Kicking myself for missing the tax free week for generators.

terradactylexpress said:

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120lb propane tank will run that generator for a day at most, I just can't see a scenario where propane makes sense unless you have one of those big ass country tanks on your property

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NG isn't an option without a several thousand dollar price tag to dig a looooong trench and lay more pipe. It's just not worth it for us for how little we're likely to use the generator.

Gasoline goes bad, so I don't want to keep too much around.

Propane I was planning on a couple of tanks that I can have a company refill. And we would shed load as needed throughout the day to get it to stretch further. We haven't lost power more than about 2 days max, and we're hopefully far enough inland that a hurricane won't cause substantial damage. So just trying to find a cost effective option so that we're not miserable in the summer heat if we lose power for a couple of days, while also not ruining our sensitive electronics in the long run (hence why we bought the inverter generator).

I'm in the same boat re: NG but propane just doesn't seem like the answer. Less energy, requires a lot more etc


I'm getting more gas tanks and will fill when things come up. For derecho I was out 6 days and had three 5g tanks. First night I almost ran out and had to drive a bit to find an open gas station but after that it just was a daily chore. For a hurricane I'll make sure to fill everything up before

TXAG 05 said:

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htxag09 said:

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Power out in oak first section 1 for some reason.

Glad I have the interlock set up. This is the 4th time I've used the generator since and including the derecho. Need to try a soft start kit on the ac. Keep getting reminded to do it…

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Definitely get the soft start. Put one on my 4 ton unit last weekend, and took it from 109 starting amps down to 26.

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Same here I put on 5 ton and took it from 120's to low 30's.

Starts a little higher on generator, but never had an issue kicking on.

Also, to those discussing inverter and cleaner power, if you're concerned about electronics, you can buy some pretty nice ups's for +/- $150.

I think it's pretty clear Big Generator is funding irresponsible land development and home construction so more generators are sold when the power grid dips. There's no other possible explanation for a five-page thread on this subject.

AJ02 said:

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terradactylexpress said:

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120lb propane tank will run that generator for a day at most, I just can't see a scenario where propane makes sense unless you have one of those big ass country tanks on your property

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NG isn't an option without a several thousand dollar price tag to dig a looooong trench and lay more pipe. It's just not worth it for us for how little we're likely to use the generator.

Gasoline goes bad, so I don't want to keep too much around.

Propane I was planning on a couple of tanks that I can have a company refill. And we would shed load as needed throughout the day to get it to stretch further. We haven't lost power more than about 2 days max, and we're hopefully far enough inland that a hurricane won't cause substantial damage. So just trying to find a cost effective option so that we're not miserable in the summer heat if we lose power for a couple of days, while also not ruining our sensitive electronics in the long run (hence why we bought the inverter generator).

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I was up on Cedar Creek a few weeks ago (Caney City, to be exact) when the windstorm kicked up and turned the lake in to the North Atlantic while blowing down tons of trees. My buddy didn't have a generator (has one now) but his neighbors did. They ran it off of propane and it ran from about 7am - 10pm on pretty much 1 25# tank (I think he changed the tank once right before dinner time). They just set up a couple of window units to keep the house cool and have LEDs throughout the house, so they were pretty comfortable and not drawing a ton of load unless the water heater or oven were running. We went over there to watch the basketball game, and outside of the window unit in the living room, I wouldn't have known the power was out.

Al Bula said:

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I think it's pretty clear Big Generator is funding irresponsible land development and home construction so more generators are sold when the power grid dips. There's no other possible explanation for a five-page thread on this subject.

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Ma'am, maybe you'll find better topics of discussion amongst your type on another board.

I've never visited that board. Is it as lame as one would expect? I just imagine it has zero personality.

It's Dallas, so how much personality can it have? I mean, their highway system looks like a giant dick, so even the state's transportation planners hate the place.

SockDePot said:

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TXAG 05 said:

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htxag09 said:

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Power out in oak first section 1 for some reason.

Glad I have the interlock set up. This is the 4th time I've used the generator since and including the derecho. Need to try a soft start kit on the ac. Keep getting reminded to do it…

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Definitely get the soft start. Put one on my 4 ton unit last weekend, and took it from 109 starting amps down to 26.

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Same here I put on 5 ton and took it from 120's to low 30's.

Starts a little higher on generator, but never had an issue kicking on.

Also, to those discussing inverter and cleaner power, if you're concerned about electronics, you can buy some pretty nice ups's for +/- $150.

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Not sure how to put a UPS on a variable speed AC. That's our biggest concern. We just got it last July and given the cost and how difficult it was to even get it all set up correctly for our dual zone system....I'm not taking any chances.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/ercot-chances-of-outages-august-19505680.php?utm_content=hed&sid=5b0232722ddf9c12eaecf521&ss=A&st_rid=8d06a5d6-defa-4f88-a223-acb9fd75bfb1&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_campaign=HC_AfternoonReport

Another reason why you have to have some kind of generator readily available. This will become more common in the near future as the grid relies more on "green" power.

For those using natural gas, did you get a meter upgrade? If so, what all did that entail? Do you also have gas appliances (furnace, water heater, oven)? Curious as to natural gas supply, generator size/requirements, and how it affects gas appliances.

No meter upgrade and every appliance that can be is gas. Generator worked fine.

You shouldn't need an upgraded meter for the summer since the AC doesn't really use it. Winter could be a question if your heater is gas. I tested mine over the winter and it did not need anything

Good point about seasonality usage.

One installer told me with center point you can't proactively upsize. Once installed the homeowner would make a service call and CP will assess and upgrade as needed. Upgrade at your cost, I was told ~350 if that is what's needed. I have not vetted any other this, just posting for a data point.

Still trying to decide if I want to GC install myself, I don't want generac, I'm finding my options for turn key non-generac are limited.

My neighbor just called to tell me where the gas line for his house is the generator will be under my bedroom. My wife has been pushing for one and it would just piss me off to try to sleep in 80 degrees while I hear his running so I will see what the quote is

I actually found the generator noises running while we were out of power to be great white noise.

Now, they weren't right outside my window though.

You begin to wonder how you ever slept without them

AgLiving06 said:

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I have this hose (3/4 in and 50 feet). It's excellent:
https://ab3power.com/natural-gas-hose-with-quick-disconnect-kit/

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I priced up several plumbers for in ground line, and what I was quoted for a 30' run was crazy. Maybe they just didn't want that work

I bought my hose from Brian a call at AB3Power, as well. I went with 1" ID to match meter, then I stepped it down to 3/4" reducer at the end of the hose that connects directly to the generator.

YZ250 said:

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For those using natural gas, did you get a meter upgrade? If so, what all did that entail? Do you also have gas appliances (furnace, water heater, oven)? Curious as to natural gas supply, generator size/requirements, and how it affects gas appliances.

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The thing to do is, just like figuring wattage usage for generator. Do the same for natural gas usage. There will be a tag on the natural appliance(furnace, water heater, oven) with the MAX natural usage on it. Add it up. Chances are you will not have all appliances on MAX use all at the same time, during an outage.

If you are in Texas. chances are your outage will occur in the summer, so no worries for furnace usage.

I did not upgrade my gas meter (250 cf/h). House is 3400 sq ft, All my appliances are natural gas, even fireplace, only thing not on natural gas is oven. I have not had any issues, powering my generator during an outage.

30' run, were you looking to have that buried?

In my experience, plumbers and electricians do not like to trench and will price as such.

The champion dual fuel 12500 starting watts generator is only 1k from tractor supply but 1300 at Lowe's and HD for anyone looking for a portable generator to power their home.

Sea Speed said:

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Rent a trencher from home Depot and do that part yourself and save a fistful of cash.

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Ummmm, I cannot endorse this course of action.

Don't think you want to be the one responsible for the entire block losing internet.

pull-mark-bird said:

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AgLiving06 said:

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I have this hose (3/4 in and 50 feet). It's excellent:
https://ab3power.com/natural-gas-hose-with-quick-disconnect-kit/

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I priced up several plumbers for in ground line, and what I was quoted for a 30' run was crazy. Maybe they just didn't want that work

I bought my hose from Brian a call at AB3Power, as well. I went with 1" ID to match meter, then I stepped it down to 3/4" reducer at the end of the hose that connects directly to the generator.

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Exactly why we're not even trying the NG route with ours. It'd be at least a 100' trench if going in a straight line. But actually having it follow a path along a foundation or something would be much much more. And it would need to go under a large sidewalk. Just not worth it for us. We'll survive on gasoline or propane.

Got charged $15/foot TIC for the extra gas line on my setup. I didn't like it, but wasn't in much of a bargaining position.

CDUB98 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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Rent a trencher from home Depot and do that part yourself and save a fistful of cash.

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Ummmm, I cannot endorse this course of action.

Don't think you want to be the one responsible for the entire block losing internet.

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Oh no. How much did that cost you?

CDUB98 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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Rent a trencher from home Depot and do that part yourself and save a fistful of cash.

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Ummmm, I cannot endorse this course of action.

Don't think you want to be the one responsible for the entire block losing internet.

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I've done it on a few projects. Call 811 first.

Sea Speed said:

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CDUB98 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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Rent a trencher from home Depot and do that part yourself and save a fistful of cash.

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Ummmm, I cannot endorse this course of action.

Don't think you want to be the one responsible for the entire block losing internet.

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Oh no. How much did that cost you?

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Not me. Just random crews that have worked in the 'hood over the years.

P.H. Dexippus said:

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CDUB98 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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Rent a trencher from home Depot and do that part yourself and save a fistful of cash.

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Ummmm, I cannot endorse this course of action.

Don't think you want to be the one responsible for the entire block losing internet.

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I've done it on a few projects. Call 811 first.

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Most weekend warriors don't even know to do this.

Bought the 13,000 Duromax tri-fuel generator from Home Depot a couple of weeks ago. It was around $1700 w/tax. The electrician came out this weekend to get it set up for the house. Now I need to find a plumber to complete the natural gas hookup.

I learned a lot from this thread, so thanks Texags!

Man I've had the 14.5 one on order for a while and I'm thinking it's not going to get filler

terradactylexpress said:

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Man I've had the 14.5 one on order for a while and I'm thinking it's not going to get filler

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Mine was on backorder for a while, delivered yesterday from Generators Direct

cupcakesprinkles said:

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Bought the 13,000 Duromax tri-fuel generator from Home Depot a couple of weeks ago. It was around $1700 w/tax. The electrician came out this weekend to get it set up for the house. Now I need to find a plumber to complete the natural gas hookup.

I learned a lot from this thread, so thanks Texags!

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Here's a much longer thread on generators:

https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/3184462/11#discussion

If you scroll down to the 1st youtube vid you'll see a quiet box setup. The guy that filed it lives in Houston, although not an Aggie. This is the stage where I'm at with my portable setup, I need to pour a small slab to keep this outside and out of my garage. From here vent fans and a more semi permanent connection to my exterior connection box that goes to my cutout on the panel.

I have a 100% gas generator, I keep 40g on hand using stabil, and annually I run it through my vehicles so there's zero loss. Using an electric transfer pump makes moving fuel so much easier.

In the end, the way we have it set up is to limp through power outages by running the generator a few times a day to keep the fridges cool and the AC running. Unlike a generac, our's won't be running 24/7. Also need to keep extra oil and filters on hand to do your own maintenance. This really isn't a big deal, but requires more effort.

Also installed microair soft starts on our AC to keep the startup load reasonable. I'm running a big Westinghouse with <5% THD.