Yes.

RCR06 said:

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I have an 8.5kw generator. I live about 30 miles from the gulf so my most likely power outage is for hurricanes. I can run my refrigerators and a window unit along with most other appliances when needed. I will stick my window unit in my bedroom, that I can actually cool down. Same with cold weather, you're most likely not going to heat your whole house with portable heaters. Pick a room and try to heat that room only. If you choose the living room use blankets to close openings to areas without a door. A bedroom would be easier to heat.

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This is a very good approach and one we have taken in the past. Plus get some LED string lights that draw minimum wattage. We also have a couple of kerosene heaters as AgBurnet suggested.

RCR06 said:

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I have an 8.5kw generator. I live about 30 miles from the gulf so my most likely power outage is for hurricanes. I can run my refrigerators and a window unit along with most other appliances when needed. I will stick my window unit in my bedroom, that I can actually cool down. Same with cold weather, you're most likely not going to heat your whole house with portable heaters. Pick a room and try to heat that room only. If you choose the living room use blankets to close openings to areas without a door. A bedroom would be easier to heat.

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I had forgotten this but can't be stressed enough. We face a lake so have giant windows facing that direction which is also north facing oncoming cold air.
We drew all the blinds and it made a significant difference in warming the living room where the fireplace could assist. On the other hand, shutting out most the natural light coming in, sure added dark to the already gloomy situation for several days. I could more easily understand what cabin fever might be like.

If you have the extra wattage you can get some additional heat off of old school bulbs or the big shop lights

If you have a Costco near you, see if they have one of these in stock. Should run a lot of what you need while giving you fuel options (less wattage with NG and LP). Run with extension cords until you can get an interlock and 50a input installed by an electrician.

My local Ace Hardware and HD have them as well.

https://www.costco.com/firman-7500w-running--9400w-peak-tri-fuel-generator.product.100840185.html

zooguy96 said:

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TAMUallen said:

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https://www.mrheater.com/big-buddy-portable-heater-nf.html

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Do those produce carbon monoxide/dioxide or no?

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I had an 1886 Victorian House and the temp went down to 8 F. I used it indoors with a big tank. Not advisable buy you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm live 1/4 mile off the road now in a heavily wooded remote area. I have a portable generator at my house now. I paid an electrician to put a receptable outside to plug it in to, but the comments about just running cord to the dryer (still $$$ because it's a lotta copper for the cord) works. Make sure your turn off the main switch to your breaker so it doesn't go back up the line. Or you can just run some extension cords to important stuff but that's not as good as plugging it into your system.

I'm on a well and wanted to run that, a water heater and the HVAC. I also got a bad arse woodstove installed in the basement that will crank out some heat.

terradactylexpress said:

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A suicide cord, not recommended

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I somehow talked an electrician into putting a cord with a male plug coming out of a receptacle on my house where I can wheel up a generator. I'll remove it if I ever sell it or at least disconnect it and make them install it back.

Gator92 said:

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I manually cut-off my main breaker.

And, no I don't have the stupid mechanical or any other type of transfer switch.

I have a 30A receptacle that is near my service entrance panel I installed MY SELF. And yes, I have a length of SOWJ cord w/ 30A plugs on each end.

Just takes a little common sense to cut the main, plug it in and THEN start the ginny.

Veteran of Ike, YurI, Beryl, etc...

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You didn't happen to own my house before me did you?? Trying to figure out how to use mine, the gen box has a female inlet.

Gator92 said:

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I manually cut-off my main breaker.

And, no I don't have the stupid mechanical or any other type of transfer switch.

I have a 30A receptacle that is near my service entrance panel I installed MY SELF. And yes, I have a length of SOWJ cord w/ 30A plugs on each end.

Just takes a little common sense to cut the main, plug it in and THEN start the ginny.

Veteran of Ike, YurI, Beryl, etc...

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Just some tape over the main breaker, like Jack Swigert in Apollo 13.

Also, you probably don't need 5kW to run the gas central heat furnace blower. I've run my 2 & 4 ton systems on a 2kW Harbor Freight inverter generator.

If you have gas or propane stove, you can always make hot water bottles.

My daughter was alone in her little house during Feb 2020 freeze. No power for 5 days, so no heat or hot water. Iced in, couldn't leave.
Got to 34 degrees inside her home.

She survived by heating water on her stove and putting regular sized water bottles with hot water inside her coat. Put several hot water bottles under her bed covers.

My wife and I when first married & poor lived in an old, very small, frame home was only heated by a Kerosene heater, a Kerosun.
Lived through 5 winters with it, 1989 was wicked cold, into single digits. Old frame house built in 1906 had no insulation, , like living in a garage.
Highly recommend kerosene heaters if you have a source for Kerosene.

Charlie Murphy said:

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Gator92 said:

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I manually cut-off my main breaker.

And, no I don't have the stupid mechanical or any other type of transfer switch.

I have a 30A receptacle that is near my service entrance panel I installed MY SELF. And yes, I have a length of SOWJ cord w/ 30A plugs on each end.

Just takes a little common sense to cut the main, plug it in and THEN start the ginny.

Veteran of Ike, YurI, Beryl, etc...

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You didn't happen to own my house before me did you?? Trying to figure out how to use mine, the gen box has a female inlet.

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Gen Box? I have a locking L14-30R receptacle mounted near my service entrance panel. My 9KW generator has the same receptacle. It is a 30A 4 wire 230V receptacle.

I made length of 10ga 4 wire (10/4) SO cord w/ locking L14-30P mechanical plugs on each end. There are 4 wires in the cord. Black, white, green and red.

cord by the foot:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-By-the-Foot-10-4-600-Volt-CU-Black-Flexible-Portable-Power-SOOW-Cord-55809699/204632921

plugs

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ELEGRP-30-Amp-125-Volt-250-Volt-NEMA-L14-30P-Locking-Plug-Industrial-Grade-Grounding-Heavy-Duty-Black-White-L1430P/317624654

Procedure for power up:

Shut off main breaker
Shut off circuit breaker to receptacle(I leave mine off under normal conditions)
Plug in both ends
Start Generator
Turn on circuit breaker to receptacle

Power down(power restored)

Shut off generator
Shut off receptacle breaker
Unplug each end of cord
Turn on main

RCR06 said:

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I have an 8.5kw generator. I live about 30 miles from the gulf so my most likely power outage is for hurricanes. I can run my refrigerators and a window unit along with most other appliances when needed. I will stick my window unit in my bedroom, that I can actually cool down. Same with cold weather, you're most likely not going to heat your whole house with portable heaters. Pick a room and try to heat that room only. If you choose the living room use blankets to close openings to areas without a door. A bedroom would be easier to heat.

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Just cooling one or two rooms definitely works in a hot environment. However, in a very cold environment multiple rooms have to be heated in order to keep pipes from freezing. So I suspect keeping the critical areas of a house warm in a real cold snap is more complex then staying cool when it's hot.

Jabin said:

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RCR06 said:

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I have an 8.5kw generator. I live about 30 miles from the gulf so my most likely power outage is for hurricanes. I can run my refrigerators and a window unit along with most other appliances when needed. I will stick my window unit in my bedroom, that I can actually cool down. Same with cold weather, you're most likely not going to heat your whole house with portable heaters. Pick a room and try to heat that room only. If you choose the living room use blankets to close openings to areas without a door. A bedroom would be easier to heat.

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Just cooling one or two rooms definitely works in a hot environment. However, in a very cold environment multiple rooms have to be heated in order to keep pipes from freezing. So I suspect keeping the critical areas of a house warm in a real cold snap is more complex then staying cool when it's hot.

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I'm talking about how to realistically keep cool or warm during a power loss. If the plan is to try and keep your whole house warm because you're worried about pipes freezing then you need a whole home generator. I know several people that would have loved to have any source heat during the 2021 freeze.

Animal Eight 84 said:

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If you have gas or propane stove, you can always make hot water bottles.

My daughter was alone in her little house during Feb 2020 freeze. No power for 5 days, so no heat or hot water. Iced in, couldn't leave.
Got to 34 degrees inside her home.

She survived by heating water on her stove and putting regular sized water bottles with hot water inside her coat. Put several hot water bottles under her bed covers.

My wife and I when first married & poor lived in an old, very small, frame home was only heated by a Kerosene heater, a Kerosun.
Lived through 5 winters with it, 1989 was wicked cold, into single digits. Old frame house built in 1906 had no insulation, , like living in a garage.
Highly recommend kerosene heaters if you have a source for Kerosene.

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Wife and I spent 2002-2005 in an old house in the Houston Heights with no heater. We used one of those radiant heaters in the bedroom and would leave the gas stove on in the kitchen. It was actually pretty effective. The landlord tore that house down after we moved.

We were poor too.



To the OP. I had a neighbor during the big freeze make it with a 90 dollar buddy heater and the adaptor to make it work with the bigger tanks. He just moved into one room and kept everything closed up. He said other than being totally bored his room stayed about 50 degrees. And he went through a lot of propane but it worked.

Supposedly when you turn generators on/off is when they create the most noise and dirty electricity that can damage electronics. Not sure how true that is though

A lot depends on the severity of the cold and how long it last. A week of lows in the low 20's and highs hovering around 30 is a lot different than a week in 10's-teens as lows and highs in the 20's.

Trickling your faucets will keep pipes from freezing down to real low temps. If you are on a well i would hook the generator to that

Interesting. Many thanks! Why 30 amp over 50?

terradactylexpress said:

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Supposedly when you turn generators on/off is when they create the most noise and dirty electricity that can damage electronics. Not sure how true that is though

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That's why you turn the breaker on/off on the generator with it running.

If you have a propane water heater or propane tankless water heater, fill up your tubs with hot water and run your shower up in the air to heat the room. Like others have mentioned use your stove if gas to heat large pots of water such as large turkey fryer pots or crawfish boil pots and allow the water to hold the heat and steam into the room. Having a camp stove or turkey fryer burner that runs off propane is always a good backup. You can go to a thrift shop and buy some old oil lamps for cheap.

Charlie Murphy said:

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Interesting. Many thanks! Why 30 amp over 50?

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Cause my generator has a 30A 230V outlet.

terradactylexpress said:

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Supposedly when you turn generators on/off is when they create the most noise and dirty electricity that can damage electronics. Not sure how true that is though

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There is some truth to this.

A conventional portable generator can produce a inconsistent AC sine wave. Mostly due to slight variations in RPM and when load is added to the circuit. However, modern electronics are mostly DC converted from AC. That wall wart you plug in converts it.

If you are worried about it, buy the newest inverter generator. They produce a very consistent sine wave.

Other advantages include dramatically better gas mileage and are much quieter...

I've heard the sine wave thing to be not that big of an issue, given most people are looking for temporary power solutions.

Wife and I just head to nearest hotel

Gator92 said:

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zooguy96 said:

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Trying to think ahead. Supposed to get below 10 next week - maybe as cold as negative numbers. Probably don't have enough time or $$ to invest in a generator and have it hooked up. No fireplace.

What can you do if the power goes out? Obviously, no propane heater - because of carbon gases.

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You have gas or electric heat?

You do have time to invest in a 5KW generator to run your air handler if you have gas heat. If you have an electric dryer plug, you can back feed your service w/ a long enough cord, but you'll need to make one that plugs into a 230V receptacle on both your generator and your dryer receptacle.

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The generator will need to be capable of running 240v though. Can't run 240v with a 120v power source.

After Beryl instead of running extension cords everywhere I took some cheap harbor freight cords I had for Christmas lights and cut one end off and hardwired them to individual breakers in my breaker box. Much cleaner than cords running all over the house.

Hodor said:

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Get a carbon monoxide detector that works on batteries. (That's the one you worry about, no CO2)

The Mr buddy heaters are rated for indoors, but I've never used one inside (other than deer stands). When I was a kid, though, we had gas space heaters. People occasionally burned their houses down by having something too close to them, but you didn't hear about people dying of CO poisoning..

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This.

The Mr. Buddy heaters are basically the same as the old Dearborne heaters that almost every house had in multiple rooms. You have to really try hard to get enough CO produced to be of concern.

These diesel heaters get really good reviews from my project super. And diesel is much easier to get than kerosene.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/266342417492

Gator92 said:

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terradactylexpress said:

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Supposedly when you turn generators on/off is when they create the most noise and dirty electricity that can damage electronics. Not sure how true that is though

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There is some truth to this.

A conventional portable generator can produce a inconsistent AC sine wave. Mostly due to slight variations in RPM and when load is added to the circuit. However, modern electronics are mostly DC converted from AC. That wall wart you plug in converts it.

If you are worried about it, buy the newest inverter generator. They produce a very consistent sine wave.

Other advantages include dramatically better gas mileage and are much quieter...

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Inverters produce clean power for electronics. Most newer non-inverter generators also have automatic voltage regulation capabilities that produce clean enough power that it won't damage electronics.

Interesting. Any idea what BTUs those put out? Emissions? They also seem tiny - they're advertised for heating a car, which is much smaller than even a room, and even with that small a space they burn 1 gallon diesel per night.

Or am I missing something?

I ran a big buddy catalytic propane heater in the house during snowmageddon. Completely safe and very effective.