UPS Wasn't enough, now I'll never lose camera footage

IReallyLikePizza2

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After the freeze and being without power for 2 days, I decided 2 days without cameras was no good

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Now I should have true 24/7/365 up time!

27kw Generac RG027 1800RPM Liquid Cooled NG Generator installed. Will run my entire house without a sweat
 

IReallyLikePizza2

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I got all these Wavian NATO cans for a good deal ($60 each), they hold 5.2 gallons. So a total of 72.8 Gallons in the garage, plus my truck has a 36 Gallon tank I keep mostly full. So I have a decent amount of gas on hand

I'd love more, but I can't think where else to put it
 

sebastiantombs

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Yeah, I know, storing it is a problem and even with stabilizer you need to cycle through it. I've got two sheds, the main one and a smaller one with a generator in it so I guess I could store 200 gallons or more, but then trying to cycle through that much would be problematic. I've got the truck, say 30 gallons and a car with another 18 gallons for worst case scenarios. Our power demand isn't all that high so what I have will last a few weeks already.
 

IReallyLikePizza2

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Are you cans completely sealed like the Wavian cans? I've tested long term storage of regular 87 gas from Shell without stabilizer in a completely full can (If its full, no condensation and less air) and after 1 year, everything was fine

Smelled file, worked in the mower, worked in the cars
 

TVille

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@IReallyLikePizza2 , what's your address? I know where I'm going when the Biden/Harris economy craps out!!

With 17 KW of panels, you NEED batteries. There are ways to DIY the batteries for much lower cost. You can buy individual cells and weld them together, or buy pre-made battery packs and add a Battery Management System. I'm still looking into solar. At least enough to run a few fans and lights, radio at night.
 

IReallyLikePizza2

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@IReallyLikePizza2 , what's your address? I know where I'm going when the Biden/Harris economy craps out!!

With 17 KW of panels, you NEED batteries. There are ways to DIY the batteries for much lower cost. You can buy individual cells and weld them together, or buy pre-made battery packs and add a Battery Management System. I'm still looking into solar. At least enough to run a few fans and lights, radio at night.
Battery is just too expensive. I have 1:1 net metering with no fees, so I have a negative electric bill each month, and for outages I have the generators

I'd need at least 3 Tesla Powerwalls, and that's going to cost north of $30,000 and would make the night as long as its sunny the day after and before. If its cloudy all week, all those expensive batteries are useless

Right now we are just not there. I'm waiting for bidirectional EV charging, thats the key
 

Tazz 316

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Smilingreen

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I bought some like that for my generators on my farm. I now own 3 metal jerry cans, plus a slew of plastic ones. Fuel will last much longer if you have a local station that sells non-ethanol gasoline. It's more expensive, but small fuel systems like it much better than ethanol gas. I keep 55 gallon drums of diesel for my farm equipment. Key to fuel longevity is keep air and moisture from getting into it. Always keep your cans topped off.
 

Sparky19053

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Not 100% sure but I was told most home solar will not operate unless the utility voltage is present? On the gen installation I'm not crazy to see the gas line blocking access to the electrical conduit body. Otherwise nice set up we'll being the beer to your place for refrigeration.
 

IReallyLikePizza2

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Not 100% sure but I was told most home solar will not operate unless the utility voltage is present? On the gen installation I'm not crazy to see the gas line blocking access to the electrical conduit body. Otherwise nice set up we'll being the beer to your place for refrigeration.
Yep you're right on both fronts

As soon as utility is lost, the solar shuts down. And I too was not happy the gas blocked the LB. In reality I don't think its a huge issue as I made sure there was a small gap so the cover can be removed. Still a bit annoying though

Only way around the solar shutting down is a grid forming battery, and there is a Solaredge system that can give you I think 2kw via a 120v outlet during an outage, and the unreleased Enphase iq8 Microinverters apparently will be able to island
 

TVille

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Most solar installs won't operate without the grid hot. However, it is not difficult to design one that works with batteries to provide power should the grid go down, and feed into the grid when it is up.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
 
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