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Post by NoSoapRadio on Apr 1, 2023 15:28:09 GMT -5
Not new guitar or gun day -- it's New Generator Day.
Actually, it was two weeks ago today but I wanted take some time playing with it and getting it broken in before I started yapping about it.
I bought a Westinghouse 9500/12500 watt dual fuel machine through Amazon. I ordered it on Thursday and it was delivered at 9am the following Saturday -- free delivery with my Prime account. The heavy cardboard shipping container appeared to have been open at some point, but the four plastic straps holding the box together seemed to be original and the internal packaging was unmolested. Nothing was missing and there was no damage to the machine. Assembly was simple -- bolting on the rubber feet and two wheels was about the extent of it. I added the liter of oil that was in the box then hooked it up to a 20lb tank of propane. I flipped on the battery switch and hit the Start button and she fired right up.
The manual said not to exceed 50% of the rated load until it had been broken in after five hours of runtime. The manual doesn't say anything about *how* to break it in -- so I consulted the YewToob and distilled the most anal to the most reasonable advice I could stand to watch and made up my own procedure. Run for 1 hour with no load, change the oil. Run for another two hours driving some of the power tools and machines in my shop, change the oil. Run another two hours with a combination of no load and shop tools, change the oil. All this was not done in one day but rather over 7 or 8 days.
So, with five hours on the meter, I picked a day when Wifey was going to be out and shut off the main breaker in the house along with all the individual circuit breakers in the panel. With everything off, I made the connection between the power inlet box on the house to the generator, started it up and let it run for a minute or two before throwing the generator switch on the main panel. I flipped on the breaker for the water heater and ran the water until the heater kicked in. Then the breaker for the gas furnace and a minute or two later the blower started. So far, so good.
When both the water heater and furnace completed their cycles I flipped on all the other breakers in the panel, one by one, starting with the fridge. Everything lit up fine. I went upstairs and turned on the microwave. No problemo.
I didn't turn on the breakers for the electric dryer or the electric oven. I expect either will work fine with the genny if I shut off the water heater and/or furnace but in a temporary outage it will be easy to skip using either of these appliances.
To finish up I turned off the generator breaker in the panel, let the machine run for a few minutes with no load then shut it down. The power cable to the house was disconnected and I flipped the main breaker from the utility back on -- everything was back to normal.
Altogether, I'm very pleased with the new electric service installation, the gen switch/interlock, the power inlet box, and of course, the new generator. In the almost forty-five years we've lived here on the ocean, we've been through dozens of nasty storms, blizzards and hurricanes -- often losing power. Hopefully my days of digging out the old percolator and butane stove to make some coffee followed by a cold shower, are behind me.
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NGD!!!!
Apr 1, 2023 16:20:54 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Auf Kiltre on Apr 1, 2023 16:20:54 GMT -5
How's the noise level on that unit? I bought my 5500 Watt CAT in a hurry after moving to Texas before a potential hurricane. It has served well for the few times I used it to power fridge, a few lights and space heater. But I wish I had gone your route. Noisey as hell, but whacha gonna do?
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NGD!!!!
Apr 1, 2023 20:07:59 GMT -5
Post by modbus on Apr 1, 2023 20:07:59 GMT -5
I looked it up, that's a very nice machine. Do you use the 50A plug to power your house? My generator is only a 5500, so it just has the 30A plug. What you have seems much, much better.
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michael
Wholenote
Recent Retiree
Posts: 620
Age: old enough to know better and not care
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Post by michael on Apr 1, 2023 20:53:37 GMT -5
When the time comes, you will be so happy you have that!!! i put one in several years ago and although it is rarely used, when it is, it's worth every $ we spent....
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NGD!!!!
Apr 2, 2023 12:20:02 GMT -5
Post by HeavyDuty on Apr 2, 2023 12:20:02 GMT -5
That might be a good option for me, too. I need to see what is involved in getting a transfer switch installed - we have two breaker boxes, one right by the drop with the main breaker and HVAC and one in the garage for everything else, so I suspect it will need to be outside.
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NGD!!!!
Apr 2, 2023 13:34:29 GMT -5
Post by NoSoapRadio on Apr 2, 2023 13:34:29 GMT -5
How's the noise level on that unit? It's loud -- you can't stand next to it while it's running and have a conversation with someone. Inside the house with the windows shut I can hear it running, but I can still hear the TV just fine. Both neighbors on either side of me also have generators so I'm not too concerned about disturbing them. I've surfed the web looking at various DIY solutions to mitigate the noise but I probably won't bother for now. I will need to come up with some way to keep some of the weather off of it if I need to use it mid storm. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 2, 2023 13:41:53 GMT -5
Post by NoSoapRadio on Apr 2, 2023 13:41:53 GMT -5
Do you use the 50A plug to power your house? I had the power inlet box installed before I bought the new generator. The other machines I was looking at all just had 30 amp outlets so I went with the 30 amp inlet. I would have gone with the 50 amp if I knew I was buying the Westinghouse. This looks like it will do what I need with the 30 amp outlet -- if it becomes a problem it won't be too much trouble or expense to upgrade to 50. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 2, 2023 13:54:11 GMT -5
Post by NoSoapRadio on Apr 2, 2023 13:54:11 GMT -5
When the time comes, you will be so happy you have that!!! I'm already happy I have it. I've been putting it off for years and if I weren't forced to replace the existing service I would probably still be putting it off. Now it's done and I have no regrets. As I said earlier, we've lived in this area for over forty years -- we've seen the cycles with a couple mild winters back to back but Mama Nature always gets comes looking for payback. She always gets the last laugh. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 2, 2023 17:45:32 GMT -5
Post by LTB on Apr 2, 2023 17:45:32 GMT -5
I would love to have a fixed whole house Generator system that kicks in when you loose power and runs on Natural Gas but they are expensive but would spring for it if whe knew we were staying here. Our daughter wants us to move near them and grandchildren that will be 2 hours away. We want to be in their lives but don’t really want to move to a small country town east of Dallas.
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 11:03:34 GMT -5
Post by modbus on Apr 3, 2023 11:03:34 GMT -5
Not to wish an extended power outage on you  , but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 12:44:52 GMT -5
Post by Taildragger on Apr 3, 2023 12:44:52 GMT -5
I thought this was going to be "new gopher moved into my yard" day.
That's every day for me.
Or so it seems...
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 14:39:19 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Lesterstrat on Apr 3, 2023 14:39:19 GMT -5
Not to wish an extended power outage on you , but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last. My parents had a 20k kilowatt whole home standby generator. 200 gallons would last a little over a week. We have natural gas so we don’t have to have a tank for ours. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 16:30:56 GMT -5
Post by modbus on Apr 3, 2023 16:30:56 GMT -5
Not to wish an extended power outage on you , but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last. My parents had a 20k kilowatt whole home standby generator. 200 gallons would last a little over a week. We have natural gas so we don’t have to have a tank for ours. Wow, that sounds like they go through propane pretty quickly. Our 5500 W generator goes through about 6-8 gallons of gas a day, in the summer, a lot closer to 6. and the winter, running the furnace, closer to 8. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 17:14:41 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Auf Kiltre on Apr 3, 2023 17:14:41 GMT -5
This thread inspired me to rotate my 15 gallons of gas (10 in cans and 5 in the generator tank) and also change the oil. What a pain! The CAT RP5500 has no easy way to drain the gas tank. I previously siphoned it out which always make me feel like I'm seconds away from self-immolation. This time I watched a YouTube video where you remove the air filter housing and get at the gas line coming into the carburetor. Won't do that again, took over an hour. Since the design of my 5 gallon cans doesn't permit me to actually pour it into my Honda CRV gas tank I had to use my hand pump siphon. Self-immolation again on my mind. Went to the gas station and filled up the tanks and added stabilizer. Also had to go to O'Reilly Auto Parts and get oil, a small funnel and picked up some oil spill cleaner for the slight mishap on the driveway. The good news is the CAT did fire up on the first pull.
All set for hurricane season and whatever may come, at least for several days.
I'm tempted to sell the CAT and go the NoSoap route.
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 18:15:58 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Lesterstrat on Apr 3, 2023 18:15:58 GMT -5
My parents had a 20k kilowatt whole home standby generator. 200 gallons would last a little over a week. We have natural gas so we don’t have to have a tank for ours. Wow, that sounds like they go through propane pretty quickly. Our 5500 W generator goes through about 6-8 gallons of gas a day, in the summer, a lot closer to 6. and the winter, running the furnace, closer to 8. We borrowed my Uncle’s 9500 and used about the same as yours. 8 days of gas for it cost me around $150. And, that’s about what it cost for us to refill my parents propane tank. There were 6 of us in my parents house during that 8 days. After that storm we decided to get a whole home standby generator. Best $8800 I’ve ever spent. |
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Post by modbus on Apr 3, 2023 18:20:56 GMT -5
This thread inspired me to rotate my 15 gallons of gas (10 in cans and 5 in the generator tank) and also change the oil. What a pain! The CAT RP5500 has no easy way to drain the gas tank. I previously siphoned it out which always make me feel like I'm seconds away from self-immolation. This time I watched a YouTube video where you remove the air filter housing and get at the gas line coming into the carburetor. Won't do that again, took over an hour. Since the design of my 5 gallon cans doesn't permit me to actually pour it into my Honda CRV gas tank I had to use my hand pump siphon. Self-immolation again on my mind. Went to the gas station and filled up the tanks and added stabilizer. Also had to go to O'Reilly Auto Parts and get oil, a small funnel and picked up some oil spill cleaner for the slight mishap on the driveway. The good news is the CAT did fire up on the first pull. All set for hurricane season and whatever may come, at least for several days. I'm tempted to sell the CAT and go the NoSoap route. Speaking of money well spent, this was a very good use of 12 bucks. You can empty a gas tank in no time. Harbor Freight Transfer Pump |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 19:45:57 GMT -5
Post by HeavyDuty on Apr 3, 2023 19:45:57 GMT -5
Not to wish an extended power outage on you , but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last. My parents had a 20k kilowatt whole home standby generator. 200 gallons would last a little over a week. We have natural gas so we don’t have to have a tank for ours. That’s part of what has turned me off of a whole house generator. We’re on LP, and have a 250 gallon tank (200 gallons is full) x $3 a gallon plus getting the truck out here. Gasoline I can source myself. When I was in IL on piped natural gas, it made more sense. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 3, 2023 23:15:25 GMT -5
Post by Lesterstrat on Apr 3, 2023 23:15:25 GMT -5
My parents had a 20k kilowatt whole home standby generator. 200 gallons would last a little over a week. We have natural gas so we don’t have to have a tank for ours. That’s part of what has turned me off of a whole house generator. We’re on LP, and have a 250 gallon tank (200 gallons is full) x $3 a gallon plus getting the truck out here. Gasoline I can source myself. When I was in IL on piped natural gas, it made more sense. Yes, and the other consideration if you don't have natural gas is can the propane truck get there at all. Also, you basically have to get on their schedule immediately when the power goes out. If the power is out a few days, how many people do you think are calling them? That's the benefit of having, as we do, natural gas. I feel very blessed to not have to deal with propane inventory management in an already stressful time. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 4, 2023 13:42:16 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Leftee on Apr 4, 2023 13:42:16 GMT -5
Around here the gas companies won’t rent you a tank if you’re only using it for a generator.
I would like a generator for this place. At minimum the model the OP bought… maybe bigger. But I will not consider carrying gasoline to it where it would be set up. So propane it is.
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NGD!!!!
Apr 4, 2023 15:39:55 GMT -5
Post by Lesterstrat on Apr 4, 2023 15:39:55 GMT -5
Around here the gas companies won’t rent you a tank if you’re only using it for a generator. I would like a generator for this place. At minimum the model the OP bought… maybe bigger. But I will not consider carrying gasoline to it where it would be set up. So propane it is. Most generator dealers offer the whole package, generator, propane tank, installation, etc... I'm talking a whole home standby generator dealer. |
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NGD!!!!
Apr 4, 2023 16:36:13 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Leftee on Apr 4, 2023 16:36:13 GMT -5
Around here the gas companies won’t rent you a tank if you’re only using it for a generator. I would like a generator for this place. At minimum the model the OP bought… maybe bigger. But I will not consider carrying gasoline to it where it would be set up. So propane it is. Most generator dealers offer the whole package, generator, propane tank, installation, etc... I'm talking a whole home standby generator dealer. We haven’t talked to one yet. A little afraid too. Lol |
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Post by HeavyDuty on Apr 5, 2023 8:18:25 GMT -5
I’m wondering how long of a drop cord you can use on a large portable generator to hook up to your transfer switch. I think the transfer switch will need to be at the service drop which is a distance from my secured back yard.
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Apr 5, 2023 13:56:50 GMT -5
Not to wish an extended power outage on you , but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last. The manual says a 20lb tank should last up to 7 hours. I started with a full tank (37lbs) and have run the machine a little over five hours. The tank now weighs about 26 pounds so the figure in the manual seems conservative. We have three 150 gallon tanks for the propane furnace. Our propane company monitors the level remotely and automatically sends a delivery truck well before we're empty. I'll look into having a line from the tanks extended to the front of the house to run the generator but I'm not really committed to the idea. The plan is to always keep a full 20 pound tank of propane on hand along with whatever is in the tank attached to the Weber -- which I already do. If a big storm seems imminent I'll fill up the two five gallon containers I have with gasoline to use when the LP runs out. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of storing gasoline in the generator. |
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Apr 5, 2023 17:09:22 GMT -5
I’m wondering how long of a drop cord you can use on a large portable generator to hook up to your transfer switch. I think the transfer switch will need to be at the service drop which is a distance from my secured back yard. When I was shopping for mine I saw cords up to 100' with 6 gauge conductors. The longer the cord the larger the conductors need to be to account for the voltage drop. At some point the wires just won't fit in the connectors common for residential service. The 100 foot cords I saw were running between 400 and 600 bucks.
Mine is a 10 gauge 25 footer that I bought on sale at Harbor Freight for $50.
I'd bet a 100 foot cord for this service would weigh in close to 100 pounds.
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NGD!!!!
Apr 5, 2023 21:34:30 GMT -5
Post by modbus on Apr 5, 2023 21:34:30 GMT -5
Not to wish an extended power outage on you , but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last. The manual says a 20lb tank should last up to 7 hours. I started with a full tank (37lbs) and have run the machine a little over five hours. The tank now weighs about 26 pounds so the figure in the manual seems conservative. We have three 150 gallon tanks for the propane furnace. Our propane company monitors the level remotely and automatically sends a delivery truck well before we're empty. I'll look into having a line from the tanks extended to the front of the house to run the generator but I'm not really committed to the idea. The plan is to always keep a full 20 pound tank of propane on hand along with whatever is in the tank attached to the Weber -- which I already do. If a big storm seems imminent I'll fill up the two five gallon containers I have with gasoline to use when the LP runs out. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of storing gasoline in the generator. Well, my power has been out for 5 hours, and it probably will stay out for quite a while longer. Thank goodness for generators, eh? |
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Post by modbus on Apr 6, 2023 6:36:42 GMT -5
Back on, it was out a few minutes shy of 14 hours.
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, but I'm pretty curious how long a 20 lb bottle of propane will last.
