You can view the page at http://www.reefaddicts.com/content.p...tect-your-reef
You can view the page at http://www.reefaddicts.com/content.p...tect-your-reef
Awesome write up!
man i tell you this is the one thing i keep holding off and i know its gonna come and sneak up on my one day, all i have are those computer back up power towers that only give about 90 min. if that after the power goes out, I NEED A GEN. how much did that gen go for?
He said it costed $660 in the articleQuote:
Originally Posted by tommysreef
really didnt think it was that cheap and for some reason i didnt see him mention the price, i must be loosing it lol
You can pick up a generator for as little as $279 on sale but it will only run some equipment. I'd rather be able to run more than only my tank in a power outage because it gets boring really fast without the normal items like television, satellite and internet connectivity. It can even run a space heater in a small room during a cold weather event, or the window unit to my fishroom during a hot summer month. In the past, I've gone in there to cool off because the house was getting uncomfortably warm.
When shopping for one, consider wattage, engine brand, and fuel tank volume. Do some research and see if the product got good reviews and what kind of warranty it has. Once you have it, keep it clean and well cared for.
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a deal on a generator, but noise could be an issue w/ neighbors, so I've been leaning towards a honda, which isn't cheap.
I wonder how this generator compares in noise level?
I've seen one where someone added a motorcycle muffler, was thinking that might help as long as it didn't add any weird kind of back pressure or restriction.
Man, I would have a chain and lock on that sucker!
I've seriously thought about taking mine up to a muffler shop to see what they can fabricate or install that helps lessen the noise factor.
It was locked up tightly. No-one was going to walk away with it unless they came prepared to steal it.
since you are great at DIY
http://www.alpharubicon.com/altenergy/gensetquiet.htm
great writeup by the way
Great find! I'll give that some thought and see if I can make it work for next time.
In the uk, most of our power lines are under ground, so the longest "black out" i have had in my hole life, is 2 and half hours, so i know no one with a generator.
http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/th...can_power.html
Anthony Calfo made a statement that I keep thinking about in reference to getting a generator. The statement went something like...
< Speaking to a client regarding power outages and generator costs >
"After losing all livestock from a power outage, would you be willing to pay $500.00 to get it all back, how about a thousand dollars?" The typical response to this is always "Well, Yes, of course."
so....
Be prepared (I sure am)
Kurt :)
Marc,
I was just thinking that maybe you could vent the exhaust out the side of the garage through a wall and keep the generator in your garage. I have no idea if you have thought about this already and if you have I apologize and please disregard this comment...but I know for a fact from an old Reefcast episode that you are paranoid of someone stealing your generator. :p Using a dryer duct you can probably fashion something to vent the exhaust out like an old wood burning furnace. If the sound of the motor running is too loud for you you can try sound insulating material on the wall that is shared with the house. This should cut it down to a bearable level. Don't know if you thought about this(probably have), if you have then just ignore me. :)
Running it in the garage and venting out the exhaust seems doable, but what I don't know is if the engine would get enough fresh air on the intake side. It probably does, but I don't know that for a fact.
I've always considering a strong exterior structure like a little brick building that has the inner walls lined with acoustic ceiling tiles to absorb the sound. When I worked in trim carpentry, we had to sound proof a room that was going to be used for band practice, and once all the walls and ceiling were covered with those 2' x 4' panels, it was uncomfortably silent - my ears were rushing due to the lack of sound. I don't see why that couldn't work for a generator housing. I'd like it to have a steel door and deadbolt to keep it safe.
I think I have the same generator. The cost also depends on when you purchase it. I was lucky in that I purchased mine in the off season - mid-summer when it was on sale for something like $450 at Home Depot. Try to purchase one now and you'll pay full price.
A buddy of mine actually also purchased a high-end spitter that hooked up right before his fuse box, so he just plugs the generator directly to that and switches the power off the grid and to the generator. That way he doesn't have to run power cords all over the place. They turn off all non-essential items and run the house off the generator. When the power comes back on, he just flips the switch off backup and back to the main lines. I'll see if I can get a picture of it.
--Ed
Instead of getting a splitter for the panel. You can have a heavy duty 220 cord made up with 2 male connections on it. You plug one into the generator and the other into any 220 outlet in the house ie electric dryer or stove outlet. You also have to flip the main circuit breaker as not to feed into the system and electrocuting a lineman.
It definitely would. Not a problem at all unless the room it's in is hermetically sealed or something. PLenty of air would leak around the doors and through the walls to supply the generator, and if you were really paranoid, you could essentially pipe it like a closed loop to the outside with the genny as a pump. I would consult with someone who knows something about this before running either, since I'm not sure what the best materials and engineering requirements would be.Quote:
Originally Posted by melev
That's quite doable so long as you have a remote intake and exhaust.Quote:
I've always considering a strong exterior structure like a little brick building that has the inner walls lined with acoustic ceiling tiles to absorb the sound. When I worked in trim carpentry, we had to sound proof a room that was going to be used for band practice, and once all the walls and ceiling were covered with those 2' x 4' panels, it was uncomfortably silent - my ears were rushing due to the lack of sound. I don't see why that couldn't work for a generator housing. I'd like it to have a steel door and deadbolt to keep it safe.
Yes I'm pulling up and older topic but I'm NEW here :)
I know from experience that if you're willing to look around you can get a heavy duty (may be louder) generator for a good price. My company orders them for contractors and such and I think we have gotten the 10K (not a typo) for less than $1k and that's shipped to our company.
This year several of our local reefers lost EVERYTHING due to some freak snow storms. It was terrible and worse of all avoidable.
two other options, you can actually get a natural gas generator and hool it up to come on after you lose power for a min.By the way, diesel generators are much quieter than gas ones of the same size.