Generators (1 Viewer)

[ChiefD]

Howdy folks!

As I'm now in the northwoods of Wisconsin, I have purchased a generator to prepare for winter and possible power outages. I bought an 8000 Running and 10000 Starting Watt portable generator. My electrician will be setting up my panel so I can plug directly into it. This is already sorted out so don't need help on that.

What I need help on is how quickly these things consume gasoline. This one has a 7.9 gallon tank. My plan is not to put any gas in it until I need to. Right now my plan is to have ten gallons of gas on standby at all times during the winter.

This gas I will also use for the John Deere for snow removal, but I always keep that full with 5 gallons of gas.

How much do I really need to have on standby?

 

[Gally]

The fuel consumption is going to be tied to the amount of power it needs to provide. How big of a draw is your house? Once you know that you should be able to calculate the consumption based on the specs of the generator. It should have a general "mileage" listing in the manual similar to what you have for your car (mpg kind of thing).

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

I have a 10 hp 5550/8550 and with everything in the house running off of it except the washer/dryer, it’ll run for 8-10 hours without a fill up

Sounds like your plan will work. Make sure to treat your gas if it sits for a while. Also it’s really important to do oil changes after long term uses. If yours requires it.

 

[ChiefD]

The fuel consumption is going to be tied to the amount of power it needs to provide. How big of a draw is your house? Once you know that you should be able to calculate the consumption based on the specs of the generator. It should have a general "mileage" listing in the manual similar to what you have for your car (mpg kind of thing).

OK, I will check on that.

I don't plan on running much - fridge, furnace, a tv if a game is on, internet, a few lights...... so not much.

 

[Gally]

I don't plan on running much - fridge, furnace, a tv if a game is on, internet, a few lights...... so not much.

That will extend the "mpg" for sure.

 

[Gally]

The fuel consumption is going to be tied to the amount of power it needs to provide. How big of a draw is your house? Once you know that you should be able to calculate the consumption based on the specs of the generator. It should have a general "mileage" listing in the manual similar to what you have for your car (mpg kind of thing).

OK, I will check on that.

I don't plan on running much - fridge, furnace, a tv if a game is on, internet, a few lights...... so not much.

Here is a table with an approximate consumption rate

Generator Fuel Consumption Rates

 

[beer 30]

The fuel consumption is going to be tied to the amount of power it needs to provide. How big of a draw is your house? Once you know that you should be able to calculate the consumption based on the specs of the generator. It should have a general "mileage" listing in the manual similar to what you have for your car (mpg kind of thing).

This, all depends on the load you place on it. Manual should give you some idea on consumption or look up reviews online and they will. With what you are planning to run, you should be able to get some serious hours off a tank.

 

[odin33]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

 

[steelerfan1]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

just did this last week as well. Very cool indeed. sorry to clog your thread ChiefD. No help on your question.

 

[Gally]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

You can also have it installed so it automatically starts if the commercial power goes out so you don't even have to go outside to start it up.

 

[beer 30]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

Yea, just need an electrician to wire the hookup, basically allows you to plug your house into the generator. Just have to be very mindful of how much of a starting load and running load you put on the genset.

 

[odin33]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

You can also have it installed so it automatically starts if the commercial power goes out so you don't even have to go outside to start it up.

Make that two things!

Assuming you go down this route, does it automatically shut off when power is restored? We get a lot of storms that knock out the power for a relatively short period but can toggle between on/off.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

You can also have it installed so it automatically starts if the commercial power goes out so you don't even have to go outside to start it up.

Make that two things!

Assuming you go down this route, does it automatically shut off when power is restored? We get a lot of storms that knock out the power for a relatively short period but can toggle between on/off.

Not even noticing when the power goes out for a few minutes is one of life's simple pleasures.

 

[Gally]

Assuming you go down this route, does it automatically shut off when power is restored? We get a lot of storms that knock out the power for a relatively short period but can toggle between on/off.

Yes, and you can put a delay on it so that if you are getting a lot of bouncing back in forth in a short period of time it won't keep clicking on and off (which is bad for it). So you can add a timer in the logic for it to only kick on if the power is out for X minutes and/or only kick off if the power is steady for X minutes.

 

[SWC]

as i think we have discussed my parents were retired up north for a while and pretty were pretty remote so they had a pretty big generator that sat in the garage and plugged into the panel so when they needed to run it they would just open the garage hit the button and aways they went the big thing i would say we learned is have some type of heating source you can run when the power is out because no power and no heat leads to broken pipes and bigger issues we always kept four five gallon gas cans around so twenty gallons that we would rotate through with the lawn mower and snowblower just to rotate the gas out even though i have personally never had an issue with gas going bad and that goes back 50 years i guess my big thing is that it is better to have extra gas and not need it than not have it and need it and we figured that twenty gallons would get us to the point we could cut up any downed trees and get a truck out and go get more gas if needed take that to the bank bromigos

 

[ChiefD]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

Yeah. The way he is going to do this is put a 30A breaker in my panel that is run to a 30A round socket outside. When I need to run the generator I will turn off the 200A feed coming into the house. Start the generator and then plug it in. The generator then feeds the entire panel. So I can run anything in my house that is plugged in.

Once the power is restored (I'll be able to tell by looking at the neighbors house across the street), I will turn off the generator and then flip the 200A breaker for the regular feed.

 

[SWC]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

 

[ChiefD]

My generator will be stored in the main garage about 10' away. So it will take me literally about 5 minutes to wheel it out the side door, start it and plug it in.

 

[ChiefD]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

yeah we priced those out but hoo boy those are expensive and since i blew my wad on moving and the john deere and my sons transmission and not to mention a surgery for my son and a hospital stay for that same kid and my 16 year old slipping off the boat trailer and scraping his shin to the tune of 14 stiches the 'ol chiefd-er is all tapped out at the local bank so the portable generator it is and you can roll that to the snow bank wattchachas.....

 

[Gally]

Yeah. The way he is going to do this is put a 30A breaker in my panel that is run to a 30A round socket outside. When I need to run the generator I will turn off the 200A feed coming into the house. Start the generator and then plug it in. The generator then feeds the entire panel. So I can run anything in my house that is plugged in.

Once the power is restored (I'll be able to tell by looking at the neighbors house across the street), I will turn off the generator and then flip the 200A breaker for the regular feed.

This sequencing is very important otherwise things will go boom. I would also recommended that in addition to turning off the generator before throwing the 200A breaker that you also unplug it from the receptable. Can't be too careful. Also train everyone in the house that could even think about starting up the generator on this procedure because it will be a very bad day for everyone if this sequencing is done in the wrong order.

I might even have a cheat sheet laminated and taped up next to the generator and receptacle warning to not plug in until the 200A breaker is confirmed to be opened. Safety first. Take that to the bank bromigo

 

[Uruk-Hai]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas

I have one that runs on propane. I have 2 100 gallon propane tanks.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

yeah we priced those out but hoo boy those are expensive and since i blew my wad on moving and the john deere and my sons transmission and not to mention a surgery for my son and a hospital stay for that same kid and my 16 year old slipping off the boat trailer and scraping his shin to the tune of 14 stiches the 'ol chiefd-er is all tapped out at the local bank so the portable generator it is and you can roll that to the snow bank wattchachas.....

What kind of prices were you getting quoted on the Generac? I got mine about a dozen years ago and I want to say it was around $9k. I know they've gotten more popular, so I expect the price has increased accordingly.

 

[odin33]

Did some google searching and found a bracket of sorts that goes in your electric panel that forces you to shut off one, before turning on the other, same process in reverse when power is back on.

Device is shown at the 30 second mark

 

[steelerfan1]

Did some google searching and found a bracket of sorts that goes in your electric panel that forces you to shut off one, before turning on the other, same process in reverse when power is back on.

Device is shown at the 30 second mark

this is what our guy put on ours. he also said to kill all the breakers as well as the main and turn each breaker on from there. also advised to pull your garage door opener handle down just in case you accidentally hit your opener out of habit. I guess there is a big surge from that.

 

[steelerfan1]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

yeah we priced those out but hoo boy those are expensive and since i blew my wad on moving and the john deere and my sons transmission and not to mention a surgery for my son and a hospital stay for that same kid and my 16 year old slipping off the boat trailer and scraping his shin to the tune of 14 stiches the 'ol chiefd-er is all tapped out at the local bank so the portable generator it is and you can roll that to the snow bank wattchachas.....

What kind of prices were you getting quoted on the Generac? I got mine about a dozen years ago and I want to say it was around $9k. I know they've gotten more popular, so I expect the price has increased accordingly.

we got a quote of 16k. i can't remember specifics on size though. way too high for what we wanted.

 

[jwb]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas

I have one that runs on propane. I have 2 100 gallon propane tanks.

I have a portable one that runs on propane too. I had my propane company install a larger propane tank even though all I use it for is our gas fireplace (which we don't use often) and also install another valve so I can hook my generator up to it. That should hold me for a few days of basic power if necessary. I also have 2 20 lb tanks always around for griddler / brewing.

For a portable, to me, propane is the best option since propane lasts waaay longer than gas.

 

[jwb]

Did some google searching and found a bracket of sorts that goes in your electric panel that forces you to shut off one, before turning on the other, same process in reverse when power is back on.

Device is shown at the 30 second mark

They did this when they wired my panel for the generator (its code here). I have to move the sliding panel to plug my generator in, and I'm forced to "turn off" the power from the line to move the panel in the first place. Good failsafe.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

Yeah. The way he is going to do this is put a 30A breaker in my panel that is run to a 30A round socket outside. When I need to run the generator I will turn off the 200A feed coming into the house. Start the generator and then plug it in. The generator then feeds the entire panel. So I can run anything in my house that is plugged in.

Once the power is restored (I'll be able to tell by looking at the neighbors house across the street), I will turn off the generator and then flip the 200A breaker for the regular feed.

Please install a simple Interlock that forces the main breaker off when the generator input breaker is on. You don't want to accidentally backfeed the grid.

 

[Ron Swanson]

If you haven't already purchased a generator I'd recommend looking at a portable that is dual fuel (gasoline/propane) or tri-fuel (gasoline/propane/natural gas). They aren't significantly more expensive than gasoline only and they provide more flexibility in an emergency. And many generator problems stem from the gasoline if it isn't run totally out or drained after each use. Stabil is only good for a year or so.

Also, be sure you know how to "flash" it. Generators that sit for extended periods of time with no use may run but not produce power when needed. Even brushless.

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[ChiefD]

Yeah. The way he is going to do this is put a 30A breaker in my panel that is run to a 30A round socket outside. When I need to run the generator I will turn off the 200A feed coming into the house. Start the generator and then plug it in. The generator then feeds the entire panel. So I can run anything in my house that is plugged in.

Once the power is restored (I'll be able to tell by looking at the neighbors house across the street), I will turn off the generator and then flip the 200A breaker for the regular feed.

This sequencing is very important otherwise things will go boom. I would also recommended that in addition to turning off the generator before throwing the 200A breaker that you also unplug it from the receptable. Can't be too careful. Also train everyone in the house that could even think about starting up the generator on this procedure because it will be a very bad day for everyone if this sequencing is done in the wrong order.

I might even have a cheat sheet laminated and taped up next to the generator and receptacle warning to not plug in until the 200A breaker is confirmed to be opened. Safety first. Take that to the bank bromigo

Yeah for sure. Thank you sir!

 

[ChiefD]

this is what our guy put on ours. he also said to kill all the breakers as well as the main and turn each breaker on from there. also advised to pull your garage door opener handle down just in case you accidentally hit your opener out of habit. I guess there is a big surge from that.

I'll have to ask the electrician about this.

If we ever lose power in the winter it will be because we get a crap ton of snow. I'm not leaving the vehicles outside to get buried because they are then in the way to try and use the tractor to remove snow.

Thanks for that note.

 

[beer 30]

Generators that sit for extended periods of time with no use may run but not produce power when needed. Even brushless.

I have a couple small gensets, I try to run them every month for a little while and put a load on them. Usually hook up my electric weed whacker and do the lawn off them. Takes about a half hour, they get a little work and I make sure everything is hunky dory on the off chance I ever lose power (17 years running and never have).

 

[Gally]

Generators that sit for extended periods of time with no use may run but not produce power when needed. Even brushless.

I have a couple small gensets, I try to run them every month for a little while and put a load on them. Usually hook up my electric weed whacker and do the lawn off them. Takes about a half hour, they get a little work and I make sure everything is hunky dory on the off chance I ever lose power (17 years running and never have).

This is great advice. Just like most mechanical devices they are meant to be used. Sitting for long stretches is usually a bad thing. I have a lot of backup generators at work and we have monthly runs for an hour just to make sure everything is in good working order for when they are actually needed. It's a great way to keep things working.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Generators that sit for extended periods of time with no use may run but not produce power when needed. Even brushless.

I have a couple small gensets, I try to run them every month for a little while and put a load on them. Usually hook up my electric weed whacker and do the lawn off them. Takes about a half hour, they get a little work and I make sure everything is hunky dory on the off chance I ever lose power (17 years running and never have).

You are for sure the outlier on that in my experience. Great work! Most people buy them, use them, store them, and then wonder why they don't work in an emergency. Oil changes and gas draining doesn't happen let alone regular exercise...

 

[beer 30]

Generators that sit for extended periods of time with no use may run but not produce power when needed. Even brushless.

I have a couple small gensets, I try to run them every month for a little while and put a load on them. Usually hook up my electric weed whacker and do the lawn off them. Takes about a half hour, they get a little work and I make sure everything is hunky dory on the off chance I ever lose power (17 years running and never have).

You are for sure the outlier on that in my experience. Great work! Most people buy them, use them, store them, and then wonder why they don't work in an emergency. Oil changes and gas draining doesn't happen let alone regular exercise...

I work for a major rental company so I know better, as you say, most don't. When Helene blew through here (SC/NC), couple days before, my neighbor fired up his generator. He bought it a few years ago for a hurricane but has never used it to my knowledge. Fired up and ran so he got lucky but he stores it outside in a wood box, surprised the hell out of me.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Good reminder to fire up the dual fuel portable one I've had for a few years. Hadn't thought about actually putting a load on it, typically I just start it a couple of times a year and let it run for a bit, but I'll do so next time.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Did some google searching and found a bracket of sorts that goes in your electric panel that forces you to shut off one, before turning on the other, same process in reverse when power is back on.

Device is shown at the 30 second mark

Exactly the setup I have. Interlock Transfer switch. Really really simple to switch thing over.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

this is what our guy put on ours. he also said to kill all the breakers as well as the main and turn each breaker on from there. also advised to pull your garage door opener handle down just in case you accidentally hit your opener out of habit. I guess there is a big surge from that.

I'll have to ask the electrician about this.

If we ever lose power in the winter it will be because we get a crap ton of snow. I'm not leaving the vehicles outside to get buried because they are then in the way to try and use the tractor to remove snow.

Thanks for that note.

That interlock transfer switch is the way to go.

 

[Gally]

Hadn't thought about actually putting a load on it, typically I just start it a couple of times a year and let it run for a bit, but I'll do so next time.

Running it with no load is better than nothing but you really need to have it loaded. You can eventually run into other problems running it with no load. Again, these things are meant to be used and that means loaded.

If you are using it for your house then it's a good idea to actually run it for the house even if you have commercial grid power. Just go through the steps you would do without having any power (turning off breakers etc prior to starting your generator) and then go ahead and load it with your house loads for an hour or so. Turn on lights etc to load it and make it work some. It's good for it.

 

[Joe Bryant]

If you haven't already purchased a generator I'd recommend looking at a portable that is dual fuel (gasoline/propane) or tri-fuel (gasoline/propane/natural gas). They aren't significantly more expensive than gasoline only and they provide more flexibility in an emergency. And many generator problems stem from the gasoline if it isn't run totally out or drained after each use. Stabil is only good for a year or so.

Also, be sure you know how to "flash" it. Generators that sit for extended periods of time with no use may run but not produce power when needed. Even brushless.

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Thank you.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Hadn't thought about actually putting a load on it, typically I just start it a couple of times a year and let it run for a bit, but I'll do so next time.

Running it with no load is better than nothing but you really need to have it loaded. You can eventually run into other problems running it with no load. Again, these things are meant to be used and that means loaded.

If you are using it for your house then it's a good idea to actually run it for the house even if you have commercial grid power. Just go through the steps you would do without having any power (turning off breakers etc prior to starting your generator) and then go ahead and load it with your house loads for an hour or so. Turn on lights etc to load it and make it work some. It's good for it.

Thanks! Mine isn't wired to the house. Bought it after a 7 day outage a few years ago when we lived in CA, as we lost two freezers full of food. Figured I can run one fridge, wifi, and a few lights if we were out for awhile. In the West, we're more likely to lose power due to fires than winter weather, so it's typically warm.

 

[nirad3]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

I see Generac commercials on ESPN2 quite a bit. Seeing that I plan on moving to central Texas at some point in the next decade-ish, this concept intrigued me. But as someone noted downthread, they're $16k??? I think I'd probably opt for something cheaper unless that price point lowers in the next 10-12 years.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

I see Generac commercials on ESPN2 quite a bit. Seeing that I plan on moving to central Texas at some point in the next decade-ish, this concept intrigued me. But as someone noted downthread, they're $16k??? I think I'd probably opt for something cheaper unless that price point lowers in the next 10-12 years.

I think Texas' recent weather issues are a main reason prices jumped so much. First, Hurricane Harvey then that ice storm from hell few years ago.

I got mine because I was out of town when there was a bad storm that knocked power out for a couple of days. I had a freezer full of stuff I had to throw out when I returned. I can be kind of hardheaded - just ask my ex-wives - and I said "that ain't happening again". Mine will never pay for itself in $$ (I hope), but I don't mind the piece of mind.

 

[SayChowda]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

We have the whole house Generac with the gas line going directly into it. It's wonderful. It certainly required a big trip to the bank, but it's an investment as we lose power quite a bit and don't plan on moving for a long time.

 

[Willy]

Wait so you can have a portable generator wired to supply your house electric panel?

Learned something new today, and makes purchasing one move up on the list.

Yeah. The way he is going to do this is put a 30A breaker in my panel that is run to a 30A round socket outside. When I need to run the generator I will turn off the 200A feed coming into the house. Start the generator and then plug it in. The generator then feeds the entire panel. So I can run anything in my house that is plugged in.

Once the power is restored (I'll be able to tell by looking at the neighbors house across the street), I will turn off the generator and then flip the 200A breaker for the regular feed.

Also, you can get a device that alarms when the power is back to the grid. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/briidea-Return-Utility-Generator-Indicator/dp/B09DCWNBHW?th=1

 

[-fish-]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

I see Generac commercials on ESPN2 quite a bit. Seeing that I plan on moving to central Texas at some point in the next decade-ish, this concept intrigued me. But as someone noted downthread, they're $16k??? I think I'd probably opt for something cheaper unless that price point lowers in the next 10-12 years.

They've been in that range for years. I think you can still buy them and get them installed at costco.

We lose power here a lot because of trees falling on power lines during windstorms. I considered a whole-house generac setup but just couldn't justify the cost. I have a dual-fuel generator in a vinyl shed outside my garage, with an exterior plug that runs to a transfer switch wired to the panel in the garage. My house runs on electric only (I'm not even plumbed for gas), so it needs to run the furnace, water heater, refrigerator, wifi and any lights/TVs. If I need to use the generator, I just throw the switch, open the shed and turn on the generator. It's not automatic, but it's pretty easy. With installation the whole setup cost me about $1200.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I have similar size and setup as op, i probably get 8-12 hours run on a full tank depending on usage

I’ve even ran my AC with it, only thing I can’t run is the electric stove that’s 220

Good reminder I should probably fire mine up, didn’t know I need to load it maybe I will just plug in my garage fridge to it or something

 

[Rustoleum]

I’ve been reading up on the Generator Z series, but they aren’t portable. They only work at home.

 

[beer 30]

I see Generac commercials on ESPN2 quite a bit. Seeing that I plan on moving to central Texas at some point in the next decade-ish, this concept intrigued me. But as someone noted downthread, they're $16k??? I think I'd probably opt for something cheaper unless that price point lowers in the next 10-12 years.

I work with Generac a bunch in my line of work, we hate them and their products are usually second tier at best. There approach to business is to buy successful companies that fit their equipment profile and then typically **** them up. That said, the whole home generator arm is an exception. Mother Generac tends to be hands off and just slaps a sticker on the unit which is good for all of you considering an install. As for price, I doubt the price ever comes down and while it's been pretty consistent over the years, with more unpredictable weather on the horizon, I expect the cost to rise significantly in the coming years. If you are moving into an area with suspect power (say TX) I'd absolutely plan on installing one if you can swing it.

You can do it significantly more cheaply but piece of mind counts for something and if you're not into doing legwork, the Generac option is pretty turnkey.

 

[Fat Nick]

the ideal situation is a whole house from generac that runs on natural gas those babys are sweet and some of the folks around me that depend on sump pumps during rain have them because the generac comes on when the power goes out and the sump keeps on sumping and they are made in wisconsin so you cant beat that take that to the bank brohans

We just got one of these installed last fall - largely exactly for the reason you noted. I have a sump pit that has water in it almost all year round. When we first moved in, hurricane Irene knocked our power out and brought a lot of rain...and with no sump, I had a foot of water in our then-unfinished basement. A few weeks after that, I installed a battery back-up sump. That worked OK, but in the event of an extended outage, it would've only run for a little bit. Not enough to instill confidence.

We got a whole-home size (10,000W Champion duel-fuel) one at Costco about a decade ago, and had a manual transfer switch installed. It worked well for a few outages of up to a day or two, but it was a pain to pull it out, fire it up, plug it in, and then transfer the power to it. You then had to monitor the power via neighbors to know when it was back on to power it down.

We finally bit the bullet on the Generac because our power grid is old, and we had a bunch of random outages for no apparent reason last year. Clear, sunny day and it'd go out for a few hours. Not good for 2 people working from home most of the time. We also now spend a good chunk of our summer weekends (or more) at my parent's place on the bay, so we're away from home a lot, meaning nobody is here to switch the power over to generator manually. Lastly, we aren't on city utilities, but we renovated and converted our HVAC from oil to propane, so we can run the generator off that.

The Generac has been good. Really nice unit - in full transparency, since we got it, the power has only been out for about 4 hours one day this spring. Figures it'd get better after we made the investment...but, it's piece of mind I'll still take.

For anyone going the Generac route, a simple tip is buy some APC battery back-up units and plug in your internet modem/router, etc. to it. When the power does go out, it takes the Generac 10 seconds to switch over and power up. Without an APC, it'll cause your internet to reboot, which takes time. The APC means it's a smooth transition and I never lose internet.