Anybody use a Generac backup system?

[vicrider 0]

We have been losing power every storm this year and I get tired of it, but I don't know if I'm tired of it enough to invest in a major backup system. A week or so ago we had major storm and wind and knocked out a row poles and left without power for around 20 hours. Most of our outages are for an hour or two but as you know it can vary a lot. We have relatively cheap natural gas lines around here so a system based on automatic cycle with natural gas would be great and relieve the concerns in the fridge and freezer and give us AC on the 100+ degree days that follow a major storm around here.

I am not an electrician in any sense of the word and twisting two wires together is the extent of my skills so everything from start to finish would have to be contracted out. We have a small house, limited electric needs but would want to cover the fridge, freezer and at least one AC unit to survive. Anyone do one of these systems and have an idea of the real costs, not the internet prices they want you to see?

[flytire 0]

no

I've had a portable backup generator sitting in my shed for the 14 years I've lived in my mobile home and have never used it

my brother and i wired my house in case i need to plug it in

lost power yesterday for about an hour but the power company was quick to restore the power

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I’ve long wanted a back-up generator for our house but it’s just one of several items on my wish list… We’re fortunate since we’re on the same grid as a major local hospital so we’re among the first back up and running after a hurricane… But still, once or twice it’s been a few days before power was restored.  We have had friends who were down for weeks at a time after a hurricane so we’re fortunate by comparison…

I figure it would run around 10k for a modest gas powered generator installation including the proper electrical hook-up for an automatic system.  We do have a gas line right where the unit would be installed.  I have no info though on the reliability or life of a Generac system- only their ads to go by…

[cphubert 0]

I have a portable backup unit 7500K (gas) in a dedicated shed that has been used. The expense is the installation (electrician) with the transfer switch and sub panel I only have limited use it is not a whole house automatic standby system (that Generac markets) I have to manually start the generator and engage the transfer switch to provide power. Additionally I provide maintenance- periodic starting, oil changes, ethanol treatment. Get a quote from a generator installer (free quotes?) it can vary with your area and codes.

[DWSmith 0]

We have a Generac standby generator to power the whole house.  It's been installed for several years and has only been needed once for an 8 or 9 hour stretch.  It runs off of our 500 gallon LP tank.  We live in the country and I wouldn't want to be without my Generac.

A little after we moved here 16 years ago our power went out for 3 1/2 days during the winter at temperatures not very far below freezing.  No Generac was installed here yet.  Our LP fireplace was our only source of heat in the house.  I used a deep cycle battery and an inverter to keep the cell phones charged, run a radio and small TV occasionally, run a laptop occasionally, and run a table lamp with a CFL occasionally.   I put clean garbage bags in two trash cans and emptied our refrigerator and freezer into them while keeping them on the porch on the north side of the house.   Food I didn't want frozen was kept in coolers in the garage. I cooked on a camp stove in the basement with a fire extinguisher handy and kept the stove near the door just in case.  We survived fine but some homes in the area were without power for 2 weeks.  Would never want to do that without a generator.

 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

If you have the info... what size genny for the whole house, your cost (then), and rough size of house?  I'm guessing my figure of 10k is woefully out of date.  This from a guy who's re-powering his work skiff -and my cost is only twice what I'm used  to paying to re-power (lucky me...).

[mikechell 0]

We've got an 11,000 watt, whole house back up.  Hooked into the house with an automatic system.  If the main power goes out, it disconnects the power from the "grid" and starts running the house.  Takes about 5 seconds before power is back on for us.  When power comes back on, it just reverses the operation except we're connected to the grid before the generator turns off, so no interruption.

That generator powers the A/C, lights, TV two 'fridges and a freezer.  Whole house ... no problem.

It's come on many times over the years.  Wouldn't be without one, now.

[SilverCreek 0]

I've thought about a backup system but it requires periodic maintenance. In the 22 years that I have been in my current home, the power longest the power has been off is about 3 hours. Most of the time, it is just a few seconds or rarely a few minutes. Now I am glad I didn't spend the money for a backup system. BUt then again, the electrical grid and infrastructure is very stable and well maintained in Wisconsin.

Now I've gone and jinxed myself and I'll probably loose power for several days tonight...... :^((

[Poopdeck 0]

I’ve been without power for 5 days once and 3 days once in the last 35 years. Once in summer (hurricane) once in winter (ice storm). Didn’t bother me in the least. Cold showers in a cold house sucked but once every 35 years  is not enough for me to drop 15K on something to run my whole house. I have a 3000 watt portable generator and a 650 Watt portable generator I got for free. Otherwise I would not have them either. I’ll use the one to run the fridge a few hours every day just to keep it cold. No need to run it all day to keep the fridge cold. Knock on wood but generally my power doesn’t go out for any longer than an hour. I attribute this to underground electric cables. For what you want to run a whole house Generac seems overkill. 

[DFoster 0]

Our area had a major Ice/wind storm a decade ago and lost power for 5 days.  We made coffee, breakfast and dinner on top of our basement wood stove.   My wife works from a home office so she went to work with me for internet access until the power came back.  The wood stove kept the pipes from freezing but on the 2nd floor where our bedrooms are located it was in the mid 40's, so a bit on the chilly side for most.  At night I tied flies and my wife read by candle light, there wasn't much else you could do.  It felt kind of like we were camping.  We did buy a whole house generator 5 years ago and while we have lost power here and there for a few minutes we have never really needed to use it.   Still it's better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it.

[SilverCreek 0]

Fortunately, all our lines are underground so ice storms do not seem to have much effect on us.

[mikechell 0]

Florida.  Between the hurricanes and the lightning storms, we usually lose power several times a year for a few hours at a time.  But the reason for the whole house system is the hurricanes.  We've been without power in excess of 5 days at least once a summer.  Wife's issues are such that she cannot be in summer heat for more than a few minutes.  When they were working on our A/C system a couple of years back, she had to sit in the car for hours just so she wouldn't overheat.

[cebe 0]

We have one. 14K Generac will power our whole house, furnace, stoves, refrig, well pump, washer, dryer, etc. If we had A/C they recommended 17K. Even if we added A/C they said just don't run everything at once and 14K would be ok. Winter outages are the worst because no heat and no well pump means frozen lines in a day or so and our power can be out for days. Total cost for installation, which includes the transfer box, delivery, and generator ($4.5K) around $7K. Runs off LP. Natural gas would be even cheaper to run, but we have LP only. We are in northern Michigan and quite a few places have these. Maintenance is just changing the oil on the generator motor (small lawn mower size engine) when needed.

[DWSmith 0]

On 7/10/2023 at 7:08 PM, Capt Bob LeMay said:

If you have the info... what size genny for the whole house, your cost (then), and rough size of house?  I'm guessing my figure of 10k is woefully out of date.  This from a guy who's re-powering his work skiff -and my cost is only twice what I'm used  to paying to re-power (lucky me...).

22kw, about 2,300 sq ft, $10,000.

[Christophermacc 0]

Absolutely, when you're dealing with those pesky power outages, it's really worth looking into appliances like refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioning units that come with those fancy advanced CPU capabilities. These smart appliances tend to have some nifty power management tricks up their sleeves, giving you better control over temperatures and saving energy in the process. Keep an eye out for models that let you tweak cooling settings and even have energy-saving modes. And here's a cool thing: some of these systems even come with alarms that'll give you a heads-up about temperature changes when the power's acting up. This kind of tech can seriously help keep your stuff in top shape and keep you comfy during those storm-induced blackouts. So, remember to factor in your trusty fridge or freezer when exploring options!