IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Yeah, you're right on the money there, someone recently got a quote for $25K
Emergency Power/Storms/Prepping etc
- Thread starter IReallyLikePizza2
- Start date
Thanks guys.
I totally agree with all of this, great advice @IReallyLikePizza2. I would just add few more important points to help others when looking. Liquid cooled engines are inherently more efficient by design. Some may be wondering what about air cooled 1800 RPM units? There are old gensets out there like that but pretty much all modern generators running at 1800 RPM are now liquid cooled. Also you want the smallest displacement motor that will fulfill your power needs again due to efficiency (there’s definitely more rotating mass on a 4.9L than a 2.2L motor which directly translates into fuel used even if the electrical load is exactly the same). This is also why you see all these tiny displacement turbo charged cars out now to improve fuel efficiency. Lastly you definitely want to know what your peak loading is when picking the right generator so often at least putting a power monitoring system on your panel for a few days can ensure you get the right size for your needs.
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IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Just got word that the 22kw and 27kw liquid cooled Generac's may be back soon, unsure the exact details
abita_brewing
Getting the hang of it
Few things...
Better/worse/best/etc are highly subjective. Best could mean cheap where you can invest the saved money. Best could mean longest oil change intervals (OCI). Etc.
Water cooled engines are still only able to get the water down to ambient temp... which is "hot as shit" in your (and my) neck of the woods.
A larger engine is also usually more complex... more wear items... more frequent OCI. For example, Honda uses a belt to turn their overhead cams. Your 4 cylinder engine is not going to get away with that... so you've got timing gears/chain, lifters, pushrods, and rocker arms.. or maybe just a timing chain tied directly to an overhead cam. Or maybe it's hedging their bets on engine life.... especially on a more expensive engine.
For anecdotal comparison, all the "real" commercial mowers have air-cooled OCI of 200 hours. And they manage to easily last a few thousand hours of life in a REALLY hard environment.
It would be HIGHLY interesting to compare overall lifespan of a properly maintained air/water cooled engine. FWIW... I've seen plenty of dead water cooled with a broken cooling fan, defective thermostat, low coolant, plugged radiator, broken belt (taking out water pump and fan). I've seen dead air cooled with clogged cooling fins... much less to go wrong. The larger air cooled typically have an oil cooler also.
As your oil gets low it has less time for the oil cooler to remove heat. This speeds up oil degradation... something that a low oil sensor's not going to help at all. Hotter oil = thinner oil = poorer lubricating properties.
As I said before, unless you have a block and water heater, your generator leads a HARD life. Woken from sleep and tasked to perform more or less full load in 5-10 seconds. I'd spend my time worrying about something other than engine/oil life. Or if it's that important... install a bypass filter.
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Got my Delta 2 and the 2 x 100w panels, very cool! Got my River 2 Pro a while ago now
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Putting together some pouches with every cable I might need, so I can just grab it and go
tigerwillow1
Known around here
Not for me. The deep well pump maxes out at 325'. My submersible is 600' down.
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Out of interest, what kind of electrical cable is run down the 600 feet?
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Question for you guys that have rain barrels, how do you deal with Mosquitos?
Timokreon
Getting comfortable
Not going to drink the water? Neighbor uses mosquito discs/pucks. Not sure of the brand name.
A friend uses a bubbler in the tank. Supposedly works for him... but I've never really investigated it. Suppose it disrupts the larva in some manner.
tigerwillow1
Known around here
It's 3 conductors of 6 gauge copper. I can't guess how much it weighs (or costs these days). Besides the downward run, the wellhead is about 50' from the pumphouse, so the total run is about 650'. The pump manual says the 6 ga copper is good for 750' maximum. Aluminum wire cuts the maximum in half. The pump is 3 HP 240 volt single phase. It delivers about 8 GPM to a holding tank with no pressure. There's usually at least 500 gallons in the holding tank so we have a bit of reserve when the grid is down. Other systems in the area don't use a holding tank and use the submersible for pressure, using a 4 or 5 HP pump.
Flintstone61
Known around here
i see on Amazon where they sell the EF Ecoflow models and the various panels, but the connecting cabling info is sparse and vague....is there an industry standard for Solar panel cabling to the power station units?
Standard connectors on a real solar panel is a MC4. If you purchase a third party kit it could use almost anything.
The vast majority of people who have some kind of backup either purchase or make adapters of various types.
I have MC4, Anderson, XT90, Powercon, USB, etc all in various ampacity and types. Lots of people like to use the Anderson Power Pole type.
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Very cool, having always lived in the city this whole concept is completely foreign to me
Yeah, that wire would cost an arm and a leg now, I was looking at getting some SO cord for a project and almost fell out my chair looking at the prices
Solar panels should all use MC4. If they don't, snip the ends off and crimp MC4
All Ecoflow and generally most mainstream batteries use XT60, so if you have an XT60 to MC4, you should be good
I agree the ways these solar panels all connect is a mess. MC4 was already the standard, so I'm not sure why all these companies started putting different connectors on things
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IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Discharging my Delta 2 and River 2 Pro to do some testing, pretty handy to just plug in the 2nd PSU's from a bunch of redundant PSU systems, no downtime!
+
Need more juice!
And topping off some 12v Lead Acid
+Need more juice!
And topping off some 12v Lead Acid
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Both of the people I loaned generators to have been trying to get generators delivered and are running into issues.
Amazon was delivering one, and after 4 days of out for delivery, they "lost" it and refunded the money. The catch is they ordered it on sale, and its not on sale anymore...
The other person is getting it delivered UPS and they keep just skipping his house
Starting to think people are desperate, and workers are just snagging them wherever they can.
I went to Costco and 50% of the people in there were buying the non-inverter Firman they had on sale
Amazon was delivering one, and after 4 days of out for delivery, they "lost" it and refunded the money. The catch is they ordered it on sale, and its not on sale anymore...
The other person is getting it delivered UPS and they keep just skipping his house
Starting to think people are desperate, and workers are just snagging them wherever they can.
I went to Costco and 50% of the people in there were buying the non-inverter Firman they had on sale
Wow, that’s a really deep well. Ours is around 180ft and we have a large pressure tank but no separate holding tank at all. Forget the wiring, drilling that thing must have cost a fortune since they charge by the foot.
tigerwillow1
Known around here
That's what I thought at first, but after 14 years where I am it's just "normal". Everyone for many miles around is at the same depth, it's just the ground elevation (3200 to 3500 feet), and where the water table is. Around 600' is where the well drillers expect to go, and it's all routine for them. The water table is slowly going down and every year a few wells near me get redrilled or the pump lowered. My pump hasn't needed anything yet except for new capacitors. I dread the day when it has to get pulled.