Politics

[rookhawk]

Might be too late anyway, as I might be infamous.
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You've gotta make up some bootlegs of that apparel and give them to friends and family. Hug the cactus!

 

[Red Leg]

The Generacs have automatic load switching. Their biggest reasonably priced consumer model is 24k or 26k, that's enough for a 5000+ square foot home with all circuits piped in.

The thing I like about the Generac (and similar) is it forces you to get an excessively large propane tank that you *should* have anyway to do deal with acts of god that might ruin all your perishable foods. Total cost for the biggest Generac installed is roughly $14k. The first time a storm takes your power down for 5 days, you'll probably save $5k in groceries that would otherwise perish.

I agree, its not the right investment for someone that will move in 3-5 years, you'll get nothing for the Generac in the sale of your home. It's definitely something to install in your forever home for your pleasure, not the next buyer's.

We bought a 30KW Generac diesel right after moving here 12 years ago. It has been superb. Uses their auto switching feature which works flawlessly, and gets plenty of testing with our rural grid. Has a fifty gallon tank that I haven't run dry (I keep a lot of diesel on place for tractor and mower), but I am sure it would run 72-96hrs without a refill. Longest need thus far was 6 days following an ice storm several years ago. It runs everything in both the main and guest house. That includes three compressors and even the pool pumps.

My thinking on diesel was that I could self-refuel it if a truly long duration event rather than depend on a propane delivery.

 

[Russ16]

The Generacs have automatic load switching. Their biggest reasonably priced consumer model is 24k or 26k, that's enough for a 5000+ square foot home with all circuits piped in.

The thing I like about the Generac (and similar) is it forces you to get an excessively large propane tank that you *should* have anyway to do deal with acts of god that might ruin all your perishable foods. Total cost for the biggest Generac installed is roughly $14k. The first time a storm takes your power down for 5 days, you'll probably save $5k in groceries that would otherwise perish.

I agree, its not the right investment for someone that will move in 3-5 years, you'll get nothing for the Generac in the sale of your home. It's definitely something to install in your forever home for your pleasure, not the next buyer's.

I've wanted one for a long time. But I don't think I've ever had $5k in groceries in my house at a single time.

 

[rookhawk]

I've wanted one for a long time. But I don't think I've ever had $5k in groceries in my house at a single time.

Its easy to get to $5k in groceries. Either two steers you bought, or half a quail and a dove you shot. Either way, they cost you five grand.

 

[Russ16]

Its easy to get to $5k in groceries. Either two steers you bought, or half a quail and a dove you shot. Either way, they cost you five grand.

LOL

I try not to calculate the cost per pound of my game meat. It’s far too discouraging.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

I think in completely different terms when I know bad weather is on the horizon...

I think power generation and disaster recovery (downed tree on the house.. or inability to evacuate afterwards, etc)..

I have enough generator power available to pretty much power my entire house and I keep enough fuel on hand to keep those generators running for 72 hours straight if needed...

I have a couple of chainsaws and other tools on hand that can get me out of most forseeable predicaments...

and I have a 4WD truck with a covered bed that can go anywhere I ask it to...

Food and TP are never an issue for me... Im by no means a "prepper".. but I am reasonably prepared for a week or two long event at any time... We tend to buy in bulk from places like COSTCO and SAMS.. Theres always at least one or two 5lb bags of dried beans, a 5lb bag or two of dried rice, several boxes of dried pasta, etc.. on the shelves.. and I think the last time we had less than a dozen rolls of TP and a dozen rolls of paper towels in the house would have been the early 90's... Theres never less than a couple of cases of water in the panty as well..

I also keep comprehensive medical supplies in the house and decent kits in all vehicles..

I find it funny that every time a major winter storm shows up in the forecast that all of my neighbors fill their minivans with water, TP, and other staples... and are in a panic.. they literally buy months of supplies....

Never once did I wonder how I was going to feed myself or wipe my ass during COVID... no 3" snow storm in north texas is going to have me hungry or walking around with a dirty butt hole lol..

A couple of years ago when we had a big storm coming in I saw my neighbor bringing in a huge 50lb bag of rice that he had gotten at COSTCO..

I asked him how he was going to prepare the rice when his pipes froze and the power grid went down for 3 days due to the storm...

his eyes got huge and he went straight into panic mode lol..

I told him I'd trade him the use of a little 1000 watt inverter generator that Ive got for a 50lb bag of rice...

He didnt think that was all that funny lol...

This big environmental risks here are power outages due to wildfire or potential rolling outages in the summer (in part due to California closing nuclear plants and its resistance to peaker plants). For that I have a dual fuel inverter generator for running the fridge and chest freezer.

Fortunately my hunting, camping, and Scout hobbies/background have a lot of overlap with emergency preparedness without having to go too deeply down the prepper rabbit hole. As much as I may lament California politics, I have a hard time faulting the weather.

The real problem is that most people don’t bother to think more than a few days in advance for just about anything.

 

[Wheels]

CIA officer arrested with $40m of gold in his house. Also lied on his CV and evidently CIA never figured it out before hiring him.

There has to be more to this story as it unfolds.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2060018708328611915

 

[Brent in Az]

CIA officer arrested with $40m of gold in his house. Also lied on his CV and evidently CIA never figured it out before hiring him.

There has to be more to this story as it unfolds.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2060018708328611915

I bet he's not the only rat in that woodpile.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

Ugh. You know I don’t even get surprised by this kind of stuff anymore.

California has spent $24 million in fire-management funds on drum circles and "indigenous fire rituals"

You may think you need water and hoses to fight fires.

notthebee.com

 

[WAB]

Care to enlighten us on alternative units and recommendations. Shopping for one in the very near future.

Care to enlighten us on alternative units and recommendations. Shopping for one in the very near future.

One of my old project managers did an in depth analysis and selected an alternate. Generac did not fare well in his comparison. This is the guy that extended the port of Anchorage oil facilities for me so I trust his work. I’ll ask him to send it over and share the highlights with you guys.

 

[Doug3006]

When I read accounts of the early days in Afghanistan and the amount of cash the CIA was paying the various warlords, I knew in my heart that some of it would be embezzled. Once you start that kind of thing it becomes standard practice. You can’t play that fast and loose with that much money and expect otherwise. Same dynamic we’re seeing with COVID and Medicaid funds. Closer scrutiny and some grossly disproportionate punishment of offenders is needed.

 

[Altitude sickness]

It is tricky, I.e. expensive, to automatically sync those big units in and out. I’ll bet it is exactly what you suggest. My guess is that they have to let the grid get back up and stable, bring those units up, and then they have sync switching capability to bring them back in.

The medical facility Tanks was referring to most likely has Sub-transmission voltage fed by the local utility to a campus sub station. This would be the normal feed to power the entire campus.

Emergency generators are not allowed to back feed the utilities circuit. They are separated from the utilities circuits.

The only Synchronization required would be between two different generators. Or the generator and the power companies circuit. Which the power company would never allow.

Syncing is necessary when electric utilities need more than one generator to feed a circuit or high load area. And two or three 100kw -2000KW generators are needed to be put in parallel. A device that allows them to synchronize phasing is used.

Most hospital sized generators (as large as they are) can only feed emergency rooms or ICU’s not the entire campus.

 

[WAB]

One of my old project managers did an in depth analysis and selected an alternate. Generac did not fare well in his comparison. This is the guy that extended the port of Anchorage oil facilities for me so I trust his work. I’ll ask him to send it over and share the highlights with you guys.

He settled on a Briggs & Stratton Fortress 20 kw, 993 cc vanguard, propane with an intelligence series automatic 200 amp switch. He runs it off a 350 gal propane tank.

He spec’d every component and handled the install himself.

Generac has the advantage of being a one stop shop. Where I have heard issues is with the install and install cost. Their growth may have outstripped their field capabilities in some regions. Do your due diligence on the installer as well as the equipment.

 

[rookhawk]

He settled on a Briggs & Stratton Fortress 20 kw, 993 cc vanguard, propane with an intelligence series automatic 200 amp switch. He runs it off a 350 gal propane tank.

He spec’d every component and handled the install himself.

Generac has the advantage of being a one stop shop. Where I have heard issues is with the install and install cost. Their growth may have outstripped their field capabilities in some regions. Do your due diligence on the installer as well as the equipment.

A good friend and cheapskate WI neighbor told me this GEM of advice about generators.

You know the pretty good, but generic "Predator" brand generators sold by Harbor Freight for half price? They are very sensitive to oil levels being correct, too low or too high and they won't start. Add to that, people buy them during regional floods and return them the next week. Well, long story short, Harbor Freight cannot send them anywhere once they take the return due to bio hazard after they are oiled and fueled. They usually have a combo of returned generators that were either working fine but the buyer needed them for an emergency, or they were idiots and under/over filled the oil.

He was buying them after storms in WI and TX for about 1/7th of MSRP. 100% of the ones he bought as-is, no claim they work, worked! Several had insufficient or excess oil which was the easy fix.

For the preppers on the thread, a Honda is King but 4 throw-away Predators for pennies is probably better!

 

[WAB]

He settled on a Briggs & Stratton Fortress 20 kw, 993 cc vanguard, propane with an intelligence series automatic 200 amp switch. He runs it off a 350 gal propane tank.

He spec’d every component and handled the install himself.

Generac has the advantage of being a one stop shop. Where I have heard issues is with the install and install cost. Their growth may have outstripped their field capabilities in some regions. Do your due diligence on the installer as well as the equipment.

I should have mentioned that this is a very high end solution. Basically a commercial grade unit but a quick check on pricing is pretty attractive.

 

[mdwest]

A good friend and cheapskate WI neighbor told me this GEM of advice about generators.

You know the pretty good, but generic "Predator" brand generators sold by Harbor Freight for half price? They are very sensitive to oil levels being correct, too low or too high and they won't start. Add to that, people buy them during regional floods and return them the next week. Well, long story short, Harbor Freight cannot send them anywhere once they take the return due to bio hazard after they are oiled and fueled. They usually have a combo of returned generators that were either working fine but the buyer needed them for an emergency, or they were idiots and under/over filled the oil.

He was buying them after storms in WI and TX for about 1/7th of MSRP. 100% of the ones he bought as-is, no claim they work, worked! Several had insufficient or excess oil which was the easy fix.

For the preppers on the thread, a Honda is King but 4 throw-away Predators for pennies is probably better!

I cant tell you how many times Ive heard people exclaim their generator isnt working... only to find out they either didnt actually flip the "on" switch.. or didnt realize there is a fuel on/off valve.. etc..

theyre prepared to give the thing away or sell it for pennies on the dollar.. when the entire problem is operator error..

Or.. on the other extreme.. they dont realize ITS A MOTOR.. its needs oil... and they either never put any oil in it, or cant be bothered to read the manual and fill the oil reservoir to the top of the tank.. and wonder why the motor burned up or is smoking like all hell...

I saw one generator that some guy had filled with 2-stoke fuel from his chainsaw gas can..

Generally speaking if you buy a decent made generator from a reputable company they'll run forever as long as they are fueled properly and maintained.. its not that hard..

But... the used market is full of perfectly serviceable generators for stupid cheap prices.. because people have no clue how a small engine works anymore I suppose..

 

[rookhawk]

The medical facility Tanks was referring to most likely has Sub-transmission voltage fed by the local utility to a campus sub station. This would be the normal feed to power the entire campus.

Emergency generators are not allowed to back feed the utilities circuit. They are separated from the utilities circuits.

The only Synchronization required would be between two different generators. Or the generator and the power companies circuit. Which the power company would never allow.

Syncing is necessary when electric utilities need more than one generator to feed a circuit or high load area. And two or three 100kw -2000KW generators are needed to be put in parallel. A device that allows them to synchronize phasing is used.

Most hospital sized generators (as large as they are) can only feed emergency rooms or ICU’s not the entire campus.

This is why I love this forum. There are so many proficient experts lending valuable guidance you cannot get on the general internet. A 30+ year union lineman knows a thing or two about power distribution. I wish the newcomers would appreciate the generosity of spirt and expertise that is offered on this forum as much as I do.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Not quite 30 yrs Rookhawk. I had a late start. Retired from a job with Uncle Sam first then at 40 started the next career.

 

[WAB]

This is why I love this forum. There are so many proficient experts lending valuable guidance you cannot get on the general internet. A 30+ year union lineman knows a thing or two about power distribution. I wish the newcomers would appreciate the generosity of spirt and expertise that is offered on this forum as much as I do.

Agreed!!! I was way over my skis on this one. Glad an expert jumped in to clarify!

 

[rookhawk]

Not quite 30 yrs Rookhawk. I had a late start. Retired from a job with Uncle Sam first then at 40 started the next career.

Nevermind. He doesn't know what he's talking about.