Power in a Storm

[123.Shawn T.W.]

AVI,

Whole house generators generally have mufflers like cars ... My brothers you do not even know it is running ... Most whole house type generators (rv too) run at 1800 rpm, compared to portables which usually run at 3600 rpm (which accounts for more noise, and shorter life span.

From: http://www.kohlergenerators.com/home-ge ... cts/20RESA

Quiet, neighborhood-friendly operation with sound levels similar to a typical central air conditioner

[avi123]

AVI,

Whole house generators generally have mufflers like cars ... My brothers you do not even know it is running ... Most whole house type generators (rv too) run at 1800 rpm, compared to portables which usually run at 3600 rpm (which accounts for more noise, and shorter life span.

From: http://www.kohlergenerators.com/home-ge ... cts/20RESA

Quiet, neighborhood-friendly operation with sound levels similar to a typical central air conditioner

The noise ordinance in my town at night is a max 50 db. A refrigerator emits 50 db. Would a car muffler muffle that much?
There were hundreds of posts posted about it in the past in this website.

[-SWS]

The noise ordinance in my town at night is a max 50 db. A refrigerator emits 50 db. Would a car muffler muffle that much?

Our town has a similar noise ordinance. However, if one reads the ordinance further down the page, power generators and other emergency equipment are exempt during power-down emergencies.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

AVI,

Whole house generators generally have mufflers like cars ... My brothers you do not even know it is running ... Most whole house type generators (rv too) run at 1800 rpm, compared to portables which usually run at 3600 rpm (which accounts for more noise, and shorter life span.

From: http://www.kohlergenerators.com/home-ge ... cts/20RESA

Quiet, neighborhood-friendly operation with sound levels similar to a typical central air conditioner

The noise ordinance in my town at night is a max 50 db. A refrigerator emits 50 db. Would a car muffler muffle that much?
There were hundreds of posts posted about it in the past in this website.

So ... Do you turn off your AC at night?

[avi123]

AVI,

Whole house generators generally have mufflers like cars ... My brothers you do not even know it is running ... Most whole house type generators (rv too) run at 1800 rpm, compared to portables which usually run at 3600 rpm (which accounts for more noise, and shorter life span.

From: http://www.kohlergenerators.com/home-ge ... cts/20RESA

Quiet, neighborhood-friendly operation with sound levels similar to a typical central air conditioner

The noise ordinance in my town at night is a max 50 db. A refrigerator emits 50 db. Would a car muffler muffle that much?
There were hundreds of posts posted about it in the past in this website.

So ... Do you turn off your AC at night?

OK, I do turn the AC off at night b/c the flow of air at 83 F irritates my nose and fills it with junk. The noise of air during daytimes was cut down in my house by deleting the higher speed of the AC fan. Last year, we replaced our Heat and AC systems with Rheem stuff. I am not happy with the Rheem hi efficiency furnace. It's condensate's blower makes too hi grinding noise at its end (not inside the house). In my opinion it should bother our neighbors. The furnace is located in our basement and its exhaust exits the wall horizontally. Last winter I mounted a car muffler at the end of this exhaust outside but the installer said that it will avoid the warranty. This is b/c it creates a back pressure that shuts the furnace off. Also, it started to rust. As I understand it there are problems nationwide with all those hi efficiency furnaces. Google: "Noise from High Efficiency Gas Furnaces". Those morons at my town hall who are in charge of inspecting the systems, probably, receive money under the table from the makers of the hi efficiency furnaces, to not make problems b/c, IMO, the noises at the exhausts of those furnaces exceed 50 db.

[hueyville]

HoseHead,
My underground propane tank(s) are made specifically for being buried. Also, they are buried in a very specific way that is actually found in our local code book as it is fairly common for wives not enjoying the view of a shiney 1,000 gallon tank that insane husband doesn't even need. First tank was above ground and painting it camo, putting fence around nor shrubs seemed to clean up her view toward the lake.

I was smarter with the windmills. Spent weeks looking out windows marking lines of vision on the plat. I came up with several blind spots. She cant see them from the house. What I did not count on was the volume of noise from a set of 12 foot diameter propellers in winds of 20 mph and above. Whup, whup, whup. She got a new set of energy efficient winxows which carried a sound supression rating. Now she doesn't even hear traffic on the road. Even little nopi cars or log trucks. Happy, happy.

For those interested in solar I work with one oc many that lease the system to the homeowner. It is your best deal. They install them, maintain and keep roof repaired. You pay lease which is offset by energy savings and the occasional check from the pkwer ompany for putting more into the grid than you took out. At end of 20 year lease you get to keep free and clear. They are grid tie design using a large inverter, no batteries so no power when grid goes down. If you want batteries to run a house you will never save money unless you are like me and reclaim 1,000+ pounds of telecom batteries per day and get to take all the serviceable units home. My battery farm grows weekly.

[Kiralynx]

From: http://www.kohlergenerators.com/home-ge ... cts/20RESA

Quiet, neighborhood-friendly operation with sound levels similar to a typical central air conditioner

And that's about all the noise it DOES make.

Ours does its self-test on Saturday mornings, and I was sleeping during the last two. The generator is just to one side of our bedroom window (properly vented well away from the house), and it is no louder than the air conditioner which is right under the bedroom window.

Our backdoor neighbor has one that was running during Isaac and all we could hear was a quiet hum.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

From: http://www.kohlergenerators.com/home-ge ... cts/20RESA

Quiet, neighborhood-friendly operation with sound levels similar to a typical central air conditioner

And that's about all the noise it DOES make.

Ours does its self-test on Saturday mornings, and I was sleeping during the last two. The generator is just to one side of our bedroom window (properly vented well away from the house), and it is no louder than the air conditioner which is right under the bedroom window.

Our backdoor neighbor has one that was running during Isaac and all we could hear was a quiet hum.

And that is they way it SHOULD be! Glad your happy with your new wise investment ... Just the peace of mind is worth the cost!

[Hose_Head]

HoseHead,
My underground propane tank(s) are made specifically for being buried. Also, they are buried in a very specific way that is actually found in our local code book as it is fairly common for wives not enjoying the view of a shiney 1,000 gallon tank that insane husband doesn't even need. First tank was above ground and painting it camo, putting fence around nor shrubs seemed to clean up her view toward the lake.

You do realize, don't you, that your tank will eventually corrode. There are millions of underground oil storage tanks in the USA and Canada, too. Also made specially to be buried. The oil industry and property owners are now dealing with the huge costs of replacing those tanks and cleaning up the contamination because many are leaking. I spent a career taking care of clean-ups of this type.

It's only a matter of time for your buried propane tank. It won't last forever. As a precaution, I recommend that you maintain adequate monitoring to catch any leaks as soon as they happen. One or two gas sensors can buy a lot of peace of mind!

[avi123]

delete

[Hawthorne]

Hose_Head - I expect we all know that these kinds of tanks will "eventually" corrode. How long does that take? On what does it depend? Don't those who install these know the regulations and the life expectancy?

I think you are putting undue stress on the OP. She finally feels secure with her cpap for power outages, having gone through a hurricane without power, and now you are throwing all this at her.

The answers to the above questions might help - if you know the answers. I see you are Canadian, as am I. You may not know the situation with these things in the US.

I expect there are a lot of these in the area in which she lives because of the weather situation so we and she should probably trust the authorities there. She has done her home work and checked out others who have them.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

The OP is using natural gas ... So no tank to worry about, and probably plastic piping underground ...

IIRC our national gas association (which public safety adopts) says that every 20 or 25 years (don't remember which, it had been awhile since I was in the propane business) the tank had to be dug up, inspected, and new sacrificial anodes attached ...


Just a FYI propane is heavier than air ... NG is lighter than air ...

[Kiralynx]

Check out Mountain House pouches - 2 servings per pouch and a lot of their stuff is really good.

They look good, but with the exception of the green beans, everything has grains, potatoes, starches, sugars, natural flavors, etc. None of which I can have. That's the problem.

I have a dehydrator, and can MAKE emergency food, but there's nothing I can BUY.

[hueyville]

avi123, most dedicated whole house generators are rated in the 50 to 60 db range. My generator is rated 61. I put it in an inuslated storage building which reduced its sound signature to 40 db at full load and makes it harder for thieves to get to.

[Kiralynx]

That was probably one of the best decisions you have made. And Kohler is one of the better engines. As a 30 year general manager with two invester-owned utilities, it is my opinion that conditions in that industry have changed dramatically. Up until the 80s, a significant percentage of a utility's budget was for operations and maintenance, keeping the system in optimum operating condition. Now, general distribution system maintenance has been reduced substantially. This means that systems where maintenance monies are directed elsewhere, (which, in my opinion, are most) customers experience more momentary outages as well as those of longer duration. So, the whole house natural gas-fueled generator, is really a great investment; not for a financial return, but for comfort and peace of mind. Good choice.

Yes, we were familiar with the Kohler, and were pleased when the company we selected to do the installation suggested it.

And yes, we're entirely too familiar with lack of maintenance.