Santa Rosa Fire Storm- Motivated Generator and switch gear Project

We just ordered an 11 KW Generac by-pass generator. We live in the sticks and heat with propane. It comes with an auto-bypass panel that'll switch I think 4 220's and 6 110's. We plan on only powering 1 220 circuit (well pump), so that'll give us 12 total 110 circuits. Will cost about $4000 installed. It drinks about 45 gallons of propane a day if running at full load. We have a 500 gallon tank so we'll make sure the tank doesn't get below 50% before calling for a fill. If you're on natural gas, you'd have no supply worries.

Fantastic that you avoided total destruction. We lost power 3 winters ago to an ice storm on a Saturday night and didn't get power back until that Wednesday. We have 2 wood-burning fireplaces and 1 propane, so with the fortunately mild 35 deg. days never saw the house go below 58 deg. It was "quaint" cooking sandwiches over the fire. But running down the road to fill 5-gallon pails of water to flush toilets got old quickly!

Best of luck!

Bruce
We were without power for 14 days after Sandy, it got cold. I had a portable generac that helped , but I really wanted a shower and blew the rings trying to heat the electrical water heater. I still haven't replaced the rings... need to get that done. Generators are great, after that long episode I am so glad I overrode the wife who thought I was nuts for getting it. We are in farm country so we have well, septic, oil heat. after Sandy people were freezing from the cold. Must have been awful being wet and cold.
 
Time flies by, Project back on radar. Had a buddy loose utility power from lightening strike and the coil on his transfer contactor let go some smoke too.

Working through details now.
 
I am the guy who runs the engines at Sturgeon's mill; I live in St. Helena, just over the mountain from you and, as Bob Korves mentioned, am a member of the machinist's group that he is a member of; I am a journeyman machinist, having served an apprenticeship at Kaiser Steel in Napa starting in 1964; subsequent to that, I started my own machine shop in St. Helena in 1973 and retired and sold the business about 7 years ago, but have a well equipped shop at home. We should be acquainted!
 
I am the guy who runs the engines at Sturgeon's mill; I live in St. Helena, just over the mountain from you and, as Bob Korves mentioned, am a member of the machinist's group that he is a member of; I am a journeyman machinist, having served an apprenticeship at Kaiser Steel in Napa starting in 1964; subsequent to that, I started my own machine shop in St. Helena in 1973 and retired and sold the business about 7 years ago, but have a well equipped shop at home. We should be acquainted!

I might have met you, been a few years ago when I enjoyed the open house there.

Get over the hill let me know, contact info on my linghunt web site. Look forward to it. got a part request that is not in my wheelhouse, perhaps it's something you can do.
 
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