Stickboy97
Supporting Member
Yeah, they’re not big fans over there
wow... those are $5400 online. you just need to act like General Contractor and get an Master Electrician and a plumber who is familiar with NG. Oh and know that you will face a 1k NG bill if that genny runs for a week or so.
Isnt a hurricane just gonna blow those panels off? And what about if you need a new roof?If you get a generac I would get one that has the dial to switch over to propane and have a few large tanks on hand. Apparently some people had issues with Natural gas as well. Appears our grid is a large % natural gas, and the delivery for that relies on the grid... Bad enough storm hits us and it could knock out gas as well.
I'm thinking of going with solar and a powerwall or 4. I saw a video on youtube where a guy in Austin had solar and 2 powerwalls and was able to get enough power each day to keep his house from freezing even with some panels covered. If he had 4 power walls and a way to clear the snow off the panels he may have been able to keep power the whole time. If I remember correctly this is also the last year for rebates on solar unless the new administration extends them.
I would still have my portable generator and you can add a whole house with a powerwall and solar has been proven to pay for itself. If our electric prices go up it may pay off faster.
If mounted properly they will go wherever the roof goes.Isnt a hurricane just gonna blow those panels off? And what about if you need a new roof?
As far as generac service I would never trust natural gas as that power could also be lost or downgraded in a major event ice or wind. Propane
is the way to go expensive up front cost. If you already have a propane tank on site definitely the way to go. If not the Best is a trifuel generator so should gas supplies
dry up at last you can add gasoline. Friends have found that gas generators are usually great the problems of finding gas can become a real problem.
Would have at least 4, 5 gal gas cans full to start you can always put that gas in the car after the storm.
just pros and cons
If you are worried about the panel warranty, get an LG or Panasonic panel. I doubt either of those are going out of business any time soon.I really looked seriously at solar panels. Decided the reasoning behind them was full of holes. First off payouts were 12 to 15 years. Maintenance.
Even thought many claim 10 yrs or more on warranty. Solar companies for the most part are usually out of business by then. As a 41 yr
maintenance man these products will have problems and chances are you will be paying to fix them. The fact that they are outside means
rusty parts and bolt downs witch may mean complete panel replacements if they are still available. Not buying the part about roof replacement.
Removing old panels could be tricky especially if done by a roofing contractor. The reinstallation cost would be the same if not more than
original installation plus replacing panels that get broke during this process. My 2 cents as a maintenance repairman.
As far as generac service I would never trust natural gas as that power could also be lost or downgraded in a major event ice or wind. Propane
is the way to go expensive up front cost. If you already have a propane tank on site definitly the way to go. If not the Best is a trifuel generator so should gas supplies
dry up at last you can add gasoline. Friends have found that gas generators are usually great the problems of finding gas can become a real problem.
Would have at least 4, 5 gal gas cans full to start you can always put that gas in the car after the storm.
just pros and cons
If you have a shed or can get one, I would leave the gas there. Could also stash a decent amount of propane in a nice sized shed. HOA would never know.I like the idea of tri fuel and I do exactly what you speak with regards to gas in cans. I just give it the kids.
My main concern with gasoline for a week is having 50g of gasoline in 5g plastic cans in my garage as a fire hazard at the start and but gets used over time.. I guess I've done it through two hurricanes and a freeze now. so...
I have also considered getting a 100g propane cylinder (and will have room once I remove the heater and evap cooler off our pool) but am still concerned about fire/explosion as the pad i would use is right next to the house (also wondering if HOA would give me any crap about it). Not sure how difficult it would be to get it installed/refilled.
I didn't mean to suggest it does not corrode, but properly installed you should get 50 year service life from it, maybe more. The problem is if you mix alloys and create a galvanic cell. For example I think aluminum and stainless steel mixed results in aluminum being basically a sacrificial anode and corroding very fast. Any time you mix dissimilar metals you make a galvanic cell and one of them will corrode first and/or faster than it normally would.Your right about the 10 ft clearance, I have heard that now days they must be buried but dont know that for a fact. Disagree on one point aluminum
may not rust but it does corrode, same difference
If you have a shed or can get one, I would leave the gas there. Could also stash a decent amount of propane in a nice sized shed. HOA would never know.
I think a large tank needs 10 foot clearance from house openings, combustables, and property lines. The tank itself should not explode as they add a pressure relief valve. If the tank gets hot enough to overwhelm that valve and blow up, your house already burnt down. As for propane causing a building to explode, it is heavier than air so as long as there is a ground level vent it should clear out. Just don't store in a basement or bunker. There were some guys that died a while ago when a propane heater in their underground bunker started to leak and they ignited it entering the bunker.
Had not looked up all the restrictions. Looking like a large tank is going to be tough in the city unless you have a huge yard. For me, distance to windows and A.C. would rule out against the house anywhere, and utility easements rules out the property line. I would need one in the middle of my back yard, or need to stick to moveable tanks.
They are actually coming out to give me a quote on Weds will let everyone know what they tell meThere are others that make whole home generators besides the very popular Generac. Look into Kohler, Onan (cummins), Champion power (no persona experience with this one)..... Look up Lime Instruments, there was a guy on FB posting possible discounts for reefers on Generac units.
There is a 100lb bottle that is "portable" that is what I'm looking at.Had not looked up all the restrictions. Looking like a large tank is going to be tough in the city unless you have a huge yard. For me, distance to windows and A.C. would rule out against the house anywhere, and utility easements rules out the property line. I would need one in the middle of my back yard, or need to stick to moveable tanks.
I'm thinking for me it would have to be NG with Propane backup and I would just have to keep a few 20Lb tanks in one of those plastic yard storage things.
I found out the last covid relief extended solar rebates so it is still 26%. I think I'm going to end up just pulling the trigger on tesla solar and power walls. Apparently they got the fail-over to battery when you lose power so seamless that people don't even know the power is out. No lights flickering or anything. Then I would just keep the smaller generator for now instead of a whole house one.