Whole House Generator

Discussion in 'Energy & Fuel' started by Beth Gallagher, Mar 24, 2021.

  1. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    So a whole-house generator is loud? I have no experience with them but "assumed" they would be better insulated than a portable.
     
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  2. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Beth Gallagher

    It might be interesting to research prevailing decibel ratings for a variety of generators from small to large. In my experience, the Honda small ones are quietest.

    Noise is insurmountable, partly because all generators must provide 60 cycle AC current, which means they must spin at 3,600 revolutions per minute. Run up your car engine to that speed and listen! Bunches of pistons and connecting rods flailing around create noise. One way around it would be to employ rotary-engine power, no reciprocating parts, reasonably quiet. Have not heard of one, though. Another means encloses the generator within a 4-sided enclosure, allowing noise, heat, and exhaust to escape upwards. But most generators except the very huge ones are air-cooled, requiring free-flow of surrounding air.

    Or locate it as far as possible from the house. BUT, 45KW entails ~ 200 amperes, requiring wire of 3-0 size, three conductors run to the house at about $20 per foot. Then, there is cost of burying it.......this option is growing pale in interest!

    Frank
     
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  3. Bruce Andrew

    Bruce Andrew Very Well-Known Member
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    True dat.

    I have a split level, and my bedroom is 1½ stories above ground level. There weren't any other options, so my gen is right below my bedroom.

    When in the living room with the TV on, I can hear the gen running but it's not loud or annoying. However if I'm in bed, the gen noise is annoying and the time or two it was running when I was trying to sleep I had to shut it off.

    Not a big deal though, the fridge and everything else is fine with no power for overnight. But the WH gens are not quiet.
     
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  4. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Natural gas generators are much quieter than diesel or gasoline. I know the natural gas ones at the fire station here have massive mufflers, acoustic paneling, and acoustic baffles and you can stand 20 feet away and hardly hear them. The big issue is the cost VS the necessity. If I lived around Beth's neck of the woods and had 20K to spare, I would have one. One major blackout here in 30 years wouldn't justify such with dependable hydroelectric power so close.
     
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  5. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    The generator will be installed right next to the electrical panel (breaker box). Luckily that is on a corner of the house away from the den and our bedroom, so we won't notice much noise (hopefully).
     
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  6. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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  7. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    Some mention was made of a "transfer witch". What and why? A generator powering a residence must be electrically isolated from the power company's line supplying the house. Reason is, when the power company's output drops to zero, if a generator is connected in to the house/commercial supply, it "sees" an immense black hole as it attempts to raise voltage to perhaps hundreds if not thousands of other users. Thus, the transfer switch disconnects the house wiring from the power company's, allowing the generator to feed only the house.

    In my case, I had to shut off the main circuit breaker out by the electric meter, to isolate the house and allow my small generator to work. Transfer switches are I think mainly automatic, sensing loss of power from the power company. Cost of an automatic 200 amp. transfer switch is about $700 dollars, without installation. Most recent homes, single family, are 200-amp. equipped, except perhaps factory-builts, which may be less. Ours has a 100 amp. feed for the house with an additional 100 amp available at the meter; it was unused when we bought the place. I was therefore easily able to get rid of all the propane powered appliances and replace them with electric.

    Despite being "all-electric", our bill has only exceeded a hundred bucks a very few times in 10 years.

    Frank
     
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  8. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Beth Gallagher

    Since this sounds like a foregone conclusion, I have failed to "talk you out of it"! Ha! :p

    Find out about warranty, and whether ONLY parts are included.

    Frank
     
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  9. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    The transfer switch and installation required by my utility cost more that my portable generator, but I didn't have to have all the piping done that you apparently do. We don't have frequent outages, but when we do, it can be a major deal--wildfires, earthquakes, and downed lines due to cold and incompetent line installation.
     
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  10. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I'm familiar with the basics of a transfer switch because our motorhome has one. It took me a while to grasp the difference between 12 volt and 110, what happens when we fire up the generator versus being "plugged in" at the campground, etc. We have the standard 2 house batteries on the RV so not a lot when the power source is removed.
     
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  11. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    We're still kicking it around, Frank. When we started this I was thinking that $15k would be the maximum expenditure but it keeps going up. Now it's in the "not sure the ROI is worth it" territory.
     
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  12. Bruce Andrew

    Bruce Andrew Very Well-Known Member
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  13. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    If my power ever goes off again for two weeks I will accept the first marriage proposal I get from a guy that has the biggest whole house generator. :D
    nMgwUkjLw5z3.jpg
     
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  14. Bruce Andrew

    Bruce Andrew Very Well-Known Member
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    It's a deal, Faye! ;)

    13KW, runs entire house:

    Generator.jpg
     
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  15. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Tempting but I need to see an up-close photo with technical details, service records, and reliability history before I can put it on my list. :D
     
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