Hey Greg, you might also want to check into one of these. I'm assuming that your generator is large enough to power your needs. The first is installed by your power company, http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm# Check on prices this might be much cheaper than a normal transfer switch.

This one requires you to know something about doing electrical work, http://www.marwellcorp.com/sp2376op.htm If you are not familiar with electrical panels don't use this one.

If you are only looking to add your water pump to your generator needs, have a plug and outlet installed for your water pump. When your power goes out unplug the pump and plug it into the generator. This might not be feasible depending on how your pump is wired and installed. HTH.

Ray,

Yes, I was planning on having something similar to your first suggestion installed. My gen is 6000W, and has 4-110 and 1-220 outlet. Our water pump is hardwired to the panel, so we couldn't plug it in. I suppose an option would be to have an outlet/plug installed, but I think it will be useful to essentially be able to run anything I want selectively by flipping the breakers. We have oil heat, so in the winter if we lose power due to an ice storm or whatever, we should have the juice to run the blowers and such for the heat. That and running water is all the missus really needs to be happy. Actually, she does ok without both as long as it isn't for too extended a period.

About the comment on running gens for short intervals; I suppose that works well with regards to the fridge and freezers, but the main reason we left ours running was for the sump pumps. When it's wet out, our sumps fill constantly, so shutting off the pumps for very long is really not a good idea. The sumps were the main reason we got the gen, and although they are expensive it is alot cheaper than replacing everything in my basement.

Thanks for the suggestions...

Greg

Greg, one thing you might want to check is how old your oil furnace is. The reason i ask is small generators tend to have "dirty" electricity. If you have a newer furnace, even though it is an oil burner, it might have electronics in it that are susceptible to damage from voltage or phase variation that is present in a small gen set. Old oil burners will run just fine on a generator. If in doubt check with your service tech. or the manufacturer.

I don't know much about generators and wiring, so this may be a silly question, but...

Since these devices require some manual intervention anyway, couldn't you accomplish the same thing just by throwing the "main" breaker at the circuit panel?

The problem I see in isolating the house from the grid (which is certainly necessary if you're going to use the house wiring) is knowing when the power's available again... and I don't see that any of these devices address that either.

But I may be missing something.

Ray,

Thanks for the heads up. It is fairly new, since I replaced the 40 yr old one when I got the place. I will be sure to check it out.

Greg

Presumed, while it is technically possible it is not recommended. Transfer switches have mechanical interlocks so that you can not have line power and generator power at the same time. If by chance you hook up the generator and forget to switch off the mains or someone else switches on the mains your generator will be back feeding the power lines. The power will go back out through the transformers at 7200 volts, this is can be lethal to line workers. If no one gets shocked the power will come back on and fry your generator.

There are generator transfer switch set ups that are automatic, line power goes off, generator comes on. When the power comes back on the generator shuts down. These systems are generally expensive.

If you are using a small transfer switch it will not disconnect your whole house from line power, leave a light on in a circuit that is still on line power and when the power come back on so will the light. It is also advisable to turn off all major appliances that are still on line power. HTH

Some comments on this thread:

On the subject of non electric refrigeration- refrigerators come in two types: electric powered compressor systems, and heat operated evaporative systems. The heat can come from propane, kerosene, or electricity (a heating element). The evaporative type was popular way back there (1930s or so) but then Frigidaire, a division of General Motors, set up an assembly line for production that was similar to those for making cars. This brought the unit cost down for the electric powered compressor refrigerator. Money talks, and the cheaper compressor type of refrigerator won out. Kind of like the VHS and Beta video formats, or PC and Mac.

http://www.lehmans.com/

http://www.howstuffworks.com/refrigerator.htm

To cool a bottle of wine, etc- wrap loosely in cheesecloth, douse with cool water, place outside in the shade where it will get a breeze, and add more water from time to time. Won't be cold, but is cheaper than spending $1500 on a non electric refrigerator :-)

Alternate method- place in clay pot filled with either salt water (brine) or a solution of potassium nitrate in water. Rotate bottle from time to time.

If you have ice and want to cool something in a hurry, fill a water can with ice, water, and the beverage to be cooled. Screw on the lid, place on side, and roll back and forth. Works sort of like making homemade ice cream. I haven't tried this myself, so don't know how effective it is.

Freezers- keep the freezer completely full. Fill up the empty space in the freezer with gallon jugs of drinking water. These are 69 cents or so at the grocery. They will freeze solid, and help keep the contents cold when the power goes off. After they thaw completely, use for drinking water. Don't use empty milk jugs- buy drinking water in plastic gallon jugs. Some people say to pour out some of the water to allow for expansion. I've found that the gallon jugs just bulge out when frozen. Sure, one or two might split, but so what.

During normal times the jugs will help conserve electricity by displacing air in the freezer that must be re-chilled each time you open the freezer. Also, a chest type freezer will keep cold better than an upright as the air doesn't spill out each time you open it.

Basement sump- I don't have a basement, but if I did I would consider a hand pump as a backup. Would a 12 volt bilge pump have enough force to move the water up from the basement? One of these on a heavy duty deep draw battery connected to a solar charger might be an option.

Lighting- One option is a car battery, a small desk lamp, and a screw in 12 volt LED light bulb. These draw very little current.

Aladdin lamps are great. The link, for anyone who is not familiar with these: http://www.aladdinlamps.com/store/dynamicIndex.asp

Headlights- the kind that go on your head. I love headlights. I have a Petzl Tikka and it's so handy. I also have a few others. You can pick these up cheap on ebay.

Generators- how about building a small, heavily insulated, locking shed for the generator. This would protect it from theft and reduce the noise. Ventilating the shed to keep the generator from overheating might be a problem. I've also wondered about attaching an inexpensive car muffler to cut down on the noise. Somewhere I heard about attaching a garden hose to the exhaust, then stretching the hose out and away from the generator. This was to reduce the noise while camping. I don't know if this is effective or not.

I've read that quite a few generators are stolen during power outages. How about welding a ring to the frame, then chaining the generator to a tree?


Deaths from Isabel- I did some looking online and found that deaths occurred from the following causes:

drowning- vehicles swept away while attempting to cross fast water

drowning- overturned canoe

drowning- horse drawn buggy swept away while crossing fast water over road

falling down stairs in unlighted home

heart attacks- cleaning up storm debris, etc

struck by falling trees during storm (several)

tree fell on mobile home and killed person inside

struck by falling limb while cutting up tree after the storm

carbon monoxide poisoning from generators indoors, in basement (3)

motor vehicle accidents- lost control on wet pavement; struck downed tree in roadway

two power company employees electrocuted in two separate incidents, while clearing limbs from power lines

car struck by falling utility pole

vehicle blown off roadway by winds and driver killed

http://www.vdem.state.va.us/newsroom/isabel03/deaths.htm


Re: heating water for making coffee, etc. - consider a single burner backpacking type stove. I have a collection of backpacking stoves, from my quest to find the "perfect" stove. Propane, butane, and alcohol are the safest indoors.

Esbit fuel is less toxic than Trioxane, for sure, but I"m not sure I'd call it non-toxic. I suspect that Esbit fuel produces carbon monoxide but don't know this for a fact. Don't misunderstand, I really like Esbit (except for the price) and it's very compact and convenient. Just be careful with proper ventilation with any stove.

For ease and convenience, the type of stove in the link below is hard to beat. These are sold at restaurant supply type stores and are used in restaurants at buffet tables, etc. You can see them on cooking programs on tv, too. There are several different brands, but they are all essentially the same design:

http://frontiersurvival.com/butstovwcanc.html


I also like the alcohol fueled Trangia stove, but the civilian models are expensive. Buy a Swedish Army surplus cook kit instead. I bought 3 sets from a surplus store for five bucks apiece. The cook kit:

http://www.marspec.net/430312.html

http://www.wj-enterprises.com/camstovkital.html

A warning- the stove is brass and filled with burning alcohol. As a result it gets HOT. Don't try to move it while it is burning. One of the newsgroups told about a man who picked up a burning stove and spilled burning alcohol everywhere.

I burn HEET gasoline antifreeze for fuel. Be sure to get the one in the yellow bottle. It's the cheapest form of alcohol I've found. Make sure you do not use anything with hydrocarbons (petroleum products) in it:

http://www.goldeagle.com/heet/


Re: treating tap water to make it safe - forget boiling, just get a backpacking type water filter, or a Brita (or other brand) home system. Better yet, use your bottled water for drinking.

Some of this stuff is elementary, and I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence. I just thought that someone might pick up something they've missed. Thank you for the all the posts on your first hand experiences.