Off Topic! Going off the Grid Has anyone struck a coin about doing this?
amwldcoin
Posts: 11,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
I hope this becomes a fun topic! 
I'm trying something new...using my phone because that's where I have pictures and my laptop to write...so if you are quick the pictures will be lagging.
The last hurricane we had in Ga. a few months ago..yes..we do get them once in awhile we lost power for 3 days. 
Usually when we loose power for this long it is in the winter when it is cold as crap and I just empty the freezer into a couple of coolers and put them outside and all is good. This time we lost a freezer full of food. OUCH Yeah, there was some good stuff in there. On top of that we are always the last to get our power restored. For years I have been thinking about a backup generator. The stopper for me is we are all electric and have a well. Yeap...when the power goes out we have no water. We do keep gallons of backup water on hand for cooking, etc...but no baths or showers. Within 4 hours after our power went out I tried to find a generator. Everywhere was sold out a couple hours before my call. I never considered a backup generator because I couldn't justify the 5 figure plus install we would need to power our house normally.
Moving along I have always been wanting to have the option to heat with wood here. This is the 1st house I have lived in where I couldn't burn wood and it is everywhere! I have given enough firewood away the past 10 years to heat my house for the rest of my life if I live to be 100! I bought this house from my Mom 12 years ago after my stepdad passed away and she didn't want to deal with it and move close to my sister. After moving in, there were things I didn't like...of course not having a fireplace! The original plans called for a hanging fireplace in the living room/den but my parents decided against it as it would eat up a third of the room. There didn't seem to be any other option at this point in my mind unless the house had been built bigger which I would have done.
Sadly 10 years ago my sister passed away. Less than a year later my Mom broke her hip. While she was in rehab I introduced the option for her to move in with us. She is/was a very independent type and resisted. My winning argument was you should move in with us while you are healthy so we could establish a normal living together relationship instead of when it became a necessity.
She agreed so we added an inlaw suite on to our house. While doing so the wood heat was working on me. At 1st we were going to put a fireplace into her den. The problem was it was going to be to confining because we couldn't make the edition big enough due to other factors. That got me to thinking about putting a wood furnace into her basement area. All was good until the cost involved with exhausting the furnace...close to double the cost of the furnace! I'm a number cruncher so I couldn't justify it!
Dang! Why didn't I think of this before? It just hit me a few months ago, Why not put a wood stove in the Den instead of a hanging fireplace! So below is the result!
Comments
Not long after I decided on the Wood Stove I got to thinking about a generator again. My light bulb was burning bright and a deal I couldn't pass up presented itself to me. I can live without AC....but I want to be warm in the winter. I realized without running the heat pump, turning off the water heater(we can run it when needed if we watch other things), not using the oven or clothes dryer, we didn't need as big a generator! I don't know if they have any left, but Home Depot had a special buy on what I'm showing below and it is a steal for $899 with free delivery IMHO! It weighs close to 200 pounds so forget about normal coin shipping methods!
Every other generator I had been shopping was from a brand I had never heard of.
The gas company is coming this week to bury a propane tank for me and an electrician is coming the end of the week to wire the house with surge protectors and a switch where I can go on or off the grid! Turns out he has the same generator and did the same thing I am doing! Guess I found the right guy!
Great deal on the generator!
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can't help with the coin but these purchases usually don't get used that often, hopefully and i read MOST of your posts here and i don't know if you commented about using this when you desire to and not just when you need to but if it is strictly backup, then get a piece of tape, paper and pen and tape it all to the gennie and mark when the last time you turned it on was. no point in having it if it doesn't work the 1-2 times you really need it.
- not sure how long these can sit idle along with the fluids in it and be able to just crank it on at a moments notice w/o having ran it a bit from time to time.
i've noticed that once we break the big 4-0 (i presume you have), things can set around for years easily before we get around to them. hopefully this is just my small and modest contribution to you being a little warmer and a little less hungry in some dire times in the future.
i'm into making advances and improving things but i do like that lil ol heavy thing carrying on the Ford name, a staple of this country.
While I like the ability to run on gas....just think how much cheaper it could be if they offered an LPG only version! I don't plan to ever run gas in it and it will last much longer that way!
I'm with you there! I'm debating on whether to fire it up now or just let it sit new until I need it the 1st time. I do trust the Ford brand and know about running things a few times a year. That is the beauty of running propane. Even if I don't keep the battery charged..it has a hand pull start!
PS! Oh how I wish it was the 4-0! 6-0 here!
Too bad you can't use it as a grill once in awhile.
now all you need is to tripwire the perimeter and dig a network of tunnels under the property
@LanceNewmanOCC I bought a portable gas generator the first week of the pandemic lockdown. I fire it up every few months and keep about a gallon in the 5 gallon tank. I add a little gas stabilizer from time to time
@amwldcoin. I love the fireplace! Nice add!
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I have a similar Honda one.
And, I had an electrician hook into the panel so I can throw a switch, plug it in, and throw another switch and power whatever I want in my house.
The 2 items I don't use (but could if they were the only ones I used...or only with something else small) are the dryer and the microwave. I can do the entire rest of the house all at the same time and run for 8-12 hours on 1 tank of gas.
Run your generator AT LEAST once every 6 months, and definitely before whatever season you think you may need it. Mine has a switch and a pull, just in case the battery dies on the switch. The cord to plug into it, and then into the outlet the electrician installed outside my garage (as you want to run it away from doors/windows), ran about $100 and also is about 25' long.
What's nice about the portable one is, not only can I take it with me when I move, I can wheel it outside and run my electric tools with shorter power cords....and things like electric blower, etc.
I almost had a full house auto-switchover one installed but found out they would have had to not only wire it up but also cut up my new (at the time) stamped concrete and increase the gas piping from the house to the street. Would have made it ~$20,000-$30,000 and I wasn't sure how long we would stay here, so I opted for the nice $2000 generator + $1000 electrician fee for the hookup.
We lost power, for 3 days, 2 weeks ago (wind/rain storm) and while a lot of others had nothing...well, most of us in the area has gas heat...but the blowers are electric....I had lights/heat/hot water/power for laptops/cellphones/etc and garage doors we could use so we could still park inside at night. In our neighborhood, you could walk outside at night and hear about a half dozen generators in the area....but all the other houses had nothing......
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
@amwldcoin Nice generator. I think starting it up at least 4 times a year and letting it run for 20 minutes is a good idea. What viscosity oil does it take?
On a similar note, I've got a Vermont Casting airtite stove fireplace insert, twin blowers, that heats our house, coal and wood. We love it. Peace Roy
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Thanks for all the comments, compliments, and advice. I think I will be a step ahead of the game by only running propane in it. The biggest thing that causes reliability issues with engines like this is gasoline and the fuel system. With the introduction of ethanol into gasoline this amplified the problems greatly. I will also be storing it inside a climate controlled garage when not in use(it will not have a drop of gas in it!). I do agree with everyone about stating it a few times a year.
I'm sure you know this but I have seen the effects when a person doesn't... Make sure you do not run it inside your garage or the CO will get you. Be sure to run generators outside away from your conditioned living space.
Looks like a great setup. It will be nice to keep the pumps and freezers going. And there is something about wood heat in the winter that feels so nice. Just keep in mind that you will need a fresh air supply to prevent back drafting of smoke. Just crack open a window if needed.
does this qualify?
When I lived in Washington State, I had a generator installed. It was outside and I had a shed around it....It was wired into the house system, so when power failed, I just threw a switch in the garage, and voila, power for the entire house. Left it there when I moved. It was gas powered, but would run for a day on a tank. Just kept the door open when running it. Only used it twice during the years I had it. Started it three times a year though, and kept fuel preservative in the tank. Cheers, RickO
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Curious why you ask...it calls for 10w30.
A big benefit of my project. Exercise! Something I've been sorely lacking lately.
In vegas, we don't seem to have that problem. However, when we were in Colorado we did have that problem and it was always in the winter when it was zero or below. So, built a new home of 1800 sq ft with full basement and put a wood burner, similar to yours, in the family room. Could heat the entire home on wood when the power went out....but showers were out of the question.....ugh. Sponge baths with a pot on the wood burner were acceptable at least.
bob
While we aren't in Colorado. The room my wood heater is in is 2 stories high with over 250 sq. ft of window glass. Even though they are double pane....it takes some juice to heat the room. I've been watching my power meter. If my calculations are correct and I keep using the heater regularly it will cut our electric usage in the winter at least 2,000 kilowatts a month. Heat Pumps don't like winter weather!
I agree. Off topic.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Just think of all the cash you have to spend on more coins now!
bob