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theoldwizard1 · 11-12-14, 09:21 AM

You are actually much further ahead than many because you have NG for cooking and water heating and have water pressure (city, I assume). I lived through the NE Blackout of 2003. We had no water pressure but were able to "share" power from the neighbor's generator for an couple of hours every 6 hours.

While you can do a lot with a couple of deep cycle (marine) batteries and a good inverter, you can do a LOT more with a GOOD small inverter generator. The Honda EU2000i is the "Cadillac" of this type of generator, but there are several decent challengers (Yamaha EF2400i/EF2800i and Champion).

Bigger generators are NOT better when it comes to temporary power. With careful energy usage management, you can comfortably live on 2-3kw except maybe A/C (more on that later). Larger generators use a lot of fuel which is a pain unless you have one set up for natural gas. (There are retro fit kits for portable generators.)

The simplest way to hook up your portable generator is a bunch of extension cords. Start with a 12 gauge (10 gauge would be better for over 2kW generators) to get the power from where the generator is located to inside the house (another win for smaller, inverter generators; they are a lot quieter !) Then use a heavy duty "triple tap" to split the power to your priority devices (refrigerator, freezer, furnace, etc). Use adequately sized cords (14 gauge would be good).

The tricky one to hook up with a portable generator and extension cords is your furnace. The Reliance TF151W is THE solution !

.

IMHO, transfer switch panels are a waste of time and money !

If you don't like extension cords, get a generator interlock for your breaker panel. You can still plug you generator in to an outside plug and then power the circuits YOU WANT POWERED AT THE TIME OF THE BLACKOUT and not endanger anyone working on the wiring outside of your home !

If you live in a part of the country where A/C is a "must have", buy a window A/C unit for one bedroom or a small (120V) mini split. Wire it to a pigtail on the outside of the building directly next to a god quality weather resistant outlet. When you have power, plug it in. When you don't plug it into a second small generator ! If you have a 3kW generator and are careful with your loads, one generator is probably enough.

The biggest problems with generators is fuel. Storing a reasonable amount on hand, SAFELY. Rotating your stock every 6 months or so. NG is the way to go or propane if you already own a large tank. Every generator should be started and a load applied once every 4-6 weeks just to make sure it will start.

11-12-14, 09:21 AM	#6
theoldwizard1 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SE MI Posts: 105 Thanks: 3 Thanked 12 Times in 9 Posts	You are actually much further ahead than many because you have NG for cooking and water heating and have water pressure (city, I assume). I lived through the NE Blackout of 2003. We had no water pressure but were able to "share" power from the neighbor's generator for an couple of hours every 6 hours. While you can do a lot with a couple of deep cycle (marine) batteries and a good inverter, you can do a LOT more with a GOOD small inverter generator. The Honda EU2000i is the "Cadillac" of this type of generator, but there are several decent challengers (Yamaha EF2400i/EF2800i and Champion). Bigger generators are NOT better when it comes to temporary power. With careful energy usage management, you can comfortably live on 2-3kw except maybe A/C (more on that later). Larger generators use a lot of fuel which is a pain unless you have one set up for natural gas. (There are retro fit kits for portable generators.) The simplest way to hook up your portable generator is a bunch of extension cords. Start with a 12 gauge (10 gauge would be better for over 2kW generators) to get the power from where the generator is located to inside the house (another win for smaller, inverter generators; they are a lot quieter !) Then use a heavy duty "triple tap" to split the power to your priority devices (refrigerator, freezer, furnace, etc). Use adequately sized cords (14 gauge would be good). The tricky one to hook up with a portable generator and extension cords is your furnace. The Reliance TF151W is THE solution ! . IMHO, transfer switch panels are a waste of time and money ! If you don't like extension cords, get a generator interlock for your breaker panel. You can still plug you generator in to an outside plug and then power the circuits YOU WANT POWERED AT THE TIME OF THE BLACKOUT and not endanger anyone working on the wiring outside of your home ! If you live in a part of the country where A/C is a "must have", buy a window A/C unit for one bedroom or a small (120V) mini split. Wire it to a pigtail on the outside of the building directly next to a god quality weather resistant outlet. When you have power, plug it in. When you don't plug it into a second small generator ! If you have a 3kW generator and are careful with your loads, one generator is probably enough. The biggest problems with generators is fuel. Storing a reasonable amount on hand, SAFELY. Rotating your stock every 6 months or so. NG is the way to go or propane if you already own a large tank. Every generator should be started and a load applied once every 4-6 weeks just to make sure it will start. Attached Images Last edited by theoldwizard1; 11-12-14 at 09:23 AM..