Genset discussion from Podmod>television thread |
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446 |
Topic: Genset discussion from Podmod>television thread Posted: 09 May 2014 at 1:57am |
My parents were the same way. We never had air conditioning when I was a kid until Dad got transferred and they had to sell the house. (Once they got it they never went without it again, partly due to not being able to find houses to buy without it!) They were never cheap either, but as you say, certainly frugal. That was mostly a good thing in a lot of ways.
TT |
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser |
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fwunder
Senior Member Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 1676 |
Posted: 08 May 2014 at 3:13pm |
While living in Florida, Andrew was a huge boon for generator sales. Now in New Jersey, Sandy did the same. Still, there are a number of folks who still backfeed to electric dryer outlet.
I'm glad I went with second option also. Before Sandy. fred
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2014 RPod 178 => MyMods and Buying Habits
2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 08 May 2014 at 2:59pm |
It took 33 years at their current house to finally convince my parents to buy the generator (a hurricane a few years ago left them w/o power for 3 days, that sealed it). They are fairly frugal. As a kid I woke up many winter mornings freezing, and spent many summer nights trying to sleep in the heat and humidity. They refused to get A/C or cable tv until long after I was out of the house, even though all the neighbors and their friends had those luxuries and my parents certainly could afford them. So I chalk it up to frugality. They got a top of the line portable genset. If you can backfeed it for $50, why spend $$$ for another option?
I took one of the other options.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446 |
Posted: 08 May 2014 at 2:25pm |
Wow. A $4000 generator and a feeding through a 30 amp twist-lock outlet seems like an unusual combination!
TT |
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 08 May 2014 at 9:55am |
No, due to the potential problems I mentioned, you have to build your own, and only if you are certain you can eliminate the problems.
If you know enough to identify if you have MWBCs and/or 240 volt loads on whatever panel you will be powering, a simple/cheap option is to just turn those circuit breakers off while the genset is the power source. If the 2 circuit breakers that feed a MWBC aren't tied together (sometimes they are), you can turn off one of the two breakers and safely use just one circuit. Put this on your checklist so you are sure you don't miss it.
Speaking of checklists, they are a must. No matter how much you think you'll remember everything or how competent you are, under the stresses of the hurricane blowing outside coupled with your now-dark house, you will forget a step, or do a step out of order. Such as plugging in the generator, then starting it, then waiting 20 seconds, before finally flipping the transfer switch. In that order.
I've done it. One of the first times I powered my house using my Prius I forgot to turn off the Prius' A/C system. I remembered to turn off the screen and the radio, but I used 25% more fuel because I forgot the A/C. Now it is on my checklist. My father did something worse. His genset feeds his house through a backfed 30 amp twist-lock outlet (NOT recommended for multiple reasons!), and the first time he had an outage he wondered why the genset kept stalling. I knew why the second he called me - he forgot to turn off the main utility breaker! So he was dangerously trying to backfeed the entire grid... and if that grid had come back on at this point it would have blown up his $4000 generator. Now he has a checklist.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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RPodWeGo
Senior Member Joined: 10 Jul 2012 Location: Salt Lake City Online Status: Offline Posts: 112 |
Posted: 08 May 2014 at 1:08am |
Wow, do they sell whatever it is you are talking about on Amazon .... Plug 'n play too?????
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RPodWeGo
RPod 177 04 v8 Toyota 4Runner |
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446 |
Posted: 07 May 2014 at 2:42pm |
Never the less, I'm scooping up grey matter here and there trying to save what I can... |
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 07 May 2014 at 1:39pm |
And I didn't even get into the real head-explody stuff!
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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fwunder
Senior Member Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 1676 |
Posted: 07 May 2014 at 12:41pm |
OK then...
First read made my head explode. Second read was only mildly painful. Third read and I think I'm starting to get it. I hope the test is going to be multiple choice! Really, thanks Doug. That was exceptionally kind of you. Of course, now I have visions of exploding heads. fred
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2014 RPod 178 => MyMods and Buying Habits
2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 07 May 2014 at 11:17am |
The University of Dumbfoundedness hereby confers upon Techntrek the degree of Doctor of Wow for his weighty and comprehensive contribution to the RPOD community, electrical subdivision. His discourses, both detailed and voluminous, set a new standard others can only dream of. Thank you, Doug.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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