Do I still "need" my generator?

[MikeT]

 I purchased a used generator about a year ago for my project.  Now I have my construction shed up and am working on the main project.  In the meantime, I have temporary power on the site, so I wonder if I still need this generator.  Should I keep it "in case"?  Or would it be better part with it and use the money for something like...a compressor?

Thoughts?

[desdawg]

You are the only one who can answer that question. Do you think you may have another use for the generator down the road? Camping, cabin in the woods, power outage?

[tjm73]

I'd keep it in case power goes out. May not be worth a whol elot right now but it'll be worth it's weight if you have an extending power outage.

[Jimmy C.]

 Keep it, You will miss it when it's gone......
But, save to get a compressor also...


The more tools you have....
  The more tools you have!!!!!

By the way..... Congrats on the temp. power!   Pretty cool milestone!

[hunter63]

Hunter's Law:
"As soon as you get rid of something, you will need it the next day"!

[Amanda_931]

And besides you can use it for the party the night your utility company shuts down the whole county to do some major repairs.



Hey, it happened here once--midnight to eight AM Sunday morning!

[glenn kangiser]

Hey, Amanda -- I didn't know you were such a party girl.  Were you still able to stand up?    :-/

Were you  wearing the vinyl skirt?

[Amanda_931]

Sorry, Glenn, the vinyl skirt--and it was cute--got left behind in the 60's.

:'(

[JRR]

Anyone in the market for an electric generator may want to go by and check out the one currently available at Costco's.   Diesel fuel.  5000 watts constant.  $1050.  Nice cube package.

Don't know anything else about it.

[Amanda_931]

Sounds good.  And you've got too many details for it just to be the $1095 buck automatic transfer switch to go with your $10,000+ propane generator.  which unfortunately is all I found.  

(The dogs buried my generator.  But I guess that if I need anything I need a portable--preferably not an incredibly noisy, obnoxious generator like the one that only has a few inches sticking out of the ground in the dogs' pen)

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10012376&search=diesel%20generator&Sp=S&Mo=17&cm_re=1-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&N=0&whse=&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=diesel%20generator&Ntt=diesel%20generator&No=11&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

[JRR]

No, I also couldn't find it on the Costco website.  I suppose it's a one-time buy for the "warehouses".  I'll drop by the local Costco and pick up some more info.

[JRR]

Except for the paint job, the diesel generator at Costco looks like this:

http://www.changfa.net.cn/ky/ced6500s.php

But instead, the Model Number is #41450 "Matrix".  The manufacturer is Jiangsu Changfa Group (China). 20" wide, 25" high, 36" long.  418 cc.  Weight = 346 lbs.  Colors, dark gray and light biege.  4 gallons fuel = 9 hrs under load.  5000 watts constant.  $1050.  Electric/battery key start.  I don't think the wheels are included.

[glenn kangiser]

That is quite a find, JRR.  We'll have to see if they are available in different areas.  I am currently running a Volvo single cylinder marine diesel as a backup, which seems to be near that efficient -but only 3000 watts and 120 V.

[JRR]

The jet lag is just about over now.  I've spent the past couple of weeks in Germany.

I picked up the Ford Galaxie diesel rental car in Munich and headed out.  Immediately we noticed acres and acres of a brilliant yellow flowered farm crop.  This bean-like bush with the bright flowers turned out to be "rapeseed" ... and is being grown for biodiesel.  It's quite an industry there.  Potato demand is down as the locals are becoming weight conscious, so the farmers are happy to grow rapeseed.

Though Hertz had not mentioned to me any concern about bio-diesel, I tried to avoid it "just in case".   But once when topping up, I bought it by mistake.  The Ford (great vehicle BTW) did not seem to mind.

It makes me sad that USA is so far behind in this endeavor.  Germany is the worlds 4th largest rapeseed producer .... USA is off the scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed

BTW, also visited a family owned operational grain grinding 1930's windmill.  The owner claimed it was a 17K watt mill.

[glenn kangiser]

Nice to see you made it back, JRR.  Any pix of the mill or other things we may like?

Some of the guys on the DTR forum are running a bit of bio diesel.  They say it makes the truck run better but have to thin it a bit with diesel mix in cold weather I think.