Back up power?
- Thread starter benbalter
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o2manyfish
Valuable Member
Generac 22kw whole house dual fuel with Auto Transfer switch - Runs the whole house starting within 20 secs of the power going off - No one has to be at home. And turns off a minute after the power comes back on and is stable.
Its hooked up to the Natural Gas line. Should the natural gas be shut off we can switch it to propane and have a 300lb propane tank that should run it for 30+ hrs.
Dave B
Its hooked up to the Natural Gas line. Should the natural gas be shut off we can switch it to propane and have a 300lb propane tank that should run it for 30+ hrs.
Dave B
o2manyfish
Valuable Member
My wife and I were on a cruise when the power went off for 8.5 hours in 105deg weather while the house sitter was at work.
Sitting in our cruise ship cabin, using a laptop with crazy slow and erratic wifi, to control the PTZ camera to all the dead fish and give directions to our housesitter for where to scoop up the dead bodies for a couple of hours and my wife was sold.
We had a 400g tank at the time and lost about 60 fish.
My wife had no hesitation at the generator idea, and she helped me load and move the 300lb propane tank.
I don't know how mechanical / technical your wife is. But it's not an easy process when the power goes out
1) Pull Generator out of wherever it is stored
2) Pray the fuel is still good
3) Remember to open the fuel valve
4) Do you have to yank it, how many times till it starts
5) Yay we got the dang thing started and our shoulder is only burning mildly
6) How many extension cords am I going to need
7) Where are those dang extension cords
8) Which cords on the fish tank -- Cause I am sure all your cords are Perfectly & Clearly Labeled --- are the ones that need to go to the generator
Whether us, our significant other, or a house sitter - To get thru all those 8 steps can be a pain. Prior to the wholehouse generator we had a big gas backup. And assumming I left it sitting on the patio, with 3 extension cords coiled on top of it. With both ends of each extension cord individually labelled. And all the plugs going into wall outlets labelled (IN COLOR) that they need to attach to the generator cord. And a laminated diagramed instruction panel. It was a daunting task. Cause these issues only happen in the pitch dark or night when it's raining!
My wife was also all gung ho about upgrading to a 750g tank and remodeling the house around the tank.... So wifes are kind of like cars - Your mileage may vary
Dave B
dadnjesse
Valuable Member
Sounds like you have a great wife.My wife and I were on a cruise when the power went off for 8.5 hours in 105deg weather while the house sitter was at work.
Sitting in our cruise ship cabin, using a laptop with crazy slow and erratic wifi, to control the PTZ camera to all the dead fish and give directions to our housesitter for where to scoop up the dead bodies for a couple of hours and my wife was sold.
We had a 400g tank at the time and lost about 60 fish.
My wife had no hesitation at the generator idea, and she helped me load and move the 300lb propane tank.
I don't know how mechanical / technical your wife is. But it's not an easy process when the power goes out
1) Pull Generator out of wherever it is stored
2) Pray the fuel is still good
3) Remember to open the fuel valve
4) Do you have to yank it, how many times till it starts
5) Yay we got the dang thing started and our shoulder is only burning mildly
6) How many extension cords am I going to need
7) Where are those dang extension cords
8) Which cords on the fish tank -- Cause I am sure all your cords are Perfectly & Clearly Labeled --- are the ones that need to go to the generator
Whether us, our significant other, or a house sitter - To get thru all those 8 steps can be a pain. Prior to the wholehouse generator we had a big gas backup. And assumming I left it sitting on the patio, with 3 extension cords coiled on top of it. With both ends of each extension cord individually labelled. And all the plugs going into wall outlets labelled (IN COLOR) that they need to attach to the generator cord. And a laminated diagramed instruction panel. It was a daunting task. Cause these issues only happen in the pitch dark or night when it's raining!
My wife was also all gung ho about upgrading to a 750g tank and remodeling the house around the tank.... So wifes are kind of like cars - Your mileage may vary
Dave B
benbalter
Community Member
Lol love the post! I tied the generator to the house power and i am little short of power to run the A/C. I live in Houston so I rotate the gas out. I am waiting on a hurricane. No cords neededMy wife and I were on a cruise when the power went off for 8.5 hours in 105deg weather while the house sitter was at work.
Sitting in our cruise ship cabin, using a laptop with crazy slow and erratic wifi, to control the PTZ camera to all the dead fish and give directions to our housesitter for where to scoop up the dead bodies for a couple of hours and my wife was sold.
We had a 400g tank at the time and lost about 60 fish.
My wife had no hesitation at the generator idea, and she helped me load and move the 300lb propane tank.
I don't know how mechanical / technical your wife is. But it's not an easy process when the power goes out
1) Pull Generator out of wherever it is stored
2) Pray the fuel is still good
3) Remember to open the fuel valve
4) Do you have to yank it, how many times till it starts
5) Yay we got the dang thing started and our shoulder is only burning mildly
6) How many extension cords am I going to need
7) Where are those dang extension cords
8) Which cords on the fish tank -- Cause I am sure all your cords are Perfectly & Clearly Labeled --- are the ones that need to go to the generator
Whether us, our significant other, or a house sitter - To get thru all those 8 steps can be a pain. Prior to the wholehouse generator we had a big gas backup. And assumming I left it sitting on the patio, with 3 extension cords coiled on top of it. With both ends of each extension cord individually labelled. And all the plugs going into wall outlets labelled (IN COLOR) that they need to attach to the generator cord. And a laminated diagramed instruction panel. It was a daunting task. Cause these issues only happen in the pitch dark or night when it's raining!
My wife was also all gung ho about upgrading to a 750g tank and remodeling the house around the tank.... So wifes are kind of like cars - Your mileage may vary
Dave B
DaveyB
Community Member
Our power went out once in California. Power lines for the whole street blew up. Happened at 5pm on a Monday.
PG&E told us power would be restored at 9pm, then 10 pm then tomorrow morning yada yada yada. I knew they were lying. We got it back at 10am on Wednesday.
I was watching the temp rise and rise in my tank. Went to Home Depot ASAP and bought a Honda 2000 watt gas powered generator, $1,000. It powered everything for the tank and our refrigerator. Very easy to use. Amazingly quiet.
I got a Ecotech Marine battery back-up after that incident to power my powerheads.
The little gas generators are nice but the gas gets gummed up when the sit for long periods unused. I would get one that runs off of propane.
Now that we live in NC we have a 22KW Generac whole house generator and 500 gallon propane tank.
PG&E told us power would be restored at 9pm, then 10 pm then tomorrow morning yada yada yada. I knew they were lying. We got it back at 10am on Wednesday.
I was watching the temp rise and rise in my tank. Went to Home Depot ASAP and bought a Honda 2000 watt gas powered generator, $1,000. It powered everything for the tank and our refrigerator. Very easy to use. Amazingly quiet.
I got a Ecotech Marine battery back-up after that incident to power my powerheads.
The little gas generators are nice but the gas gets gummed up when the sit for long periods unused. I would get one that runs off of propane.
Now that we live in NC we have a 22KW Generac whole house generator and 500 gallon propane tank.
