my generator and well are now installed. it's been about a 3 month process!!
The generator is a 8.5hw Kohler "whole house" (not!..but I'll get to that...) unit that sits in the rear of my detached garage. This is not a unit with a few sockets to plug extension cords into. it's a totally enclosed unit about the size of an outdoor air-conditioner unit. It took an electrician and helper 2 full days to install it -- setting it up, trenching for an underground conduit to my house, installing an electrical sub-panel and another large "Power Transfer" box (which handles the generator "auto-start," among other things).
This is lots of wiring, folks. I had to spend a few hours to determine what loads were on each breaker (which I'd never done thoroughly before). Then I had to decide which ones to have the electrician move to the generator sub-panel -- because the 8.5KW generator can't possibly power my entire house. I ended up with roughly 50% of my home's circuits on the sub-panel...but even still, I can't have "all of those 'on' at once" or I'll trip (shut-off) the generator. Needless to say, I won't be watching my home theatre (over 450 watts, easy) when the generator is running :) But it will handle my well, boiler, and a decent number of lights.
I still don't have a clue about how much propane I'll actually use. I've gotten, believe it or not, 4 different numbers from 4 "qualified sources" who tell me that my 115 gallon tank will last for 40, 80, 116, and 400 hours!!! But a solution is at hand: the electrical contractor, who has been installing a lot of these generators, will next week put a propane tank on a scale, run a generator sized like mine at about 75% power and actually weigh the propane used...for a real-world empirical answer to "how much propane will I use?" That should be interesting...
The well's fun. I'm getting about 60 psi (I think that's the right way to say it...), which is better than my maybe 40 psi pressure from city water (don't come to my place for a great shower :-) At the moment, it's only hooked up to a small hydrant back by my garden...but man does the the water gush from it!! No more "watering restrictions" for me!
After I see the water quality report, which I'm told is "perfect," I'll consider using the well for some or all of my water in the house. The important consideration here is that city and well water have to be completely separate, so they can't possibly mix or pollute each other.
It wasn't fun writing the checks for all this -- about 13K total -- but even if "nothing happens," they will be constant comforts to me. And, again, it's fun having the well; my wife and I love to garden and we now have water galore.
Next comes the family room addition and wood stove, and a few cords of wood...should be interesting.
doug |
