Back up home battery systems? Generators? Solar panels?

[Chasdev]

Two winters ago (here in Austin, Tx) we lost power in our all electric home for three days during some of the coldest weather in a long time.
Lots of people in Texas died from the cold, many suffered broken pipes that flooded their houses when the thaw came.
We survived by burning every bit of my BBQ wood, including post oak sticks, pecan sticks, hardwood pellets and many bags of expensive charcoal in the fireplace.
The day the power came back I was getting ready to start busting up the furniture to feed the fireplace.
So, last night at 9:45 the power dropped out again, this time for only 1.5 hours but it was still above 90 degrees outside so we were pretty jittery when we hit the bed at 10.
All that brings me to the topic, without calling Generac and dropping big bucks, what should I do for short term power back up?
I see suitcase sized backup batteries for around500/600 but they don't seem to last long just powering a freezer and some fans.
Anybody done the research on using automotive or marine deep cycle batteries with a transformer as a backup?
I don't have the knowledge or skills to do the math on it but it would seem to be better than buying a fancy battery suitcase unit.
On the other end of the price range has anyone looked into solar panels with the jumbo battery system?
The Generac whole house unit with propane would be the best but my HOA won't allow propane tanks in the back yard.
The alternative to one large tank would be a shed full of the smallest ones and lots of tank swapping.
Thoughts, advice?

 

[JC in GB]

With a solar system, you will need a battery bank and an inverter to turn the DC current to AC current.

As long as you have sunlight you will be producing power. If I lived on the Texas power grid, I would be seriously thinking about investing in a solar system.

Portable fossil fuel generators are great short term supplements to power your home but are often underpowered and overly noisy. That brings you to a residential backup generator.

Your home averages about 1kW running but you will need a bigger generator depending on how many inductive loads you plan to run. This will likely be electric motors that run cooling compressors, clothes dryers, fans, etc. To start a motor, you can require up to 10 times more current than to keep it running. This is why you need 10kW to run a standard household.

Fuel: Generators can be fueled by liquid or gaseous fuels. You can also configure the genset to switch between different fuel types.

Residential generator systems will often have automatic switchgear that will start the generator and repower your home in about 10 seconds after a power interruption.

As far as brands go. I would not buy a Generac product ever for any reason. They don't pull their rated power and just get worse as they get hot. They are cheap junk.

If you want a solid genset, Kohler or Onan are the only ones I would spend my $$ on. I worked at the Kohler Power systems engineering lab for years and did quite bit of genset testing.

Hope this is helpful.

JC

 

[Sven Svensson]

Our power goes out because of fire. I wanted something economical just to power the minimum like fridge and freezer, lights, internet, tv. So I went with two small Honda generators that hook together. I have a pass thru box n the side of the house. We run what extension cords we need. It’s not elegant because of the cords but it works beautifully. I even made a small shed for them which is fan-vented that keeps the noise down. I converted them to propane and run them off larger bottles so there’s less swapping. If we need to evacuate they are small enough I can take them with me. Not having to deal with gas is a huge plus.

 

[chopsaw]

See if your state has a clean energy program . Might be some financial assistance .

I'm sitting here thinking the same thing . Mine went out at 4 am , and just came back on . Had a garage fridge full of sausage grind , some Umai stuff , a couple butts and a loin .
I just need something to run the fridge , I'll deal with the rest . Lets us know what you do .

 

[Displaced Texan]

With a solar system, you will need a battery bank and an inverter to turn the DC current to AC current.

As long as you have sunlight you will be producing power. If I lived on the Texas power grid, I would be seriously thinking about investing in a solar system.

Portable fossil fuel generators are great short term supplements to power your home but are often underpowered and overly noisy. That brings you to a residential backup generator.

Your home averages about 1kW running but you will need a bigger generator depending on how many inductive loads you plan to run. This will likely be electric motors that run cooling compressors, clothes dryers, fans, etc. To start a motor, you can require up to 10 times more current than to keep it running. This is why you need 10kW to run a standard household.

Fuel: Generators can be fueled by liquid or gaseous fuels. You can also configure the genset to switch between different fuel types.

Residential generator systems will often have automatic switchgear that will start the generator and repower your home in about 10 seconds after a power interruption.

As far as brands go. I would not buy a Generac product ever for any reason. They don't pull their rated power and just get worse as they get hot. They are cheap junk.

If you want a solid genset, Kohler or Onan are the only ones I would spend my $$ on. I worked at the Kohler Power systems engineering lab for years and did quite bit of genset testing.

Hope this is helpful.

JC

Interesting, because I would never buy a Kohler faucet/shower head or anything like that. My house had all of that when we bought it. They are junk. But, I certainly would take your expertise on their generators. Oh, their toilets are good.

What makes Generac so bad besides what you already said, or does that pretty much cover it?

 

[smokerjim]

I installed a generac last year because of frequent power outages usually 10-18 hours at a time, a few months ago it was out for 4 days generac ran the whole time with no issues I guess the old saying everything is good until it breaks will apply to this.

 

[JC in GB]

Interesting, because I would never buy a Kohler faucet/shower head or anything like that. My house had all of that when we bought it. They are junk. But, I certainly would take your expertise on their generators. Oh, their toilets are good.

What makes Generac so bad besides what you already said, or does that pretty much cover it?

I have Kohler fixtures in my house and really feel that they are as good as any on the market except it is hard to get replacement parts for them. So I can see your point on that for sure.

Kohler fixtures and power systems are different divisions. Much of Kohler power systems equipment goes into industrial applications which demand quality and reliability.

Depending on how the genset makes the AC waveform, I have had generac units that make appliances like microwaves scream while running them because of the crappy AC waveshape.

The bottom line is this. Generac is made to be the cheapest genset out there and you get what you pay for. It is your $$ and at the end of the day if you have power in your home, that is all that really matters. Personally, I would never put a dollar towards a generac product. That is my $0.02.

 

[JC in GB]

I installed a generac last year because of frequent power outages usually 10-18 hours at a time, a few months ago it was out for 4 days generac ran the whole time with no issues I guess the old saying everything is good until it breaks will apply to this.

It may have worked but if you paid for an 8kW genset, I would bet that unit was only putting out 7 or less possibly less than 6 if the outside temp was high. If I pay for 10kW, I want 100% of that 10kW.

Like I said in my other post. The generac gensets work but they are made to be inexpensive. You can draw your own conclusions from that.

JC

 

[Displaced Texan]

I have Kohler fixtures in my house and really feel that they are as good as any on the market except it is hard to get replacement parts for them. So I can see your point on that for sure.

Kohler fixtures and power systems are different divisions. Much of Kohler power systems equipment goes into industrial applications which demand quality and reliability.

Depending on how the genset makes the AC waveform, I have had generac units that make appliances like microwaves scream while running them because of the crappy AC waveshape.

The bottom line is this. Generac is made to be the cheapest genset out there and you get what you pay for. It is your $$ and at the end of the day if you have power in your home, that is all that really matters. Personally, I would never put a dollar towards a generac product. That is my $0.02.

I get it. GE makes great jet engines but junk appliances IMO lol.

The issue with my Kohler stuff mainly is all the flow restriction. Not that big a deal I guess.

No, I will definitely take your expertise on this. Thank you.

 

[chopsaw]

The issue with my Kohler stuff mainly is all the flow restriction.

I have a different brand , but I removed all the restriction disc in mine . Or take out and drill a bigger hole if you need the thickness .

 

[MJB05615]

Same here. I always remove the restriction piece on any faucet or shower heads, etc.

 

[Displaced Texan]

I'll check the inter webs, but I thought Kohler made it virtually impossible to remove them. Thanks, guys.

It's funny, I stay in a lot of hotels, and those Speakman shower heads will normally blow you to the other side of the shower they are so strong.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Good to know about the generac!

I have a different brand , but I removed all the restriction disc in mine . Or take out and drill a bigger hole if you need the thickness .

I was just gonna mention that

Ryan

 

[JC in GB]

I get it. GE makes great jet engines but junk appliances IMO lol.

The issue with my Kohler stuff mainly is all the flow restriction. Not that big a deal I guess.

No, I will definitely take your expertise on this. Thank you.

I agree with you on the GE stuff as well. great jets but can't make a clothes washer.

 

[Displaced Texan]

I agree with you on the GE stuff as well. great jets but can't make a clothes washer.

Or microwave, or refrigerator that doesn't freeze things....lol

 

[clifish]

I have a portable generator that I bought before one of the hurricains, I converted it to a tri fuel carb (gas, propane or NG). I also have a 220 outlet on the side of the house to feed the panel (yes safeguards so I don't fry the linemen). As far as solar, I just got a quote for a $51,000 install that would only reduce my electric bill by 36% and would be a 11 year payback....yes we are power hogs in this house.

 

[sandyut]

Not sure what happened here..

 

[sandyut]

Solar will need batteries and they can be spendy.

I have a Coleman generator that we use when needed, mostly for the refer, cell charging, a few lights etc. Bought it used for cheap and it starts first pull every time. Our power used to go out constantly, recent neighborhood upgrades have improved this issue, but Im keeping the generator. The one I have probably wouldnt run a portable AC and a refer tho. Our basement is freezing cold year round. I would just move down there if the heat got too much to handle upstairs.

I think it boils down to how often its needed, how much you wanna run, and ultimately how much you wanna pay.

 

[civilsmoker]

Have you checked with the HOA on a buried propane tank? They don’t have to be above grade.....no one will even know it’s there....

 

[Brokenhandle]

Have you checked with the HOA and a buried propane tank? They don’t have to be above grade.....no one will even know it’s there....

Just make sure none of your neighbors are gonna be gone on vacation at the same time...Neighbor turns up missing and you just buried something big in the back yard! They talk lol!

Ryan