Birds in the winter

Soon to be moving from Florida to Illinois...what is your back up plan(s) in case of area wide power failure?...Thanks Bill

My parents have a propane powered generator system as back up, but you can also get portable gas generators just to run space heaters. There are also systems where you have an outdoor woodstove type set up and pipes run inside the house to provide radiant heat. I'm in an RV so I first rely on my battery power and then go to a generator if things last long enough. You can keep a small space like a single room warm for a long time just with good insulation.

Wow Bill! Into the cold, hey?

My neighborhood is notorious for losing power, often for no apparent reason at all. We invested in a gasoline powered generator many years ago, when I was still running a large reef tank. The thing has come in quite handy, especially when we were without power after Hurricane Sandy a few years ago. My husband rigged ours up so that it will power the central heater, numerous lights, and the refrigerator.

Generator with a proper hookup is your best bet. (Insulated from power source when running.) Mine is a 5,500 watt gas, start it, hook it, and throw the switches for the zones one at a time, and run it till the power is back or I run outta fuel! Mine is hooked up to run water, heat, kitchen, living room, both bathroom, and the basement freezer. Everything you need, and it will run them all. Well worth the investment.

The type of system you install first needs to start with where you are located. Illinois is a big and long State from North to South and as a result has several weather zones. In addition, there is this mega city to the North and miles between homes in the central and Southern areas.

A few facts about electrical service: The greater the number of homes serviced that are out of power and closely placed together (City) the higher on the list they are. When its you and a few others (out in the sticks) the lower on the list you are. This sets how long it maybe before your service is restored. The longer you are likely to be out of service the more important the type of energy and its available volume becomes.

City water supply or your own well: This gets to sizing the system. If your on your own well, you will need to know the HP of your well pump and its amp draw.

In Illinois, heat is very important: So, what is your heat source. If you are heating with electric, ITS TIME TO CHANGE - electrical costs are GOING to sky rocket everywhere. Start switching now to beat the increase in equipment purchase and installation costs that will occur when electric prices begin jumping. If Natural Gas is available (commonly in towns and cities) look at the energy source being NG. If not, you have LP, but you will want to increase the size of your supply tank by as much as a third depending on where you live (see above). In you are in a city and normal electric outage is commonly limited to one or a couple of zones a gasoline energy source will work - remember that most are limited to 8 to 10 hours on a single tank fill.

Your will need to create an electrical usage chart to determine the size of the 'generator' (commonly stated in watts) you will need to purchase:
Furnace (rarely to never air-conditioning unless there is a medical need), Well pump, Keep food cold/frozen is important so, add each one in, Non-electric Hot Water Heater (the new ones have a fan, so count it). Now, you need to look at what else is important to your specific home and family. Remember, if you have specific medical needs that equipment needs to be included.

Wiring the unit into your home: Please do not do it on the cheap by running a cord from the generator into your home. If there is a fire, your insurance company will not pay a single cent. Its just not worth it!

Manual switch-over Panel or an Auto Switch over Panel. This is a must have, either way assure that you are not back feeding power out into your zone. If you cheap around this item, you become liable for any injury or damage caused, this commonly big money and again your insurance will not pay.

Exterior connection box on the outside of your home. Manual plug in or hard wire connection to your energy source.

Battery operated with Auto Start and hard wired with auto ON auto OFF, or Battery start with manual switching, or Pull start with manual switching unit.

Wiring (240/120 VAC at 30, 40 or 50 amps, four wire cable): This and the upgrades i.e. New exterior connection box, New Switch-over panel commonly exterior mounted, upgrades to your existing home's primary switch and breaker panel. If your panel is dated (old) and or less than 100 amp primary breaker you should replace and upgrade your panel to current electrical code. Remember that the most common cause of fires in homes is electrical. I strongly recommend if you are going to replace our primary and breaker panel use a 200 amp panel!

Mark your panel (manual switch type) so that you manualy turn-on what you are limiting your usage too. (Red for Summer and Blue for Winter).

Since more and more home have most of their 'stuff' run or controlled by a micro computer - example new tech furnaces, plus your computer, etc, etc... you will need to strongly consider an Inverter style generator. Note: specialized medical equipment commonly use micro computers and if used you must install an Inverter style generator.

WARNING: ALL POWER STRIPS MUST BE UNPLUGGED FROM THEIR WALL OUTLET. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE POWERING THAT OUTLET OR NOT! Generator supplied power can cause a lapping signwave that will cause the power strip to over-heat and burn! This will not be covered by your insurance company.

With luck, there are Websites that can walk you through this process. Web search: How to install a home generator. If you or someone you know is certified at 440 VAC, they can help you through this process.

I use a specific site and I promise to provide that site once I am home later this weekend. Warning to an intruder, the family is home and guarded by an Attach Amazon!

The important thing to remember is 'What is the likelihood of a power failure in my area. How long will it likely be out (big city or in the sticks), what is the likelihood of my being home when the power fails. These items will help in defining to what level you need to support too.

Please remember, do not do this on the cheap. People die and homes burn every time there is a power outage. Do it right and safely will assure your parrot has a family and a home.

As promised as part of my last post, here is a good information source for selecting and buying a generator that will meet your specific needs.

Web Search: Electric Generators Direct
Site: Electric Generators Direct | Specializing in Power Generators

Welcome to the Great White North, well not so white this year.