It's Been A Tough Winter

[Henry]

Well the ice is finally melting, with some help from 250 # of salt.  The good news so far is nobody fell & hurt themselves.  Pretty much decided I am going to get myself a generator that is automatic & runs on propane instead of gasoline.

[mkr]

The January Thaw is a good thing, got a lot of that ice on its way down the river now. 

[rod anode]

I already did that henry,,,,fell and bought a propane genny,when I get a late night call I guess people think I can walk on water or ice as the case may be.but back to the genny.i figure that propane will not go bad like gasoline just have tanks dedicated for the genny ,I went to lowes and bought those 100 pounders and took them to onsight propane and got them filled for 250 a gallon .note call before you go to make sure he is there ,then that genny and fuel can sit there for years ,I would advze you to start it once in a while just to test it...

[al brodeur]

here is something to consider when getting a standby generator
will it be started automatically when a power failure is detected? or do you have to start it?
a lot of the automatic versions have a monthly built in test feature which is all ok , but the following items should be considered
upon starting does the engine have some idle time to warm up some automatic startup generators go full throttle immediately
which is not good for a long lasting engine, you don't do that to your car as I know it can get stupid cold up there.
also how many hours does the manufacturer recommend before switching over to synthetic oil and or will they cover the warranty with it?
I personaly think propane is the way to go. as it was I took care of when I was working--trouble free as long as the propane doesn't run out.
another item depends on how much your going to load the generator 80-100% of its rating be carefull there because with propane the power devloped is less than with gasoline
and you could overload the gen leading to more problems- like lower frequency

[Henry]

Thanks Ed  & Al.  Mary Kay has the automatic one and it runs on propane.  It starts every Friday morning & runs for 20 minutes.  Hers runs certain outlets along with her furnace & the pump for her septic tank.  It also has a delay to overcome in case the power keeps blinking off & on.  If I were a little younger, I would go with the manual electric start propane like Ed has, but at 80 years old it's a bit dangerous for me to be going out & handling this on my own.  It has been about 5 years since our last power outage when it was out for18 hours.  This might be a poor investment at my age, but will certainly ease the stress.  My health was better when I got the little generator & it gave us a source of heat, lights & sump pump capabilities when Maryann was alive.  I don't have an elaborate house, but it is handicapped accessible & this will be an added feature to allow me to live there by myself without Mary Kay having to worry if she is on a trip.  I know I can always rely on Ed Roupe to keep my furnace going if I have power.