Requesting advice on backup generator

[California]

I watched a YouTube video last night where he tested the capacity of his EV to maintain his home. He concluded it could run minimal stuff for a few days - refrigerator, freezer, a hot plate and microwave, Starlink, and minimal LED lighting. He saw the EV's battery go down from 80% to 67% in 24 hours, so after a couple of days there would still be plenty of power left to drive outside the immediate disaster region to a working charger.

He has a 2022 Ioniq 5, one of the fastest charging cars available. The latest ones are only 20 minutes for a normal en-route charge.

If survival mode in your home would be sufficient instead of just carrying on as normal, and you don't expect outages beyond a couple of days, this might be a simpler alternative to a generator.

To explore this:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ioniq+5+vehicle+to+load

The shortest and simplest summary:

 

[Rmart30]

Diesel is going to be a much better option since you may not be able to get propane deliveries.
In your situation id have a solar set up and spend about $6k on it (30% tax credit available) and have a diesel generator as a back up. (probably spend $2000 on a old diesel welding machine)
If not enough sun on a cloudy day to recharge your DC batteries the generator will do it.

Think of it this way.
Hypothetical power outage and your running a generator 24 hrs a day right?
Have a solar set up and even if no sunshine to recharge it your generator can charge your batteries back up in 6-8 hours of run time.
So, instead of using 24 hrs worth of fuel for 24 hours of electricity you have only used 6-8 hours of fuel for 24 hours of electricity.
We do this with a small $1600ish system. If batteries are low we can run the generator and charge the batteries for about 3 hours, and in turn we can run the ac for about 7-8 hours over night in peace and quiet ande not burning any fuel. .

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

When I was contracting I recommended PDgenerators for the east coast contracts.

Kubota 12 kW Diesel Generator

Kubota 12 kW Diesel Generator - EPA TIER 4 Final Kubota is a leading manufacturer of compact, reliable, diesel engines. This Kubota powered generator is perfect for continous use and has plenty of power to run your home, construction site, business etc... It is mounted on a heavy duty steel...

www.pdgenerators.com

And for the west coast I recommended Wrico, both kubota reps.

Standby Generator Install | Home Generator Cost in Oregon

Explore expert standby generator installation services and competitive home standby generator costs in Oregon, USA. Visit wricogenerators.com for detail

www.wricogenerators.com

 

[RjCorazza]

The Kubota 11k and 14k diesel generators were on my short list years ago when I replaced my Generac 7kw gas generator. It was LOUD and storing gasoline was a royal pain.

Since you have other diesels, and the ability to transport fuel, I would go with the Kubota 14k and store enough fuel to get through a longer power outage. Maybe 200 gallons or so. My main diesel storage tank is 108g, and I store 55g specifically for emergency power.
My current setup is a 15kw pto generator, so I must manually transfer power. As has been mentioned, a typical lockout transfer switch is simple enough to operate and basically fool proof.

 

[Rustyiron]

Your situation and wants are identical to ours.
Just this past April we were out of power for 5 days from 18" of the wettest snow I've ever seen.
I didn't want the additional complexity of an automatic xfer switch and relying on a service guy in an extreme weather event seemed is self defeating to the whole "emergency backup power" thing, the same as hoping for a propane delivery.
I found a low hour (1100) 20kw diesel unit (Cummins) that has a 200 gallon fuel tank as it's base.
It didn't have an enclosure but building a 12x12 generator building was a simple project and worth it for the $5500 price of the genny. It's about 150' from the house right next to our last pole and the meter with the xfer switch back to back on its own "pedestal".
There's a simple little generator procedure stuck on the refrigerator with a magnet that my wife can and has followed. We also don't get excited about 2-3 hours without power depending on the weather. Mostly for the freezers.
I also have a couple of 275g tanks of heating fuel and off road diesel on hand. My generators consumption is about a half gallon/hour.
That April storm had a lot of folks around here running out or almost running out of LP.

This is the only picture of the generator building on this phone. It was early during the April storm but enough to loose power. Look at the trees with only 4-5" on the ground! The widespread damage came during the next 13-14" inches.
Many were out days after we were back online.

edit; to be fair, I've never had an automatic transfer sw. so I might be over reacting but I'm certain that parts you don't have will never need service or go bad.

 

[DarkBlack]

I think whatever you get a water cooled diesel is the way to go. I say this because you always have that fuel on hand. They cost more than a propane one but in your case diesel seems the logical route.

yup. 1,800 rpm’s is the way to go with diesel.

 

[5030]

Only difference between the JD powered diesel Generac I have besides output (I also have a propane fired Generac that takes care of the house) is, the diesel has a 4 pole head and the propane one is a 2 pole head. 2 pole = 3600 rpm, 4 pole = 1800 rpm.

Both of them have been flawless except for routine services, for over 12 years now.

IMO. Generac makes a quality product.

 

[5030]

Both of mine have vacuum operated transfer switches, I would not have it any other way. The diesel starts and warms up for a minute and assumes the load while the propane one warms up for 30 seconds and assumes the load. Both are hard wired, the diesel to the shop and barns, the propane unit runs just the house. The diesel is 110 -220-1-3 and the house one is 110-220-1.

 

[DarkBlack]

Both of mine have vacuum operated transfer switches, I would not have it any other way. The diesel starts and warms up for a minute and assumes the load while the propane one warms up for 30 seconds and assumes the load. Both are hard wired, the diesel to the shop and barns, the propane unit runs just the house. The diesel is 110 -220-1-3 and the house one is 110-220-1.

Vacuum operated? That would be odd.
I’m guessing you mean vacuum enclosed switches

 

[ponytug]

@Rmart30 we have solar plus batteries backed up by generators. I think that having enough battery storage to go at least overnight is very helpful, and it minimizes the fraction of the time that the generators are running. (A solar plus battery installation has IRA tax credits; just make sure that your batteries can be charged by a generator if needed, like @Rustyiron's snow story above.)Having batteries is much nicer than our previous method of running the generator whenever we needed some power. It is so much quieter.

@Rustyiron that has to be the nicest looking generator enclosure that I have ever seen! Awesome!

All the best,

Peter