Back up Generator

[Gerald Glatt]

5 hours ago, PaulB said:

All

Thank you for the great answers. This is my reason for being on this forum. You get first hand, lived it, been there, knowledge and experience.

I am thinking I might work an extra month here and go Solar! more expensive but reliable and ongoing.

Thanks all.

 

Paul

That would keep someone from backing up to your generator and no wouldn't happen where you are planing to live 

[Jollygoodfellow]

11 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

you will need a Genny that will start by battery. 

Many say they will but few will do it without screwing around with the choke and most have to have the gas line manually shut off and turned on again before starting.  If you don't then the eventually the gas starts leaking out, or such is what happened to me when I decided "I don't need to shut off no stinking gas lever".  Very expensive repair job because the gas leaked somewhere it shouldn't have..

I'm pretty sure he is talking about a permanent backup wired into the house and not a portable one. 

[intrepid]

16 hours ago, PaulB said:

I am thinking I might work an extra month here and go Solar! more expensive but reliable and ongoing.

Now your talking!  My grid tie system has produced 26-30 kwh per day since going on line last Oct.

[Dave Hounddriver]

20 minutes ago, intrepid said:

My grid tie system has produced 26-30 kwh per day since going on line last Oct

And how much does it produce when there is a brownout?  I ask because any grid tie systems I know of have an auto shut off when the power goes out to avoid feedback into a downed power line. 

So unless you have a way to still get power during a brown out, its back to a cheap generator or an expensive battery powered "off grid" solar system.

[intrepid]

24 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

And how much does it produce when there is a brownout?  I ask because any grid tie systems I know of have an auto shut off when the power goes out to avoid feedback into a downed power line. 

So unless you have a way to still get power during a brown out, its back to a cheap generator or an expensive battery powered "off grid" solar system.

You are correct about the auto shut off during brownout with the basic grid tie system.  However, with hybrid or battery backup, you have the best of both worlds.  Produce power anytime the sun shines and use the power , store it for night time usage or whenever the power is out, plus sell to the power company any excess you do not use or store.  The downside is here the Meralco buys back at about only half of what they sell it for.  But that's okay because I'm using their poles, lines, transformers, ect.

Edited March 23, 2018 by intrepid
added photo

[Onemore52]

Coming in on this thread please fellas.

Is getting an inverter generator worth the extra money, or can the normal Honda Digital AVR series do the job efficiently, as they are nearly double the price.

Reading from the Honda blurb it says D-AVR (Digital Auto voltage regulator) provides electricity close to the quality levels of inverter generators.

Here in Camarines Norte we have blackouts (forget about the brown out BS), that go from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. at least once a month with the odd brownout during the week lasting for a couple of hours, so I really need something to keep the refrigerators/freezers ticking over so that I don't have to throw all the food out, and yes keep the ice frozen for sunset drinks, and not too worried about running computers and air cons.

 

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, Onemore52 said:

normal

Normal vs inverter is a personal choice

I bought an inverter type ref based on the hype.  It was 2 cubic feet bigger than my old ref but all the mechanical and insulation stuff uses that space so I have slightly less usable space and my electric bill seems the same.

Moral is: Stick to what makes you and your budget happy and ignore the advertising hype

Edited April 4, 2018 by Dave Hounddriver

[Onemore52]

So is it just the advertising from the companies that manufacture these things that the inverter produces a more stable supply, thus making it better for all the electrical components?

I am getting a headache.

 

 

[Huggybearman]

5 hours ago, Onemore52 said:

Coming in on this thread please fellas.

Is getting an inverter generator worth the extra money, or can the normal Honda Digital AVR series do the job efficiently, as they are nearly double the price.

Reading from the Honda blurb it says D-AVR (Digital Auto voltage regulator) provides electricity close to the quality levels of inverter generators.

Here in Camarines Norte we have blackouts (forget about the brown out BS), that go from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. at least once a month with the odd brownout during the week lasting for a couple of hours, so I really need something to keep the refrigerators/freezers ticking over so that I don't have to throw all the food out, and yes keep the ice frozen for sunset drinks, and not too worried about running computers and air cons.

 

 

Generators fall into two camps. Pure sine wave output and modified sine wave. Modified sine wave ones will run most equipment like computers, lights etc. Anything that has AC motors like fridges won't run as efficiently, or may well run hotter which could lead to early failure over time. Equipment using electronic timers also don't like modified sine wave. 

Pure sinewave output gennies will run all types of equipment. But at  price.

Honda generators are very good. The ones with the D-AVR  will be fine for running your fridge and freezer. They provide a 'clean' output. The difference between these and an invertor generator is one of economy. Invertor gennies matches engine speed to output. Others just run flat out regardless of of demand. Another consideration is noise. Not just for you, but also your neighbours. Invertors are generally much quiter, certainly the Honda ones are, 

If you are going to use your generator reqularly then I would always opt for the best you can afford. It will pay dividends in the long run. Personlly I would avoid the cheap ones you get in the likes of Ace Hardwre. They will be noisy, uneconomical and ultimately unreliable. Like most things in life you get what you pay for.

Ken

[Billoncho]

I'm thinking of going with the Honda EU2200i with the Hutch Mountain Trifuel propane conversion and using propane exclusively. I only need to keep my computer and internet up with a few lights for work. Maybe a small inverter AC unit too.