Florida Shooters Network

joker223 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 07, 2020 2:43 pm

Flame Red wrote: ↑Sun Jun 07, 2020 1:48 pm
[*]Build a tent out of PVC and tarps so you can leave the generator outside running without fear of some rain killing it.
house!

Great Idea!

There are some plans out on the internet for those. What fittings are needed and pipe sizes, layouts, etc. They even sell special PVC clips that hold the tarp to the pipe. I put a few bricks on the PVC so it won't blow away. It comes apart really easy so you can store it partially assembled in the garage without taking up a lot of room. There were a few weird PVC fittings I had to order for a few bucks as I remember.

Slartibartfast wrote: ↑Sun Jun 07, 2020 12:16 pm i would only use an inverter genny for any sensitive electronics, have
a friend who ruined his fridge with a standard genny

I lost a fridge after Wilma due to that I suspect as it died a day or two later after the grid came back up, so off to Brands Fart I went and got one to go.

Great thread. Have a switch and 50 amp plug and a 8/12.5 generator. Only installed switch last fall so have not used it after a storm quite yet. Only lost power once that lasted more than a couple hours so hope I don’t ever have to use but it is nice to be prepared.

The transfer switch panel is the cat's ass. You select which circuits you want to run from the generator, each of them has a separate breaker, and when you throw the big switch to shift over to generator it isolates the house from the grid.

My personal guideline living near the coast in Florida is to never own a generator that I cannot load into the back of my Jeep on my own so that I can evacuate with it and bring it back when I return. The idea of returning home to find that my generator has been either flooded or stolen sounds just stupid.

I have kept trash pumps and generators running in South Florida downpours by building a miniature chickee out of palmetto fronds and tree branches to keep the rain off the electric parts. A heavy duty security cable with a big-ass lock wrapped around a tree is a good way to keep your generator from growing legs.

I've been looking at the conversion kits that allow you to run it off of a BBQ grill tank; I'm looking for one that allows me to switch back and forth between gasoline and an LP tank without too much effort.

flcracker wrote: ↑Sun Jun 07, 2020 4:26 pm I'm looking for one that allows me to switch back and forth between gasoline and an LP tank without too much effort.

Here's the one I have coming Tuesday.

It should run my Winnebago just fine.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sportsman-4 ... /304541553



They are showing a bunch of the dual fuel models online.

Shouldn't be hard to find the one you need.

I use a Hobart that I leave in the back of my truck,an can still hook-up to my 43' 5th wheel R/V an haul ass if need be.

The one problem with generators is they are noisy. Short term, that's ok. But when power is out for an extended time, noise attracts unwanted attention, and then the quieter the better.

Get a decent inverter generator. They are quiet and very fuel efficient.
I have a Champion 3100 Watt inverter generator at the farm and it runs 2 led lights, 10,000 BTU portable A/C, 2 box fans and a radio. I bet I can run the portable A/C and a refrigerator plus some LED light with it. With the refrigerator just run one during the day and the second one at night only as there is no need to run both at same time. You should have sufficient wattage as long as you start one appliance at a time.
The inverter generator is quiet and doesn't use much fuel...maybe 1/4 the regular generator. I can run mine for 7+ hours with full tank of 1 1/2 gallons of gas. My parents has 6,000Watt/8,500Watt generator and my sister has a 7,000Watt/9,000Watt generator and those require 6-8 gallons of gas per day minimum and they are very noisy. Last year they both purchased the Champion Inverter 3,400 Watt generator to replace their regular generators.
The inverter generator is quiet enough to run it out in the back of the house without bothering anyone. Mine has over 500 hours on it now and it still starts on the first or second pull every time. I just change the oil regularly.

This may be a novel question.

Our townhouse has a small interior atrium, completely open on top, with 2 walls, 2 sliders at ground level. I would love to run a generator in there, since it would be secure from theft (it would be far enough from the bedroom so noise shouldn't be a problem). However, I also don't want to replicate an early (pre-Zyklon B) Nazi gas chamber. Is there anyway to safely vent the CO out through the open top? I mean I can put a CO alarm in the house for backup, but if the atrium itself is going to be a death chamber, nah.

Yes, you can use dryer duct to the exhaust pipe and then out to a PVC pipe which must be 3' higher than the wall.
Think like you are in stalling a wood burning stove in your house and how you would install the chimney. I would install CO alarm inside the house and maybe even one outside.