https://centuryfuelproducts.com/gene...onversion-kits https://survivalgear4you.com/natural...or-generators/ And it looks like one can buy a Generac with the conversion kit installed, so maybe it is possible to just 'flip a switch'. |
#73
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every time my power gets cut off, i am nowhere close to home, once was two days out. but said cut was only hrs long so lost nothing.
but for shtf, forget any law as there will be none. sure get a cheap contractor gen. and everybody for 10 miles will know about it. drop the coin of a quality gen and nobody will know... as long as you keep your mouth shut and the lights off. .
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big gun's...i love big gun's |
#74
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Even if was a "change the orifaces and then flip a switch" that would be doable in an emergency.
__________________
“People believed that the opposite of war is peace. The truth is that the opposite of war is more often slavery” - Battlestar Galactica Member: Patron member NRA, lifetime member SAF, CRPA |
#75
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- $1,600 to install a transfer switch doesn't sound outrageous. Cost will vary by region and what exactly you're having installed.
- There are plenty of sub $500 generators that can output 240VAC. I have one. They aren’t as popular though as most people interested in sub $500 generators don’t typically need 240VAC. - A sub $500 generator most certainly can run a whole house, it just depends on what you run and what is run at the same time. Most electric meters (“Smart” versions) have a display that cycles through information, one being instantaneous power being used. My house during the day and typical usage hangs around 1 kW. Running ACs, electric dryer, will spike it to quite a lot more. Appliances that have compressors and other inductive loads (ACs, fridge/freezers, water pumps, etc) have a higher surge current on startup. A safe rule of thumb is typically twice the “running” wattage. - A 16kW generator is overkill for a "typical" household. Everyone has different power needs and should size their generator depending on their own unique situation. I can run my house on my sub $500 generator with 3650W running (not using a central AC, dryer, welding, etc). - Non-inverting generators tend to handle startup surges more robustly than inverting types. I know because I fried my Yamaha 2kW inverting generator's main board playing around with max loads - so much for internal surge protection. - Gasoline types are fine if you can store the fuel. Propane is obviously easier to store fuel. - Backfeeding with suicide cords does work, but illegal and dangerous to oneself and others if you don't know what you're doing. For these reasons, it's prudent not to do it. It's probably not the opportune time to have a medical emergency or house fire DURING a widespread power outage on Red Flag days. |
#76
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He said he was pretty sure it ran out on every major earthquake. Not the "big one" that hasn't happened.
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#77
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SMUD customer. Water heater and stove on propane. Well water (electric).
Had an electrician come out and wire up a manual switch for our well pump. After running generator to take showers and filling up water containers for the toilet and drinking/cooking, I’ll disconnect generator and hook up to the refrigerator/freezers and battery pack. Battery pack (charged up) will charge cell phones, run a light and open garage doors. We have a small casita with small air conditioner that we can go to if it gets crazy hot. I’ve tested it a couple of times and all is well. $300-400 to electrician and champion propane generator was $900. $300-400 in propane. I need to buy a 100lb tank. Currently have 8-10, 20 lb tanks. Propane guy fills them when they run out (use 2-3 for bbq and heaters). Texted our propane guy. 100lb tanks require a special fitting and hose. They look like a PIA to move around and refill. Since generator has bbq tank style connection and is low to the ground (100 lb tanks are tall), I’m going to pick up a few of these. He said tanks should be stored outside, in the shade. I’ve been storing them in the garage. FlameKing YSN-301 Propane Tank-30 Pound Refillable Steel Cylinder with Type 1 Overflow Protection Device Valve-DOT and TC Compliant, 30 lb, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHVVV2..._Mt8gDbYACPF4X Last edited by NATEWA; 07-02-2019 at 1:04 PM.. Reason: Added link |
#78
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Your lucky then. Lost gas service in Northridge earthquack, fulley expect to loos it again in the next large one. My point is building an emergency backup system that is not stand alone and relys on luck to work after an event is dumb.
and |
#79
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Honda 2000 generator runs for about 10-11 hours on a single gallon of gas. Runs satellite television, lights, and satelite internet for the wife and kids (a must have). We lose power for days on end at our cabin during snow storms. Use Coleman stove to cook meals. If we lived in a warmer environment, we might consider going with a Generac system, or similar. Not needed for only a couple of days.
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#80
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Connected to my outside main meter panel via a twistlock #6 AWG 4-wire cord and mechanical interlock, it powers my home, well pump, sheds, etc. (within reason). Obviously, we aren't going to be running the electric clothes dryer when running on the generator. Once, when the fridge, freezer and well pump were all running, I attempted to start the microwave oven and it stalled the generator. I will buy a larger generator at some point, but the point to consider is to keep the loads within reason. I could have built a mechanical interlock plate in about 15 minutes with stuff I have lying around, but chose to buy the $100 Square D official kit, with the UL stampings and safety labels for liability reasons. If a $300 unit can do it, a $500 unit could do even better.
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Just taking up space in (what is no longer) the second-worst small town in California. |
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