[Matsu]

For emergency weather event back-up, a natural gas whole home generator (or even better a dual/tri fuel) is probably the best. This can be done really pretty cheap, especially if you go with a manual transfer switch and generator.

[Yontsey]

I got everything for under $10k. Had the electricians install the transfer switch which is automatic and I ordered the generator and my cousin and I are installing it. They are very simple and straight forward to install. For my new network Unifi setup, I have a UPS in my rack to bridge that split second from electric to the generator so there's no hiccup.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by Yontsey I got everything for under $10k. Had the electricians install the transfer switch which is automatic and I ordered the generator and my cousin and I are installing it. They are very simple and straight forward to install. For my new network Unifi setup, I have a UPS in my rack to bridge that split second from electric to the generator so there's no hiccup.

That is good planning!

In Va Beach I ended up doing the manual route because as many tropical storms as we had, I just couldn't justify the additional cost. For me, we didn't have gas to begin with and adding it to the home would have just been one more bill. If I were to go new and had gas available I would have done it that way.

Once solar gets installed in my home now I'll have solar, batteries and propane central heat. This will allow me to run the propane heat off the batteries in the event of a "dark sky and grid down" situation. Otherwise, my panels will be able to generate enough to power the heat on their own.

[turtle]

Install started Thursday and Friday. The install is not completed. My existing electrical system is... absurd. The panels are on the roof and wired into the basement to the inverters. The Powerwalls are in and the Tesla Gateway is wired to it.

The most frustrating part is that we knew a storm was coming through the south Thursday and the installers insisted we start. The bulk of the storm passed after the outside work was done but the problem for me is it left me without power for the whole day until 0309 in the morning. It sucked so bad. It was cold and windy outside.

I have a big family, that means we have lots of food storage. Five fridge/freezers total in my house. Very little of it sits in those for long. Those things tend to want to maintain power to keep working. I had to go outside and figure out how to get my generator running in the storm and run extension cords everywhere because of this.

[drewprops]

Ugh. Passage from "broken" to "fixed" can be painful and being at the mercy of installers is frustrating, especially in poor weather conditions. I want to redo several fundamental things about my home; dad passed along several stories about how inept the builders of this home were. I don't relish trying to find someone with the knowledge and skills.


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