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20kw generator
The power was out here for almost a week and I want to get a generator for my house, but I used this calculator that tells you how big of a generator you need for your home and it says to be safe I need 20KW! Ok, so I go to the store and all the ones they have are 5KW or 6.5KW! Where do you even FIND one that size? If you know anything else helpful about generators please feel free to share!
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You generally do not find that size generator in a portable generator. This size is usually the type that is mounted somewhere in the yard and fed of a propane tank. The one you are looking at is not much smaller than the one we have at the fire station and it runs only our basic needs. Such as the bay heaters, the bay doors, the radio room, some electrical outlets for our dispatch printer and the kitchen. During the summer we do without A/C as the generator is too small. In the winter we need heat not for our comfort but to keep the water in the Engine tanks from freezing.
I suggest you recalculate what your basic needs are. You need heat; you need to run the refrigerator and some lighting. If the power is out then the cable system may also be out. If so do you really need power for the TV’s? If you do have a working Cable system can you get by with just one or two TV’s? Is the stove electric? If so then that may need to be count the stove in.
Once you figure out what your basic needs are you may find you can get by with a much smaller generator. Most power outages do not last week or more. When they do all we really need is heat, hot water, food storage, some basic lighting and possibly the stove.
Should you want to go with the whole 20KW you will need to call an electrician to install it as a sub-panel is required to switch from power company feed to generator feed. This can only be done by a qualified electrician. This may be a requirement of the fire department or it may be a state or county requirement. Our generator is inspected annually to insure it is working properly. If this is a state or county requirement this is something you should check into as it adds to your operating cost.
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