carpediem
.338 Win Mag
I have been trying to figure out some way to keep the lights and heat on in the event of a power outage that may last for a day or more. With an old house and hot water heat, freezing pipes would be a disaster.
Anyone have an off-grid back up power supply?
- Thread starter carpediem
- Start date
I have a 7000 watt generator that will keep my house running should the power go off. I have run it for 19 hours during an extended power outage without any quality of life intruption.
carpediem
.338 Win Mag
Propane fueled?
No, not yet. I have no provided power at my land. Couple of generators to power the few things that I have down there.
Getting a system up to supply all that I need is somewhat soon on the agenda.
I have been doing mass reading on the subject. Pretty easy, but can be very, very involved.
Getting a system up to supply all that I need is somewhat soon on the agenda.
I have been doing mass reading on the subject. Pretty easy, but can be very, very involved.
Gasoline
BDinPutnam
.475 A&M Magnum
Gasoline powered 7500 (I think) Champion genny. I think it was 500 bucks, runs everything that's crucial at the house when needed via a transfer switch, barely sips gas, electric start, and runs like (wait for it) a champ.
Good to run 'em for a bit each month.
Would like to come up with something less dependent on refueling though.
Good to run 'em for a bit each month.
Would like to come up with something less dependent on refueling though.
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
I have a 6500Watt genertaor that comes in handy a few times a year. We constantly get snowed in and trees rip out power lines.
Last year ran it for 70 straight hours. Enough wattage to handle my 220v well pump, oil furnace and electric range, all the lights, TV's vibrators etc.. Never had an overdraw situation.
Never got around to installing a transfer switch...too lazy. So when the power goes out, I trip the main 200amp breaker so I don't electrocute any of the power line guys and plug the generator into my 220v 50AMP outlet that I normally plug my stick welder into. It back feeds to the main breaker panel and supplies AC to all of the house.
I hooked up a simple bell to the street side of the main breaker so that when power is restored the bell goes off and I know to unhook the generator. Call it a human transfer switch.
OK now you OSHA folks can comment but too bad that's the way its staying.
Last year ran it for 70 straight hours. Enough wattage to handle my 220v well pump, oil furnace and electric range, all the lights, TV's vibrators etc.. Never had an overdraw situation.
Never got around to installing a transfer switch...too lazy. So when the power goes out, I trip the main 200amp breaker so I don't electrocute any of the power line guys and plug the generator into my 220v 50AMP outlet that I normally plug my stick welder into. It back feeds to the main breaker panel and supplies AC to all of the house.
I hooked up a simple bell to the street side of the main breaker so that when power is restored the bell goes off and I know to unhook the generator. Call it a human transfer switch.
OK now you OSHA folks can comment but too bad that's the way its staying.
carpediem
.338 Win Mag
I would love to get one of those Generac systems. The problem I have is that we live in a house where electricity was very much an afterthought. I still have a main fuse box with no main cutoff. We were, at one time, going to get a new circuit breaker box installed and the electrician just blew us off and never returned our calls. I don't know how I could ever wire in a generator, or solar, wind or whatever, to a fuse box. Also, there is no way to not send power out through the lines. Need a good, reliable electrician for my first step!
the only real issue with they way you have it set up ( besides forgetting to trip the main breaker) is selling your house. You will have to disconnect it or it would never pass a house inspection. Edit- Sorry I though you had a dedicated breaker for your generator in your box. Those have to be disconnected before selling ones house.
I see some talking about a Generac Generator as a back up. Wouldn't that be considered "On the Grid". I thought this thread was about Off Grid Power Supply's.
What I have been researching is A solar System for my land. If the power goes out for more than a week or so at home, I am leaving!
What I have been researching is A solar System for my land. If the power goes out for more than a week or so at home, I am leaving!
carpediem
.338 Win Mag
Solar is good, but right now it seems as though the problem for both wind and solar is the high price of the batteries. A generator could be off the grid if you didn't wire it in to your main box. I have been looking into wind, as there are a couple small wind generators locally. One is even hooked into more than one home.
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
Well excuse the hell out of me. If power goes out, there is no grid. You have a grid when power comes back. So we all would be in the same boat for a short time!
BDinPutnam
.475 A&M Magnum
Not to mention my understanding on solar is those batteries need maintenance? It's an option I do mean to pursue at some point. More concerned with finding a good manual well pump first, I can do without electricity for the most part if I have to but the closest renewable fresh water source is a brook... at the bottom on a 300' hill... running through other people's property.
Wasn't really a shot at anyone, chillax.
carpediem
.338 Win Mag
Luckily, I have a hundred plus year old hand dug stone lined well with water in it and two rivers within a mile, which is only across one big hayfield/cow pasture. You can get those old school hand pumps from Northern Tool I believe. I don't know how much maintenance the solar batteries require. Why can't a system be set up with those gel Optima car batteries and an inverter and then avoid the high price of the special batteries. You would lose some battery life I believe.
I have a 13 liter diesel generator does that count? It can also move my home around at 60mph.
carpediem
.338 Win Mag
Yup!
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
I was goofing on ya!
dwa12479
.338 Win Mag
I setup a simple Reliance Transfer switch and 4,000 Watt generator 2 years ago. Was quite easy, and it powers just the necessities. Sump pump, furnace, refrigerator, chest freezer, and a few outlets. I ran the power Inlet to the outside of the garage, so it keeps a solid 25 feet between the genny and living space.
ImpeachObama
9mm
1500 watts isn't going to do it. You would spend a small fortune trying to get something just right with the right inverter and batteries. Especially with cloudiness issues in the winter. Better off with a generator solution in the end.
I would build something to secure the generator. Maybe even some kind of blind to keep it out of view Incase people come around searching for stuff to take in a blackout. Good set up though.I setup a simple Reliance Transfer switch and 4,000 Watt generator 2 years ago. Was quite easy, and it powers just the necessities. Sump pump, furnace, refrigerator, chest freezer, and a few outlets. I ran the power Inlet to the outside of the garage, so it keeps a solid 25 feet between the genny and living space.
Deplorable Me
.700 Nitro Express
Several years ago during the WNY surprise October storm we were off grid for a week. Disconnected the main at the breaker and backed 220v 4000 watts thru my garage. It was really the equivalent of two 15 amp breakers. We had a wood burner so heat was never an issue. Everything else we "load shed" and staggered. We'd turn different things on then switch to something else. Keep in mind the refrigerator and sump pump do not run 100%. By end of week we were doing laundry. Like living on Gilligan's Island. We were comfortable. We could leave the refrigerator and sump pump on and leave them unattended to get other things done.
To save fuel we ran the generator four on, four off, six on six off. We'd get the fridge temp down and cover it with a sleeping bag, never lost an ice cube. The sump crock would take 8 hours to fill up, then we'd pump for an hour. The point was to be able to get sleep and turn the generator off. Silent running if you will. Lock the generator up and save ammo and double my fuel capacity.
During the time the generator was off line on the house we put it in the back of the truck and ran house to house pumping out basements.
Two top safety items for any generator. Make sure it's grounded. Make sure you have a battery operated carbon monoxide detector. You can run a 12 gauge wire from the generator to a ground rod or you can clip on to an in ground metallic water pipe. CO sneaks up on you and accumulates.
To save fuel we ran the generator four on, four off, six on six off. We'd get the fridge temp down and cover it with a sleeping bag, never lost an ice cube. The sump crock would take 8 hours to fill up, then we'd pump for an hour. The point was to be able to get sleep and turn the generator off. Silent running if you will. Lock the generator up and save ammo and double my fuel capacity.
During the time the generator was off line on the house we put it in the back of the truck and ran house to house pumping out basements.
Two top safety items for any generator. Make sure it's grounded. Make sure you have a battery operated carbon monoxide detector. You can run a 12 gauge wire from the generator to a ground rod or you can clip on to an in ground metallic water pipe. CO sneaks up on you and accumulates.
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
Good call on the ground wire. When I run mine I pull the jumper cables out of the car and clamp onto the generator frame and the ground rod cable exiting from my foundation wall.
BDinPutnam
.475 A&M Magnum
Was wondering the same in terms if what he'll be running in 1500 watts... not a knock, just an observation that those solar kits don't really provide running power for much, even if you are bare bonesing it.
Mine is 100% off the grid. I can run it indefinitely with no sort of resource coming to the house. I also have small solar and wind setups running two barns, they are just hobby sized but can run lights and such.
Greywolf224
6.5 Creedmoor
An extremely simple description behind a solar system is that you are not using the current being produced at the moment from the solar panels, although you could. Rather you are using the current stored at the battery bank. The battery bank design should be such that it can provide much more than just 1500watts so that your peak current draw times can be met. At other points of the day when you are drawing minimum current, say less than 1500watts as in this case, the current is going back into the batteries as a charge to later be used when needed.
Jmac00
.475 A&M Magnum
my cabin is completely off grid, we run solar power and I have a backup generator~~~that I have not used in 4 years. The only time I use the generator is when I need to run high amp draw equipment for extended periods of time, like circular saws, air compressors ect,ect. I have an EZ-Tankless water heater. it's propane fired and runs off two *D*-cell batteries. The water pump and macerator pump is 12v (runs off the batteries)
There is 771 watts of panels on the roof, charging four 6v golf cart batteries -- the batteries are wired in a series/parallel circuit to put out 12v. Using a Morningstar MPPT 45amp charge controller. The batteries power a 1500 watt inverter that powers the lights. The stove and refrigerator are propane powered. The cabin is heated by a Thermo-Climate 400 wood fired stove (this stove can regulate its own burn rate by use of thermostatic damper on the door)
That looks amazing.
I have a Generac 10000 that i picked up after Sandy.... Used it once for 45 minutes since then.