Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Community Forums > Odds 'n Ends
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-17-2021, 11:57 AM   #1
B-O-B'03
Senior Member
 
B-O-B'03's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,085
Whole home generators

With the recent weather conditions here in Texas the DW and I have been discussing getting a whole home generator.

This is my redneck engineering version that we have been using while the power is out.



It is very useful, powering every 110 volt option we need, but a PITA to add and disconnect as the power comes and goes, plus it is 110 only and won't run the pool pump which would be nice.

I switch the main breaker, in the panel, off and then the 50 amp breaker in the sub panel on to make it work and not worry about frying any utility workers.

So, who has one, what features does it have, how do you like it and you care to share what did it cost?

-Brian
__________________
2014 Bullet Premier 22RBPR - let the camping commence!
2013 F150 Platinum - 5.0 - 3.55 ELD + towing package
B-O-B'03 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:01 PM   #2
jasin1
Senior Member
 
jasin1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Upper Chesapeake Bay
Posts: 4,804
I have a harbor freight 3500 inverter and another smaller champion for backup...just bought this today for transfer switch. Figure it’s easy for my wife to figure out if I get hit by a bus and she has to fend for herself
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	B5C4FFE9-B0F2-4930-83C3-98C3702C69A7.jpg
Views:	163
Size:	151.7 KB
ID:	32034  
__________________
2020 Cougar 315 RLS
2020 Ram 3500 6.7HO 4.10 Dually Aisin
jasin1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:03 PM   #3
jasin1
Senior Member
 
jasin1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Upper Chesapeake Bay
Posts: 4,804
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasin1 View Post
I have a harbor freight 3500 inverter and another smaller champion for backup...just bought this today for transfer switch. Figure it’s easy for my wife to figure out if I get hit by a bus and she has to fend for herself
Also got this for using it outside..not sure if it was a wise purchase or not
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	D4D659D8-A3C3-4C19-94AB-2384170823A3.jpg
Views:	139
Size:	93.4 KB
ID:	32035  
__________________
2020 Cougar 315 RLS
2020 Ram 3500 6.7HO 4.10 Dually Aisin
jasin1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:03 PM   #4
Maineiacs
Senior Member
 
Maineiacs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Arundel
Posts: 287
In our area of Maine it was not unusual to lose power for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours during ice storms or severe thunderstorms. Used a similar setup to yours to power fridge and heating system. Giant PITA to keep refilling, etc.


We installed a Generac propane generator last fall with automatic transfer switch. It's rated at 16KW which will run anything in the house. Installed cost was around 6K and well worth it. No moe worries about stale gas in the genny or having to wrestle it in place in the middle of a cold night.
__________________
Jim
2018 Cougar 32RLI
Hercules H-901 tires
CRE3000 w/wet bolts

2021 F-350 4x4 7.3L Godzilla Crew Cab
Maineiacs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:19 PM   #5
jasin1
Senior Member
 
jasin1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Upper Chesapeake Bay
Posts: 4,804
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maineiacs View Post
In our area of Maine it was not unusual to lose power for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours during ice storms or severe thunderstorms. Used a similar setup to yours to power fridge and heating system. Giant PITA to keep refilling, etc.


We installed a Generac propane generator last fall with automatic transfer switch. It's rated at 16KW which will run anything in the house. Installed cost was around 6K and well worth it. No moe worries about stale gas in the genny or having to wrestle it in place in the middle of a cold night.
Where I live my power only went out maybe once in the last year..maybe not at all I can’t remember exactly so for me I want something I can use for other things..I have so much stuff to take care of that one more thing(a generator) really doesn’t make a whole lot of difference as far as hooking up and gas ..etc..if it was more of a problem..and maybe that’s what the future holds then I would get a whole house unit.
Now if we get a hurricane then that’s another story.

Edit.. Actually looking at prices it’s not that bad..I can install myself as I’m licensed
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	8BCC8D27-C716-4960-AC19-495950D96BC1.jpg
Views:	142
Size:	121.8 KB
ID:	32039  
__________________
2020 Cougar 315 RLS
2020 Ram 3500 6.7HO 4.10 Dually Aisin
jasin1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:24 PM   #6
nellie1289
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 639
For the amount of times we lose power I have a Yamaha 4500 inverter. Have a 30 amp plug installed on the side of the house and an interlock switch to make sure the house and power people don’t get shocked from two sources of power. This runs my house 3200 sq feet easily except 220 items( the dryer, oven, hot tub, and central ac) and we are not bashful about turning every light and appliance on. Super quiet operation and 1.5 gallons used per ten hours. The neighbors hate us. We even did he dishes using the dishwasher, like ten tvs, 2 fridges, 2 wine fridges, no end to what we can run . The Gen seems to use about 3000 watts consistently, and surges when something like a microwave, fridge, etc cycle on and off. The furnace works too, since we are natural gas, its just a fan. 100% heat.

SIDE NOTE: do not use one of those loud stupid construction generators on your house. inverter or nothing. Some neighbors have learned the hard way, plus the fuel burn is insane.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	B860D641-9E0F-4AA1-B397-C1F3CC06BF4C.jpg
Views:	124
Size:	188.4 KB
ID:	32036   Click image for larger version

Name:	50E89FC1-D3CB-44E5-9A72-27BD6DDAA952.jpg
Views:	169
Size:	211.0 KB
ID:	32037   Click image for larger version

Name:	BCC980E8-E552-4657-90DF-956DF9C57EE1.jpg
Views:	112
Size:	137.4 KB
ID:	32038  
__________________
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins, Limited, Longbed, CC. Every option but the Aisin. Airbags.
The Toy Trifecta:
2021 Keystone Montana 3854BR all options +Onan
2021 Malibu 23 LSV
2017 Yamaha YXZ1000R SS SE
2019 Can AM Maverick X3 Turbo XRS
nellie1289 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:25 PM   #7
hankpage
Site Team
 
hankpage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Venice
Posts: 5,346
Transfer switch link
What you need is a transfer switch. The one above is what I use with my 10,000w dual-fuel gen. Most portable generators have a max of 30amp 240v so ovens, HVAC and other high draw will not operate but wells and pool pumps that draw below 30amp will work fine. It gives me one 240v for pool and four 120v circuits of my choice. #1 is coffee pot and #2 is beer fridge in garage The rest the wife gets to choose.
__________________
Hank & Lynn
2007 Cougar 290RKS, E-Z Flex, 16" XPS RIBs ( SOLD .. Gonna miss her ... looking for new 5r)
2004.5 Dodge 2500 QC, LB, 5.9HO, WestTach gauges, Ride-Rite
hankpage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 12:41 PM   #8
nellie1289
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 639
Quote:
Originally Posted by hankpage View Post
Transfer switch link
What you need is a transfer switch. The one above is what I use with my 10,000w dual-fuel gen. Most portable generators have a max of 30amp 240v so ovens, HVAC and other high draw will not operate but wells and pool pumps that draw below 30amp will work fine. It gives me one 240v for pool and four 120v circuits of my choice. #1 is coffee pot and #2 is beer fridge in garage The rest the wife gets to choose.
Hank i agree transfer switches are common and I am not an electrician, but i had my interlock professionally installed and inspected, i'ts as simple as plug in generator outside, that feeds into the panel. When the power goes out you:
1) throw the main breaker off
2) turn off all breakers in the panel
3) slide the interlock switch up locking the master power off, and exposing the generator breakers, that you then flip to on position.
4) Fire up your generator and let it warm up 3 mins or so
5) Plug in the cord to the receptical on the outside of house
6) bring our rooms and breakers on one by one for the ones you want to run.

Its as simple as that. I have used this for 5 years and it takes longer for the generator to warm up than it does to switch it over.

I keep 30 gallons of fuel (clear) stabilized in my garage for the genny. I cycle it out regularly. I also have a huge cable lock to lock down the generator. I also recommend a good siphon to keep so you can suck gas out of the cars in a desperate situation. I am more worried about earthquake than bad weather.

Finally, I would recommend telling your neighborhood kids its $5 per iphone charge, or 5 gallons of fresh fuel.
__________________
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins, Limited, Longbed, CC. Every option but the Aisin. Airbags.
The Toy Trifecta:
2021 Keystone Montana 3854BR all options +Onan
2021 Malibu 23 LSV
2017 Yamaha YXZ1000R SS SE
2019 Can AM Maverick X3 Turbo XRS
nellie1289 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 01:26 PM   #9
dutchmensport
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,666
A few years ago, I checked into a whole house generator. I was really infatuated with Generac. (Click here..

We live in the country, do not have gas lines, internet lines, cable phone lines, or nothing where we live. Our water is on a well, our internet is a light-of-site that bounces off cell phone towers, we have a septic system, and our house is all electric. We have no furnace, and two air conditioner units. We do have a working wood burning fire place in the house.

So, we looked at the Generac generators very serious, and the question that kept coming to my mind was .... what powers the generator? As it turns out, it requires a fuel source.... yes ... duh! And they take gas. That would mean installing a gas tank and running gas lines from the tank to the generator, as those large propane gas tanks are required to be quite a distance from the dwelling structure.

I asked how most other people do it, and thy say they simply install them to their city gas line service. Well, duh.... we don't have city gas were I live. And what happens if a natural disaster occurs and the city gas lines get disrupted. Then, that $5000 generator is worthless anyway!

So, the whole idea of a whole house generator came to a dead end. And we have power outages several times a year. Usually, not because of inclement weather, but because idiots and morons don't know how to drive in the country, veer off the road and slam into utility poles which brings down the power grid. This happens 4 or 5 times a year.

Our solution, eventually turned out to be, during non-freezing months we keep water in the camper all the time, and we purchased 2 Cummings - Onan p4500I generators for the trailer, which can power the trailer with full 50 amp service. So, when power goes down, we simply move into the trailer. I do have a 3rd older generator and can run a line to the refrigerator, the freezer, and the internet hotspot in the house, and simply hang out in the camper.

For us, this works.

The nice thing about being an experienced camping family, when the power goes OUT, we know how to improvise without being inconvenienced, just like when we use to do when we tent camped, but a little nicer.
__________________
2019 Montana High Country 375FL
2014 Chevy Duramax HD 6.6 - 3500 Diesel Dully Long bed Crew Cab
dutchmensport is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 01:40 PM   #10
xrated
Senior Member
 
xrated's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: "Murvil, TN
Posts: 2,198
Quote:
Originally Posted by nellie1289 View Post
Hank i agree transfer switches are common and I am not an electrician, but i had my interlock professionally installed and inspected, i'ts as simple as plug in generator outside, that feeds into the panel. When the power goes out you:
1) throw the main breaker off
2) turn off all breakers in the panel
3) slide the interlock switch up locking the master power off, and exposing the generator breakers, that you then flip to on position.
4) Fire up your generator and let it warm up 3 mins or so
5) Plug in the cord to the receptical on the outside of house
6) bring our rooms and breakers on one by one for the ones you want to run.

Its as simple as that. I have used this for 5 years and it takes longer for the generator to warm up than it does to switch it over.

I keep 30 gallons of fuel (clear) stabilized in my garage for the genny. I cycle it out regularly. I also have a huge cable lock to lock down the generator. I also recommend a good siphon to keep so you can suck gas out of the cars in a desperate situation. I am more worried about earthquake than bad weather.

Finally, I would recommend telling your neighborhood kids its $5 per iphone charge, or 5 gallons of fresh fuel.
Just so you know, in case you were sure or didn't know, the breaker interlock switch you had installed on your main service panel is NEC Approved....the the National Electrical Code. I'm getting ready to do that when the weather gets nice this spring. I've got a Yamaha 6300W Inverter Generator here at the house.
__________________
2016 F350 King Ranch Crew Cab Dually Diesel 4x4
2018 Grand Design Momentum 394M
2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+
Excessive payload capacity is a wonderful thing

"If it ain't Fast....It ain't Fun"
xrated is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 01:49 PM   #11
nellie1289
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 639
Quote:
Originally Posted by xrated View Post
Just so you know, in case you were sure or didn't know, the breaker interlock switch you had installed on your main service panel is NEC Approved....the the National Electrical Code. I'm getting ready to do that when the weather gets nice this spring. I've got a Yamaha 6300W Inverter Generator here at the house.
That yamaha is a great genny, my genny's big brother! I bow down to your 6300! Does that have 50 Amp output? Thanks for the pro tip on the interlock, since it was inspected by city/county I figured as such but now I know! Thanks!

ON edit, I know now after looking the 6300 has 240 output, that is cool.
__________________
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins, Limited, Longbed, CC. Every option but the Aisin. Airbags.
The Toy Trifecta:
2021 Keystone Montana 3854BR all options +Onan
2021 Malibu 23 LSV
2017 Yamaha YXZ1000R SS SE
2019 Can AM Maverick X3 Turbo XRS
nellie1289 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 03:23 PM   #12
jasin1
Senior Member
 
jasin1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Upper Chesapeake Bay
Posts: 4,804
I know it can be a pain keeping a bunch of small engines and gas cans all in good shape and ready to go but it can be done ...I was very good friends with a self made millionaire marina owner for quite a few years before he died..you would never guess he had money by looking at him. Drove an old e250 van.. but he had a huge marina in md ..a house in ft lauderdale in the water and wrote a check for everything and anything he wanted ..lol. He even paid for gas at the gas station by our house with a check...he was a fascinating guy I could talk for hours with him ..anyway he had a 1965 or so sixty plus foot Chris craft yacht with twin Detroit’s ..a 1930’s packard Harley service trike..and one of the first little caterpillar dozers. Plus a slew of other stuff that all worked and he would bet you that he could start it on the first or 2nd try.. he started everything up at least every couple of weeks and let it warm up and then shut it off and drank a few beers with me and told me the stories of all of it..I try and go through my snowblower and generator and motorcycles,four wheeler etc whenever I think about it to keep it from gumming up ..I’m not as good as my buddy was but I try
__________________
2020 Cougar 315 RLS
2020 Ram 3500 6.7HO 4.10 Dually Aisin
jasin1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 03:29 PM   #13
nellie1289
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 639
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasin1 View Post
I know it can be a pain keeping a bunch of small engines and gas cans all in good shape and ready to go but it can be done ...I was very good friends with a self made millionaire marina owner for quite a few years before he died..you would never guess he had money by looking at him. Drove an old e250 van.. but he had a huge marina in md ..a house in ft lauderdale in the water and wrote a check for everything and anything he wanted ..lol. He even paid for gas at the gas station by our house with a check...he was a fascinating guy I could talk for hours with him ..anyway he had a 1965 or so sixty plus foot Chris craft yacht with twin Detroit’s ..a 1930’s packard Harley service trike..and one of the first little caterpillar dozers. Plus a slew of other stuff that all worked and he would bet you that he could start it on the first or 2nd try.. he started everything up at least every couple of weeks and let it warm up and then shut it off and drank a few beers with me and told me the stories of all of it..I try and go through my snowblower and generator and motorcycles,four wheeler etc whenever I think about it to keep it from gumming up ..I’m not as good as my buddy was but I try
I agree with you. I have a fleet of stuff to maintain too between a UTV trailer, two side by sides, multiple cars, and the Montana, plus the house. I sort of enjoy it, i have some mental checklists and a real checklist. The other day my wife asked me what i was going to do in the garage and I said change the oil in the generator. She said that sounds awful. I said you will be thanking me when the power goes out. Well, for 3 days last weekend I was the hero of the household as we enjoyed normal life while everyone else struggled with being unprepared and not focused!
__________________
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins, Limited, Longbed, CC. Every option but the Aisin. Airbags.
The Toy Trifecta:
2021 Keystone Montana 3854BR all options +Onan
2021 Malibu 23 LSV
2017 Yamaha YXZ1000R SS SE
2019 Can AM Maverick X3 Turbo XRS
nellie1289 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 03:36 PM   #14
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
When we lived in Louisiana, almost every spring I was buying new carburetors for the lawn mower, tractor, weed eater and pressure washer. I NEVER (did I mention not ever) drained gas from anything and just bought a can of gas from any station that wasn't busy on the way home from work... I "justified" not draining anything in the fall because you never knew when you'd need to cut the grass again in a week... So, everything got put away "wet" every year and replaced every spring.....

When we moved up here, I decided that since I was "retired" and had more time and a perception of less money, I'd start taking care of my stuff...

THEN I DISCOVERED REC GAS (ethanol free).... Now, I don't drain anything, put most of it up with a full tank in the fall, it starts first time in the spring. Even 2 cycle things like chain saws and weed eaters start and run without any issues.

So, while I do take care of my stuff, keep it clean and change the oil, plugs, etc regularly, gas and carburetor problems are "non-existant"... Even my boat motor starts as soon as I put it in the water, granted, with a "blue haze" from the fogging oil, but never a carb problem in 10 years.

If you can find it, I'd highly recommend alcohol free gas in all "small engine equipment" from generators to weed eaters....
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 03:42 PM   #15
nellie1289
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 639
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
THEN I DISCOVERED REC GAS (ethanol free).... Now, I don't drain anything, put most of it up with a full tank in the fall, it starts first time in the spring. Even 2 cycle things like chain saws and weed eaters start and run without any issues.
If you can find it, I'd highly recommend alcohol free gas in all "small engine equipment" from generators to weed eaters....
John- do you still put stabil in your ethanol free gas? We have so few stations that sell it out here, although I have found one relatively close to my house. The problem that sucks about it is the price literally never changes. $4.69 gallon no matter what the price of regular gas is. I was cruising through the midwest this summer and it blew me away how much cheaper and reasonable ethanol free gas was. I'm sure Oregon must have their hand in this.
__________________
2014 Ram 3500 Cummins, Limited, Longbed, CC. Every option but the Aisin. Airbags.
The Toy Trifecta:
2021 Keystone Montana 3854BR all options +Onan
2021 Malibu 23 LSV
2017 Yamaha YXZ1000R SS SE
2019 Can AM Maverick X3 Turbo XRS
nellie1289 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 04:03 PM   #16
xrated
Senior Member
 
xrated's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: "Murvil, TN
Posts: 2,198
Quote:
Originally Posted by nellie1289 View Post
That yamaha is a great genny, my genny's big brother! I bow down to your 6300! Does that have 50 Amp output? Thanks for the pro tip on the interlock, since it was inspected by city/county I figured as such but now I know! Thanks!

ON edit, I know now after looking the 6300 has 240 output, that is cool.
Thank you....I bought it probably 7/8 years ago when I was still doing motorcycle trackdays and needed power at the track for A/C in my enclosed trailer, tire warmers, fans, etc. Now, it's just a backup generator for the house mostly as my Toy Hauler has a 5500W Onan onboard. Surprisingly, the 240V plug is a NEMA 14-30....so 30A not 50A. My house has a heat pump and the genny isn't big enough to start it (3 Ton unit). So if power goes out in the winter, I have a fireplace and I run the furnace blower to help circulate air in the house. Summertime, I'm just kind of screwed if it's hot. All I can do then is to turn on fans....ceiling fans, portable floor fans, etc....and of course keep the fridge running.
__________________
2016 F350 King Ranch Crew Cab Dually Diesel 4x4
2018 Grand Design Momentum 394M
2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+
Excessive payload capacity is a wonderful thing

"If it ain't Fast....It ain't Fun"
xrated is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 04:23 PM   #17
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
I like some of the solutions that have been discussed but having portable generators, having to run out and hook them up, refill with fuel etc. just isn't feasible when you are gone 7 mos. a year kicking around the country. One day, when I grow up , maybe we'll settle down and stay at the S&B but for us an automated, full power backup is what I think we will probably get. Talked in earnest with DW this afternoon and although we both were kind of choking on spending 15k on something we may never use we both agreed that worrying about it non stop is worth that....plus, in the summer if we lose power we would still have the AC and everything else. First pass with the contractor looks like maybe 19-20kw would work. A Yamaha or Predator 3500 just won't get us there - but I DO like those ideas!
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 04:30 PM   #18
gearhead
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Liberty, Texas
Posts: 5,021
Get a whole house back up generator and forget about those ethanol issues. My 20,000 watt Generac is sitting outside just waiting for a power interuption to kick it on. Runs on nat gas so no ethanol worries. If I was doing it over I would get the biggest propane tank I could to feed it rather than relying on the nat gas utility. I'm at the point that I don't want to be dependent on any government employee sitting in an office getting fat on donuts and vendor lunches.
Here on the gulf coast we can lose power for a looong time during and after a hurricane. It'll be 95F and 95% humidity. You'll wish you were dead.
An added incentive is eliminating the danger of re-fueling a gasoline generator. After one of our storms the county judge said the heck with this no power, he would just go to the hunting lease. Asked a neighbor to refuel his generator once a day. The neighbor tried to refuel it when it was running. It caught fire. The house caught fire. The judge got a new house. Ironically the neighbor was a insurance agent.
For those of us that travel with RV's you won't be coming home to a freezer that defrosted and maybe hopefully re-froze.
We and our builder budgeted $5,000 to buy and install the Generac 10 years ago. I would plan maybe $7,500 these days. I saw an interview on CNBC this morning with the CEO of Generac. He said there is a 20 week backlog for new gens in Texas. Call soon!
__________________
2018 Ram 3500 Laramie CC DRW LWB 4X4 Cummins Aisin 3.73
Reese Goosebox 20K
2018 Heartland Landmark 365 Oshkosh
2008 Bigfoot 25C9.4 LB Cabover
gearhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 04:48 PM   #19
wiredgeorge
Senior Member
 
wiredgeorge's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Mico, TX
Posts: 7,395
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
When we lived in Louisiana, almost every spring I was buying new carburetors for the lawn mower, tractor, weed eater and pressure washer. I NEVER (did I mention not ever) drained gas from anything and just bought a can of gas from any station that wasn't busy on the way home from work... I "justified" not draining anything in the fall because you never knew when you'd need to cut the grass again in a week... So, everything got put away "wet" every year and replaced every spring.....

When we moved up here, I decided that since I was "retired" and had more time and a perception of less money, I'd start taking care of my stuff...

THEN I DISCOVERED REC GAS (ethanol free).... Now, I don't drain anything, put most of it up with a full tank in the fall, it starts first time in the spring. Even 2 cycle things like chain saws and weed eaters start and run without any issues.

So, while I do take care of my stuff, keep it clean and change the oil, plugs, etc regularly, gas and carburetor problems are "non-existant"... Even my boat motor starts as soon as I put it in the water, granted, with a "blue haze" from the fogging oil, but never a carb problem in 10 years.

If you can find it, I'd highly recommend alcohol free gas in all "small engine equipment" from generators to weed eaters....

My lawn tractor is an Ariens with a Briggs and Stratton 17.5hp engine. It is easy to remove the bowl on the carb and clean the main jet and internal passages but when reinstalling the bowl, the gasket that seals it is extremely thin and disforms when re-installing the bowl. The gasket isn't a hardware item and so I always have the carburetor on the lawn tractor and at least one spare. This time I bought two as they are only $13 each on eBay and it is a lot less hassle to just install a new one rather than fight with that skinny nitrile rubber gasket.
__________________
wiredgeorge Mico TX
2006 F350 CC 4WD 6.0L
2002 Keystone Cougar 278
2006 GL1800 Roadsmith Trike
wiredgeorge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2021, 04:50 PM   #20
wiredgeorge
Senior Member
 
wiredgeorge's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Mico, TX
Posts: 7,395
Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead View Post
Get a whole house back up generator and forget about those ethanol issues. My 20,000 watt Generac is sitting outside just waiting for a power interuption to kick it on. Runs on nat gas so no ethanol worries. If I was doing it over I would get the biggest propane tank I could to feed it rather than relying on the nat gas utility. I'm at the point that I don't want to be dependent on any government employee sitting in an office getting fat on donuts and vendor lunches.
Here on the gulf coast we can lose power for a looong time during and after a hurricane. It'll be 95F and 95% humidity. You'll wish you were dead.
An added incentive is eliminating the danger of re-fueling a gasoline generator. After one of our storms the county judge said the heck with this no power, he would just go to the hunting lease. Asked a neighbor to refuel his generator once a day. The neighbor tried to refuel it when it was running. It caught fire. The house caught fire. The judge got a new house. Ironically the neighbor was a insurance agent.
For those of us that travel with RV's you won't be coming home to a freezer that defrosted and maybe hopefully re-froze.
We and our builder budgeted $5,000 to buy and install the Generac 10 years ago. I would plan maybe $7,500 these days. I saw an interview on CNBC this morning with the CEO of Generac. He said there is a 20 week backlog for new gens in Texas. Call soon!

I fought to start my Champion generator for 2 hours the night the lights went out in Mico and called around the next day to Tractor Supply, Lowes, Home Depot and none had a single generator except Tractor Supply which had a $1700 Lincoln combo welder/genny.
__________________
wiredgeorge Mico TX
2006 F350 CC 4WD 6.0L
2002 Keystone Cougar 278
2006 GL1800 Roadsmith Trike
wiredgeorge is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
generator

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:58 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.