Which Generator is Best for Storms and Power Outages

[@guysan]

I thought i was just going to watch a few minutes but I watch the it all and learn something new, thanks

[@ThomasHess-x8v]

Great video. We live in South Georgia and when Helene hit, we were slammed with 100 mph winds. 99% of our county was without power for up to 2-weeks. We were on generator power for over 6-days. Our power needs include 240V for a deep well pump and 50-gallon water heater. I grew up in Florida and know the value of a limited capability for "some" air conditioning. With the aforementioned stated, I invested in a smaller 10KW diesel generator a few years ago but actually bartered for most of its cost. It is trailer mounted; water cooled and runs at 1800 rpm. It has a 50-gallon belly tank, and aluminum weather/sound enclosure. It has been battle tested through Idalia, Helene, and multiple power outages before. It powered everything in our 2500 square foot home except our 4-ton heat pump. For air conditioning, we used one 5000 btu window unit in the master bedroom, and one 5500 btu room portable unit in the living room/kitchen common area. All other rooms were closed off during the day. We utilized ceiling fans and two 20" box fans and were quite comfortable. We powered: the deep well pump, alternating with the water heater when heating up a full tank of water, one 26 cu foot kitchen refrigerator/freezer, one 17 cu foot garage refrigerator/freezer, one 18 cu foot garage freezer, one 3 cu foot dorm fridge, a Starlink satellite system, a desktop computer linked to the Starlink via Starlink's wi-fi, 55" LED TV with satellite receiver, multiple exterior LED security lights, a kitchen microwave oven, various cellphone chargers, Septic tank lift pump, and any interior lighting (all LED) as needed. We burned 5-gallons of diesel fuel every 24-hours running the generator 24-7. I stopped the generator once each day for the first 2-days to check the oil level and it didn't use any. So never shut it down again until power was restored. The nearest neighbor is 250 yards away and standing 5' from my generator, I could hear their whole-house Generac's noise over mine. I use less expensive red dyed "off-road" diesel and keep quite a bit on hand, treated with stabilizer. It's good for 5-years since it is "mineral" diesel, not biodiesel. I tie it into our home via a 30-amp L14-30 inlet and power our two 200A main panels using dedicated 30A generator breakers and interlocks. I wanted a trailer mounted generator because I can take it to family in Florida if the need arises. I also had the unit built with a DSE-3110 controller capable of using a remote starter or any industry standard 2-wire automatic transfer switch. Generac's require their proprietary transfer switches. I assembled a 75' wired remote starter which remains on our porch. I open the door, flip the switch and the generator starts. My wife loves it since no choke is required, just one switch. We also have an 8KW backup and a 2KW inverter generator, both gasoline fueled. Backup for water if the well goes down was 50-gallons in one tub, one 10-gallon igloo cooler like yours, and four 7-gallon aquatainers. Last backup is 15k gallons in our fiberglass pool, sterilized with chlorine tablets with algae mainly controlled by a floating, solar powered copper ionizer. I rarely add algaecide. If the pool water is needed for consumption, I have a DIY Berkey type filter system. I only used the backup 8KW gasoline generator once for a few hours while accomplishing maintenance on the diesel unit. Two neighbors have Generac whole house propane generators, and one ran out of fuel 3-days into the event...that was 200 gallons @ $3 per gallon for propane. Small, inexpensive portable generators whether inverter or armature types are "splash" lubricated with no oil filtration. They are meant to be recreational generators, and engine lives can be short, especially if run near their full output limits.

[@aussie2uGA]

Very timely! I still have friends near Asheville coming to see me today to do laundry and take showers. Their “city” water is still not potable, flows slightly brown, and is not boil-able yet. Hurricane Helene was September, we are now in November! We used to hear about these long term water infrastructure disasters in places like Flint, Michigan and Palestine, OH and here we are again in North Carolina… Thanks for the video, very comprehensive! I’m going with a larger 240v generator to start well pump, pressurize tanks, and recharge ecoflow battery devices. It then gets turned off and appliances get run from ecoflows for many hours. Ecoflows are silent, important for sanity and can help not draw attention to your powered home. Hot water is on demand and Instant from propane Navien tankless heater. Next time I’m adding far more portable solar panels for additional recharging capability. Just a couple 400watt panels tossed outside makes a huge improvement in recharging battery devices like the ecoflows. Having them portable adds flexibility in case I need to leave this house or loan one to a nearby friend/neighbor. Thanks again for the video, people should download it if they can because when you really need to watch this, you probably won’t have internet.

[@brucewallace3860]

Great - and I mean GREAT! - video. I learned plenty. What camping in a travel trailer teaches you is that while you’re boondocking, you learn as much about conserving energy as you do conserving. During our recent Helene power outage, I laughed at how many people ran their generators 24/7. Another cheap “must own” is a thermometer for your refrigerator. You don’t have to have your fridge plugged in all the time. Know how long your fridge will keep food cold - ours is 3-4 hours. Same can be said of other devices - and LEDs are a must.

[@johnjrkean7008]

Thank u Doc u actually covered ome of my questions and all ur hard work is appreciated I know alot of time and effort goes into editing these videos ur dedication doesnt go unnoticed brother

[@clarkkent4991]

🏆I really like the way that you explain things. You answer the questions that the common homeowner has. Side note. Your property looks beautiful from what I can see. Thanks.

[@MrDaveS61]

FYI, research I did regarding Natural Gas (NG) pumping stations was that 90% of pumping stations are powered by NG. The NG at those locations probably powers a generator for its electrical needs.

[@davidparsons5513]

Doc, great video. All good ideas for planning for an outage. I took a slightly different tack for power backup. I got a whole house battery backup (6000w) that's tied in with an automatic transfer switch. Power goes out, battery backup kicks in in under 30 milliseconds. As the battery depletes, it can be replenished by solar. In the event that there is not enough sun to be useful, THEN the inverter generator gets fired up and run only long enough to charge the battery, then it gets shut off again extending available fuel for much longer than running the generator alone. This generator can be as small as 1000 watts. Replaced the hot water heater with a hybrid. It only uses 600 watts to provide hot water in heat pump mode, again extending available power. Downside is cost. This scenario costs more than most people can afford, but I felt it was worth it.

[@tedjohnson64]

Fascinating video, especially your detailed explanation of the internals! I’m surprised that it’s so large. I was looking at a 24 kw Generac (air cooled) and it’s only half the size. Nice to see your transfer switch inside your garage instead of outside. There were several threads where bugs got inside a transfer switch and prevented the switch from operating. You might want to consider doing a simulated power failure (a “confidence test”) every month or so, by manually switching to generator power for a few hours. I’ve read more than a few threads where a whole house generator passed the weekly tests, then failed when an actual power outage occurs.

[@tincans87]

Great video Doc, you make some great points. I run my dual fuel generator on propane only, not gas. Propane is a cleaner fuel than gas , and it can be stored indefinitely without losing effectiveness. Safety 1st! Thanks for sharing the video!

[@kennakada1208]

Thank you so much for video. I’ve learned a lot and not many KZbinrs do not have successful experience during a natural disaster. I watch your entire video. I now have a Wen 2350 generator. Thank you for your time and effort for helping newbies like me to prepare.

[@markwanner6213]

Great video, Doc! This one is in my saved playlist.

[@Michael-uo8sg]

Wow, you've made my day. I live in eastern Canada and our winters are long, cold and power goes off regularly. I am in the process of setting up my house with a backup generator and this video has definitely help in making the right choice. I looked at a lot of videos lately and I am so glad I found yours. I am now a subscriber and will review your past series so I don't miss anything. Thank you soooo much.

[@SpiritintheSky.]

What a comprehensive video. Much-appreciated Comments below. Thank you very much indeed from UK. I've subscribed!

[@JimChurchSr-lu2pq]

It was long -but very informative -and I for one will use the links for some purchases -thanks Doc

[@leeinwis]

loooong

[@carlbrothers]

You sir have put into one video many of the things I have considered and planned for in an urban setting. During Milton, I got to execute my plan and it worked pretty well. My generators can run on propane or gas. When you run your generator to the point that it shuts off, I found that there was still fuel in the carb bowl. After Milton I drained everything and changed the oil to prep for the next thing.

[@purplehayes5718]

Great job at putting together a simple storms and power outages how to document. I have a 7500 generator and was thinking of getting a small inverter generator for my computer and sensitive items. My power goes out 5 - 10 times every winter for an hour or two. Last year I had an outage for 5 hours but that's the first time. All I need during those times is my furnace, computer, and a couple of lights.

[@Asidebar]

i have several Honda portable generators. I basically only use a Honda eu2200 inverter generator about 10 hours a day during outages. very fuel efficient and quiet. i am able to run my refrigerators lights, fans etc.

[@kdodson3585]

Great job. As a resident of Alaska we can lose power in winter. Interesting enough I have a very similar setup, a 7000 watt Honeywell generator from Costco and a 2000 watt Yamaha inverter generator given to me because it leaked fuel. Easy fix. I added a snorkel tri fuel adapter to the large generator for about a hundred bucks. Run on gas, lpg, and ng. On the inverter I added an y to fuel line and a pulse fuel pump that allowed me to add a fuel connection that allows me to run off my boat fuel tank. For water I added a 55 gallon blue water tank from Bass Pro that I fill up once a day with big generator. I have a 12v rv water pump that pumps from the to a hose bib. I turn off the pressure tank and allow the 12v pump connected to a 12 volt battery to pressure the water system and supply water throughout the house. Not high flow but can flush toilets and wash hands as needed. This greatly reduced the amount of time needed to run the big generator, probably 2 hours per day. This tops off water and batteries. Runs the freezer and fridges. No need to run little inverter at night for water. Just thought I would share as I was surprised how easy it was to use the rv pump.

[@dfrazier1]

I have two cheap power mates and a parallel kit. Plug it in out back and they run everything we need. Good stuff, thanks Doc!

[@kmaxx1493]

Doc, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. as always.

[@daheels5280]

Great explanation! We use a portable generator frequently and some people do either overkill or don’t know the details of long term generator use. We house ours in a spaced out brick housing with a concrete slab

[@mrgoats]

Man you won me over with your common sense to prepping. "You only have 1 trigger finger" "You can't eat silver". Breath of fresh air in the prepping community.

[@HowTowithDoc]

Thanks...

[@spockmcoyissmart961]

FYI, I store gas 2 different ways. The old plastic cans and the metal 'nato' cans. I can tell you the gas stored in the red plastic cans changes odor, and smells bad relatively quickly. I date my metal cans when filled. It is dec 24 and I opened the gas stored in my metal 'nato' cans from the summer of 2018. I never add stabil to any fuel. The metal can gas was still clear, smelled like gas. Burned ok in my mowers, truck.

[@adamghazal9204]

Extremely helpful. Thanks Doc!

[@BLUE6_6]

Doc!! Your video was very helpful!!!!

[@NETWizzJbirk]

I have a Honda EU2200i and it got us through Helene in South Carolina. On City water, so no well, and have a tankless water heater, which needs power only to run its electronics. We Ran: a Ubiquiti network setup with three access points and AT&T fiber, a fan, a refrigerator, and TV as well as some LED lights and our tankless water heater. Only thing that was bad was no air conditioning

[@akbychoice]

We were out of line power for 10 days. We ran a 7KW about 70% of that time. Used alcohol stove to heat meals and coffee when the generator was off. Used hot plates, electric grill and rice cooker ( keeps water boiling ), bbq grill for meats. We used fans as the generator isn’t enough to run this AC. Used a lpg crab boil burner with a 5 gallon pot to heat bathing water. I was fine with the kiddie plastic pool water after sitting in the sun for most of the day. Loaned our 2kw Honda to the neighbor.

[@kacornish1]

Excellent info. I learned a lot.

[@keith366]

Great information. Thank you so much.

[@socrates2706]

If you plan to run that generator while in the enclosure, then you need to consider the material for the floor. The area under a generator can get EXTREMELY hot (test it out). The floor should be protected from extreme heat and not be a fire hazard.

[@HowTowithDoc]

We have. using a FRAMED generator on wheels is fine as there's plenty of air flow for cooling.

[@tech-test-break-fix]

Well done explanation. I recently picked up a 4k inverter dual fuel and it will do 3k continuous on propane. Now I am squirreling away propane bottles as I come upon them. I like that because propane does not go bad. I also have a few backup generators that I have acquired not running and they were an easy fix cleaning out the carb.

[@luisreviews6412]

Great video, well explained and reasonable advice. I went with multiple smaller generators and so far has worked out. I think one more generator and possibly a jackery type to have indoors would be nice. I will say this when everything is working you don’t give this subject much thought but when power is out you realize how prepared or unprepared you really are. Only took one time being unprepared to learn my lesson… never again.

[@scottcolantuono9397]

Great common sense video Doc thanks for sharing your info! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

[@HowTowithDoc]

Thanks and Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@gauravanand05]

Wow! What a well-researched and presented video!

[@williamfry5486]

Very good point. If the power is down then the gas stations are probably not pumping gas. Also a dual fuel makes sense so you can also use you propane tanks. Gas transmission companies have generator backup. But I do not know about local services!?

[@stevecampbell5928]

Great video Doc.Thank You!

[@ispot4651]

Best way to store water long term? Thanks Doc. This was very helpful.

[@bigmike5678]

Interesting idea I saw from another video. Use a crockpot on low to keep warm water at all times.

[@joeolejar]

I have a 10kva propane generator fed to the house through an interlock. I have a 6 gauge extension from the generator to a plug on the house. Electric start is a life saver at my age.

[@baldelectrician]

I think the way forward is a whole home battery backup that takes a generator input. This allows you to run the genny for 3-4 hours and use the excess to run the house and charge the battery. A decent battery system will also have solar inputs which means the sun charges the battery during the day- saving fuel

[@jojohisgrove3218]

Hi, thanks for all the info! I just got my generator predator 3500 and I don’t have a lot of stuff to run in an emergency. I may have bought one that’s too big. You have answered a bunch of questions I had about what I can run on it. Thanks again.

[@OfficialHankIII]

If you need to removal liquid from various tanks on the farm this product will make it 1000 times quicker and easier.Air Power America 5060TS Topsider Multi-Purpose Fluid Removing System.. Thanks for the Videos Doc.

[@Wildmark82]

I use power stations from allpowers and other brands with solar panels, but i got myself a small inverter generator to charges with when the sun dont shine. Good video 👍

[@johnclyne6350]

I just subscribed to your channel Doc & gave you a 👍🏻. Nice compound you have there! Good for you! I liked that you touched on a lot of different subjects concerning generators. To answer your question? I watched to the end incase there was a surprise? We switched to all LED bulbs 15 years ago. Who still uses incandescent bulbs nowadays? One item not discussed is picking where you buy your home. That matters more importantly than anything you discussed. I’m a power lineman for a living. Every place I have lived we lived on 3 phase back bone. What is that? Look at the very top of the pole going down your street? If you have one wire at the very top you have single phase power going down your street. That circuit is one of the last to be picked up in a major catastrophe. 3 phase back bone is 3 phases or wires spread across the top of the pole. That’s what comes from the substation. Those circuits are picked up faster because they feed down to the lower circuits. The longest we were without power was after Surprise Storm Alfred. We were out of power for five agonizing days. The other phrase used for the storm was the Halloween snow storm. We had over a foot of snow with leaves on the trees. 96% of the state was in the dark. I listening to my financial advisor instead of my gut & he left me exposed. I was put on suicide shifts for twenty days. I got walking pneumonia while living in our 42 degree home with ice cold running water. Yes, we have town water & sewer. I had to go into work as sick as a dog restoring power to other places not my own home. Every morning I got home from work I got the hundred questions? When are we going be next for our power?? I didn’t know? Everything in my house before I bought it was set up perfectly for a roll out generator. Propane stove & dryer, oil fired furnace with on demand hot water. I went with the best of the best inverter generators. I bought the Honda EU 7000is. It’s the quietest generator on the market. 54 decibels on economy mode. We have 16-5 gallon gasoline jugs & a 30 gallon fuel dolly made by HMC. I have 111 gallons of gasoline at our house. That’s enough for 3 weeks of run time. I have an auxiliary fuel tank that holds 6 gallons. I get 42 hours run time on 11 gallons of gas with everything on including the 2-1/2 ton Trane central air. The Honda is fuel injected. So it doesn’t require priming. We don’t do any of that fancy math to figure out what we can use or not use. We carry on as if the street power is on. We lost power after Isais for three days & everyday I got home from work at 7 am I would refill my aux. tank. Take a cool shower as it was summer time & go to bed for a few hours in a cool house before I had to get up to go back to work by 2 pm. We love our set up & all together cost us just over $14,000. If you would like to see my set up? Go to my home page on YT. You can hear my genny running. We spared no expense in our desire to have the best back up power system.

[@jaccourt9531]

We used 5 gallon buckets the holds the hot watervwecheated up from the propane stove and use a battery camping shower. We also use light bulbs that work when power is off. And charges when you have power.

[@Jojok103]

I am a female looking into generators. Mostly inverter ones. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this plain talk about it. In the north east I have to consider my boiler for heat and hot water and the boiler is hard wired only guess is it’s 240. That’s where I get stuck yeah I can get a small one but I have an ego nexus which successfully ran my fridge and internet for most of a day with power to spare. I use the batteries for my snowblower so it seemed smart to dual purpose them. I would love an inverter that can run the boiler and charge the ego not sure what size I need the boiler is not full of info for a reg person lol. I have a bunch of electrician friends I will likely reach out to them and hopefully run an easy connection outside. But cost is always an issue. If I took the boiler out of the equation I have looked at the Wen 3600, possible power a space heater idk. It’s a lot of info and currently with nothing but the ego, I appreciate the time you took explaining.

[@ronaldod7116]

I went Hybrid. Meaning a house battery with an auto started generator. Here in EU we have even "cheap" 48V DC generator for around $1300. You directly connect them to the battery. Saving even more fuel because of not having to convert it from DC to AC. Back side is that as you have it as a in house system you are eager to run everything like before and negate the savings.

[@sh839c]

Very good video. Be careful, that truck mounted 58 gal tank is for diesel most likely, don't get caught on the road with gas in it.

[@2005Pilot]

In Florida during Milton- we fill our bath tubs with water to use for toilets. Had a “1850 watt” 2004 gen that we used for fridge/freezer, coffee maker, & tv. Thank God we had cool weather after. Were only out of power from 11:00pm Wednesday until 4:30pm Saturday and used my dial thermometers in fridge & freezer as gauge as to when to crank gen back on. Older fridge so was doing it every couple hours or so. Needed a 2nd larger gen for well pump for showers. Did spit baths 😂. Also had frozen 1-gal glad bags & used for cold drinking water.

[@socrates2706]

You can buy large bladders with a faucet feature that will fit in a truck bed if you want to supplement your water supply.

[@dexterbeef1132]

Great Video. What I cannot understand is why the US users seem to never mention diesel gennies?? 🤔 No probs with fuel storage compared to petrol/gas... Every farm has it about too....

[@ajkylen]

What type of a generator are you running the orange one

[@waynehayes8237]

Great information. Thanks for the tips

[@vashon100]

32:35 I don't see the link to the power station. Can you tell me which Ecoflow model?

[@TonyBenton-x9f]

Thanks for the info!

[@gsi21]

Doc, do you use a power strip inside your house to split off the 3 outlet extension cord coming from the generator to power other electronics inside or what is the best way to split off the 3 outlet extension to more than 3 electronics inside the house?

[@williamgatling3205]

Great information, thanks. It definitely influenced my purchasing decision. Now I need to plug it in! All the power cables are rated for 3750W. Nonsense! How do you plug in your larger generators?

[@garyjones5056]

Good show Doc

[@mattb7406]

Excellent video

[@macplus3339]

Just because your generator has a 30 or 50 amp plug does not mean the generator can produce that much amperage. The circuit breaker attached/assigned to that outlet will determine the amperage. My smallest generator with the 4 pronged 30 amp outlet is limited to 13 amps as it is rated at only 3200 continuous watts. I live in an area frequented by hurricanes and other events that cause power outages. I used extension cords to power the refrigerator etc. Since the well is wired for 240 I can't plug it into an extension cord so I'd fill the bathtubs with water to flush to toilets and I have a small pond I can draw water from afterwards. The water from the well is not the best so I always have about 50 gallons of non-well water on hand for drinking and cooking. Shortly after this last hurricane, the well's pump sprung a leak and needed replacing. As usual it came wired for 120 and while rewiring it for 240 it donned on me that I could have rewired it to 120 and put a plug on it so I could use it with an extension cord. Oh well, I just prior to this I finally installed an interlock to eliminate the extension cords. I have a small solar system that allows me to run lights, TV or other electronics at night independent of any generator. This allows me to rest/service/switch to a smaller more economical generator like my 700 watt, gasoline only that sips fuel that powers the refrigerator at night when everyone is sleeping. I have standard generators that also produce 12VDC and I can plug the DC to AC inverter from the solar system into that port and run the TV and computer. I can plug it into one of the cars too if need be. I have dual fuel generators 4K, 55K, 75K and keep several days of both gasoline and propane on hand. This gives me flexibility to use whatever fuel is available. I use a 3 burner dual fuel camp stove to cook with and even have lanterns for gasoline, propane and oil. Backups for the backups.

[@zackhaar2141]

Looking for some insight here, I have 2 champion dual fuel 4375w generators. These were perfect- hell one alone was perfect- for the smaller house we lived in with city water. Now, we moved to a larger rural home with a 240 well pump and 240 water heater. Obviously, my champions do not have the 240 plug, but do have two of the 30a 120 plugs- one being the RV plug you showed. Do I have any chance of getting power to either unit with one or both of these generators before I go try to sell and move to a larger unit? I would much prefer 2 smaller units over one large for the peace of mind if one goes down, and being identical, plenty of spare parts. Thanks

[@johnk62]

Great info, where did you get the 30 amp rv plug adaptor to 220 volt twist lock?

[@douglasbarnhart3324]

Thanks Doc it's bin a awesome video.

[@Wilburdw2]

Hey Doc great vid. Are you able to run a microwave on your bigger house generator. Our older microwave would work but the new one doesn’t only turns but no heat. Something about dirty power comes out of the generator.

[@RichFitzwel]

Thanks doc

[@brianstrand9152]

Do you think I could get by short-term, (a few days) using a battery pack at night and my standard generator during the day?

[@oneisnone7350]

Depends on your battery, but what I do with my battery is run everything on the battery and then charge it with the generator. Running the generator constantly is usually very inefficient compared to simply recharging the battery.

[@socrates2706]

Also depends on wattage and energy efficiency of what you are trying to run.

[@HowTowithDoc]

All depends on what you are running, but yes for some basic needs our battery is fine at night then charge during the day.

[@j1st633]

My new community has a supplement fuel source of propane. All electric with propane tank for heat. Your suggestion?

[@slchang01]

Great video, Doc...I have similar well water and hot water tank system like yours. I wonder if you have any issues about using well pump as the inruch current is very high even it only consumes 2000 watts when running. My well pump is 1HP 240 V, 10 GPM @ 180' down. I plan on using them like you suggested here for the next power outage when I will have a larger generator instead of the current 3500 watts one. I am thinking one with 9000 watts starting/7250 watts running. Also, my hot water tank (60 gal) has two heating elements, each consume 4500 watts of electricity according to the label. I do not know if these two heating elements will be on at the same time. If they do, then I may not have enough juice for the hot water tank. What generator do you use for your situation that appeared to be workable? Thanks.

[@KathrynBernhardt]

Appreciate this info. Are there links?

[@Asidebar]

Costco has an excellent set (2 each) 50 foot 10 gauge extension cords for $59.00.

[@johnnyhotrod]

Thank you!

[@francoisboucher4414]

Hi, did you looked at propanes generator ? My understanding is less issue compare to managing old gasoline. For sure, less efficient than gasoline. But easilly managed. In power outage, you have the propane. Easirer to store, easier to manage. We can have one or many 100 lbs tank or greater. Your though on that ? thank you

[@gagt3400]

Great video! Does the little orange generator in this video need to be bonded to hook up to my home?

[@HowTowithDoc]

Generally the small generators do not need any modification because you are using extension cords and not plugging into your MAIN PANEL. Run them as is.

[@gagt3400]

Can they still be plugged into the main panel, this is my plan.

[@videobob]

Good common sense of generator usages. However those are plugged directly into your portable generator with various 12g with ground power cords rated for 20 amps. If your cords is over 50 feet you should run 10g with ground . House transfer power not the same and must be unbonded”at your portable generator. That means your generator is not grounded to its frame. Simply remove the generator ground wire connecting the frame. That insure only one bond”at the house panel.

[@larrym9351]

How are you powering lights with the little orange guy if you’re using extension cords?

[@socrates2706]

Hot and humid doesn’t begin to describe the discomfort of the environment after a hurricane. Best to select window A/C(s)that can be powered by one of those small generators.

[@Defianthuman]

24:49 it could be both better or worse if you have a natural gas water heater and furnace. We dont have central only window ac units so 120volt. 31:32 or buy a running but not driving car and put a 30+kw gen head or something on it. So then you would have a whole home generator with potentially a 20 gallon tank(the stock vehicle tank) and then upgrade to a much bigger tank, that runs for days.

[@golfaddict75]

Yo Doc live the video, @ 30:35 you started to talk about a well system then… squirrel! You went to an ad on your phone lol! I have 2 wells tied together combined on 1 breaker what to do then?? lol I just have a small 2500 watt peak inverter generator. All electric house and tankless electric using 2 50amp breakers!

[@HowTowithDoc]

You'll need to do some deep diving in the AMPS (watts) used for each and maybe get the specs from the manufacturer. Tankless water heaters are great but they have a BIG draw and must be run at the same time as the well. So you'd have to step up and get a larger unit to have hot water.

[@MichaelSmith-tn4pn]

I don't see your back up battery system in the link

[@HowTowithDoc]

Next video

[@jimmcc2543]

In Florida if they predict a strong storm or Hurricane I will fill my 8 -5 gallon containers plus I have 4-40 lb propane tanks also. After a storm I will then use all that gas in those cans up in the car. This way I don’t need to save gas that could go bad.

[@thekevorlando]

Hey Doc two questions one with that 2000 watt generator can you do the direct plug into the like you do with the big one and also I've seen on the KZbin channel engineer 775 he has pushed for a connector to be hooked into a air conditioner for soft starts I would be curious if you know would that work for other things that take higher startup power I am enjoying the new channel keep up the great work sir I guess we're not prospecting any longer

[@HowTowithDoc]

The small one really is an ext cord unit not for whole house connection. I think the only thing that really needs the soft start would be the main HVAC system.

[@mikecopenhaver4484]

The one that runs, every individual has different maintenance requirements so do what you need to do to have power during outages!

[@michaeljones4388]

I’m wondering if you turn everything else off can your generator run your central heat/air

[@markeasterwood1187]

For most generators it's not practical. My HVAC draws 42 amps x 240 volts= 10,080 watts. So a10,000 Watt capacity generator working at 100% capacity could run it assuming that's startup usage. My choice is a10,000 BTU window unit. If you know a storm is coming, crank your central ac down to 65, or whatever you choose, before you lose power, then the window ac coming on periodically can maintain cool temps.

[@tracymbrooks]

Great video. Do you have any suggestions for heat? My fear is Georgia will have a weather event similar to the one in Texas back in 2021.

[@HowTowithDoc]

It's hard for heat, we have a wood stove. I do love kerosene heaters but people really need to use care and learn proper use.

[@projectswithjw]

buddy heater makes an indoor safe propane heater

[@Seraphim401]

I watched the whole thing. Great info dude.

[@HowTowithDoc]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@kennylavay8492]

bought a 4000 watt that puts out around 3200 watts 300.00 dollars harbor freight use it occasionally just to keep it running and using the gas. a full tank of gas usually will run 12 to 14 hours.

[@lizadoliddle]

Have you looked into a dual fuel

[@stevenblack122]

My Gas company uses natural gas backup generators for their service…pumping from vast underground storage. Removes no electricity risk

[@kevinm234]

This is like looking in a mirror. I have the same Ecoflow ultra battery bank which will cover one day of normal electric usage. I have an ultra quiet Yamaha 2400w trifuel generator which is my go to for warm weather outages running on natural gas. I have a 10500w trifuel inverter generator so I can charge the batteries in 2 hours a day on 1_gallon of gasoline but I run it on natural gas at 60% of the cost. If you do the math that is much cheaper than grid power if you discount the initial investment. My Generac trifuel is 4000w (6000 surge) with 240v and will run my well furnace and freezers if required. I lay in 75 gallons of gasoline and 200 lbs of propane for the winter months and use the gasoline up in the spring. I also have solar to cover normal usage when the sun shines. I know this sounds excessive but I would rather have enough to help my neighbors and family than go begging for help myself. Understand I live in a snowbelt south of Buffalo NY where we concider 3 feet of snow a dusting and 7 feet a minor inconvenience.

[@TonyBenton-x9f]

Do you run the smaller generator with just extension cords or connect to the whole house system? Also, does the smaller generator come in a dual fuel version, and would that be worth exploring? Thanks for a superb channel!

[@HowTowithDoc]

Small cords on most as they don't have a plug for the whole house connection. You can find dual fuel but I don't think it's worth it in most cases.

[@Gators7444]

Great job doc. I’m looking at the Anker system with the portable solar panels. What’s your opinion on those?

[@HowTowithDoc]

I'll show the battery systems in the next video

[@BigJohnson1566]

Doc get you a laser, or good old fashioned straight line string and get those railroad ties dress right dress! Semper Fi

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

Where is the link to the generator Doc? Thank you.

[@MrHugemoth]

Best gas for long term storage is 100LL from the local airport. Not to be used in anything with a catalytic converter but it is made for long term storage without degradation.

[@mikegardiner3934]

wondering if this 3600watt would work if I have a freezer and separate refrigerator??

[@Asidebar]

yes

[@HowTowithDoc]

Fridge would be about 400 watts and freezer about the same. So yes. Watch the calc video we just posted.

[@seymourpro6097]

When Nor Cal had power failures the local gas station had no power to pump gas, so the first job was to supply a gas pump with electricity, only then could people buy gas.

[@TruelyFringe]

Where are the links to the generators? All Power and ??

[@jimmcc2543]

I have a few carbon monoxide detectors but only use them when I have my portable generator going. There is no way I can get carbon monoxide otherwise. In Florida where I live we just use heat pumps. There is no natural gas used.

[@mjhenches]

Doc, your well power needs are incorrect. All motors have a start up surge needs. A deep well pump, 3/4 or 1 HP are typical have a start up power need 1 1/2 to 2 times its run power. If you try to size a generator to the run power and add only 10% more, the generator breaker will just trip. You many also damage your well pump from under voltage at start up. Same goes for AC compressors. Unless you use a soft sart . I was an electician for 40 years. People be very carefull with emergency generators, you can kill lineman trying to restore power or ruin your home equiptment. Do get an electrcian. I installed dozens of whole house generators. I dont have one. I use a 9500 watt tri fuel generator to run a 3000 sq total electric home with a 5 ton Heat pump. I can go 2 weeks with gas and and a underground propane tank. Its called load shedding, very easy process. My neighbor had a crooked electrician going to install 22 kw unit. I talked him out of it when i told him his propane tank would last only 3 or 5 days. Beast ate 5 gallons an our. undersize as Doc says. cheaper and longer run. got my 9500 watt at Costco for 699 on sale.

[@HowTowithDoc]

Hence the previous video showing how to measure peak watts not just running watts.

[@dumbluck6180]

You nailed it. I say that because you 100% confirmed my thinking, so how could I not love it! LOL True fact, a 2,000 W inverter generator sips gas and powers the essentials. Segmenting is simple and effective. I'm adding a larger tri-fuel generator and interlock so I don't have to run extension cords, but I'm keeping my 2 KW unit. I put a pigtail on my gas furnace so it can run directly off of the small generator.

[@delir.6488]

I live in Asheville, do anybody knows with the knowledge of DOC how to install a new power panel for my Honda EU2200i....Because using long AC cords from generator to inside house...Mmm is safe?

[@akbychoice]

Best to consult a licensed electrician, anything the insurance companies can do to not pay a claim, they will.

[@johnderous7874]

What generator is the orange one?