Better earth grounds

[SoundMods]

Just got back from a meeting with my builder in PA re the new house. Was glad to see the box for the dryer has 4 wires, not 3. My guess is that the electrician will install a 14-30R receptacle because the LG dryer cord appears to have a 14-30P plug. Also, the house ground is to two rods with copper wire connecting them. The meter box also has two leads because it is a 400 amp service and is going to two boxes. Each is rated at 200 amps. One is a utility only service rated load center and the other is the service rated generator transfer switch that feeds the second load center.

Generator??? I've only lost power here due to storms three times over the past 29 years. You need emergency power there?!

[Stuart Polansky]

Crazy, huh Walt? Tom has money to burn, hence that 150kW diesel genset.

Good for Tom. Looking for avenues to sprinkle with cash. See what happens when you don't need to continuously buy replacement tubes?

LMAO!

[Guy]

Hell, we lose power all the time (in an all-electric house!) No one around here takes care of their trees, and the fall across the road and pull down the lines. Crap, the wind storms we had a couple weeks ago kept knocking power out: one day maybe 8 times. Lots of fun! With two of us on CPAPs, we know when power goes out at night!

[SoundMods]

Crazy, huh Walt? Tom has money to burn, hence that 150kW diesel genset.

Good for Tom. Looking for avenues to sprinkle with cash. See what happens when you don't need to continuously buy replacement tubes?

LMAO!

WTF?! 150-kW???? That's about a $80,000 expenditure and for what? Lets not forget periodic maintenance and battery changes.

The average hi-rise condo in D.C. and Virginia have smaller generators. The reality here is that if the generator is not typically needed the long-term stored fuel-oil needs an additive that disperses sludge and emulsifies water in oil tanks to help eliminate sludge formation and winter freezing. Weekly testing doesn't consume much fuel over the long term. And it doesn't hurt to include a cetane booster for easy starting during winter. Since the winters can be harsh where his new house is located he'll need a crankcase heater to enable easy starting during an emergency event and fuel-tank heaters to prevent paraffin wax from forming that can block the fuel delivery system. Otherwise the beast has to be indoors in a protected environment.

It might be a good idea to have an Otto-cycle generator that can run on LP gas.

[tomp]

Just got back from a meeting with my builder in PA re the new house. Was glad to see the box for the dryer has 4 wires, not 3. My guess is that the electrician will install a 14-30R receptacle because the LG dryer cord appears to have a 14-30P plug. Also, the house ground is to two rods with copper wire connecting them. The meter box also has two leads because it is a 400 amp service and is going to two boxes. Each is rated at 200 amps. One is a utility only service rated load center and the other is the service rated generator transfer switch that feeds the second load center.

Generator??? I've only lost power here due to storms three times over the past 29 years. You need emergency power there?!

Several reasons for the generator. BTW, it is a 22KW Generac that runs on the house propane supply. The most important is that the sewer department will not let you connect without having a grinder pump. Too many people been flushing bad things down the sewer fouling their pumps. So all the sewage has to go through the pump. Knowing that, if the power goes out you can see that it would be a really crappy problem.

Currently having an 8KW gasoline portable generator connected to a transfer switch, it is a very nice feeling to not have to worry about food spoiling, a cold house, and having TV connection to check on the progress of the weather event that is causing the problem. Weather becomes much less of a concern when you have backup power. Even though I have only used the generator three times, the peace of mind is well worth it. Installing a permanent generator removes the last hurdles of having to store and change gasoline, manually starting the portable generator once a month for testing. and manually connecting the power cord from the generator to the outside weatherproof socket.

Except for the range top, the gas fireplace, the generator, and an outside propane stub for the gas grill, everything in the house is electric. I initially contacted the gas company and asked them the cost to run natural gas to the house and although they could not give a firm estimate they said it would be at least $68K. That is when I said goodbye and hung up.

[SoundMods]

Just got back from a meeting with my builder in PA re the new house. Was glad to see the box for the dryer has 4 wires, not 3. My guess is that the electrician will install a 14-30R receptacle because the LG dryer cord appears to have a 14-30P plug. Also, the house ground is to two rods with copper wire connecting them. The meter box also has two leads because it is a 400 amp service and is going to two boxes. Each is rated at 200 amps. One is a utility only service rated load center and the other is the service rated generator transfer switch that feeds the second load center.

Generator??? I've only lost power here due to storms three times over the past 29 years. You need emergency power there?!

Several reasons for the generator. BTW, it is a 22KW Generac that runs on the house propane supply. The most important is that the sewer department will not let you connect without having a grinder pump. Too many people been flushing bad things down the sewer fouling their pumps. So all the sewage has to go through the pump. Knowing that, if the power goes out you can see that it would be a really crappy problem.

Currently having an 8KW gasoline portable generator connected to a transfer switch, it is a very nice feeling to not have to worry about food spoiling, a cold house, and having TV connection to check on the progress of the weather event that is causing the problem. Weather becomes much less of a concern when you have backup power. Even though I have only used the generator three times, the peace of mind is well worth it. Installing a permanent generator removes the last hurdles of having to store and change gasoline, manually starting the portable generator once a month for testing. and manually connecting the power cord from the generator to the outside weatherproof socket.

Except for the range top, the gas fireplace, the generator, and an outside propane stub for the gas grill, everything in the house is electric. I initially contacted the gas company and asked them the cost to run natural gas to the house and although they could not give a firm estimate they said it would be at least $68K. That is when I said goodbye and hung up.

I've assessed apartment complexes that had to have either sewage-lift stations -or- grinders -or- both. They even have failure alarms and some I've seen some that have telemetry for remote notification. I guess Stu did reverse math to come up with 150-kW because of the 400-amp. panel. Hell -- it was entertaining.

BTW -- you should still test the generator and stay on top of the battery condition. Otherwise - you'll have a "crappy" problem unexpectedly.

[Stuart Polansky]

No math. It was supposed to elicit a "whoa" response. I knew it was in the 20kW range.

Bad attempt at humor.

[tomp]

I've assessed apartment complexes that had to have either sewage-lift stations -or- grinders -or- both. They even have failure alarms and some I've seen some that have telemetry for remote notification. I guess Stu did reverse math to come up with 150-kW because of the 400-amp. panel. Hell -- it was entertaining.

BTW -- you should still test the generator and stay on top of the battery condition. Otherwise - you'll have a "crappy" problem unexpectedly. [/quote]

The grinder pump does have an alarm but it does no good if there is no power for either the alarm or pump. The Generac has an automatic test function that you can set for the intervals you desire. It also has tons of "smart" functions and can be monitored from a smart phone. Much more than I'll ever need.

I knew that Stuart's response was tongue in cheek. We need to laugh once in a while especially during these times. I know this strayed a little off topic but the discussions were good and it's not so bad to learn while you are filling time.

[SoundMods]

I've assessed apartment complexes that had to have either sewage-lift stations -or- grinders -or- both. They even have failure alarms and some I've seen some that have telemetry for remote notification. I guess Stu did reverse math to come up with 150-kW because of the 400-amp. panel. Hell -- it was entertaining.

BTW -- you should still test the generator and stay on top of the battery condition. Otherwise - you'll have a "crappy" problem unexpectedly.

The grinder pump does have an alarm but it does no good if there is no power for either the alarm or pump. The Generac has an automatic test function that you can set for the intervals you desire. It also has tons of "smart" functions and can be monitored from a smart phone. Much more than I'll ever need.

I knew that Stuart's response was tongue in cheek. We need to laugh once in a while especially during these times. I know this strayed a little off topic but the discussions were good and it's not so bad to learn while you are filling time.[/quote]

It's been an electrifying experience! Most of the commercial sewage lift stations and/or grinder pumps with alarm systems that I have observed had battery back-up. Kind of a mini UPS system.

[tomp]

I have grown to try to minimize battery backup. Maintaining and changing batteries is such a pain. The other good thing about a generator is that it can replace many backup batteries and will run as long as you have fuel. Our in ground propane tank will be a 500 gallon unit (400 gallon capacity with the required expansion head space) which will give us a lot of run time. I certainly have UPS backup for critical applications where a second or two downtime is a problem and to allow for the generator to start and stabilize before the transfer switch cuts in. But for things like the sump pump and the grinder pump whose electrical requirements are much higher than the sump pump, the generator is a better solution.