bats

Our generator cost around $500 and I've no idea of how much we could power with it.

dave_j

Generator was 200 off craigslist, 3.7kW. Two fixed 20A extensions are installed. One ending at the furnace in a double socket that the furnace plug can be moved into, the second to a double socket located adjacent to a mains socket in the living room so that when needed plugs can be moved from mains to generator easily, this supplies TV, internet and lighting. Outside the extensions end in plugs that connect with the generator. Cable about 50, plugs and sockets less than 50.

I did make a plywood cover to protect the generator when in use so cost might have been another 20 for that, when not in use it lives in the garage. When needed additional extensions can be used inside the house to connect to freezers, kettle etc. Simple and cheap and no need to keep doors and windows open for cables. Thus generator and mains cannot cross connect being entirely separate from one another.

Only need to spend 000s if you want to install a transfer panel that could require rerouting of internal circuitry and use of electricians.

BristolUK

How about a couple of fixed bikes and pedal power?

MarkG

Main reason we'd want one would be for the furnace, and that's wired directly to the power with no plug to switch over to a generator. Not worth spending the money to rewire everything for the few hours we lose power each year.

Next house will probably be completely self-sufficient for power and heating if possible, but that won't happen for a few years yet.

dave_j

A good idea. Wikipaedia tells me that a resonably fit human should be able to generate about 75W continuously over an 8 hour shift.

Now 75 Watts will light a few bulbs, but can it do anything useful?
TV.. No.
Kettle.. definitely not.
Laptop.. probably.
Charge a phone.. Absolutely

So what else can it do?

Fancy a cup of tea? Typical cup about 300ml. It's cold outside so water temperature is about 5C. It'll take 300 x (100-5) x 4.2 Joules to heat this water to 100C (well insulated covered cup of zero mass) = 120000 Joules. Now a sweating cyclist pushing out 75W or 75 joules/second will take 120000/75 seconds to earn his cuppa or about 1600 seconds or 27 minutes (hope it's not dark cos there's no power left for lights).

I think he'll need his cuppa after that, but unfortunately he won't be able to rest to drink it because the wife'll want one as well... and she'll want that bloody light on too...

Ohhhh... he's had a heart attack... too much exercise... too busy heating water for tea to charge the phone.. bugger!

BristolUK

I don't have a phone to charge - unless that cordless one on the kitchen wall counts, but I have a 'normal' phone as well that would still work

Wouldn't need TV on the bike but maybe some sort of VR headset that makes it look as if I'm riding somewhere?

dbd33

We yes, that was $2,700. It's not a DIY job. The primary need for a generator is for the well pump. I suppose one could power everything with extension cords but they'd have to be very long, the generator is loud and it has to run continuously for several days each winter.

bats

Where do you put the generator when it's running? That's always a problem for us.

dbd33

The switch panel is in the garage, 100 yds from the house. I roll the generator out of the door or, if it's a blizzard, roll it to the door. It's not audible in the house.

bats

No wonder your wiring in cost so much. Our garage is adjacent to the house so of course we hear the noise, along with all the neighbours generators.
Doesn't the garage fill with snow? I'd worry about somebody nicking the stuff from the garage, bikes and so on but I guess that isn't a problem in the back of beyond.

dave_j

I roll the generator out of the garage to the side of the house. Put it under the plywood awning, start it up, plug it in and that's that, apart from going inside and switching plugs over. Takes 5 minutes. Yard is fully fenced and generator is heavy, will take a determined thief to lift it... after it's cooled down that is.

You might think that the generator is loud standing next to it but the neighbour across the road wasn't aware we had one running.

Daughter has a transfer panel and like others needed the power for the well and septic pumps as well as temporary cooking, etc. Transfer panel in the garage, generator outside under a deck.

Souvy

Cold as a bar steward here in the boonies just outside Quebec City. We've been here a week and my trips outside have been limited to a grocery/booze run, shuttling between the house and the wood shed (burner going 24/7) and an essential visit to Crappy Tire.

My son's blower (gift from Grandma) just didn't cut the mustard here. Some careful comparison shopping and review-reading, and he became the proud owner of a beast. 420cc, 30-inch clearance and 3-stage (with a thumb control for the chute and power steering).

Needless to say, it hasn't snowed since. When it does, we will attempt to move the snow on his driveway from here to New Brunswick. The beast looks like it has the range.

BristolUK

How Canadians deal with -40 weather

dbd33

The wiring is just replacement of the main panel with one that has an option to switch from the incoming power supply to supply by generator. The location relative to the house isn't a factor in the price, much of that is getting Ontario Hydro to shut off the supply while the panel is replaced.

Some snow does get into the garage but, as I leave the door half closed, it's not enough to be a problem.

What gets stolen here is livestock and stuff on trailers. If you leave a boat or snowmobile or similar on a trailer someone will hook up to it and haul it away.

We have, btw, continued riding through this weather.

Atlantic Xpat

That's why I'm adding a generator connection this year. Truth to tell, we've had very few outages lasting longer than an hour or so in the 13 years we've been in this place. But when it does go out we lose the water which is a pain & there is also the frustration of knowing that if only we had a little bit of elek-trickery we'd be able to run the oil fired heating. So, since we're having electrical work done as part of a reno, I'm going to get a generator panel or one of these Transfer Switch | Global Power Products installed.

Haven't purchased a gennie yet but it'll be a portable version rather than anything permanently installed. Of course, if it's in the garage, one has to get it out of the garage when the power goes out & the powered garage door isn't working. (So opening it manually).