Using a generator during power outage

[OldState81]

Hey everyone, glad to be on here again, it's been awhile. I'm actually at work right now. .got to love the night shift.

I'm wondering how some of you may have your gas generators set up in case of losing power during the winter. I am looking into buying a generator and I'm thinking that I could use an extension cord from the generator to my radiating heater that I currently use in my snake room until power were on again. Will this work out or is there more i need to know? Does this sound like it would work out to you guys who may happen to live in an area where it can be very cold this time of year and where losing power is a threat to your reptile collection w/o a generator. .Any insight or comments will be appreciated , thanks, Michael

[Lord Sorril]

There are two types of generators: Backup and Stand-by. A backup generator is usually what you see sold commonly in retail stores: backup generators are relatively cheap and have power outlets on the side of them that you can plug extension cords or a generator cord that attaches to a generator outlet box on your house. A Backup generator has to be manually started when there is an outage. A Standby generator waits for an outage and then turns itself on. I don't know much about Standby generators other than that are usually professionally installed and come with a significant price-tag.

I use a Generac propane generator (it is as loud as my riding lawnmower--so loud) with a cord that goes into a separate circuit box in my grid that can swap over to run the boiler (and several rooms in my house). Since my house didn't come wired with every room wired into the generator breaker box I still have to use extension cords to reach my rodent ventilation system in my basement and a set of heat emitters in one of my snake rooms on the upper levels.

Note: Generator theft in my area is quite prevalent during a long-term outage. If you are running a generator with all your lights on and you notice that there is a crowd gathering in front of your house: you can either invite them in or fire a few warning shots in the air...

[bcr229]

I have a backup generator. If you get one just run a heater in your snake room to keep it warm, don't try to run any thermostats or heat tape on it as the power it puts out is "dirty" and sensitive electronics tend not to do well with it. Make sure it's powerful enough to run the necessities - space heater (1500W), plus refrigerator(s) or freezer(s) so that you don't lost either people food or snake food.

Also be prepared to guard it 24/7. I had to use mine for four days straight a few years back and we had a lot of slow-moving lights-off vehicle traffic through our neighborhood between midnight and dawn. Fortunately no confrontations; we just had to show that someone was awake and aware in the house and the vehicle would move along down the road.

[OldState81]

Will a back up generator be ok running inside of an enclosed porch area or sun room with decent ventilation or are they better off left to run outside? Yes, I will certainly need a generator as winters here in Ohio can be quite cold and I don't think my snakes would last long in a 20 degree room if I were to lose power. Would a generator hooked up to small radiating heater from Wal-Mart that I'm currently using be enough considering cold outside temps that could reach sub zero? Thanks.

[Dianne]

I definitely would not try to run them in any sort of room, outside is best. I purchased a Ryobi generator from Home Depot during Hurricane Michael for my snakes when my room temp dropped into the mid to upper 60’s. My on/off Johnson Control thermostats worked fine with it as they were all plugged into a surge protector and that plugged into the extension cord. It really sucked down gas for the cages and my fridge, but was worth every penny. I plan on purchasing one of the oil filled radiator heaters for future issues as I think that will use less fuel than the cages with radiant heat panels and thermostats.

I was lucky no one stole it, which is always a hazzard. I plan to purchase a heavy chain and lock to secure it to my light pole for future use.

[MR Snakes]

Living here in BFE Maine, we have a stand by system and will never do without one again. It runs 75% of our house when the powers out. Even when we move eventually to warmer climes we will have one!

[larryd23]

While not an option for most people, inverter generators are safe for electronic devices, however, you will pay a significant premium for that capability. I have a 1,000 watt Honda inverter generator that I purchased for camping but have used during too many Northeast hurricane related power outages. I've run televisions, computers, iPads, and iPhones without any difficulty. However, when it comes to heat, my 1,000 Honda will only run a 1,500 watt oil filled heater on low. A 3,000 watt Honda inverter generator will run around $2,000.

One thing that you should take into consideration when purchasing a generator is fuel efficiency. My Honda is super quiet, variable speed (speed increases with demand) and extremely efficient.

You can also buy generators that dual fuel (propane or gasoline). If you're a camper, like us, and have two 30 gallon bottles of propane sitting on your RV, this might be a good solution.

Whatever you do, run your generator in a well ventilated area. I would not recommend an enclosed porch or similar enclosure.

[OldState81]

Thank you. There is a generator on sale I need to go check it out for sure.

[ryknoll3]

I definitely would not try to run them in any sort of room, outside is best. I purchased a Ryobi generator from Home Depot during Hurricane Michael for my snakes when my room temp dropped into the mid to upper 60’s. My on/off Johnson Control thermostats worked fine with it as they were all plugged into a surge protector and that plugged into the extension cord. It really sucked down gas for the cages and my fridge, but was worth every penny. I plan on purchasing one of the oil filled radiator heaters for future issues as I think that will use less fuel than the cages with radiant heat panels and thermostats.

I was lucky no one stole it, which is always a hazzard. I plan to purchase a heavy chain and lock to secure it to my light pole for future use.

The generator would only use less fuel if you had something that turned off when it wasn't needed and your generator has idle down. The oil filled heater would shut off when it reaches temp, but if you have your fridge plugged in, it will keep the generator running at full power all the time.

[Dianne]

The generator would only use less fuel if you had something that turned off when it wasn't needed and your generator has idle down. The oil filled heater would shut off when it reaches temp, but if you have your fridge plugged in, it will keep the generator running at full power all the time.

When I had the fridge only hooked up to a friend’s generator, gas lasted all night and well into the next morning. However his generator was not large enough to run the heat panels. Plugging in the snake cages (11 at that time) considerably upped gas consumption. I think the oil filled heater will get me good ambient temps in the room, though I would sacrifice hot spots. Even so, the gas consumption should be reduced.