powering house

[cgwymp]

My electric bill says I used 3783kWh's last month.
So that is 126kWh per day.
Or 5.25kW per day.

That would be 5.25 per hour not day

A little late, but to be pedantic, that would be not 5.25kw per hour, but 5.25 kw continuous for one hour -- i.e.

power x time

...not...

power / time

 

[cujet]

As I've said before, I occasionally run my house on listeroid power. If you have not done it, you need to. There is much to learn. Mine, a 20/2 twin, downrated to 12HP, will easily run my house and my 5 ton central air.

What's more interesting, is how I must manage the power. I can't, for example, start and run the well pump, the AC and my shop air compressor at the same time. But, I can operate off grid, without difficulty, for extended periods of time, and without excessive power management.

[bschwartz]

I also run my house on the listeroid on once in a while.  I only have a 6/1, so we have to make sure the hot tub isn't in a heating cycle when we run the microwave oven..... Learning to manage loads becomes vital to success.

[xyzer]

Ran my house on a 6/1 and power management is a must of course. I also learned you need to check what side of the 220 your necessary needs are on. It is hard to manage your needs when the necessaries are all on one side of the 220. A quick swapping of breakers inside the panel will spread the load evenly on the generator head and allow a more balanced load.

[Tom]

We run our house on a 6/1 too. The only real management issue is the microwave needs to run at 80% power.

[MNbobcat]

As I've said before, I occasionally run my house on listeroid power. If you have not done it, you need to. There is much to learn. Mine, a 20/2 twin, downrated to 12HP, will easily run my house and my 5 ton central air.

How do you downrate the engine?  Run it slower?

If you don't mind my asking, where did you find the engine and what does one around that size run as far as cost?

[BigGreen]

Diesel fuel at current prices does not make it feasible for of grid, but WMO does .

I'm suprised nobody commented on this. IIRC running untreated WMO has its downside.

[Rom]

I can understand WMO not being a good idea over in the land of cheap fuel, but at 6.40$ a gallon I figure it doesnt take long to save enough money on the fuel to replace parts worn by the use of WMO. I havent had the first breakdown yet, do to me relocating the Lister plant to a new place, but I did the math after the running time for Hurricane Irene, and I figured I had paid off the injection system and the pistons and liners during that one outage.

Rom

[dieselgman]

Just where is this mythical "land of cheap fuel"? 

I guess one does not much care about fuel price when in the middle of managing a crisis... assuming that you have an adequate supply.

dieselgman

[Combustor]

                 Land of cheap fuel? Folks, if you are in USA you are standing in it!  OK, some Arab countries are wasting their birthright by selling it at their production cost, and some third world
 countries are going bankrupt by giving subsidies on vehicle and cooking fuels, but in the developed world,the average European would pay twice the US price, and here in Australia we would be over 1.5 times US prices.
                Average European family car is probably a 1.5 litre Diesel, and here in Oz it's probably less than 2 litres. Our 4wd's and light commercials would be round 2.5 litres and mostly Diesel. Our
distances and road speeds would be quite similar to US, but we live with fuel prices higher than the equivalent of $6 per gallon and rising in the cities, and closer to $8 in remote regions, and the sky has not fallen in yet. You just need to build or import some of the great li'l Jap or Korean Diesels we have here, and you will find you can survive when the crunch comes.You may yet be able to leave some oil in the ground for the next generation.  Good luck,  Combustor.

[dieselgman]

I agree, we in the USA have a giant bureaucracy to deal with in the form of our Environmental Protection Agency... It would unfortunately, make outlaws of we few who really want to do something about excess consumption and waste. I know plenty of folks who would love to have those great little Jap or Korean diesels if they could be imported here.

I operate in Alaska where bush fuel prices are now above $10 per gallon.

dieselgman

[Rom]

Is it the EPA or just a con? I understood it as diesel is more efficient, the people buy less fuel, less fuel tax paid, then even less money to keep the roads up. I look at it ignorantly, basically more power in a gallon of diesel, you burn less fuel, better for the environment. Modern (and older diesels, like the VW rabbits) are way less polluting than the screaming jimmys of yesteryear. And MPG is higher than these hybrid rigs coming from the big three as well as NA market import cars.
I'm not one for conspiracy but I just don't understand why so much of the world favors diesel while the US favors gasoline.
Rom

[LowGear]

Is it the EPA or just a con? I understood it as diesel is more efficient, the people buy less fuel, less fuel tax paid, then even less money to keep the roads up.

I had this great rant all typed out and realized it was political and a long way from Powering a House with a Lister.  DARN!

Road taxes are variable.  Just adjust them as need be.  Too sensible I guess.

Casey

[BruceM]

We'd see a lot smarter small vehicles here in the US if the emissions were calculated on a per vehicle mile basis, instead of per gallon of fuel burned.  Seems obvious but apparently too complex to be grasped by regulators/legislators who are often attorneys.

I'd love a small, 50 mpg+ diesel mini car.  I know they've existed in Europe for many years.
 
We need a whole lot less lawyers, and spoiled rich guys (often also lawyers)  in Washington.

[BigGreen]

I figure it doesnt take long to save enough money on the fuel to replace parts worn by the use of WMO.
Rom

Agreed. I have the spares sitting on the shelf waiting for the day. I just wanted the new guy to be aware of others research results. I can't handle another Steward, Stuart, or whatever his name was