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Standby Generators

Hawghauler

Hawghauler

Cruisin' Guzzisti
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
133
Location
Florida/Dubai
While nothing to do with Italian Motorcycles, every Guzzi enthusiast is generally OCD about all things mechanical and electrical so here goes. I am OCD about efficient and redundant utilities at my home. I have a 10K solar grid, but I sell 100% of produced power to the electric company and by my juice back. Power storage is too inefficient and costly. I also have solar pool heater and household hot water. My well has an outstanding filtration system and a ROPU so my spigot spew as pure H2O as I can get. Florida weather competes with weak electrical power distribution and the grid loses the contest all the time. Time to add a standby generator system that will power the whole house, but don’t want to break the bank. What I know I want- LP fueled, air cooled (much cheaper than liquid cooled), 20-22KW and as I have two breaker boxes I’ll probably need a 400 amp switching unit. 500 gallon buried propane tank. I have noticed that Kohler and Generac are both sold and serviced locally and both have reasonable reputations. I know lower rpm liquid cooled engines are far superior, but the air cooled engine with good maintenance should last the rest of my life. My average draw would probably be between 5-10Kkw, but you need the extra oomph for motor start up draw and surges. The difference between a 14Kw and 20Kw in price is peanuts so pinching pennies there is probably not wise. Thoughts? Do any of you have experience and opinions on either brands?
 
Some years back, a friend's generator , on his boat, messed up, so I took my 2200 v generator over, for him to try.
It wouldn't start the fridge, So my mate, got on the phone to some clever dick, that he knew.
A fridge might be rated at 1850 , but, to actually start the fridge, you need a surge output, from something like a 5000 v unit, then , once its running , the demand drops to the nominal 1850. So a 2200 v unit isn't big enough to start an 1850 fridge.
You will have to exterpolate the math, so whichever generator you buy, is over capacity, and therefore can start whatever you need, before dropping down to nominal running .

Take Care Out There
 
If you already have solar, I would think it smarter to put in a small power storage system (batteries) to allow your solar rig to run even if you lose the grid. Ideally you would have enough storage capacity to see you through the night, but even less than that would allow the solar panels to power your house during the day when the grid goes down. If you need more beyond that, a small generator should cover the rest. With solar during the day plus batteries it would take a pretty small generator to fill in the rest.
I can't imagine putting in solar without the ability to run when the grid is down. My brother did that and it bit him in the a$$.
 
Motoguzziman, I think you're getting your v's and w's mixed. All induction motors have a high starting current which is why a generator of similar power to the motor requirement won't work.
Yes it does seem to me wasteful to not use your own solar power when the grid goes down.
 
The cost of storage is very expensive and they have a short shelf life whether you use it or not. As I sell 100% of the power I produce, the system is maximized. I can install a back up generator that will last for decades and not have to worry about power consumption. The goal is uninterrupted power and the ability to run the home without the grid. It would take a mighty big battery to pull the load of the AC or pool pump. Perhaps if battery technology changes, storage will become viable.
 
I am not looking at it the same way you are. The battery storage really only has to be capable of running things at a reduced level (much the same as the generator usually is). Ideally it would also be capable of getting you through the night, when you are using less power. But once you have that power storage you then have the ability to run directly off your solar panels, which should be able to supply power for your entire house and then some.
The generator may seem better, but when it doesn't work or runs out of fuel it may not seem so great.
 
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