+OLD CS1 Posted September 28 Share Posted September 28 28 minutes ago, Gary from OPA said: So for my generator I found it more reliable to switch it over to running on a propane tank like from a large BBQ, the power was more steady than a gasoline mixture as the propane flow is regulator and it lasts a lot longer as well. Propane here is roughly the same cost as "marine" gasoline, but provides less running power. That said, a 20# tank (about 4.7 gallons) will run about eight hours, while the 8.5 gallon tank (as marked on the tank, while the manual states 7.9,) of gas will run about 11 hours. About 102 minutes per gallon for propane, 77 minutes per gallon for gasoline. For a full cylinder versus full tank of low-grade, The power output loss for propane is 15%, so only 6,500W versus 8,000W, and 8,000W peak versus 10,000W peak; given run-time, 52kWh versus 88kWh, but 11.06kWh/gal versus 10.35kWh/gal. Then, stipulating the same price for both fuels at $3.84/gal., 34.7¢/kWh propane and 37.1¢/kWh for gasoline, 3.4¢ more per kWh for gasoline. There are some assumptions here as I have never run the unit at full capacity, but I did run the same load on both propane and 87 octane gasoline for these timings. As well, I admittedly have not been able to run accurate numbers with "marine" gas (83/84 octane, non-ethanol,) as I only put 7.5 gallons in the tank and ran it for 10.5 hours without measuring the load. Assuming marine gas and propane are the same price, not adjusting for potential difference in run-time between marine and low-grade, and assuming my napkin math is correct in saying $2.26/hr propane and $2.96/hr gasoline, having more power available and longer time between fill-ups (read as not waking up in the middle of the night) is worth it. I will put this in a spread-sheet tomorrow. But now, time for bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dhe Posted September 29 Share Posted September 29 I have power, but many any the area still don't. =( Thanks Helen! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted September 29 Share Posted September 29 On 9/28/2024 at 4:03 AM, OLD CS1 said: I will put this in a spread-sheet tomorrow. Fuel Capacity (gal) Power (kW) Run-time (h) $/gal $/tank kWh kWh/gal $/kWh $/hr $/min Propane 4.7 6.5 8.0 $3.95 $18.57 52 11.064 $0.36 $2.32 $0.04 Gasoline 8.5 8.0 11.0 $3.84 $32.63 88 10.353 $0.37 $2.97 $0.05 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 The best investment that we made recently was to have a Generac installed several years ago. A few days ago, there was a power outage (not related to Helene) and we lost power at 2 AM and it was out until 7 PM. The Generac cranked right up and OUR power outage lasted 35 seconds in total. Since we have a natural gas line, we don't have to bother with propane cylinders or lugging cans of gasoline to keep it going. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 On 9/30/2024 at 1:58 AM, atrax27407 said: The best investment that we made recently was to have a Generac installed several years ago. A few days ago, there was a power outage (not related to Helene) and we lost power at 2 AM and it was out until 7 PM. The Generac cranked right up and OUR power outage lasted 35 seconds in total. Since we have a natural gas line, we don't have to bother with propane cylinders or lugging cans of gasoline to keep it going. I would love to have one of those. But, I have never lived in a house with natural gas around here! Those generators are were surprisingly inexpensive, as I priced a 25kW whole-house unit with installation for $10,000 (errr, that price appears to have gone up a wee bit since.*) As much as I dislike lugging around and managing fuel, I only have to do it every 11 hours or so, which is not too terrible. Also, I am not yet so old that I cannot lug the generator in and out of the garage storage room. I have UPSes on just about everything in the house. The fridge and freezer will retain power for three hours idle and 45 minutes running, five hours idle and two hours running, respectively. Then I have lights anywhere from an hour to three hours, the entertainment system for about 75 minutes, and the network UPS (SMX1500 with external battery pack) will run for eight hours all said, long out-lasting CenturyLink and ComCast longevity, being about three and six hours, respectively. The wireless firewall also has an AT&T LTE fail-over, and an APC 12v lithium UPS for when the SMX finally goes out. Oh, and the cat's water fountain will run for about eight hours. This plan is meant to give me time before I have to get the generator out, in case things go out during a heavy storm which would prevent me from getting outside. I have set up the generator in the rain before, and doing so is not an adventure I would like to replicate. That was the year I started grabbing retired UPSes. This arrangement also allows me some leeway on refueling. On Saturday, I visited my customer in the path of the storm. Structurally, the area is doing much better than after Betty and Idalia. The power distribution is demolished outside of town, and while town took a big hit, power was up in the northern part where I stopped (only about 1/4 mile from my customer, so there is hope for tomorrow for systems to come back on-line.) Just south of them is where the brunt of the damage is, at Keaton Beach and Steinhatchee. Many houses there are nothing but foundations now, including the beach house of one of the company owners. (This area has taken three hits in 13 months: Idalia, Betty, and Helene.) I understand we escaped relatively unscathed given the destruction and deaths elsewhere, and I am thankful for that. Tallahassee will be devastated if it is hit with the full force of a Category 3 hurricane (estimated at 1/2 of all houses and business lost for good, and 18 to 24 months without full critical infrastructure.) Helene could have been an absolute disaster for us, as it was moving quickly enough to maintain its force and overcome our 23 mile distance from the coast and 95 to 200 foot elevation above sea level. * Actually, I got curious and found Lowes has a 24kW dual-fuel Guardian for about $6,000. Maybe the price is still about the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted September 30 Author Share Posted September 30 A news magazine here in Germany ("Spiegel") claimed that the news coverage on Helene was surprisingly low in US media, considering that this is one of the heaviest hurricanes and that quite some people were injured or even lost their lives. Is that your impression as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 1 hour ago, mizapf said: A news magazine here in Germany ("Spiegel") claimed that the news coverage on Helene was surprisingly low in US media, considering that this is one of the heaviest hurricanes and that quite some people were injured or even lost their lives. Is that your impression as well? Front page, so to speak, on most major news websites. Up until yesterday, the YouTube news section was over half Helene. It is conspicuously missing from certain news outlets. Half-way down the page on a couple. I cannot tell you about TV coverage as I stopped watching TV (with the occasional exception of a game or "Perry Mason") over a decade ago. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 We lost power 12:30 am Friday, still out. Also no phone signal, except some stray from a distant tower. My generator was not working, so Saturday, we found a place thar sells returns and pallet lots. They were selling individual generators, no returns. I bought one, as they were going fast. Tried to start it when I got home and it wasn't getting any spark. Defective. Tried Sunday to exchange it, and they said no, it was no return (posted), no exchange (they didn't say that when buying and it wasn't posted anywhere). So I had to rob its carburetor to fix my non working one. A 729.00 bill, to fix a 20.00 carb!! Well, life happens. I told them and the other people wiring to buy generators, that I hope they can sleep at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 2 hours ago, RickyDean said: We lost power 12:30 am Friday, still out. Also no phone signal, except some stray from a distant tower. My generator was not working, so Saturday, we found a place thar sells returns and pallet lots. They were selling individual generators, no returns. I bought one, as they were going fast. Tried to start it when I got home and it wasn't getting any spark. Defective. Tried Sunday to exchange it, and they said no, it was no return (posted), no exchange (they didn't say that when buying and it wasn't posted anywhere). So I had to rob its carburetor to fix my non working one. A 729.00 bill, to fix a 20.00 carb!! Well, life happens. I told them and the other people wiring to buy generators, that I hope they can sleep at night. People like this prey upon desperate people. I would report them to your state's attorney general. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bent_pin Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 12 minutes ago, OLD CS1 said: People like this prey upon desperate people. I would report them to your state's attorney general. And the better business bureau, the local paper, and the office of the mayor. Make static and lots of it. It's easy to cost them more than they ripped you off for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteTape Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 Clint from LGR's house suffered serious damage. Doesn't look good for his collection, but he and his family are ok. https://x.com/lazygamereviews/status/1840491443661558226 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TheBF Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 1 hour ago, InfiniteTape said: Clint from LGR's house suffered serious damage. Doesn't look good for his collection, but he and his family are ok. https://x.com/lazygamereviews/status/1840491443661558226 Tragic! Thanks for letting us know. Let us know if there is way we could help if you hear of something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dhe Posted September 30 Share Posted September 30 6 hours ago, RickyDean said: A 729.00 bill, to fix a 20.00 carb Hopefully you'll be able to fix it and keep it as a backup, or sell it and recoup some $. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteTape Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 57 minutes ago, TheBF said: Tragic! Thanks for letting us know. Let us know if there is way we could help if you hear of something. I think a lot of people are subscribing to his Patreon, at least until Clint is able to share more info. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TheBF Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 Just now, InfiniteTape said: I think a lot of people are subscribing to his Patreon, at least until Clint is able to share more info. Do you know the URL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteTape Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 2 minutes ago, TheBF said: Do you know the URL? https://www.patreon.com/lazygamereviews/posts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted Tuesday at 02:47 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 02:47 PM 15 hours ago, dhe said: Hopefully you'll be able to fix it and keep it as a backup, or sell it and recoup some $. I will fix it, when I get a chance. Seems to be a bad coil or electronic ignition issue. Those people literally sold hundreds of Gensets. wonder how many others got burned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary from OPA Posted Thursday at 06:26 PM Share Posted Thursday at 06:26 PM 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted Thursday at 06:36 PM Author Share Posted Thursday at 06:36 PM Cloudy skies and rainy weather these days ... let's hope they give us a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted Thursday at 09:35 PM Share Posted Thursday at 09:35 PM (edited) We got our power back on today at 5pm EDT. We are happy...... 7 days without power, makes one weak!!!... Edited Thursday at 09:35 PM by RickyDean added content 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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