What kind of generator should I get for my parents?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Here’s a ‘mini-generator’ priced under $20 powered with a handcrank. Every household should have one for emergencies when electric power goes down. No gasoline or batteries needed and it can play music to dance to and sing along with. </p>

<p>[Energizer</a> Weather Ready Radio Crank Light - Walmart.com](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-Weather-Ready-Radio-Crank-Light/15571831?findingMethod=rr]Energizer”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-Weather-Ready-Radio-Crank-Light/15571831?findingMethod=rr)</p>

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<p>I disagree about added value for resale. Unless it is an expensive house near the shore, most buyers wouldn’t pay extra for it. They might choose it over an otherwise equal home, but you will not see the payback of $4-6k for it.</p>

<p>My parents live about 10 miles inland from Long Beach Island, nj. Their power was out for about 24 hours. That is the longest outage they have had in the 12+ years living there. I have lived in NJ for 22 years and never even had an outage of an entire day.</p>

<p>I did get a generator for us because my water heater requires electric to run a vent motor (it’s gas hot water though). We didn’t need it so we took it to my parents and they ended up buying it from us and I’ll get us another one. Its 5000W portable. Hooked up some extension cords and my parents (in their 70’s) could handle it, though they may get a transfer switch hooked to their panel. They can afford it. They ran indoor fridge, garage freezer, tv, cable box and modem, some lights, phone. Could possibly have run micro but they have gas stove that was able to be lit.</p>

<p>I considered figuring how to hook up my furnace, but it is a brand new furnace. I was advised that unless you have either a very high quality, or an “inverter” generator that you can harm the electronics in the furnace (gas heat, but the blower is electric). I’m not risking it. If it was my old one I might give it a try with little to lose.</p>

<p>Space heater, fireplace, electric mattress pad or blanket should be able to get most people through for several days.</p>

<p>Try not to gt crazy. These events are probably going to be quite rare as they usually have been. If you have the $$ to spend on a giant unit, go for it. I don’t really think it’s necessary unless you live in an area where day long outages and longer are common. </p>

<p>I opted for a 3500W that should power the basics with extension cords. If it’s winter the outdoors is a free freezer and fridge! I’m looking at it as getting by,not living like it’s a normal day.</p>

<p>I missed that it is a 5000 sq foot home. That leads me to believe that they could afford to install a permanent solution. How long have they liver there and how many times would they have used it? I would still think a 5-6000W would be enough if they don’t mind roughing it and staying in 1-2 rooms with a space heater. Also, i assume their heat is zoned, so they would’t have any bigger of a heater to run than I do in my 2800 ft house with one zone. </p>

<p>If I had $$ that I didn’t want to save or spend on something else I’d like to have a stand-by one. Why not? Oh I know why…$$$$ All depends on your situation.</p>

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<p>We installed a 15kw whole house generator running off of our natural gas line 7 years ago. One of the best improvements we made to our home. We live in a fully developed suburb of Philadelphia and lose power for several hours at least 4 times a year. In the recent hurricane, our power was out for 5 days. In mid September it was out for 6 hours just as we started a holiday celebration at which we were hosting 25 family members and friends for a buffet dinner. Every time our development loses power and our neighbors sit in the dark, we just go about our daily lives (and offer refrigerator and freezer space and the warmth of an operating heater to our immediate neighbors).</p>

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<p>^ Yes, this.</p>

<p>During my first three decades in CT, we lost power for a week exactly once … after a storm that left an inch of ice on everything. During the past 13 months we’ve lost power for a week (or longer) three times. That might be due to a number of issues, and one can always argue “reversion to the norm.” But clearly delivery of electricity is a lot less reliable than it used to be … at least here in the Northeast.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t count on power being as reliable as it was in the past, the weather patterns seem to be changing and quite honestly, our power grid is not in great shape, most of it was put down a long time ago and the power companies have not exactly invested a lot of money in upgrading and maintaining it. On top of bad weather, the load on the grid is increasing and it simply may not be able to take the strain. Th</p>

<p>I live in the house I grew up in here in Northern NJ, so I have some relative perspective on the situation. Growing up I can think of a handful of times that we lost power, and usually it was for an hour or two at most. In the last 5 years we have had routine power outages (not long ones, but still), and the power quality itself is crap, power dips and goes up, just not in good shape. In the last 14 months we have lost power for significant periods and that I have never seen, and people in the surrounding area have have outages in the same period that last days or even weeks. I don’t think this is just a freak storm, I think ‘freak storms’ like a halloween snowstorm, hurricane Irene, the next noreaster, are going to happen a lot more often. The other thing is if predictions are right, we are going to have more storms that affect a wide region, and that delays repairs even more</p>

<p>There is another alternative to an automatic backup generator, there are portable style generators called tri fuel generators that can run on gasoline, natural gas or propane. You could get one of those units, have an electrician wire a transfer switch for key circuits, and have either a propane tank or have a quick nat gas fitting put in place to hook it to, which means, with natgas, it could run as long as needed and your parents wouldn’t have to refill it or worry about getting gasoline (still a problem where I live, though getting better, stiill have lines). It would be a bit cheaper then a full, automatic generator like a Kohler or Generac. </p>

<p>I am not sure if a generator would ever be recouped in the selling price of a house, the way a new bathroom is, though if things keep going the way it is, if someone is in an area that loses power a lot, could be a big plus. For me, it is about piece of mind.</p>

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<p>We got a 8Kw Generac automatic standby generator 4 years ago after an ice storm. It’s connected to the 500 gallon propane tank that we already use for heat, hot water and cooking. It powers the boiler, well pump,both refrigerators, freezer, computer and most of the lights in the house.We had been talking about getting one since we have power outages several times a year (we live in the country). Last year during the 5 day Halloween outage in the Northeast we were as snug as bugs. We didn’t give a thought to the resale value-we just wanted to be able to stay in our home with lights and heat.</p>

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<p>One other option for folks who install photovoltaic PV is to use batteries to store power and run off that battery power when the power goes out. When you have PV without the back up batteries, you will be connected to the electric grid & lose power with everyone else otherwise. I know a few folks who have opted to have the battery backup, which is something we have not explored to date.</p>

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<p>hoverdad andMKat do you mind if I ask the cost of the system you installed?</p>

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<p>I think it was between $5K and $6K. That included the cost of having the propane company come out and install the gas pipe, regulator, etc. in my basement, as well as having the electrician install the automatic transfer switch and the generator itself.</p>

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<p>Just a note of caution about propane powered generator - my father had his installed last yr after Snowpocolypse left him without power for about 10 days. It took him nearly 9 mo. to have this unit installed, permits, propane co. etc - and when he lost power from Sandy this year, we were very happy to enjoy his heat BUT the propane tank was only expected to last 3 days and the propane co. was NOT ANSWERING their phone! The tank itself is rented from the propane co. - they are the only distributor of propane in our area and once he got through after the end of the 3rd day to a person - who was in Syracuse NY (not local!) they just added him to a list of people who needed delivery. He added the whole “elderly” “heart patient” etc. - and that did nothing. He has not yet heard from the propane co. - luckily power was restored, but when he gets that propane delivery is anyone’s guess at this point. Others who had to stand in lines for 3 hrs to get gas at least had some control over the situation. We felt (ironic) powerless.</p>

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<p>Ours cost $3400 fully installed 7 years ago. Gas company installed larger meter, free of charge, to handle additional gas flow when it kicks in.</p>

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<p>Thank you/////</p>

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<p>One of our neighbors, a General Contractor, lives at the top of the hill. He has the least reliable power in our neighborhood … a neighborhood that already noteworthy for power unreliability. Two years ago he converted from fuel oil to propane/LNG (I’m not sure which) and installed a backup generation system powered from his TWO 1500 Gallon above-ground tanks. Overkill, if for no other reason than the unsightly “tank farm.” BUT his house is never dark. (FWIW installation took more than a year.)</p>

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<p>The generally quoted cost on a 7-10kw backup generator running on natgas is roughly 6k (it depends on a lot of factors, where you live, how easy it is to run gas and electric lines and so forth). Michael, I am surprised a 15kW cost that little, that was a great deal, they generally say installation can cost as much as the unit. Also probably depends on how hungry contractors are and such, I would bet at the moment in the flood of post Sandy worries they are charging top dollar, do it when people have forgotten about the storm would prob be a lot less.</p>