As one of the Neanderthals around here, I don't need a generator. However, SWMBO needs a generator.
After limping through a two week outage after a hurricane, with just enough portable to run a refrigerator, a few lights and a few other odds and ends, we got a whole house 15 KW Generac propane unit, a 500 gallon tank and an automatic transfer switch. The gen set runs a weekly self-test at a set time (we get to set the time) so we know it's behaving. It gets an oil and air filter change every six months and burns about two gallons of propane a year on it's self-tests. The local utility has a poor record of outages and long waits for restoration of power, so we also get some use out of the thing. The longest was ten days, 24 hours a day that burned through just over half a tank of propane. The house is all electric, including ac, cooking, heating and water heating - all power hogs. No problems. We've had the unit for six years now and have had one problem that was covered by warranty. That was discovered in a routine inspection and corrected quickly, so it didn't impact our usage during an outage. We have no complaints, all our electronics are fine on gen set power, and with an automatic start, automatic transfer switch and automatic shut down when utility power is restored, we don't even have to think about the thing very much.
All those things are, of course, unimportant to a Neander woodworker, but SWMBO makes me French bread, Italian pasta and other goodies that ruin my diet, so I don't mind indulging her with a nice gen set. (I do have a band saw I use for ripping rough stock and it was nice to have the power for that. And it's a bit easier on my eyes to have the good shop lights working; candle light and oil lamps are not as convenient.)
Sitting here, hunkered down waiting for the arrival of Irma, we're hoping not to have occasion to further validate the benefits of our choice of stand-by power. However, the propane tank is full and the system just tested. After all, that's an essential requirement for stand-by power.
Last edited by James Waldron; 09-10-2017 at 12:51 AM.
Fair winds and following seas,
Jim Waldron