Y2K fears???

Ernest2,
Save your money. 4000 watts won't even run your water heater much less an entire heating system. Most people don't really understand how little one of these small portable generators will run. If you really want to run your house you will need somewhere between 12000-15000 watts.
The small units that are selling so well right now will be good for maybe a portable heater and a couple lights, but that's about it.
For that kind of money, better to get a couple of kerosene heaters and some fuel.

As for me, I'll be good for about a month. Finances won't let me get any more. The only thing that worries me is all the "friends" that might show up at my door if things go bad.
 
I've got plenty of ammo on hand--This part of
the country has lots of rivers and streams so
there'll be water.For food there are good
animal resources--I might end up jumping like
a Kangaroo if there is a shortage of shop
stuff--mostly I'm not too bothered about it
The weather here is tropical so heating is
not a problem.I understand that it could be
bad in a cold place.
There are not too many people here so I think
we'll all come thru it OK.
 
grayfox, no 4000 watts wont run my entire house, but all I need is to run my oil burner
which uses 2,000 watts maximum . Then ,the pipes dont freeze and I still have 2,000
watts left over for electric lights. a 100
wt light bulb times 20. So, I can run my oil burner and some lights. I can put my food outside in the cold ,in a cardboard box and it should keep. Or buy ice for the refrigerator.

Without the generater, I could run the risk of loosing my pipes to freezing.

I dont intend to wire the generator to my fuse panel, but rather to run an extension cord direct to the oil burner
electric power feed after disconnecting the oil burner from the circuit breaker box.
Do this only if the power does indeed
fail.
 
On the generator topic, I finally broke down and got one at Costco this summer. 5500/6500 if memory serves, non-OHV (so cheaper, not as heavy duty, but don't plan on running it that many hours), under $500. I'd been threatening to do it for years. I got asked in line "is that a Y2K generator?" I said "It's an Atlanta winter ice storm / hurricane Opal / Dunwoody tornado / Y2K generator", all events that have taken power out for significant periods around here, except for the last. Personal economics are good, so I finally decided this was the year for it. I too would just run the furnace blower and controls, and hope the gas company is still in business.
 
Jim , I finally got the answer That put me
over the edge and decieded to buy one when
it was pointed out to me that I could take it as a business expense for the commercial building.

With a 5,500 watt generator , you
can run more than just your gas fired hot air
or gas fired hot water heat .

No electric hot water heater though, unelse you disconnect all other loads from the generator. Electric hot water sucks current
(AMPS) big time just like an electric stove and electric heat.


to get back on track:NOW>with your gas furnace;
For instance, lets say that the rating plate on your blower motor reads 4.2 amps
@ 120 volts. You multiply 4.2 x 120 = 504
watts. Now--when an electric motor starts up,
it pulls 3 times running current or the amps rating on the motor plate so multipling
504 watts X 3=1,512 watts or about 23 % of the capacity of your generator. This is a
30 second current draw ,only for electric motors and refrigerator & freezers, which also have electric motors to run their freon compressors.

Anyways ,the run current for your gas furnace--IN THIS EXAMPLE only--SINCE i DONT KNOW THE CURRENT RATING OF YOUR FURNACE MOTOR
OR MOTORS ( if more than 1 is used) is 504 watts or 1/10th the capacity of your generator.

You probably have enough extra capacity to run 10 - 1oo watt light bulbs
wich is only 1000 watts. 1000wts+504wts=
1500 watts=31% of your capacity with 69%
capacity in reserve. So, you could probable run your refrigerator too. Say 8 amps (but you check the rating plate on your frig please). 8 x 120=960 watts x 3 (for starting surge)=2880watts+1500watts(from gas heat and 10-100 watt lights=4,380 watts, still below your 5,500 capacity! Even running & starting
both your furnace & refrig & lights all at once! You will however be running as high as 80% capacity with a 20% reserve, but only while both the furnace and the refrig are
starting up similtaniously. You can prevent simioustanious start up by turning off the frig with the cold control, or just unpluging
it for one minute, while the furnace starts up.

I will be doing the same thing ,if & when, but with only a 4,500 watt job & so I
will have to avoid same time start ups as they would bring me to 96% capacity, not a good idea. When not trying to same time start, I will be runing at 66% capacity or
less.

I am not hooking my gen into the circuit breaker panel, but running extension
cords from the gen. to the oil burner feed wire after disconnecting it from the circuit breaker, thus issolating it from the fuse panel.

I will run it thru a 20 amp ,120 volt
fuse which I can screw into a (in line) light socket and wire in series in the extension cord so that if more than 20 amps is drawn ,the fuse will blow and protect my generator.

Same idea as surge protector strips for computers, only handleing more current
that a computer surge strip can handle.

If you have questions email me
larrysdiscountguns@erols.com

[This message has been edited by ernest2 (edited December 17, 1999).]
 
jim -if the gas company is out of service,
unscrew the gas pipe from your gas fired furnace and put a cap on the gas supply line.
Use teflon plumber"s tape to make a leak free
joint.
Buy or use the 20 pound propaine tank
from your propaine barbiecue grill.

You should be able to buy at a plumbing
or heating store--a regulator--
which reduces the pressure comming from the propane tank (120 psi) down to 7 or 8 psi
which is safe to have in the feed lines. Now feed the reduced pressure propane into the
gas inlet of your furnace.

The propane will not yield as much heat as the natural gas, but it will heat
at around 78% of natural gas. On a permanent
propane installation, they usually put in a larger gas orfice or jet to make up the difference but this probably would not be necessary for emergency heating.

The Heating & plumbing store could
probably order you a regulator and the firnace company should make a propaine conversion valve for your furnace.

The down side is you could go thru
2 -20 lb propane tanks a day, if it were really cold.

Check further with your heating store or home depot if this interests you.

PS in a serious emergency , you could probably rig the regulator from the barbique
grill to work between the propane tank and the furnace gas inlet.

Again, talk to some one who knows
more than me. I remember some stuff from 15 years ago when I was thinking about converting the gas fired hot air heat in my grague to propane because the gas meter bill was eating me alive. It could have easily been done except my landlord put up a stink
and so I disconnected the gas altogether
and went without heat as it was only a grague
where I stored stuff & sometimes did some
repair work. Later , I even disconnected the electricity and saved yet more money. I am still storing stuff there, but now I own the building,still no electricity, I run an extension cord after dark. I have saved 2,000.oo per year for 10 years,doing without.
 
DZ right on! you lazy mothers better have something to barter with.

CT if she is good looking send her my way and we'll work something out. Maybe a pay as you play plan? Tell her there really are some wackos out here in la la land, that ought to scare her into preparing.

I have heard good things about diesel generators form China diesel imports [San Diego Kalifornia] based on 1930's design so no high tech stuff and with 50,000 hours between rebuilds you should be all fuzzy and warm all the winters of your life. 5K TO 25K or there about.
I live near a Johnson tractor dealer and if it gets bad maybe Ill barter with the dealer for some gear in exchange for one of those big CATAPILLARS, OOH YEAH. Got the exotic and otherwise fuel distributor one mile away with the added benifit that the place looks like a CIA front. Nobody ever there, most people dont know what it is.

BTW if any are considering storing any gasoline long term check out VP race gas as all componets are solvents of one another and if air tight has an INDEFINITE self life.
 
I bought an adapter so I can plug my furnace into my generator, a couple extra 5 gallon containers of gas, 5 (five) gallons containers of drinking water, and will fill a garbage can full of water for flushing. Have 2 deer in the freezer.

------------------
www.michigan-sportsman.com
Michigan Hunting and Fishing Forums
 
Ernest, what would it cost you to repair broken water pipes? Balance that $ against the generator.

Having changed several natural-gas stoves to propane, I can tell you that propane stoves use smaller jets than natural gas stoves do, and you also have to open the air valve to the fullest position.

Coleman (and others) make a neat little deal for using three propane "appliances" at once, from a propane bottle such as used on travel trailers, etc. You put the propane lamp on top, to provide light for the propane cookstove--and you can also run either another stove or a camp heater...A 20-lb propane bottle is a heckuva lot cheaper than those little one-pound canisters from WalMart...
 
Now -for somehning completely different.
If this Y2K thing is a complete bust what am I going to tell the missus when I rent a U-Haul for the next gun show. I've been getting away with this for the last 2 years. Anyone got a new tale I can borrow? I promise I won't overuse it as I've done with the Y2K thing. God - it's been a great 2 years.
 
I live in a rural area about 75 feet from a river. (check long term water source off my list) I have stocked the usual winter provisions but when you live in nature food is right outside (check long-term food source off my list) I have plenty of gas and diesl(500 gal each).

Need some more kerosene, extra ammo yet and the 10,000 watt generator still needs repaired but the wood stove can be set up rather quickly. If all else fails I still have the bow. Probably need some extra batteries anyways.

If I worked at NIPSCO I think I would flicker the lights a little when Dick Clark hits "1". Wouldn't that be funny! At least flip the house breakers to scare the old woman.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top