Generators and Generating Questions

Salty Lemon · Feb 5, 2019

I've lived in the same house for ten years and we have never had a power outage. Since setting up my 210 gal we have lost power four times. Last night it was for eight hours and everything was closed so we couldn't run out to buy a generator. Time to start thinking about back ups. Suggestions on how large?

Crabs McJones · Feb 5, 2019

Do you have a rough idea how many watts your system is pulling? At bare minimum i'd figure out the wattage of your heater, your return pump, and at least one powerhead to keep water circulating and keep everything warm. Your system can go without light for up to three days if need be. And go from there

I have a 1200 watt generator that I picked up from menards that I use and it works perfectly

redfishbluefish · Feb 5, 2019

Agree with @Crabs Mcjones ....determine what your usage would be. My guess is that something between 3000 to 5000 watts should be more than enough. Note the larger you go, the more gas you will use.

I was for very fortunate to have a generator sitting in my garage (still in the box) when Sandy hit NJ. I was out for over seven days. I can't even tell you the number of friends who lost their entire tank, not having a means to keep it running. Anyway, my little generator ran my entire tank (90 DT, 50 sump), my boiler to heat my house, kitchen refrigerator, the television and a couple lights. This is a simple 300 dollar Sam's Club generator...ran 24/7 for over a week. My only complaint....loud.

Salty Lemon · Feb 5, 2019

Thanks @redfishbluefish & @Crabs Mcjones . This gives me a good start.

andrewkw · Feb 5, 2019

I have a 7500 watt one and it powers most other stuff in my house in addition to the tanks. If the power is going to be out for 8hours, you are probably going to want watch tv, use the computer or at least keep your food from spoiling. IMO it's better to be slightly over powered then slightly under powered. The biggest surprise for me is how fast a generator uses gas. Mine lasts approximately 11 hours on a full tank. I try and keep at least one extra gas can around.

If you get a big enough one you can have a transfer switch installed and use the generator to feed the panel. This was my original plan but I decided to wait a bit as the cost to get this done here is $1500 - as the power has to be turned off. Instead I just run a maze of extension cords throughout the house, but this hassle is worth $1500 to me. To you it might not.

Dubs83 · Feb 5, 2019

We picked up a 12.5kW generac and it saved us last winter. We lost power for 6 days in January of last year and it ran our boiler (heat and hot water) kitchen and appliances, the entire first floor plus the aquarium basics (return pump, skimmer, power head and heaters). Keep in mind these portable generators will burn some oil so make sure you shut it down at least once a day and replenish what it had burned. Ours was about 1/3 of a quart per day.

We also invested in a transfer switch to easily and safely disconnect the circuits from the city power. Well worth it and easy to install.

ksanfranfan · Feb 5, 2019

I have the same generator as redfishbluefish. Bought it at Sams Club on sale for $199 a few years ago. I've used it a few times to run a 2 hp air compressor and some other high demand electrical equipment.

jda · Feb 5, 2019

8 hours will be Ok with a 1000-1500w generator. If you are talking about days to weeks (like hurricane, tornado, ice storm), then a 5000-7500 watt one is smart since your fridges and furnace can be run off of it (assuming natural gas or propane).

For occasional use, one from Harbor Freight will be OK. For more constant use, then get a better one. Better ones will run longer, have less surges and be more reliable in the long run... not to mention being a lot quieter. Even the cheap ones will have low-oil shutoff, but this is no good if it happens right after you leave and it does not run for 4-5 hours like you thought that it would.

cracker · Feb 5, 2019

I agree with JDA, Your tanks aren't the only thing you need during a power outage .

ca1ore · Feb 5, 2019

Just remember to ‘exercise’ the generator periodically. I discovered the importance of this the hard way.

mfinn · Feb 5, 2019

I have used a generator 10-12 times in the last 15 -20 years.
I also bought a gentran and had a electrician wire it into my house box, so all I have to do is turn the gas lever to on and hit the start button ( electric start), then walk inside the garage and flip 6 switches on the gentran and most of my house is powered up as well as my tanks.
I recently upgraded to a Predator 8750 watt and have used it 3 times.
Seems to be pretty good so far.