<p>My parents have been out of power for days in NJ. They have a 5,000 sq ft home and their furnace is powered by gas. They also have a gas stove. I would like to get one that’s powerful enough to keep the heat, refrigerator, TV, phone going for few days. They are older, so I would like it to be easy to operate and safe. </p>
<p>I would appreciate it if some experienced CC’ers could help me out on this.</p>
<p>Oldfort, I wish i knew the answer. I thought of getting a small one for myself. Whatever you do decide, make sure to take note of what kind it is - gas, propane, etc. They only last as long as you have fuel to feed them… probably self explanatory but this seems like something I would forget so if you get them a gas one make sure they have some lawn mower cans of gas to put into it when it runs out. :)</p>
<p>also, do you know what the ETA on their power is? Hate to see you go out and spend so much and have it come back on in an hour when you could spend more time researching and better prepare them for next time.</p>
<p>In my opinion, probably 3,000 to 5000 watts if they don’t have a well pump and have city water since their furnace is gas powered. The more electrical pumps, motors, appliances etc. the higher the watts are needed. If they are frequently without power and you have money to burn (thousands) you could get a home generator installed. For the portable ones the price goes up depending on size eg 3,000 is cheaper than 5,000 etc.</p>
<p>I am going to do it now. Their power probably will come back on before I could get one. I think we are going to have more storms like Sandy. I want to make sure they have a generator next time there is a storm. They are getting older and I don’t want them to be in the cold again. They are stubborn, they do not want to leave their house to come to stay with me or fly down to my sister’s place. They have a working fireplace, so it has been bearable.</p>
<p>Would I need a professional to have one installed?</p>
<p>I don’t have money to burn :), but my siblings want to have one installed. I heard there is one that I could have it switched to their natural gas. I am kind of clueless.</p>
<p>15 minutes after my mom’s power came back on (we’re both in Northern CT), she ordered a Generac 8000 Standby generator, her (licensed) electrician friend will install it for her. It’s a standy so she doesn’t have to worry about pulling it out, starting it, etc. It runs off the propane tank (which she had put in to fuel a new gas fireplace) Power goes out, and it kicks in. Tests itself every couple of weeks.</p>
<p>last year i went with some friends to buy one at halloween when the snow storm hit and we were having a halloween party. I believe the one we picked was between 3500 and 5000. we hooked up the fridge, stove, tv, stereo, a large-ish portable heater, and a few lights. That seemed to work pretty well. The biggest hinderence was all of the extension cords running throughout the house and out to the generator. Be careful not to trip. I believe after the party was over they hooked up their heat to it. My dad uses a propane heater in his garage that seems to work pretty well also.</p>
<p>I meant to say that I am not going to do it now. </p>
<p>Just checked out Generac 8000, got great reviews. Would it stay outside, or would your mom need to pull it outside every time she wants to use it?</p>
<p>It sits outside, ready to go. (sort of like an AC compressor). Should the power go out, it kicks on automatically, nothing for her to do. That was really important to her, she didn’t want to worry about lugging it out, hooking it up, starting it, etc.</p>
<p>My folks were given a generator from my brother. It sits quietly & unused in a storage room. You do have to have fuel for it to be of use and have enough of it. Fuel is highly explosive and dangerous to have around. Even folks who have it professionally installed have to figure out how to have the fuel stored safely so that it doesn’t create a huge hazard. A neighbor on our street had a huge explosion when they stored something highly explosive and combustible improperly.</p>
<p>I see lines of people trying to get fuel for their generators in the newspaper and am not sure that’s the best solution. How awful for folks who have not had power for so long–Costco has some generators available as welll, with their excellent return policy. I believe that’s where many in our state purchase their generators. </p>
<p>Any way of using solar power or some form of non-combustible alternative energy? Just musing aloud. Have seen some smaller solar power kits, also at Costco.</p>
<p>I agree, if you can afford it a standby generator would be the best solution for older people. It will kick on automatically and an installer will install…</p>
<p>Fendergirl, you were doing an as needed use of your generator with the extension cords. It is MUCH easier to have it wired so that you can flip a switch to generator power, start your generator, and the circuits you want to power are hooked into your generator. </p>
<p>We borrowed a generator and were grateful for it…and did the extension cord thing. We have friends who rent who do the extension cord thing…but everyone we know who owns their house does NOT do it this way.</p>
<p>That generac is an awesome generator. We are looking at something like that too, but really don’t need anything that swanky now…but then again. We aren’t getting any younger!</p>
<p>I hope my kids buy me a standby generator when I’m old…seriously we installed air and have used it maybe 5 times in twenty years. We start it every summer just to make sure it works. The number of times we’ve been without power for multiple days at a time is far greater. Shoulda bought a generator instead of AC back when we actually had disposable income that was going to college tuition.</p>
<p>When you talk about propane, do you mean the tank that goes to a gas grill?</p>
<p>I am not counting on it.</p>
<p>We are planning to get a standby (aka stationery or permanent) model. Electrician or heating contractor can install - usually they have to pour a concrete foundation first. Looking into the larger wattage Kohler and Generac. Kohler gets top reviews for the smaller version of the one I am looking at and has a very good warranty, but requires an authorized installer to qualify for the latter. Right now the model I want is backordered everywhere.</p>
<p>With a stationery generator, power comes on automatically as soon as it is lost. If it’s hooked to a natural gas line they can run for an unlimited time.</p>
<p>No - I’m talking about a BIG propane tank, like you’d have if you had a gas stove in the kitchen. One that a truck comes to fill. </p>
<p>My mom had a gas fireplace installed and along with that, a had a propane tank installed at her house. They will run lines from that tank to the standby generator.</p>
<p>If you want to compare models there’s a site called electricgeneratorsdirect.com. Consumerreports.com and consumersearch.com are also good starting places for an overview and additional sources.</p>
<p>Hmmm, we have one of those large propane tanks for our gas fireplace. Maybe we should get that model.</p>
<p>Thank-you for your input. My parents have gas, not propane. I wonder how much it would be to get a stationery one. I would think it would add to the value of a house.</p>