Adding a generator, have questions.

[Hodr]

So I figure I either need to get a generator or a battery backup sump pump in case I lose power again during a storm (and don't feel like bailing out my basement by hand).

I think the genny is my best bet, but don't think my house is wired for one. Can anyone recommend a service, or electrician who could run the circuit?

Thank you,

-Hodr

[Gilligan (Premo)]

Where you are located would help a lot....

I have a propane 12KW Generac as primary back up..

[kom526]

Get the battery back up sump pump whether you have a generator or not. If you get the generator that will be one less thing drawing power.

[GWguy]

A genny just for a sump pump may be overkill. Most people opt for battery backup, with a genny to recharge, if need be.

Consider: A small genny is not usually self starting. You are away from the house. Power goes out. No one there to start the genny, possible flood. With battery backup, you may get power restored before you exhaust the battery.

Self-starting gennys are usually larger, whole house units, and are much more expensive.

If your thought is a genny for whole house backup, then you'll need to size out the house and what you want to run, then put in an appropriate wiring from the breaker panel to an outdoor outlet, or directly wired into a transfer switch. The wiring and transfer switch get pricey, more so for the electrician's time.

Cheap, fast and fairly reliable is battery backup. Then you can consider a generator source later as time and money permit.

[Hodr]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I live in Lexington Park in an area that thankfully doesn't lose power too often, but when it does go I assume it will be for a decent amount of time.

If I went the generator route I would expect it to power just the fridge, sump, a couple of CFLs and maybe a TV. If it was big enough to power the AC that would be nice, but probably not a deal breaker.

Although as you mentioned, if I happened to be out of town when the power went out it wouldn't matter how good the generator is.

------Edit------

I do have natural gas run to the house.

[kom526]

Originally Posted by Hodr

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I live in Lexington Park in an area that thankfully doesn't lose power too often, but when it does go I assume it will be for a decent amount of time.

If I went the generator route I would expect it to power just the fridge, sump, a couple of CFLs and maybe a TV. If it was big enough to power the AC that would be nice, but probably not a deal breaker.

Although as you mentioned, if I happened to be out of town when the power went out it wouldn't matter how good the generator is.

------Edit------

I do have natural gas run to the house.

If you are going to die in that house then go for a whole house 12kw and hook it to the natural gas. My FIL and BIL went this route with underground tanks for the supply.

[GWguy]

I have a 2200 watt genny, would prefer a 3500 or larger. It will run the fridge, TV, lights, and a freezer if I stagger the startup load. Something to note: an old CRT TV draws less power than an LCD TV. I can hear the genny load and drag when I turn on the LCD TV, never did with the 20" CRT.

If you want to run and a/c, water heater, stove, anything 240v, you need to dramatically step up the genny rating.

[foxxynhounds]

During Isabel, we were without power for 7 days, and we've routinely lost power at other times for 2+ days. We are a family of 7 (kids are ages 2-8), and my husband doesn't tolerate heat well (overheats VERY easily), plus we have critters and therefore a relatively constant need for water, heat/AC, etc (to be comfortable - not envisioning an end-of-the-world scenario here).

So, when we put on an addition 3yrs ago, we opted to put in a whole-house generator. Its 17KW and powers the major stuff - heat/AC for one section of the house, septic, water pump, water heater, fridge & freezer, and some "creature comforts" to keep the kids sane while we're out cutting up fallen trees (which is inevitably what we are doing during a power outage). It is powered by our in-ground propane tank (that we rarely ever use, since most of our house is powered by electric at the moment)...

It cost us about $7K, including the unit, permits, installation, etc. So far, we've had to use it for about 3 days (don't remember the storm), and it ATE through propane...but saved about $1500 worth of meet in the freezer, allowed us to do basic cooking, etc. So...can't say that it's exactly paid itself off yet, but...I *do* feel more comfortably knowing its there if we need it! It kicks in about 20s after power goes out, so we don't have to worry about "what if we're not home..."

Guess it all depends on what you're looking for!

[tooldanny]

ddd

[merc669]

Keep in mind that generators, no matter what type are rated at 50% load capacity normally. So, if you do not need it then leave it off. Fans instead of AC. Washer, Dryers even the Hot Water Heater can be cycled to reduce load and increase run time. Just a thought.