New Ytest
Sign out
Bimmerpost
Login
BMW E39 5-Series Forum | 5Post.com
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read  
Go Back   BMW E39 5-Series Forum | 5Post.com > BIMMERPOST Universal Forums > Off-Topic Discussions Board

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      08-03-2020, 07:10 PM   #23
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2000cs View Post
Warm up the oil and run self diagnostics. Alarm if it fails to start (like a dead battery or worse). Could probably do it in 5 minutes in some climates; but that’s how they set them at the factory I think.
This.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 0
      08-03-2020, 07:12 PM   #24
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyan2k View Post
Yes, I know about the automatic switch. I can install it, just extra labor for me. There is one here already, I would need to take it out and rewire (it wouldn't work with Generac). With automatic switch you loose the convenience of powering circuits that you want. I can pretty much run the entire house on 7.5kw. All appliances are energy-efficient and everything is gas. Basically microwave is 1.7kw, dryer is 5kw, and probably another 5kw for AC, everything else is nothing
Per what I said in my post, if you want to run the dryer and the A/C, you'll need a load center for each of them.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 0
      08-03-2020, 08:10 PM   #25
Kolyan2k
Major General
916
Rep
5,538
Posts

 
Drives: 2006 S2000
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyan2k View Post
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Generac-...6998/306235149

I dont even need that transfer switch if it can run manually
NG is actually only 6kw. 7kw NG models are $2.8k0
Appreciate 0
      08-03-2020, 09:01 PM   #26
MKSixer
Lieutenant General
MKSixer's Avatar
34172
Rep
11,637
Posts

 
Drives: 2015 BMW i8, E63 M6, 328d
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southeast United States

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2016 M4 GTS (Allotted)  [0.00]
2013 BMW 328d  [0.00]
2007 BMW M6  [10.00]
2015 BMW i8  [10.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmyx6go View Post
My parents have a full house Generac natural gas. You don't even have to think about it. Why have to screw around fueling it up when you need it.
This. Parents have the 15kW powered by LP. It's a no brainer!!
__________________
Several actors have played James Bond, Sean Connery IS James Bond...
Sir 7ewis, 7X FIA Formula One World Championship, World Driving Champion. 100 Wins. 101 Pole Positions. 54 Fastest Laps. Actual Rain Master. Leave me to it, Bono. One Race Win in each of his 15 years in F1. Most Laps Led in Formula One. The Centurion.
Appreciate 0
      08-03-2020, 10:20 PM   #27
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyan2k View Post
Yes, I know about the automatic switch. I can install it, just extra labor for me. There is one here already, I would need to take it out and rewire (it wouldn't work with Generac). With automatic switch you loose the convenience of powering circuits that you want. I can pretty much run the entire house on 7.5kw. All appliances are energy-efficient and everything is gas. Basically microwave is 1.7kw, dryer is 5kw, and probably another 5kw for AC, everything else is nothing
An automatic transfer switch does not preclude you from selecting which circuits you want powered. You just have to wire for it. My electrician would have used an automatic transfer switch regardless of if I chose to power my entire house or just a certain number of circuits.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 2
2000cs3447.00
      08-04-2020, 07:44 AM   #28
Kolyan2k
Major General
916
Rep
5,538
Posts

 
Drives: 2006 S2000
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston

iTrader: (1)

Well I spoke to people who live in neighborhood and apparently they don't loose power here often. My guess is roughly the same as my previous residence....few times a year max and for only few hours. Even if its few days, probably whole house is gonna be a waste of money. I think I'll wait this year and see what happens. Will buy 7.5kw portable

As far as diesel go, they are all very expensive, more then natural gas. Am I missing something, perhaps someone makes relatively cheap ones?
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2020, 08:14 AM   #29
nyalpine90
Lieutenant General
nyalpine90's Avatar
7385
Rep
11,829
Posts

 
Drives: MY24 G01 AW Msport
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: L.I. NY

iTrader: (4)

Garage List
2016 BMW X4  [9.33]
If your going to do any work, please try to follow local codes for safety of yours and your family and your neighbors.
The gas line must be buried below freezing point, which is 3ft.
I believe for generator, you must use rigid pipe, not flex pipe.
Also you need to account for all of the gas appliances you have at the house, your gas line may not have capacity to fire up generator. there should be seperate gas line with shut off inside of the property and shutoff by the generator. do not tee off nearest gas line.
Appreciate 1
      08-04-2020, 08:43 AM   #30
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by nyalpine90 View Post
If your going to do any work, please try to follow local codes for safety of yours and your family and your neighbors.
The gas line must be buried below freezing point, which is 3ft.
I believe for generator, you must use rigid pipe, not flex pipe.
Also you need to account for all of the gas appliances you have at the house, your gas line may not have capacity to fire up generator. there should be seperate gas line with shut off inside of the property and shutoff by the generator. do not tee off nearest gas line.
I guess it's local code related. My contractor used a flex line through my house but went rigid on the outside.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 1
nyalpine907384.50
      08-04-2020, 08:58 AM   #31
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Here are pics of my setup:




Transfer switch:


Load center:
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 4
nyalpine907384.50
upstatedoc7555.50
MKSixer34171.50
      08-04-2020, 09:05 AM   #32
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Forgot to add as I look at the pics. My electrician added two grounding rods. You can see one next to the generator. The other is off of my main service panel.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 2
MKSixer34171.50
      08-04-2020, 10:37 AM   #33
David70
Colonel
United_States
1567
Rep
2,665
Posts

 
Drives: 06 Z4M Coupe - 13 Cadillac ATS
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Cincinnati, OH

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyan2k View Post
Well I spoke to people who live in neighborhood and apparently they don't loose power here often. My guess is roughly the same as my previous residence....few times a year max and for only few hours. Even if its few days, probably whole house is gonna be a waste of money. I think I'll wait this year and see what happens. Will buy 7.5kw portable

As far as diesel go, they are all very expensive, more then natural gas. Am I missing something, perhaps someone makes relatively cheap ones?
At a few times a year max and only for a few hours each time, I am wondering what the estimate is for the total cost for the portable generator, wired, and what it will be able to operate (assuming A/C/furnace and refrigerator are the most critical?). Then there is some amount of maintenance and refueling hassle? I don't have a generator and have few outages but wonder if the price is worth it compared to being in the dark a few hours a year (with a chance it happens when I am gone or in decent weather).
__________________
2006 Z4M Coupe - Stromung exhaust, ZHP knob, stubby antenna, clutch delay delete
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2020, 10:54 AM   #34
smyles
Major
1014
Rep
1,165
Posts

 
Drives: '21 X5
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Ironically, we've lost power in my hood for ~1 hour this morning. So few generators of various flavors were running around. My personal opinion - they all suck, as even the full house ones are still loud enough to be annoying.

Frankly speaking, if I was to invest $$, I'd go with a power-wall type battery setup, with or w/o solar, big enough to supply the house for a day or two, probably w/o A/C. This would cover 99% of situations, run the lights, fridge, and a portable a/c if really needed. A Sandy-like scenario is just so unlikely in my area to justify a doomsday setup, and likely would prompt alternative solutions like going to a hotel or whatever.
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2020, 11:13 AM   #35
FCobra94
Guest
0
Rep
n/a
Posts

 
Drives:


I've got a 30kW Caterpillar Diesel Generator for sale if you're interested
Appreciate 1
      08-04-2020, 11:18 AM   #36
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by smyles View Post
Ironically, we've lost power in my hood for ~1 hour this morning. So few generators of various flavors were running around. My personal opinion - they all suck, as even the full house ones are still loud enough to be annoying.

Frankly speaking, if I was to invest $$, I'd go with a power-wall type battery setup, with or w/o solar, big enough to supply the house for a day or two, probably w/o A/C. This would cover 99% of situations, run the lights, fridge, and a portable a/c if really needed. A Sandy-like scenario is just so unlikely in my area to justify a doomsday setup, and likely would prompt alternative solutions like going to a hotel or whatever.
We're in the same area. I used Sandy as one of the major outages I've had. But also there was the deracho (or however you spell it). That took out power too. The power grid in my area has been pretty stable of the past few years other than those events. When I first moved in, the power kept cutting in and out due to all the new homes being thrown up.

But a few months ago I experienced a totally different power situation. It took me a awhile to figure out what was going on. The power company was feeding TOO much power to all the homes in the area. It took them hours to sort the problem out. How I found out something was wrong was when my UPS' for my data center went into battery mode to protect everything behind it from the over voltage. Also all the lights in my home were super bright during this period. I measured the voltage at each of the power rails and got 140V. In retrospect, I should have manually cut over to my generator as I now don't know what the long term affects of all that over voltage will do to all the electrical stuff that was not behind my UPS'.

As far as the noise issue of the generators, yes, the Generac I have is pretty noisy. If you want quiet, I heard the Kohler generators are pretty quiet but more expensive. And frankly, the noise from my generator is just a bit louder than a big lawn mower.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 1
      08-04-2020, 12:04 PM   #37
upstatedoc
I'll get back to you
upstatedoc's Avatar
7556
Rep
2,132
Posts

 
Drives: blue streak
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: not downstate

iTrader: (2)

zx10guy so that set up powers the whole house like nothing happened? is it natural gas? what's the $$$
__________________
2018 Stinger GT
2009 E90 N51 /Active Autowerke Stage 2 tune/BMW Performance Exhaust/
Countermeasure enthusiast.
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2020, 12:21 PM   #38
RickFLM4
Brigadier General
RickFLM4's Avatar
United_States
10881
Rep
4,816
Posts

 
Drives: M4
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: PB County, FL

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by upstatedoc View Post
zx10guy so that set up powers the whole house like nothing happened? is it natural gas? what's the $$$
He said $16K installed in a previous post.

20kw will get you everything you need but ability to power whole house depends on what it will be running. We have 2 central ac units. If I recall, a 20kw standby would not run both of those concurrently plus 2 water heaters, fridge, stove, washer / dryer, etc. like you can without an outage. But it would run plenty to be comfortable. The issue I had aside from initial investment was that I came up with something like $1k / week in propane to run it hard for a week (and this was 10+ years ago). And if I was gonna invest in it, I didn’t want to worry about cost of running it because it only made sense to invest in it if we were gonna run it when we needed it. Natural gas is a better choice, but we don’t have it available.
__________________
Current: 2018 SO/SS F83 ZCP
Gone: 2015 SO/SO F82
Appreciate 1
      08-04-2020, 12:45 PM   #39
zx10guy
Brigadier General
5139
Rep
3,235
Posts

 
Drives: 2013 135i
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: DC

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by upstatedoc View Post
zx10guy so that set up powers the whole house like nothing happened? is it natural gas? what's the $$$
Yes without issue. See my initial post in this thread on page 1. During load testing after everything was installed, they fired up the generator and then fired up the A/C and dryer. The generator handled the initial power draw spike without issue. They ran both for a few minutes before shutting down the test.

The cut over is pretty quick to the generator. Takes a few seconds for the generator to fire up automatically and then the power switched over. If you have sensitive electronics you keep running 24/7, throw a UPS on it to keep the devices going in that interim cut over period. I literally have a data center in my basement with servers, storage, and network equipment. I have a 6kVA and a 1.5kVA UPS on the equipment.

Another thing for you all to consider which I just thought of is to look at the harmonic distortion rating of the generator. If this is powering anything electronic, you want a generator which has low distortion. What I've seen is the large generators have met this spec but the smaller ones are where you really have to pay attention. My 20kW Generac is electronics safe.

Cost wise, Rick's post below is correct. I paid about $16k. About $400 to $500 of that was due to a new gas meter I needed to have installed. That was charged by the local utility. I also needed to have a new gas line installed from the meter to the generator as they are on opposite sides of the house. So the cost could be $1k or so cheaper if those things were not needed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RickFLM4 View Post
He said $16K installed in a previous post.

20kw will get you everything you need but ability to power whole house depends on what it will be running. We have 2 central ac units. If I recall, a 20kw standby would not run both of those concurrently plus 2 water heaters, fridge, stove, washer / dryer, etc. like you can without an outage. But it would run plenty to be comfortable. The issue I had aside from initial investment was that I came up with something like $1k / week in propane to run it hard for a week (and this was 10+ years ago). And if I was gonna invest in it, I didn’t want to worry about cost of running it because it only made sense to invest in it if we were gonna run it when we needed it. Natural gas is a better choice, but we don’t have it available.
Yeah. I hardly notice the cost of just running the generator for 15 minutes every week for a year on my natural gas bill. My vacation home is on propane and if I do a generator there, it will be a portable one running on just pump gas to just keep the frig going and other miscellaneous things.The propane costs are ridiculous.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lups View Post
We might not be in an agreement on Trump, but I'll be the first penis chaser here to say I'll rather take it up in the ass than to argue with you on this.
Appreciate 1
      08-04-2020, 07:37 PM   #40
vreihen16
Recovering Perfectionist
vreihen16's Avatar
Ukraine
14890
Rep
938
Posts

 
Drives: 2015 BMW i3 BEV
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Orange County, NY

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
My gasoline-powered portable is getting a workout tonight. Tropical Storm E-I-E-I-O knocked out the power all over the area, and (ironically) our power company's HQ is 100% offline due to a power or Internet problem. No working cell phone app, web site, or phone line to call in the outage.

Me thinks that I see a diesel generator in my future.....
__________________
2015 BMW i3 BEV, Giga World (Lodge interior), Tech/Driving Assist Packages, 30K miles
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2020, 09:38 PM   #41
Kolyan2k
Major General
916
Rep
5,538
Posts

 
Drives: 2006 S2000
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston

iTrader: (1)

Yeah some people in my town lost power today, we are ok.

Another thing I see now are natural gas conversion kits for portable gas powered generators

Edit: I think I made my pick. Gonna get dual fuel portable 7.5k for roughly $1k and run it on propane. Don't need to do any rewiring, everything is done. 40lb propane tank or 2 and call it a day

Last edited by Kolyan2k; 08-04-2020 at 11:09 PM..
Appreciate 1
      08-05-2020, 08:33 AM   #42
Haywood
I know a thing or 2 about a thing or 2...
Haywood's Avatar
3099
Rep
3,470
Posts

 
Drives: E36 M3 Coupe, e39 M5, i3s
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: LI, NY

iTrader: (11)

Garage List
2003 BMW e39 M5  [0.00]
1997 BMW e36 M3  [0.00]
Ironically, I just got a quote on a 22W Generac whole house generator. I have natural gas. Unit plus install is $11,500. And now power is out from this storm! We got hit pretty hard here in LI and nobody has power. I can hear all my neighbor's generators going on all night which is killing me! I'm definitely doing this as I can't stand not having power. With potentially more storms and the winter coming up, I think it will be a worthwhile investment.
__________________
2019 Imperial Blue Metallic i3s BEV
2003 Le Mans Blue e39 M5 Dinan S1
1997 Alpine White e36 M3 (the old gal)
2013 Mineral White e92 M3 (sold )
2014 Carbon Black 650i M-sport (sold)
Appreciate 2
cmyx6go15575.00
      08-05-2020, 09:02 AM   #43
RickFLM4
Brigadier General
RickFLM4's Avatar
United_States
10881
Rep
4,816
Posts

 
Drives: M4
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: PB County, FL

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Haywood View Post
Ironically, I just got a quote on a 22W Generac whole house generator. I have natural gas. Unit plus install is $11,500. And now power is out from this storm! We got hit pretty hard here in LI and nobody has power. I can hear all my neighbor's generators going on all night which is killing me! I'm definitely doing this as I can't stand not having power. With potentially more storms and the winter coming up, I think it will be a worthwhile investment.
$11.5 for 22kw sounds great. Hope you get your power back soon!
__________________
Current: 2018 SO/SS F83 ZCP
Gone: 2015 SO/SO F82
Appreciate 1
Haywood3098.50
      08-05-2020, 10:56 AM   #44
Kolyan2k
Major General
916
Rep
5,538
Posts

 
Drives: 2006 S2000
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston

iTrader: (1)

Its not that common to loose power here. Like I said, last year was the first time I actually knew someone who lost power for a week. I personally was never affected by power loss in past 25 years, or at least I dont remember.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:31 PM.




5post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST