Power outage help

corey.nolta · May 27, 2016

I see what you did there

AllSignsPointToFish · May 27, 2016

HEHEHE

))

AllSignsPointToFish · May 27, 2016

When you're going through your generator options, you need to consider if you need something with large capacity (like we do here in Florida for hurricane season) or if it's just for the tank. If it's just for tank backup, I would look closely at a gasoline-powered portable inverter. They aren't much cheaper than a regular generator, but they are quieter and easier to deploy in a moment's notice.

redfishbluefish · May 27, 2016

@AllSignsPointToFish , I was with you until you said "quieter."

The only quiet one I know is Honda. All the rest sound like you have a semi truck running in your backyard. It's the one reason I have mine about 80 feet from the house. But otherwise, I agree. I actually have what might be considered a small generator ($300 at Sam's Club), and it not only ran my entire tank (90 g DT with 40 sump), but also my refrigerator, boiler, television and a few lights for over seven days, when Sandy hit coastal NJ.

AllSignsPointToFish · May 27, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
@AllSignsPointToFish , I was with you until you said "quieter." The only quiet one I know is Honda. All the rest sound like you have a semi truck running in your backyard. It's the one reason I have mine about 80 feet from the house. But otherwise, I agree. I actually have what might be considered a small generator ($300 at Sam's Club), and it not only ran my entire tank (90 g DT with 40 sump), but also my refrigerator, boiler, television and a few lights for over seven days, when Sandy hit coastal NJ.

Yeah, you will need to pay attention to the noise (in dB) in the manufacturer's literature. There are other quiet portable inverters out there, but they don't power the entire house. Apparently, there is a distinction between a generator and a portable inverter generator, namely in the way of weight, power production, and operating noise.

andyg1960 · May 27, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
@AllSignsPointToFish , I was with you until you said "quieter." The only quiet one I know is Honda. All the rest sound like you have a semi truck running in your backyard. It's the one reason I have mine about 80 feet from the house. But otherwise, I agree. I actually have what might be considered a small generator ($300 at Sam's Club), and it not only ran my entire tank (90 g DT with 40 sump), but also my refrigerator, boiler, television and a few lights for over seven days, when Sandy hit coastal NJ.

Thats a very organized looking system you have. I am in Northern NJ and unfortunately did not have a generator until after Sandy, so we lost everything from live fish to all of our food. When the power came on 8 days later, the surge blew out our main TV. I have a generator now, never used it (so far) but I really should get my act together and get it looking more like this photo so I'm ready to go when needed. I even have the gas cans--but they're empty :-(