generators??

[Droopy Dog]

No one uses a generator with good success--they are noisy, draw attention to your place, and are VERY expensive to operate. You would need a generator with a peak output of about 5000W to run 3000W adequately. There is no way that you can run a generator of this size for $100 a month--I would also anticipate about $500 a month in gasoline costs. I don't know where you live, but a generator running when there is electrical power available will create a lot of suspicion.

There is really no valid reason to want to be "off the grid" if you are only running 3000W. Simply put, the power company does not care how much power you use (within reason of course) as long as you pay your bill on time and do not steal power.

:yeahthat:

Being from SoFla, I've had more than a little experience with gen sets and everything HG says is very close to the mark, especially the cost and more importantly drawing attention to yourself.:holysheep:

Plus, for what you are talking about you are getting into diesel powered units or, at the least propane or natural gas. Mucho $$$$$$ all.

Perhaps you might want to check out LED lights? Still mucho $$$$, but much lower profile.

DD

 

[primitive]

Wow, I'm glad I found this thread.

Does anyone here have any first hand experience running a 3K-5K diesel generator that can give some details on noise, smell, etc.?

I'm spending my first winter in the mountains and just had my second lengthy power outage due to a storm. My plants are fine, but they missed lots of awake time and fresh air.

So I need something to at least power my fans, some pumps, and just a couple of lights to keep the light cycle going, say realistically 3500w maximum. Hempgoddess I saw you mention needing to buy one with a higher rating than you're actually planning to use. Would a 5K be enough you think?

Also, does anyone know what accounts for the difference in prices of generators that produce similar wattage. Like the two Growdude posted, all the ones I've looked up have ranged from $700 - $6,000 for a 5K diesel. What accounts for this kind of price range?

As for what I need, gas consumption doesn't matter much since it won't ever be on very long. Noise just needs to be reasonable; I heard a few go on nearby when the power went out so it shouldn't raise suspicion. The only thing that really matters to me is smell. It will be vented properly and all but I just really hate that smell.

Any and all ideas welcome

 

[DonJones]

Primative,

Like most things,the price on generators is an indication of the quality, durability and reliability. Another factor is whether it is electric start, if so remote start and wired into the house for backup power. The switching devices for standby power will cost you in the neighborhood of $1,000 or more without the generator.

Diesels will be quite a bit more expensive than gasoline and the less expensive ones will be noisier.

I have a 4500 GENTEC-- now Briggs and Stratton, that I have ran my refrigerator, freezer, furnace fan & controls(its a gas furnace), the electric igniters for the gas range, three TVs and lamps in four or five rooms all at the same time on less than 1 gallon/4 hours -- probably closer to 1 gallon/5 to 6 hours.

I now have a jumper cord where I can sit the genset either just outside my detached shop or even in it, plug the double male ended cord into both the 20 watt plug in in the shop and to the genset and back feed my entire house without doing anything except throwing the main breaker to prevent phase conflict when the main power comes back on.

Instead of worrying about venting, run a 220/240 volt cord in through the wall or a window with a portable distribution box splitting it out into 120v circuits in side, preferably inside your grow area. That way you can simply stat your genset outside, run the cord and then plug everything together. Try to leave one or 2spots open to run the vital functions for your house, like refrigerator and freezers. You will NOT be able to run an electric range without getting a very pricey, non-portable hardwired high wattage genset, probably diesel powers.

Good smokig. If you need anything more just ask.

 

[OldHippieChick]

Interesting tier system. We have the opposite tier here... First 600kw is at 13cents kwh and after that it drops to 10.5 cents kwh. I go just over 600 in spring and fall and almost double in heat of summer and dead of winter on my own, so in reality my grow power useage is discounted because it's over and beyond normal use. Crazy.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I have a 6500W gasoline generator set up in a small outbuilding just a few yards from the house. Nothing fancy. It has a pull cord (I keep an oil heater in the crankcase all winter and keep starting fluid on hand). I also do not have any of the fancy switching stuff. When I changed out my electric range for a propane one, I moved the wiring from the stove location and ran it to the shed. This serves 2 purposes. Besides having a 50 amp circuit in my shop, I can backfeed the house through this circuit (your main MUST be shut off).

I have had 2 instances this winter where the power was out for long enough to crank up the generator.

 

[nouvellechef]

Interesting thread. I have a friend that built a new house on 10acres. He poured a slab with drain, think 10x10. He has a Generac or something like that thatd run off Natural Gas from a very large tank that's filled monthly. House is on electric. He kept them seperate for only that purpose. The generator is in a shed that has a baffle on the exhaust in the roof. It is very quiet, 10 yards from shed and 40 from house. It runs pretty much 24/7, I've never asked what the natural costs. But if it was ridic, he would pull the plug for sure as he is a prominent business leader in out community. If I had the cash for that, I would follow him.

 

[primitive]

Primative,

Like most things,the price on generators is an indication of the quality, durability and reliability. Another factor is whether it is electric start, if so remote start and wired into the house for backup power. The switching devices for standby power will cost you in the neighborhood of $1,000 or more without the generator.

Diesels will be quite a bit more expensive than gasoline and the less expensive ones will be noisier.

I have a 4500 GENTEC-- now Briggs and Stratton, that I have ran my refrigerator, freezer, furnace fan & controls(its a gas furnace), the electric igniters for the gas range, three TVs and lamps in four or five rooms all at the same time on less than 1 gallon/4 hours -- probably closer to 1 gallon/5 to 6 hours.

I now have a jumper cord where I can sit the genset either just outside my detached shop or even in it, plug the double male ended cord into both the 20 watt plug in in the shop and to the genset and back feed my entire house without doing anything except throwing the main breaker to prevent phase conflict when the main power comes back on.

Instead of worrying about venting, run a 220/240 volt cord in through the wall or a window with a portable distribution box splitting it out into 120v circuits in side, preferably inside your grow area. That way you can simply stat your genset outside, run the cord and then plug everything together. Try to leave one or 2spots open to run the vital functions for your house, like refrigerator and freezers. You will NOT be able to run an electric range without getting a very pricey, non-portable hardwired high wattage genset, probably diesel powers.

Good smokig. If you need anything more just ask.

The Briggs and Stratton looks good. I also found a 10K generator that's going for $900, can I get you to take a look and see if there's any reason to stay away from this one. AT 10K and a mere 72db of noise it seems too good to be true.

hxxp://www.generatordepot.us/gentron-pro2-10000watt-generator-electric-start.aspx

P.S: to all the non Californians, yes, our tiered system from PG&E is indeed truly f***ed. I don't have a bill nearby to give all the exact numbers, but prices begin at .11 cents, then go up, up, up, until eventually I'm paying .44 cents. I have a friggin legal size grow room with no Co2 equipment and am paying around $1200 a month for power. And almost all of that is from the garden, because most of the energy sucking appliances in my house are on propane.

For any Californians interested, the guys at my hydro shop have been trying to convice me to sign up for a program called PG&E CARE. Basically, if you claim less than $30k annual income you can join CARE and the tiered system either goes away or is drastically reduced. Apparently a lot of growers around here do it, but I'm really sketchy about it. Like, namely, someone asking me how a customer using as much power as I do can afford it if I'm supposedly not making much money. Is anyone here on CARE?

 

[primitive]

I have a 6500W gasoline generator set up in a small outbuilding just a few yards from the house. Nothing fancy. It has a pull cord (I keep an oil heater in the crankcase all winter and keep starting fluid on hand). I also do not have any of the fancy switching stuff. When I changed out my electric range for a propane one, I moved the wiring from the stove location and ran it to the shed. This serves 2 purposes. Besides having a 50 amp circuit in my shop, I can backfeed the house through this circuit (your main MUST be shut off).

I have had 2 instances this winter where the power was out for long enough to crank up the generator.

Can you give me the make/model?

 

[leafminer]

I once helped build a mobile radio station that had a 44 KVA generator set, truck mounted. Standing next to the truck there was a low hum, that's all you could hear. We silenced it really well.

Most efficient = diesel.
Most quiet = slow speed Lister.
A single Lister running at about 150 RPM will power a 3KVA generator head.
It can run off biodiesel.
They last *for ever*.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Interesting thread. I have a friend that built a new house on 10acres. He poured a slab with drain, think 10x10. He has a Generac or something like that thatd run off Natural Gas from a very large tank that's filled monthly. House is on electric. He kept them seperate for only that purpose. The generator is in a shed that has a baffle on the exhaust in the roof. It is very quiet, 10 yards from shed and 40 from house. It runs pretty much 24/7, I've never asked what the natural costs. But if it was ridic, he would pull the plug for sure as he is a prominent business leader in out community. If I had the cash for that, I would follow him.

If this generator is powered by a tank that is refilled, it is not natural gas--it is either propane, diesel, or gasoline. My generator is only 12' from my house (in a shed) and I cannot hear it when it is running.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Can you give me the make/model?

I have a Generac. I don't know the model number, but it puts out 6250 peak watts. It is probably about 5 or 6 years old. I don't have to use it much, but when I do, it's invaluable. When I run the generator, I shut down the breaker to my electric water heater. The generator will power everything else in my home without any problem. We are talking approx 1500W of light, 300W-500W of growing "accessories", fans, air pumps, water pumps, etc. Plus my normal household usage, lights, television, computer, microwave, coffee maker...