Paging KiloBravo

[Tomster]

Thanks to everyone and ZRacer, mighty sorry about your gramps and hope he's fine which I'm sure he is. Those places have backup generators.

SOW Tom, I've been wanting to do JUST that for YEARS but there are two major problems.

First, I want at least 35kw and that would require my gas line to be increased to 3/4". Not an easy job and I'd probably have to get a plumber or the gas company to duit. Plus, the meter is about 300 feet from where I want to put the backup gen.

Sure thought about it once again, this time and maybe I'll finally get a round tuit. :-)

You'd be surprised what a 20KW can run.....

Most intelligent transfer power switches have auto shed load control that will prioritize heavy load items. You really shouldn't need a 35kw generator unless you have some huge priority loads

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[Tomster]

^^ For instance, I have a gas range, electric 2 ton AC, 1.5 ton AC, electric HWH, 1.5 ton mini split, 20 amp well pump, and gas clothes dryer.

I easily can run everything at once ....the whole house at once with a 65% load on a 20 kw generator

 

[Jmeo]

I agree with tom. I have a 23K Generac with a "smart switch" that powers the whole house, including 4 central air systems & a pool. The smart switch controls what needs to operate, and when. I also have (2) 100lb propane tanks to run the generator. This should be an option for you as well. I only had to fill the propane tanks once in 9 years. That is with a weekly 15 minute run cycle, and periodic power loss runs.

 

[kilobravo]

I hear you guys and I'm familiar with the latest transfer switches. But, we have some pretty heavy loads.

Air Con Chicken: 5ton, 3ton, 1.5 ton
100kw feed to one building for golf cart and other equipment.
60kw feed to a second building, same thing.
Pool pump: 1kw (on 23 of 24hrs)
One small electric water heater; ≈3kw
50gal 175psi air compressor (5hp ≈3500w) (used a lot)
Espresso machine: 3500w (on most of the day)

I don't think (and I've been told by an electrician,) that 25kw, even with the best xfer switch, won't cut it and the next bump is 35.

 

[Tomster]

and the next bump is 35.

Along with the price tag. They go through the roof after 20kw.

 

[kilobravo]

And hence the reason it's taking me YEARS to make the plunge. :-)

 

[16Kobra]

Yeah, we dodged Mother Nature once again but didn't quite make it unscathed. Storm went south so we got the brunt of it and even though it was only a CAT 1, it screwed things up pretty good. The last storm knocked down two large sections of my privacy fence that still haven't been repaired. (Just horse fence now to keep the pups in.) So now, I get to do the same thing again PLUS cut up and remove all that heavy old fence. Ugh.

Branches and leaves everywhere but didn't need the help of the half dozen sets of storm shutters I put up. And, I managed to do "the generator thing" for the first twenty-four but that got to be more trouble than it was worth. In the "alternator's" early days, she could carry the house and one of the three air con chicken units so we could at least stay "sorta" cool.

I guess she's agin, because she couldn't do that any longer and while having lights and power to the refers was nice, I wasn't going to bother with setting up the two aux tanks and end up staying up all night managing that machine so I said, "lights out."

Power came back on around 1700 today (and fortunately, it was overcast and relatively cool all day.) I need at least another day off before getting after all this and it looks like the refers stayed cold enough that we won't lose a month's worth of chow.

Thanks for thinking of me, guys.

Glad all is relatively ok.

 

[16Kobra]

When I build my new house next year, the plan is to install 20 kw generator, storm shutters and possible solar panels.

Not sure about the solar panel idea yet but will wait and see.

 

[kilobravo]

Jim: We too are in a good area for solar but I'm picky about "stuff on my roof." Nearly always eventually leads to leaks. Plus, the power here is pretty cheap.

Definitely a good idea to put in the backup generator/alternator and believe me, the galvanized and Lexan shutter panels are a breeze to put up and take down...ground floor, that is. Second story a little more difficult. I waited too long and dealt with plywood and those damnable clips for years.

No mo. And if the economy every picks up again, I'll take another look at the standby UPS.

 

[Tomster]

When I build my new house next year, the plan is to install 20 kw generator, storm shutters and possible solar panels.

Not sure about the solar panel idea yet but will wait and see.

Get impact and never look back. Us old farts need to stay off ladders as much as possible these days. Yet I continue to find myself on top of a ladder.

Another option is hurricane fabric. I have all impact, but on the upstairs sliders, the dynamic pressure of the wind keeps the rain from draining out the gutter. A lot of water accumulates because it cant drain. Even though they are impact, the fabric provides a water barrier so that the rain cant build up and collect in my sliders gutter.

 

[kilobravo]

Those certainly look safe and, easy to store, Tom but it does look like more work installing than my stacked sheets of galvanized. Most windows at Casa KB are tall front windows and they require six panels horizontally with a wing nut at each end. Very easy.

And as you know, what the most depressing parts of living through a hurricane is being in the dark. You don't have that problem but someone without a gen would wind up with a totally dark house using those shutters you showed...UNLESS they also let light in, which they may very well do. I have some windows where I use clear Lucite panels that let in light and, can be seen through.

These are what I purchased:

 

[16Kobra]

And as you know, what the most depressing parts of living through a hurricane is being in the dark. You don't have that problem but someone without a gen would wind up with a totally dark house using those shutters you showed...UNLESS they also let light in, which they may very well do. I have some windows where I use clear Lucite panels that let in light and, can be seen through.

These are what I purchased:

​

My wife keeps our current house in the dark, it helps with her migraines and keeps the house cooler. Frustrates me sometimes, but I have learned to live with it.

 

[Tomster]

Those certainly look safe and, easy to store, Tom but it does look like more work installing than my stacked sheets of galvanized. Most windows at Casa KB are tall front windows and they require six panels horizontally with a wing nut at each end. Very easy.

And as you know, what the most depressing parts of living through a hurricane is being in the dark. You don't have that problem but someone without a gen would wind up with a totally dark house using those shutters you showed...UNLESS they also let light in, which they may very well do. I have some windows where I use clear Lucite panels that let in light and, can be seen through.

These are what I purchased:

Yes, the hurricane fabric does let some light in. Good enough.

They go right on and come right off, with 1/4-20 sidewalk bolts set in recessed female fasteners. When not in use, the female portion of the fastener is covered by a nylon push in screw which models itself as a 1/4-20 screw. I didn't want to have studs sticking out from around my door, but that option is available and less money too. They say the hurricane fabric is stronger than the panels, its supposed to be made of Kevlar or something. Again, I bought it for water resistance, not so much impact resistance. The only other concern with the fabric is if your windows are flush with the outside of the house. Think of the fabric as a net. Something hits it, and the net will absorb the impact, but will have to give a bit and move inward. If non impact glass is right up against the fabric, I think the window would break. I don't think it would be a factor if your windows are recessed inward from the side of your house.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

I almost took the plunge on a whole home, built-in NatGas or LP based generator, but determined we'd probably just bail anyway while the power was out (and right after a storm if we were to have another direct-ish type hit).

However, I am thinking about getting a transfer box installed (to use with our 8K portable) so we can easily power the house through a single connection, just being able to plug in anywhere in the house vs. more extensions is nice. We don't even really need to power central AC, we've got a couple of portables.

Still, those full home systems are slick, guy down the street has one, with remote/internet based monitoring/control, etc.

 

[kilobravo]

Back-powering with a generator is a nice deal but to do it right, you need to feed the output into a 240 receptacle, not a 120 plug, to get the most power out of her and avoid tripped breakers.

I would be very surprised if even with the best load-balancing switch, you couldn carry the entire load with 8k.

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