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Believe it or not I finally got a generator

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I've said I intended to buy a generator a number of times here on FF. I have procrastinated like a pro. I have shopped and either could not find one that struck my fancy or I didn't have the money to buy what I wanted.

Then it happened. Last night we had a very close call with a tornado. It came thru my part of Ohio. We never ever have had a tornado touch down even close to here. Last night it touched down from Coolville to Reedsville. I'm a Reedsville mailing address (not in the town). The tornado leveled multiple houses. A guy less than a mile down the road from me ended up with his truck in his living room. Massive damage to his house, but it was not leveled. It was a brick house, I'm sure that helped.

Today power is still out, and roads are closed all over as emergency crews try to clean up from this mess. We are extremely lucky no one was killed or seriously hurt here in Ohio. Just across the river, about a mile to a mile and one half away a man was killed in Belleville WV. A trailer park over there (in WV) was devastated.

So, we were extremely lucky to escape with no damage at all. However we are without power for the foreseeable future. So I went generator shopping today and actually bought one. I bought a Rigid RD8000. 10000 start up and 8000 running. Subaru engine. It has a gauge that shows the percentage of power we are consuming from the generator and so far we are at 30%. I have the fridgs running along with TV & satellite boxes and of course my computers. :D Along with a few lights. That's all we need for now.

So I'm a happy camper tonight. I finally got off my butt and bought a generator. :D
 

tsaw

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
Glad you missed the damage. I've been sitting on the fence on getting a generator myself. Is it true that all you have to do is throw the main breaker..
and then plug the generator into any AC outlet?
That's how my employer did it back in the 80's.
Worked like a charm.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't know. I never tried that. :eek: I have everything running off of 4 14 gauge orange extention cords hooked into power strips. Cords everywhere. I don't think it could run everything in the house. That was part of my dilemma, I would love a whole house genset that would take over when the power goes out and run everything. That would cost me 5 to 6k installed minimum. This one was just under 1500 for the generator, some cords and power strips.

Here is a link to the one I bought at Home Depot:
http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
Glad you missed the damage. I've been sitting on the fence on getting a generator myself. Is it true that all you have to do is throw the main breaker..
and then plug the generator into any AC outlet?
That's how my employer did it back in the 80's.
Worked like a charm.
it will work for lights but not a good idea your wireing and plugs arn't desighned to handle the load and can cause a fire .
 

tsaw

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
it will work for lights but not a good idea your wireing and plugs arn't desighned to handle the load and can cause a fire .

Hmm I know you are right... but what we had at the place I worked was a two story factory, and a garage. When the power went out the owner went and threw a big lever at the main power box, and started up a generator in the garage. It was just plugged into an ordinary AC outlet, to power everything. I mean everything. Air compresser, lights -== anything that was plugged in. This went on for ever. The only thing I noticed bad.. was when there was a heavy load, the lights would dim.
 

tsaw

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't know. I never tried that. :eek: I have everything running off of 4 14 gauge orange extention cords hooked into power strips. Cords everywhere. I don't think it could run everything in the house. That was part of my dilemma, I would love a whole house genset that would take over when the power goes out and run everything. That would cost me 5 to 6k installed minimum. This one was just under 1500 for the generator, some cords and power strips.

Here is a link to the one I bought at Home Depot:
http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

That is one sweet puppy Doc.. I like it.
I like how it is on it's own 2 wheeler. Usally a generater of that watage need two people to drag it around. Plenty of power, nice find.:clap:
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
it will work for lights but not a good idea your wireing and plugs arn't desighned to handle the load and can cause a fire .

With almost all portable generators having a floating ground, all you'll do is immediately fry everything in your house that has a transformer in it. When we had that bad ice storm a couple of years ago thousands of people fried just about everything in their house trying to do that.

I am NOT an electrician, but you have to make sure your generator ground point is attached to your ground wire driven at least 8' in the ground or drive a separate ground in for your generator. Items plugged in and run from the outlets on the generator work just fine since they don't go though your breaker box and need that ferrous rod grounded to earth. Do NOT try it. It will be expensive. I picked up 4 big flat panel TV sets free except for my expense to replace the internal transformer or internal fuse.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Do I need a ground hooked to the generator for the way I'm running it (with extension cords)? I obviously do not have one now, but could get one for next time.
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
On a portable generator, powering equipment plugged into cords that are plugged into the generator, a grounding electrode connection is not needed.

If it's connected to the house wiring, a connection from the generator frame needs to be made to the house grounding electrode system.
 

ghautz

Bronze Member
Site Supporter
Sounds like you got a good deal. My daughter and son in law work for an equipment rental company. All their generators are Subaru powered. The company has found them very reliable. I priced a 6 or 8kw unit through them and it would have cost about 3k. Ended up getting a Honda powered DeWalt commercial 6kw generator for about 2k. It is wired through a transfer switch to my garage. I try to run it every month or so to make sure everything works, but that doesn't happen very often. If I had to do it over, I would look into a permanently installed propane unit that tested itself weekly.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
On a portable generator, powering equipment plugged into cords that are plugged into the generator, a grounding electrode connection is not needed.

If it's connected to the house wiring, a connection from the generator frame needs to be made to the house grounding electrode system.

Someone told me once that you shouldn't connect your generator ground to the same ground from your house breaker box, that it was better to use a separate generator grounding rod. Please educate me. I'm not very good at all this electrical stuff.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Do I need a ground hooked to the generator for the way I'm running it (with extension cords)? I obviously do not have one now, but could get one for next time.
Glad you came out of it without no damage Doc & congrats on the new genny .

I dont know about anyone else , but I sure as hell wouldn,t run my generator without having it connected to a ground rod . That aint rocket science , just plain ole common sense IMO . :biggrin:

We are on the last leg of our grid & due to all of the oil wells around us starving the grid for power due to their outdated equipment , we are without power quite often . Sometimes several times in the same day , Its been going on for years & just something we have learned to live with as there is only about 5 households that it seems to effect on our grid .

There are several new housing additions going up a few miles away in all directions , But they are all on a new & seperate grid so they are only effected during storms or normal power outages .

In the last six months or so the power company have been forcing the oil guys to update their equipment & it seems to be getting better , But due to the lightning storms in the last few months we are on our 4th new transformer in 2 months .

Bottom line is we just got used to being without power & firing up the generator is perty much routine as well as extension cords running everywhere , allthough I dont worry about it unless we are without power for 4 hours or so & mainlly use it for the refrigerators which we have 3 of in a couple of different locations .

We dont have all the fancy high tech stuff as most folks , so its not that big of a deal to us , it might be uncomfortable at times but then again its just the 2 of us . We like to think of it as a really long camping trip :biggrin: . More folks should learn how to do without for long periods at a time & be more prepared as our ancestors did , They might actually enjoy the simpler way of life & not take everthing for granted as much , Just my opinion :clap: .
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Most residential systems will still have a connection to the neutral conductor of the house which is grounded. In case of a fault, with separate grounding electrode systems, there will be a parallel path to ground. Which is a no-no.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't think it could run everything in the house. That was part of my dilemma, I would love a whole house genset that would take over when the power goes out and run everything.

it will work for lights but not a good idea your wireing and plugs arn't desighned to handle the load and can cause a fire .

Hmm I know you are right... but what we had at the place I worked was a two story factory, and a garage. When the power went out the owner went and threw a big lever at the main power box, and started up a generator in the garage. It was just plugged into an ordinary AC outlet, to power everything. I mean everything. Air compresser, lights -== anything that was plugged in. This went on for ever. The only thing I noticed bad.. was when there was a heavy load, the lights would dim.

My generator is normally connected out in a detached building.

I use a 50 AMP plug and have never had a problem with the load in that plug.

First, I throw the main and all 220v breakers in the house, the main in that building and the breaker for the generator.
I then fire up the generator. Once it's running smooth, I flick the breaker for the generator (so I now have power in the building). I'll test some lights and put a voltmeter in a receptacle to confirm good voltage. If that's all good, I then close the main breaker in the building so it's now feeding the house.

I then let all the 110v appliances do their business (freezers and such). Once they've had a couple hours to run, I start closing the 220v breakers.

Doc - the only things that generator won't run are your heat pump (or A/C) and heat strips in your furnace (if you have an electric furnace). If you have an electric stove/oven, I probably wouldn't run that either.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Looks like it has a high customer rating too !

I have a old 5000 watt 3 phase military gen set . Its loud . Very loud .
They were used in Nam as MASH power units . I have never even been able to slow it down , no matter what I plug into it . Its just too damn big and I would love to sell or trade it and buy a unit like the one you have now . Otherwise I am going to find me a big ass secondary muffler to put on this one and put it in its own "stand alone" building .

If I get a smaller genset my My future plans are to take this one and mount it on a small trailer with flood lites on all 4 corners and have a water tank and fire pump setup on it too . We have a little Fire dept up here and when we have a fire they have little resources . Thought it might be handy to have set up to power up homes in case of power outages from fires .
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
using a 50 amp plug is to the breaker box is fine some people just want to make a doubble male plug and plug into a 110 wall outlet this is not a good idea i have seen it work but it ain't going to be done on my house because i know what will happen.Big Al i would have to get into some of my old army pubs but there are some field expidiant ways to quiet down your ao-42 engine in your old gen set we used to build up snab bag pilboxes around them than sand bag a 55 gallon drum wih a inlet and outlet pipe attaced to it for an aux muffler they worked pretty good not the 60 db of the new tqg series but not bad either
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have a old 5000 watt 3 phase military gen set . Its loud . Very loud .
They were used in Nam as MASH power units . I have never even been able to slow it down , no matter what I plug into it . Its just too damn big and I would love to sell or trade it and buy a unit like the one you have now . Otherwise I am going to find me a big ass secondary muffler to put on this one and put it in its own "stand alone" building .

Al, I thought you sold that thing!!!!!

I've been kind of halfheartedly been looking for a MEP-002a like yours, with a sound kit. :biggrin: The prices for those things at auction have gone through the roof lately. Don't know why.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Al, I thought you sold that thing!!!!!

I've been kind of halfheartedly been looking for a MEP-002a like yours, with a sound kit. :biggrin: The prices for those things at auction have gone through the roof lately. Don't know why.

Mines in Idaho . Make me and offer and come and get it .:w00t2:
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Too far.

I checked back, it's gas and I want diesel. I like the price though.

Yes it is . I better keep it as the fire dept don't have much and think it may come in handy . I don't know why, All we ever do is save a few foundations each year . If your place catches on fire ,you can be pretty sure its going to burn down before the fire dept can get to it . Last total burn was caused my the Fire Chief who started a fire in the stove and burn't his son's cabin down .......
 
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