The standard residential service entrance is 200amp, 220 volt or 44KW. But you can get by with much less.
I have a 15KW unit (220v 65 amp) that runs everything except the two heat pumps and it would run those too except for the emergency heat strips. You also need to consider fuel. LP (and natural gas) is good forever and you can get large tanks (mine is 500gal underground). But long term storage of Diesel or gas is problematic and getting fuel is also a problem if power outages are widespread. Also, a big generator will use significantly more fuel than a small one for the same small load. Generac (aka Centurion and Guardian) and Briggs and Stratton sell packages with automatic switchover gear which are cost competitive. Kohler is more expensive as I recall. Those packages are designed to power a limited number (8-12) of circuits where each circuit is wired to the switchover box. In an existing installation, this means lots of splices in the existing power panel. You can also get a 100 amp switchover box that powers a whole subpanel for about the same price. If you go with a manual setup, you can turn off the breakers to big unnecessary loads (like a water heater) or not use them (like a dryer), disconnect from commercial power (preferably a break-before-make transfer switch) and apply generator power. This is the cheapest solution but it requires you to be there to set it up. I chose an automatic Generac system mainly in case I was out of town ... my wife is NOT mechanically inclined. If the power is out for about 15 seconds, it fires up the engine and switches the load to the generator after about a minute (for warm up). Later, it switches back to commercial power after the power comes back solid for a couple minutes. There have been cases when we did not know the power was out until we went outside and heard the generator. Personally, I think 5KW would be fine for a cabin or as a manual emergency power source but you probably want 10-15KW to run the whole house. And even then, don't run big loads like a dryer or electric heat. Also, for an automatic standby generator, I think LP or natural gas is the only way to go. If you have gas, you can also use it for heating (fire place, water heater, stove, etc.) so you won't have many really big electric loads. Finally, I think a 20-40KW generator is overkill and those are MUCH more expensive (although quieter because they are often water cooled and run at lower RPM) than the smaller units. Of course if you already have a big gas or diesel storage tank that you use regularly, you have other good options. Anyway, that's my experience and opinion. Scott Ritchey -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kaleb C. Striplin, work Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 3:35 PM To: Mercedes Discussion List Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: 5600 Watt Diesel Generator in Northern Catalog so what size would a person need that would run everything at the same time like regular line power? If I ever got one I would want it hooked into the house power with a switch or whatever to connect or disconnect it. What would be really great would be something that automatically kicks in if the power goes out. I bet something like that would be expensive though. --- Kaleb C. Striplin Cox Auto Trader 730 FSBO Supervisor ----- Original Message ----- From: "R A Bennell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 2:22 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: 5600 Watt Diesel Generator in Northern Catalog > During power outages, plan to use a camping stove or the BBQ and maybe the > microwave. Don't wash the clothes etc. > The generator will run the lights, the furnace fan, the refrigerator etc > but probably not all at once. Be prepared > to shift things around a bit. If you don't have outages often or for long, > extension cords etc are probably > sufficient. If it happens all the time and for longer than a few hours, > then you will find it more comfortable if > you have something bigger and more permanent. There is a nice writeup on a > web site by a fellow in Florida who has > to contend with hurricanes. He has a setup with one of the Lister style > diesel engines and a big genrator head. He > has written a good description of how and why he has done what he has and > some tips on how to adjust the thing etc. > I don't have the url here but it is on the computer at home and could be > obtained if anyone is interested. > > Randy _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
