[Rhodes22-list] And now for something completely different -Power outages

[Downs, Willard]

Bill --

>From Willard Downs here in Missouri.........

I have owned one of the EU1000 Hondas for three more than 4 years now,
and have been very pleased with it.  I have used it for all sorts of
things, including running a 5500 BTU AC on our older 30' powerboat, and
even charging 12 volt batteries without having to use an inverter and AC
to DC charger.  The Eco throttle feature is very nice, helps to keep
fuel consumption and noise down.  It's light enough that it's really
easy to carry around, most anywhere you go.  Vibration is minimal, and
it doesn't walk around while running, even at load.  There are a couple
of things that I've noticed in using it though:

*  The particular unit I have does not vent properly through the gas cap
(has a manual on-off), and will die unless the cap is slightly loose (a
bigger problem when the tank is full/nearly full.  Maybe I haven't spent
enough time figuring out what is wrong with the cap....I'm sure this is
unique to my Unit.  Actually the on-off vent is a nice feature if it
really worked!  Mine is apparently just "off" all the time.

*  Even though it's not really noisy, if it's running close to you for
several hours it eventually begins to wear on you a bit.  I think it has
more to do with the frequency and "beat" of the sound, than it does the
decibels.  Also, as the Eco-throttle opens up, the sounds really
increases, so if your load will require the generator to run at full
throttle most of the time, it can be pretty noisy.  Of course at its
worst, it's better than the competition.

*  I wish it had a larger gas tank, my run times are at the low end of
the range they give, even less, and it can be annoying to shut it down
to re-fuel it, especially at night.  

*  Though it will run most of the loads I'd like to use it for, it's
right at the limit for many of them, and won't run a few.

*  If I were buying again, or replacing it, I'd probably opt for the
2000.  With the nearly double fuel capacity, I think that would give me
the longer run-times I want (if I didn't load it up more than the one I
have), and should also help to minimize that noise effect I mentioned
above.  The extra 1000 watts would also be nice to have in reserve.  The
additional cost is not much.  The biggest down-side I can see is the
increase in weight and size.  The 2000 would not fit in some handy
places I store my 1000, and the additional weight would make it more
cumbersome to handle.  While that sounds like a little thing, the almost
"brief-case" like size and weight has been one of the features I've
really enjoyed.   

I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever one you get.  

Willard Downs, Missouri


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Bill Effros
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 9:13 AM
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] And now for something completely different
-Power outages

Brad,

I've come round on this one.  I hadn't looked at portable generators for

20 years, and am just about to buy a $700 Honda 1K because of the gas 
sipping qualities and extremely low noise.  The only reason I looked 
this time was because of you and ...Wally? talking about the 
practicality of bringing one on board.  I may even try that.

Bill Effros

Brad Haslett wrote:
> Some of you that have been here for awhile may remember the rather 
> spirited
> discussion we had on generators a few years back.  With the power 
> outages in
> the NYC area and other cities, now may be a good time to review the 
> issue.
> During Hurricane Elvis (strong line of thunderstorms that knocked out 
> power
> in Memphis for up to three weeks) my neighbors ran big Y2K generators
for
> ONE day until they ran out of gas, then went looking for filling
stations
> with power.  We're putting the finishing touches on our MS Gulf Coast
> evacuation plan and hurricane preparedness skills.  Here's my
experience
> from Elvis.  Small is better.  You need to run one window A/C unit 
> during the
> day (available for $60 if you buy before the crisis) and a fridge at
> night.  One 1000 watt genset  will run on 5 gallons of gas for a week.
> Someone on this list will go for days without power this summer for
one
> reason or another.  Don't say you weren't warned!
>
> Brad
>
> ----------------
>
> JULY 21, 2006Posted 5 days and 0 hours ago on July 21, 2006 Blackout
> Survival Guide
>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog/home/3391786.html?c=y&imageID=1338
716&caption=%3Cb%3EBatteries+Included%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Prepare+your+blackout
+kit+now%2C+not+in+the+dark.> 
>
>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog/home/3391786.html?c=y&imageID=1338
716&caption=%3Cb%3EBatteries+Included%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Prepare+your+blackout
+kit+now%2C+not+in+the+dark.> 
>
> *Batteries Included:* Prepare your blackout kit now, not in the dark.
> When it's as hot and humid outside as it is right now in the 
> northeast, air
> conditioning feels like a miracle. Until the lights flicker, dim, and
go
> out. With air conditioning creating massive spikes power consumption,
> occasionally the grid calls it quits. That's just what happened on 
> Tuesday
> evening, when more than 200,000 homes in the New York region lost
their
> power. Many people are still waiting for the power to come back.
>
> Before you're sweating it out in candlelight, take a look at our
blackout
> survival guide.
>
> Download the blackout survival podcast
>
here<http://media.popularmechanics.com/audio/Popular+Mechanics+PodcastBl
ackoutSurvival1.mp3> 
>
> .
>
> Have a Flashlight: If you haven't done so already, go out and buy at 
> least
> one small, inexpensive flashlight-one that takes 2 D cell or 2 AA 
> batteries.
> If you already have a flashlight, swap in new batteries. Leave it 
> standing
> on a book shelf, or on an easy-to-reach countertop so that you can get
to
> quickly and safely in the dark.
>
> Be Prepared to Empty the Fridge: A freezer packed with dry ice will
stay
> cold for days, but it's tough to find dry ice at the local corner 
> store. So
> if you've been without power for more than four hours, start emptying
the
> fridge now. Even if the power does come back soon, chances are your
food
> won't, and you don't want to let food melt in the freezer or, even
worse,
> rot in the appliance. Cleaning that up is not a mess you want to deal 
> with.
>
> Shut Down Your Appliances: If your power goes out, make sure you turn
off
> your air conditioner or reset the thermostat so the air conditioner 
> will not
> turn back on until you turn it on manually. When the power does turn
back
> on, the combined load of thousands of air conditioner spooling up
> simultaneously can be enough to trip the grid again, starting another
> blackout. However, if everybody turned on their air conditioners
> individually, it would stagger the power demand on the grid. Every 
> small bit
> of help counts during an emergency.
>
> (Also, now's a good time to unplug that circular saw you were using 
> when the
> power went out.)
>
> Don't Overdue AC: When you do turn an air conditioner back on, don't 
> set the
> thermostat lower than 78 F. This is good practice in general: Although
it
> doesn't seem very cool, the dehumidifying effect of air conditioning
will
> make your house much more bearable, even at 78 F.
>
> Use Passive Cooling: If the power goes out, open as many windows as
> possible, especially windows and vents in the attic and the upper
floors.
> However, use shades on the sunny side of the house (south and west) to
> minimize solar heating. This is a good practice in warm months, even
when
> you've got your AC cranking like a Pratt and Whitney turbofan.
>
> If you really got caught off guard, take this opportunity to learn 
> from the
> mistake and assemble an emergency preparedness
>
kit<http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/home_owner_clinic/2
076037.html?page=4&c=y>consisting 
>
> of lighting, food, water, a first aid kit, tools and anything
> else you'll need. -Roy Berendsohn
> __________________________________________________
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>
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