Connect a small indicator light to your mains input to tell you when the power is back on. Just a little tip, when you stop the generator, shut the fuel off and let it stop by itself when the carb is drained. This stops waxes forming that can clog up the carb jets. Really nice place you have there. Great videos.
The interlock device is genius in it's simplicity. Cheaper than installing a transfer switch and you don't have to choose which circuits you want to run in advance.
Good video Evan and Rebecca, good to see your pup is doing great too. That was a great show of being prepared for a power outage. It all worked well. Thanks for sharing with us.
Nice video, I have a generator that runs the whole house but because I’m getting old I put in a Generac generator that is all hooked up so when the power goes off it comes on in a few seconds,, it runs on Propane, but you can run everything. I put it In because when I’m gone she doesn’t have to do anything. Plus she’ll stop burning wood and sell the pellet stove which is very good, it’s 50,000 BYU’s and keeps the house at 74 degrees. I also have a wood insert like yours and i just like to watch the fire but it’s 82 in here and she isn’t happy. I love your farm and what your doing, I have a Mahindra front loader and backhoe but need to get a grapple. I don’t burn a lot of wood but enjoy watching the fire. My wife wasn’t very happy because I just got 4 cord, cut and split, and then I bought a logging truck logs for $300 it’s about 4 cord which should last me until I’m 83 I’m 80 now. I m. a old Paratrooper with the 101st Airborne that made one two many jumps during the war and the last couple of years they have been rebuilding my spine. Keep the videos coming , what is your day job. Duncan
We have the same issue during Hurricane season. I have a duel fuel 12000 watt generator. We use propane because of the longevity of storage. We lost power for three days once. The houses across the street were out for 7 days. So backup power is a must.
Also make sure you keep children safe when using generators ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html here’s an advice about keeping your family safe while gasoline generators. Just hoping everyone stays safe. Thank you
i have a full auto -back up .it is the best home improvement i have done,.even when i am at work,i never have to worry about the family .always get one bigger than you think you would need
Please make sure you also watch this video about generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html stay safe. Remember carbon monoxide is dangerous.
We bought the Genrac6500 to run our camper, until we could get electric going at our land, we love it. It's a little louder than we like, but so worth it. Thanks for sharing your life lessons!
Generator safety is very important ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html here’s a video about generator safety. Everyone really needs to watch this video. Thank you stay safe.
Hey Evan, i used to have a very similar set up in my home. I've lived here on Richwood Run for 37 years. Whe our power goes off it sometimes might be days or onetime it was off for a whole week. About 6 years ago I went to Lowes and bought a whole house Generac 13 KW generator. A word of caution for you, when you do get yours installed. Get one that suits your needs. They talked me into purchasing 13 kw when i wanted 18 kw. The 18 has a bigger frame built around the unit, and it's a liquid cooled engine driving the generator. Mine laid down in me last summer. Not an engine failure, but the windings in the generator got overheated. The repairman told me had i gotten the 18 or 21 with the bigger frame and housing around the unit this probably would not have happened. So buyer beware , bigger is sometimes better. My generac still works and when the power goes off the Transfer Switch kicks ove and i have about 1/3 of the power it used to generate. A friend was telling me it might not be burnt windings but could be a bad tranfer switch. Guess I'll need a qualified electrician to check the switch out for me. Hope this helps Evan.
Really enjoy your videos and all the things that you do. We’re from WV and had a small farm. Our home was log as well and was well over 100 years old, however I did re-wire it and set it up for a generator as well. I have been through much of what you share and enjoy it so much. Thanks 😊
I have the same issue, I get about 4-6 outages a winter that last for at least 5 days. The hardest thing I find is keeping enough fuel. But I do have 1 recommendation. Google ez generator switch. You can put it on your heating system, then get a small 2k watt generator. To run your heating system at night time. Saves fuel and keeps you warm during the night
In 2009 an ice storm came through and knocked the power out for 7 days and I live in the country surrounded by woods and farm land both. I was the only one that had a generator at the time. Freinds would come over and get there phones and batteries charged up. And we would wach DVD movies and cook pizza and popcorn and hot chocolate LOL. They would go to there families house and get there batteries charged to. It was definitely a lesson well learned for them and me. Now I don't brag about my preps anymore because it could've been dangerous if strangers found out about them.
Yea, a Pelton wheel turbine behind your dam overflow. You can put a diverter pipe in to control water flow, which allows for adjustments and any maintenance. Power is stored in battery banks, which can be switched to solar or wind. A long term goal of mine for sure!
Some people have sump pumps in their homes . Sure they have a battery back-up but that only lasts so long before the battery goes dead .Having a generator is a great idea but you have to be home to turn it on . With having a sump pump not working you could have a nice pond in your basement . Living in the country I'd get a bigger generator that turns on automatically and disconnects from the main grid . This way If you're gone for a few days everything at home is safe . Since the furnace is propane I'd get a propane generator . No worries about running out of fuel .Just a thought . LOL Fishing rods sitting outside ready to be used . Not in my neck of the woods . It's ice fishing time .
Awesome video, I really appreciate it when people film during a power outage, to show the real test of their generators capabilities. Because I do want to run at least 1-space heater(winter) or 1-window AC unit(summer), as well as run the fridge, microwave, or tea kettle, plus keep my internet going, and run a few lights, I do have a higher power requirement. So I'm planning to buy a 7500-9500 watt generator that supports up to 30-running amps, 39 peak amps in the L14-30 220v twist lock outlet. Plus I will have 2-duplex 120v 20-amp outlets as well. I loved the way Maggie looked at the camera, she's so adorable lol.
We have a 1K gallon propane tank feeding our generac whole home generator and auto transfer switch. we can go 6 days on our own power. best part is since it's propane, we can auxiliary feed for longer times as long as we can get out and fill the smaller tanks or our coop is able to come and fill us back up.
You could probably run a couple of burners on the oven. The heat pump may also work with hardly anything else on with a hard start kit, look up 5-2-1 hard start. I just bought a 10k generator with the same interlock you have and it powers the whole house, AC and all. I did have to use hard start kit, it started without it, but it struggled.
Question: if you start the generator, then plug in the house are you actually backfeeding the electrical system before you switch the house over? Should your main be switched off 1st? Prior to plugging it into home? Backfeeding the system can injure or kill workers working on the line is what we were taught.
A couple of things to note! ;0) When switching loads on to a genny you need to check not only that the genny is big enough to run the loads but that it can handle the startup loads! Startup loads are where you switch a magnetic device (motor or microwave) The start up load is typically 7 times the normal running load. It only runs for a short time but can be enough to trip a genny! ...... If you have multiple loads (Fridge, Freezer, fans) switch them on sequentially then you should have little problem. If you just flip a breaker to turn them all on at once it may well trip! Second point ...... If this is likely to be a regular problem you would do well to look at installing a Maintained Light near the main board! Once your power is out you would get 4 hrs of light right where you need it most ;0)
I would suggest putting index marks on your generator/house cable and associated connectors to more easily align with their connectors. Maybe red on one end and green on the other.
I know how your feeling i to am in the country and went through a couple of ice stroms until i got a back up gen that does the whole house but mine turns on once the power goes off ( automatically ) and i run off propane
I planned accordingly when my new house was built, and got a gas stove, gas dryer and gas water heater. Along with a soft start for my AC, I can run my entire house on a 7000 running watt generator. You should look into getting a soft start for your AC, you might be able to run your AC, even with just 5500 watts.
Maybe plug male into female of generator to house power cord to prevent dust/bugs/who knows what from getting into them. Great system. Well thought out and managed. Thanks
Given the size and availability of resources on your property, I wonder if you've considered alternate sources of power. Solar on the various rooftops, hydo on that pond outlet or a wind turbine on a tower. Could also be a means for earning income if you generate enough power. Also, i'd say consider a propane conversion for your generator, or switching out with a generator that can handle multiple sources of fuel, that way you're not limited to supplies of canned gas, you can hit up your enormous propane reserves in times of need. Just my two cents, your homestead is fantastic regardless!
I have looked at solor. It would about $26,000 for a 48.8Kwatt system. The electric company hooked me to the grid for free. And the generator was around $600. My electric bill is an average of $130 a month. So it would be 16 years before I would broke even. Economically it didnt make since to go solar.
Longest our power has been out was after Hurricane Juan. It was out for 10 days! Used the generator only for a couple of hours each evening to warm up and to bring the Fridge and freezer back to temp. Ran off water also when the generator was running (on well). Never the less, glad to see it back on after! Replaced our 5.5 Kw machine after 20 years of use this year with an 8 Kw one.
In Huntsville, AL, we lost power when an F5 took out the power tines from the nuclear power plant...which shut down perfectly. I was south of Atlanta, driving a big rig, so, I picked up a 5500 at Home Depot...knowing generators would be sold out anywhere near home. Mine ran for 12 days. I did cut it off for an hour or two a day...and, it did well.
Suggestion: If you have propane service (appliances) and a large capacity tank (say 500 gallons), you can convert your generator to run on propane rather than gasoline. Safer and more convenient, no filling the tank and messy spills and you don't have to worry about running out of gasoline.
Very nice setup that you have there. At the moment we only have a small camping trailer set up on our property and use a generator to run it as well as our well. We don't really have to run it much during the "winter" here in North Florida, but in the summer we do have to run it quite a bit in order to use the RV air conditioner. In fact over the last few months we have only needed to run the generator in the mornings to sometimes warm the camper up a bit and run a coffee pot (only when I'm too lazy to get a camp fire going to make coffee). I have a couple of generators and have had to use them for extended power outages during hurricane season. I like the system that you have and may look into doing something like that myself.
Well at least he has it right regarding Current (what he calls amp draw). However, Mr. Country View Person, you should allow this to run at least 5 minutes before plugging it in so the VAC that the generator is producing settles down, again only 5 minutes as precaution. We have a Microwave, and the Fridge is fine, and the Water Pump which is fine along with our oil Furnace fine too. The water pump draws 220VAC and draw up to at least 3-4 amps of current at any time. I have the same Generator. I will probably get a bigger one (God willing) in about another year and keep this one as a back of of sorts. Excellent generator with a surprising amount of Current that can be drawn from this. I would not use an electric water heater with this, that draws a ton of current.
Living as rural as you do, I would look into a propane conversion for the generator, they are not very expensive, Chinese ones for less than 50$ Have a nice day
Have you tried using the Reliance THP108 PowerBACK! Mains Return Alarm this will let you know when powers back on without turning all the barn lights on
I put in a EG4 solar inverter with 3 14.5KWH batteries they have a generator input it only turns my generator on when batteries get low they charge up using full generator output quickly then shuts down and goes for several hours. This year going to install some ground mount panels as well cut my electric bill down.
Another way to tell when the power returns is to look at the meter. More and more meters are digital. No display is no power. When the display returns, the power has also.
Dual fuel carburetor s are also available. I installed a triple fuel carburetor, gasoline, propane and natural gas . I use natural gas. No worries about stale fuel or fuel supply! Just check oil regularly,during extended outages!
JudithB Have you thought about a solar set up???? I am also on a Co-op but we dont lose power too often. I am really glad to have my wood stove for heat and cooking in the winter! We finally got a dusting of snow here in central Ark, but we dont get much snow until mid Feb and into March. How are the seeds doing?? I have Kale, Red Romaine and Simpson lettuce sprouting finally! Come on Spring!!! LOL
Evan I am new to your site and just wondering what type of jobs you and Rebecca have outside your homesteading? How did you get interested in homesteading? Did you guys already do a lot of gardening etc at your previous home? If you already have a vlog answering these questions, just let me know and I will go check them out. I am watching your past vlogs and so far finding them so good. Thanks and God bless. Love your place.
We need a BIG generator for summertime when the hurricanes visit ... awfully muggy in Florida without A/C, but Lord willing, we will not get any direct or near direct hits this year. We were very blessed the last two summers ... hopefully that blessing remains with us in 2021. You're gonna need a couple hamsters running some wheels to hook up to that generator to keep your self-sufficiency going! Just imagine storing 1900LBS of hamster food!
Emergency lights are useful during a power outage. Some led strip lights on the stairs or even just some clear christmas lights make a big difference. Can you pull the main from the box to a sub panel then back to the box so you can have an outlet or two in the house with main power even when on the generator? Would plug in a radio that stays on so power comes back on you hear it so no question on if the power is back.
Turn off all the breakers and turn them back on one at a time. Big draws are when stuff is coming up top speed. Let the ice box compressor cycle on and then turn on the freezer. That way both compressor don't come on at the same time. Any thing with a starting capacitor has a big start up amp draw. The generator may take the load turning on every thing but the starting windings in some items will suffer in the long haul.
Reliance has a battery device that read the EMF when power come back on just put it around your service wire. Don’t need to into your panel. When power come on it make a beeping sound. Reliance come back on meter.
Its getting close to storm time. I better get mine out and run it for a couple hrs. I want it to start when the time comes. Not if the time comes but when the time comes. I don't know what people in the city do when there power goes out. Exspecialy if they live in an apartment. The weather gets crazier ever year. It's a record breaker every year it seems like. Anyway thanks for reminding me.
how cold is your house? Everyone bundled up like its 20*F in there, LOL. oops better buy a flint & steel so If the lighter runs out you can still light a fire. making dryer lint cubes also cuts down on the amount of fuel you' ll need to fix a fire. One cube in the front and another in the rear. To make; cut rings off of toilet paper & paper towel tubes about 1 inch high, fill with dryer lint and melted stubs of candles. Other options; paper condiment cups (my favorite), or egg carton cups cut from the carton. or substitute a cotton ball with vasoline for the dryer lint & wax.
might i suggest a propane conversion kit for your generator?...... build a small sound proof shed away from house (but not so far away that a voltage drop will come into play) to deaden the sound....(gotta have air intake and exhaust ports for shed , basically dryer vents... the alum. ones without flappers and put bird screen in the inlets..
When you turn off your generator.and not planing to use it for A while turn off at the carb that use up the fuel and lessen the chance of having gummy fuel.I never touch my switch
You might want to consider adding storage batteries and an inverter to your system then you could last alot longer Our longest outage was two weeks and we survived it without a problem When batteries got low simply re-charged with the generator and had no disruption of power for our critical stuff fridge freezer sump pumps propane furnace and lighting with a similar size generator to yours think ours is 5700 but thats nothing just a suggestion
Here in Aus if a generator is connected to a house that has mains power too, you have to isolate all actives and the neutral, and for the ones that don't know most homes in Aus is Single phase 240vac (One active and one neutral wire only), tho some are 2 phase and 3 phase 415vac. I have a hole house generator at 10kva, it will run everything including the evap cooling, heaters and even the dryer, the house and sheds don't ever trip the 32A SB from the mains (Yep 32 amp), my generator is Auto Start and a ATS and when the power goes out its great I don't have to get up and start it. No its not a package unit, its a open frame Gen (if it brakes all I have to do I go up the street and get another one) with a ATS on the wall.
Hello. Is a power outage a relative common thing? Is it a season thing? Is it a few times a year, once a months or...? I live in Denmark, and our "household" power, telephone and fiber are all dug in, back in the 90´s they where still on poles. The big national grid is hung from those massive metal thingees, while they are talking about digging them in. Only 2 - 3 times a year do i experience a poweroutage and i live 6km from the nearest town (Thats waaaaaaay out there in Danish terms :-)) and often power is only out for a few minutes, the most i can remember was a few hours if i remember correctly. Thank you for your videos and all the best to your lovely wife and you in the future.
Where I live in the US my power flickers occasionally which is nothing my batteries can't handle. I get about the same amount of proper blackouts as you stated a year
5500 watts generator Divided 240 Equals 22.9166 amps Single phase A 22.9166 amps B 22. 9166 amps Generator manufacturers upgraded the plug to a 30 amp 4 wire twist lock
1 week ago I made a comment and and I be dang the power went out about an hour ago. I heard a car struck a pole and it could be 3 hours or longer before power gets back on. I'm fireing up the generator
Connect a small indicator light to your mains input to tell you when the power is back on. Just a little tip, when you stop the generator, shut the fuel off and let it stop by itself when the carb is drained. This stops waxes forming that can clog up the carb jets. Really nice place you have there. Great videos.
Beautiful home. I purchased a home standby generator. Works perfect and can handle propane or natural gas.
The interlock device is genius in it's simplicity. Cheaper than installing a transfer switch and you don't have to choose which circuits you want to run in advance.
We love your show. Thank you both so much for sharing your beautiful home and family.😘
If you have a portable generator, please watch this video about generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html thank you
Good video Evan and Rebecca, good to see your pup is doing great too. That was a great show of being prepared for a power outage. It all worked well. Thanks for sharing with us.
Generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html hope you watch this video.
Thanks for sharing your generator hook up/operation. About that fireplace...that is the best use of "fake news" I have seen lately! :)
Nice video, I have a generator that runs the whole house but because I’m getting old I put in a Generac generator that is all hooked up so when the power goes off it comes on in a few seconds,, it runs on Propane, but you can run everything. I put it In because when I’m gone she doesn’t have to do anything. Plus she’ll stop burning wood and sell the pellet stove which is very good, it’s 50,000 BYU’s and keeps the house at 74 degrees. I also have a wood insert like yours and i just like to watch the fire but it’s 82 in here and she isn’t happy. I love your farm and what your doing, I have a Mahindra front loader and backhoe but need to get a grapple. I don’t burn a lot of wood but enjoy watching the fire. My wife wasn’t very happy because I just got 4 cord, cut and split, and then I bought a logging truck logs for $300 it’s about 4 cord which should last me until I’m 83 I’m 80 now. I m. a old Paratrooper with the 101st Airborne that made one two many jumps during the war and the last couple of years they have been rebuilding my spine. Keep the videos coming , what is your day job. Duncan
We have the same issue during Hurricane season. I have a duel fuel 12000 watt generator. We use propane because of the longevity of storage. We lost power for three days once. The houses across the street were out for 7 days. So backup power is a must.
Definitely a good idea to run it in the day and turn it off at night when going to bed.
Also make sure you keep children safe when using generators ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html here’s an advice about keeping your family safe while gasoline generators. Just hoping everyone stays safe. Thank you
That’s awesome that generator will run 90% of your home .
I’m sure momma was happy to have power on , I know my wife likes her comfort also 👍💪.
Everyone really needs to watch this video about generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html
I always look forward to your posts. Thanks for sharing.👍🏻
i have a full auto -back up .it is the best home improvement i have done,.even when i am at work,i never have to worry about the family .always get one bigger than you think you would need
Please make sure you also watch this video about generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html stay safe. Remember carbon monoxide is dangerous.
We bought the Genrac6500 to run our camper, until we could get electric going at our land, we love it. It's a little louder than we like, but so worth it. Thanks for sharing your life lessons!
Generator safety is very important ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html here’s a video about generator safety. Everyone really needs to watch this video. Thank you stay safe.
It's great that you guys are prepared. God bless you and your family. 🤗😎
Hey Evan, i used to have a very similar set up in my home.
I've lived here on Richwood Run for 37 years. Whe our power goes off it sometimes might be days or onetime it was off for a whole week. About 6 years ago I went to Lowes and bought a whole house Generac 13 KW generator. A word of caution for you, when you do get yours installed. Get one that suits your needs. They talked me into purchasing 13 kw when i wanted 18 kw. The 18 has a bigger frame built around the unit, and it's a liquid cooled engine driving the generator. Mine laid down in me last summer. Not an engine failure, but the windings in the generator got overheated. The repairman told me had i gotten the 18 or 21 with the bigger frame and housing around the unit this probably would not have happened. So buyer beware , bigger is sometimes better. My generac still works and when the power goes off the Transfer Switch kicks ove and i have about 1/3 of the power it used to generate. A friend was telling me it might not be burnt windings but could be a bad tranfer switch. Guess I'll need a qualified electrician to check the switch out for me. Hope this helps Evan.
It's nice to see another 'proper' generator usage video on Y. Nice work! Love your channel.
Really enjoy your videos and all the things that you do. We’re from WV and had a small farm. Our home was log as well and was well over 100 years old, however I did re-wire it and set it up for a generator as well. I have been through much of what you share and enjoy it so much. Thanks 😊
Hi...... Country View Acres, thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍
Sure do love a good wind storm. Especially when able to watch trees bend and undulate in strong breezes. Good video!
you ever think about hydro power ? It looks like you mite have a perfect set up for it.
I agree.
lol i already image lights go light and dark it keeps going because river goes slow some times
@@marcuspold9652 use the Hydro power to recharge batteries and run off batteries.
Very good idea Mike.
You've done a great job being ready for outages.
I have the same issue, I get about 4-6 outages a winter that last for at least 5 days. The hardest thing I find is keeping enough fuel. But I do have 1 recommendation. Google ez generator switch. You can put it on your heating system, then get a small 2k watt generator. To run your heating system at night time. Saves fuel and keeps you warm during the night
In 2009 an ice storm came through and knocked the power out for 7 days and I live in the country surrounded by woods and farm land both. I was the only one that had a generator at the time. Freinds would come over and get there phones and batteries charged up. And we would wach DVD movies and cook pizza and popcorn and hot chocolate LOL. They would go to there families house and get there batteries charged to. It was definitely a lesson well learned for them and me. Now I don't brag about my preps anymore because it could've been dangerous if strangers found out about them.
Very wise.
It’s good to see Maggie is doing good!
Lovely house, looks very cozy
Glad you got your power back! Thank god for generator's! I have a generator too, but I haven't had to use it yet! God bless!
Everyone really needs to watch this video about generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html stay safe you all. Thank you
Yea, a Pelton wheel turbine behind your dam overflow. You can put a diverter pipe in to control water flow, which allows for adjustments and any maintenance. Power is stored in battery banks, which can be switched to solar or wind. A long term goal of mine for sure!
Some people have sump pumps in their homes . Sure they have a battery back-up but that only lasts so long before the battery goes dead .Having a generator is a great idea but you have to be home to turn it on . With having a sump pump not working you could have a nice pond in your basement . Living in the country I'd get a bigger generator that turns on automatically and disconnects from the main grid . This way If you're gone for a few days everything at home is safe . Since the furnace is propane I'd get a propane generator . No worries about running out of fuel .Just a thought . LOL Fishing rods sitting outside ready to be used . Not in my neck of the woods . It's ice fishing time .
Generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html
Awesome video, I really appreciate it when people film during a power outage, to show the real test of their generators capabilities. Because I do want to run at least 1-space heater(winter) or 1-window AC unit(summer), as well as run the fridge, microwave, or tea kettle, plus keep my internet going, and run a few lights, I do have a higher power requirement. So I'm planning to buy a 7500-9500 watt generator that supports up to 30-running amps, 39 peak amps in the L14-30 220v twist lock outlet. Plus I will have 2-duplex 120v 20-amp outlets as well. I loved the way Maggie looked at the camera, she's so adorable lol.
We have a 1K gallon propane tank feeding our generac whole home generator and auto transfer switch. we can go 6 days on our own power. best part is since it's propane, we can auxiliary feed for longer times as long as we can get out and fill the smaller tanks or our coop is able to come and fill us back up.
You could probably run a couple of burners on the oven. The heat pump may also work with hardly anything else on with a hard start kit, look up 5-2-1 hard start. I just bought a 10k generator with the same interlock you have and it powers the whole house, AC and all. I did have to use hard start kit, it started without it, but it struggled.
You've got such a lovely place ❣️
Question: if you start the generator, then plug in the house are you actually backfeeding the electrical system before you switch the house over? Should your main be switched off 1st? Prior to plugging it into home?
Backfeeding the system can injure or kill workers working on the line is what we were taught.
That's why he installed the interlock. It makes it impossible to backfeed the grid.
@@TheScubaSmith guess I missed that comment. Thx
Love all your videos,don’t ever think we get tired of them,keep them coming.
It’s good you were all prepared.
A couple of things to note! ;0)
When switching loads on to a genny you need to check not only that the genny is big enough to run the loads but that it can handle the startup loads! Startup loads are where you switch a magnetic device (motor or microwave) The start up load is typically 7 times the normal running load. It only runs for a short time but can be enough to trip a genny! ...... If you have multiple loads (Fridge, Freezer, fans) switch them on sequentially then you should have little problem. If you just flip a breaker to turn them all on at once it may well trip!
Second point ...... If this is likely to be a regular problem you would do well to look at installing a Maintained Light near the main board! Once your power is out you would get 4 hrs of light right where you need it most ;0)
I'm glad the generator worked out for you and had no glitches. ***Good to see precious Maggie and see that she is on the mend***
I would suggest putting index marks on your generator/house cable and associated connectors to more easily align with their connectors. Maybe red on one end and green on the other.
I know how your feeling i to am in the country and went through a couple of ice stroms until i got a back up gen that does the whole house but mine turns on once the power goes off ( automatically ) and i run off propane
Generac
ua-cam.com/video/jzm6sEgsGZM/v-deo.html do not ignore this link. In this link is about portable generator safety. Use a generator the right way.
@John Beige i use oil as a backup to wood, it works great
I planned accordingly when my new house was built, and got a gas stove, gas dryer and gas water heater. Along with a soft start for my AC, I can run my entire house on a 7000 running watt generator. You should look into getting a soft start for your AC, you might be able to run your AC, even with just 5500 watts.
Maybe plug male into female of generator to house power cord to prevent dust/bugs/who knows what from getting into them.
Great system. Well thought out and managed. Thanks
Given the size and availability of resources on your property, I wonder if you've considered alternate sources of power. Solar on the various rooftops, hydo on that pond outlet or a wind turbine on a tower. Could also be a means for earning income if you generate enough power. Also, i'd say consider a propane conversion for your generator, or switching out with a generator that can handle multiple sources of fuel, that way you're not limited to supplies of canned gas, you can hit up your enormous propane reserves in times of need. Just my two cents, your homestead is fantastic regardless!
I have looked at solor. It would about $26,000 for a 48.8Kwatt system. The electric company hooked me to the grid for free. And the generator was around $600. My electric bill is an average of $130 a month. So it would be 16 years before I would broke even. Economically it didnt make since to go solar.
Longest our power has been out was after Hurricane Juan. It was out for 10 days! Used the generator only for a couple of hours each evening to warm up and to bring the Fridge and freezer back to temp. Ran off water also when the generator was running (on well). Never the less, glad to see it back on after! Replaced our 5.5 Kw machine after 20 years of use this year with an 8 Kw one.
In Huntsville, AL, we lost power when an F5 took out the power tines from the nuclear power plant...which shut down perfectly. I was south of Atlanta, driving a big rig, so, I picked up a 5500 at Home Depot...knowing generators would be sold out anywhere near home. Mine ran for 12 days. I did cut it off for an hour or two a day...and, it did well.
Suggestion: If you have propane service (appliances) and a large capacity tank (say 500 gallons), you can convert your generator to run on propane rather than gasoline. Safer and more convenient, no filling the tank and messy spills and you don't have to worry about running out of gasoline.
Very nice setup that you have there. At the moment we only have a small camping trailer set up on our property and use a generator to run it as well as our well. We don't really have to run it much during the "winter" here in North Florida, but in the summer we do have to run it quite a bit in order to use the RV air conditioner. In fact over the last few months we have only needed to run the generator in the mornings to sometimes warm the camper up a bit and run a coffee pot (only when I'm too lazy to get a camp fire going to make coffee).
I have a couple of generators and have had to use them for extended power outages during hurricane season. I like the system that you have and may look into doing something like that myself.
Nice setup!
Well at least he has it right regarding Current (what he calls amp draw). However, Mr. Country View Person, you should allow this to run at least 5 minutes before plugging it in so the VAC that the generator is producing settles down, again only 5 minutes as precaution. We have a Microwave, and the Fridge is fine, and the Water Pump which is fine along with our oil Furnace fine too. The water pump draws 220VAC and draw up to at least 3-4 amps of current at any time. I have the same Generator. I will probably get a bigger one (God willing) in about another year and keep this one as a back of of sorts. Excellent generator with a surprising amount of Current that can be drawn from this. I would not use an electric water heater with this, that draws a ton of current.
Please make sure you also watch this video about portable generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html thank you
Hi! Just find your videos. Fan forever. Sorry for my bad English. One beer and your videos after work....so relaxing. Im Georgi from Bulgaria (Europe)
Thanks for the ideas. I will be looking into this now
Great system thanks for sharing.
Great video. Love your property!
Living as rural as you do, I would look into a propane conversion for the generator, they are not very expensive, Chinese ones for less than 50$ Have a nice day
Have you tried using the Reliance THP108 PowerBACK! Mains Return Alarm this will let you know when powers back on without turning all the barn lights on
Thanks, I will look into it.
I just googled it. I like it. I may have to order one. Thanks again.
I put in a EG4 solar inverter with 3 14.5KWH batteries they have a generator input it only turns my generator on when batteries get low they charge up using full generator output quickly then shuts down and goes for several hours. This year going to install some ground mount panels as well cut my electric bill down.
Just found your channel..
Looking forward to your videos, I'm just south of you in. Mt. Carmel IL
Another way to tell when the power returns is to look at the meter. More and more meters are digital. No display is no power. When the display returns, the power has also.
I got tired of buying gasoline for my generator so I bought a converter to natural gas and it works great. You can get converters for propane too.
Extended power outages
Dual fuel carburetor s are also available. I installed a triple fuel carburetor, gasoline, propane and natural gas . I use natural gas. No worries about stale fuel or fuel supply! Just check oil regularly,during extended outages!
Always turn OFF your main FIRST. Enjoy.
Should turn fuel valve off and let gen run out of gas keeps carb from getting crud in it you have a pretty place
Great video Evan!
JudithB Have you thought about a solar set up???? I am also on a Co-op but we dont lose power too often. I am really glad to have my wood stove for heat and cooking in the winter! We finally got a dusting of snow here in central Ark, but we dont get much snow until mid Feb and into March. How are the seeds doing?? I have Kale, Red Romaine and Simpson lettuce sprouting finally! Come on Spring!!! LOL
A fire starting trick for you; place several pinecones in with just a bit of landing. Works every time! Stay warm.
An in ground electrical turbine on that lake flow would be great as well. Lots of energy lost.
Very interesting Thanks
Evan I am new to your site and just wondering what type of jobs you and Rebecca have outside your homesteading? How did you get interested in homesteading? Did you guys already do a lot of gardening etc at your previous home? If you already have a vlog answering these questions, just let me know and I will go check them out. I am watching your past vlogs and so far finding them so good. Thanks and God bless. Love your place.
You can also know when your power comes on by looking at your smart meter .The screen will be blank until the utility power comes back on.
Everyone really needs to watch this video about generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html stay safe thank you
We need a BIG generator for summertime when the hurricanes visit ... awfully muggy in Florida without A/C, but Lord willing, we will not get any direct or near direct hits this year. We were very blessed the last two summers ... hopefully that blessing remains with us in 2021.
You're gonna need a couple hamsters running some wheels to hook up to that generator to keep your self-sufficiency going! Just imagine storing 1900LBS of hamster food!
Keep doing what you're doing solar panels and water turbines is ridiculous
I absolutely love your channel. I do wish you would check into solar just to save you money in the long run. Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️❤️
Here in central Ohio previously we have had up to ten days without power
Emergency lights are useful during a power outage. Some led strip lights on the stairs or even just some clear christmas lights make a big difference.
Can you pull the main from the box to a sub panel then back to the box so you can have an outlet or two in the house with main power even when on the generator? Would plug in a radio that stays on so power comes back on you hear it so no question on if the power is back.
I have never needed more than a simple match to light a fire. And I do mean one match.
good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How often does the water run like that? Looks like a good place for water powered electric
You should always run your generators every three months to make sure it runs and works when you are not using it a lot for power outages
Turn off all the breakers and turn them back on one at a time. Big draws are when stuff is coming up top speed. Let the ice box compressor cycle on and then turn on the freezer. That way both compressor don't come on at the same time. Any thing with a starting capacitor has a big start up amp draw. The generator may take the load turning on every thing but the starting windings in some items will suffer in the long haul.
Nice setup. I assume you are aware that generator has a rather high THD. Not recommended for anything with sensitive electronics.
Hey evan, you should try investing on solar power its more cost effective and saves you time.
Hi dude what you need is a transfer switch. That when the power comes on your transfer switch will turn off your generator.
Reliance has a battery device that read the EMF when power come back on just put it around your service wire. Don’t need to into your panel. When power come on it make a beeping sound.
Reliance come back on meter.
To know when the power comes back on you can use the “power back alarm” from reliance controls.
hey just a thought since you have a very nice pond why not hydro electric. have a small turbine connected to your batteries for solar panels.
Its getting close to storm time. I better get mine out and run it for a couple hrs. I want it to start when the time comes. Not if the time comes but when the time comes. I don't know what people in the city do when there power goes out. Exspecialy if they live in an apartment. The weather gets crazier ever year. It's a record breaker every year it seems like. Anyway thanks for reminding me.
how cold is your house? Everyone bundled up like its 20*F in there, LOL.
oops better buy a flint & steel so If the lighter runs out you can still light a fire. making dryer lint cubes also cuts down on the amount of fuel you' ll need to fix a fire. One cube in the front and another in the rear. To make; cut rings off of toilet paper & paper towel tubes about 1 inch high, fill with dryer lint and melted stubs of candles. Other options; paper condiment cups (my favorite), or egg carton cups cut from the carton. or substitute a cotton ball with vasoline for the dryer lint & wax.
might i suggest a propane conversion kit for your generator?...... build a small sound proof shed away from house (but not so far away that a voltage drop will come into play) to deaden the sound....(gotta have air intake and exhaust ports for shed , basically dryer vents... the alum. ones without flappers and put bird screen in the inlets..
It would be nice to get the new generac generator for homes i just seen a commercial for one they look exspensive tho
Generator safety ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html
How do you vent the generator exhaust. Looks almost like you are running it indoors.
The generator is on the walkout of the basement. It is outside.
How to check if the power is back.
Just keep checking the reader. If it still blink it means its still out, if it reads it means its restored.
When you turn off your generator.and not planing to use it for A while turn off at the carb that use up the fuel and lessen the chance of having gummy fuel.I never touch my switch
You might want to consider adding storage batteries and an inverter to your system then you could last alot longer Our longest outage was two weeks and we survived it without a problem When batteries got low simply re-charged with the generator and had no disruption of power for our critical stuff fridge freezer sump pumps propane furnace and lighting with a similar size generator to yours think ours is 5700 but thats nothing just a suggestion
Yea Miss Maggie! L@@king good! 🐾 🐾
Wish I had a power geneator.
Here in Aus if a generator is connected to a house that has mains power too, you have to isolate all actives and the neutral, and for the ones that don't know most homes in Aus is Single phase 240vac (One active and one neutral wire only), tho some are 2 phase and 3 phase 415vac.
I have a hole house generator at 10kva, it will run everything including the evap cooling, heaters and even the dryer, the house and sheds don't ever trip the 32A SB from the mains (Yep 32 amp), my generator is Auto Start and a ATS and when the power goes out its great I don't have to get up and start it.
No its not a package unit, its a open frame Gen (if it brakes all I have to do I go up the street and get another one) with a ATS on the wall.
Hello.
Is a power outage a relative common thing?
Is it a season thing?
Is it a few times a year, once a months or...?
I live in Denmark, and our "household" power, telephone and fiber are all dug in, back in the 90´s they where still on poles.
The big national grid is hung from those massive metal thingees, while they are talking about digging them in.
Only 2 - 3 times a year do i experience a poweroutage and i live 6km from the nearest town (Thats waaaaaaay out there in Danish terms :-)) and often power is only out for a few minutes, the most i can remember was a few hours if i remember correctly.
Thank you for your videos and all the best to your lovely wife and you in the future.
Where I live in the US my power flickers occasionally which is nothing my batteries can't handle. I get about the same amount of proper blackouts as you stated a year
Beautiful place where is your 🧒 kids
My Channel they are both grown
same think here on farm my bran is on diff acc i do the same think you do turn light on bran
5500 watts generator
Divided
240
Equals
22.9166 amps
Single phase
A 22.9166 amps
B 22. 9166 amps
Generator manufacturers upgraded the plug to a 30 amp 4 wire twist lock
1 week ago I made a comment and and I be dang the power went out about an hour ago. I heard a car struck a pole and it could be 3 hours or longer before power gets back on. I'm fireing up the generator
So the bigger Generac GP8000E will run my oil furnace, electric water heater, 3 refrigerators, 1 freezer, tvs, lights and garage door opener???
Testing your backup power during a power failure? I would have tested it before.