Power outage with a 3 month old

[leoskee]

How big of a unit would I need to run the boiler/ac in my house (depending on the season)? And I guess a fridge, some lights and the basics of a tank. Ive only looked at the larger units that will do all of that and more.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Nick Tim, I'm just trying to be safe. That's all.

 

[nyfireman3097]

lol no doubt bren

 

[cb747]

the 5500 would be sufficient IMO. If you have a Kill A watt meter youll know how much each appliance draws for future reference. Just conservatively use the electric and youll be fine.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

For those who need to run a backup but don't have the need for a generator:


http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/13562-last-nights-blackout.html

 

[cb747]

Linky doesnt work!

 

[leoskee]

Same here, link doesnt work.

I know that gasoline breaks down over time. So how do you store your gas for a generator? I know my wife's uncle has a huge barrel full of gas but I dont know if he keeps the gas for a while or if he replaces it every so often.

 

[caad3]

Leo,

5500 should be enough to run fridges, boiler and small ac unit. What's important is the jump start of appliances and the spike of energy needed to get them going. So if you have everything running, and try to start a large ac unit, the generator may not have enough juice to get it over the hump. There is a website that helps calculate the kw needed for a portable generator. If you have an central ac, don't even think about trying to run with a portable.

I will try and find the webaddress I used to calculate my energy load needed.

James

 

[leoskee]

I guess I cant be greedy. lol. I have central air so running that is out of the question right!? I guess I should invest in a few fans so that in the event of a power outage during the summer I have something to keep us cooled down a bit.

But running a boiler should not be a problem? I guess the next question is how to hook the boiler up to run with the generator.

 

[Tim]

There is a remote box that has it`s own breakers and you can put whatever you want into it ( light`s tank, fridg etc.) This box plug`s into your generator and I think it even has a reading to tell you how much you are drawing. The generator I have will kick off if you are pulling to much ( it`s own safety). I think a 5500 will do enough to keep you happy......

 

[leoskee]

Im still not clear about the boiler though. How do you plug in a boiler that is hardwired to my electrical panel?

 

[caad3]

Ok, let's go through this slowly. Your boiler is hooked up to your circuit breaker box. You need to buy a portable breaker box, that is specifically designed to handle generators. The electrician will hook the portable box up next to your home circuit breaker and connect the relevant breakers you want to have juice when you use your generator. He/She will also hook up a plug to the outside or your house that connects to the portable circuit breaker. Here is how it works. When you lose power, you hook up your portable generator to the plug, through a cord that is usually included. You then go to your portable breaker, and flick the switches from Line to Gen and it will automatically draw power from your generator. The beuty of this set up is you are given multiple switches, and you don't have to provide power to all of them, just the ones you want. For instance, I have a dedicated switch for boiler, then for refrig and microwave, then one for my basement that has my tanks.

I hope that answers your questions. Running the boiler shouldn't need alot of energy.

 

[Tim]

Thank`s Cadd3 I was just going to go through all of that....

 

[leoskee]

Okay. I understand how it works now. I wasnt getting the part of a separate breaker box. That is why I couldnt visualize it. But now I understand the whole set up.

I will definitely be looking into getting one set up. Even though my neighbor said the power outage was the first in many years you never know what will happen. Better safe than sorry.

 

[cb747]

I dont use a seperate breaker box. I use my 220 line in the garage to reverse feed the breaker box. Thats why its imperitive that i shut off the main breaker. This way i dont try to feed my whole block. Once your breaker box is "energized" it works the same way. If you dont have a 220V electrical socket in your house then it wont work for you. I like things simple and this works very well for my needs.

 

[leoskee]

My garage is detached without any power. I do have a double outlet on the side of my house. Could that be used?

 

[cb747]

Double outlet meaning 2 110 outlets?

 

[Tim]

I am almost positive that you need a 220....