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Only one good thing
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2022 3:07 am
by Fred588
Iam currently spending my seventh night of the winter in a motel room, as the result of three ice storms. I have concluded there is only one good thing about that - I can watch a hockey game on TV. Cannot do that at the Studio location.
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2022 4:13 am
by Mynock
Three things I look for in a hotel room:
Comfy bed
Fast WiFi (I carry a HDMI cable so I can port my laptop into the TV and watch stuff on the big screen)
Free Breakfast
The first one is non negotiable. The other two are big pluses.
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:49 pm
by Theo
Mynock wrote:Three things I look for in a hotel room:
Comfy bed
Fast WiFi (I carry a HDMI cable so I can port my laptop into the TV and watch stuff on the big screen)
Free Breakfast
The first one is non negotiable. The other two are big pluses.
Can't agree more!
When I used to travel frequently (before Covid) and an overnight was necessary, I always liked Hampton Inn's for the same reasons. One night I stayed at one of the more spendy, "fancy" hotels in a big city and the bed was like a rock, and I don't mean in a good way, like in a Bob Seger song or a Chevy commercial
I actually ended up sleeping on the couch half the night
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:08 am
by Duncan Edwards
Once upon a time I used to travel a great deal in the service of an enormous blue computing entity. I eventually became so used to Marriott Courtyard Hotels that I wanted to redecorate our house to match. After many years of marriage my wife and I have developed the "staycation" to a high art which generally requires an expensive hotel room. I didn't go for it at first but not having any kids, dogs, neighbors, in-laws, etc around and time to do what we want...you know. You gotta do something. And there's a lot of very nice hotels around here.
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:32 am
by Fred588
Eighth night tonight
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 7:39 pm
by Duncan Edwards
Fred588 wrote:Eighth night tonight
How many nights before buying a generator reaches the payoff point?
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2022 8:00 pm
by Fred588
Duncan Edwards wrote:Fred588 wrote:Eighth night tonight
How many nights before buying a generator reaches the payoff point?
I have already looked into that for next winter. I will get a dual fuel generator capable of about 7500 watts and have a plumber connect it to the propane tank. Then, if it is needed, I will run a 10 gauge cord from it through a window and use it only to power a small space heater, the computer, and the satellite modem. The greenhouse is already heated by propane, as is the stove.
For those who may want to suggest a whole-house generator, that is many times the cost.
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 2:12 am
by dlodoski
8000w generator. 8 gallon tank, with lots of spare gas.
Runs the whole house, minus the furnace, which is electric. But I have several oil filled radiator type electric heaters which run silently and work well (as well as an assortment of cheaper, noisy ones).
I got lucky in that the previous owner had already installed the twist lock Hubble receptacle and the cutover switch. $1,400, including the 50ft power cord.
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 3:41 am
by Fred588
dlodoski wrote:8000w generator. 8 gallon tank, with lots of spare gas.
Runs the whole house, minus the furnace, which is electric. But I have several oil filled radiator type electric heaters which run silently and work well (as well as an assortment of cheaper, noisy ones).
I got lucky in that the previous owner had already installed the twist lock Hubble receptacle and the cutover switch. $1,400, including the 50ft power cord.
Thanks for this. I had an estimate done for a hole house generator system about five years ago. The generator with installation, and all the things needed to integrate with the grid system came to north of 10,000.00. Having seen how much damage can be done so quickly by a fire, I will not use a system that burns gasoline. The dual systems can be set up for gasoline or propane and I already have a large propane tank that serves the greenhouse and stove. In the three storms this winter, the power was actually off for only three of the nine days I was away (tonight being the ninth). The way I see it, if I had had the generator this year, I would have run it only two days. An 8k watt generator for dual fuel is about $900.00, plus what the plumber will charge. That ought to be fairly inexpensive (for a plumber) because all I will need is a fuel line and valves from the tank to the generator and that will only be 10 to 12 feet. There will be no costs at all for electrical work because I will simply run a heavy duty cable (which I already have) from the generator, through a window, and to my UPS units and space heater. The heater will do just one room and will be set to a maximum of 7.5 amps unless I turn off most of the computers. The emergency system will be completely isolated from the house electrical system and grid.
Re: Only one good thing
Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 5:50 am
by dlodoski
Fred588 wrote: ...Thanks for this. I had an estimate done for a hole house generator system about five years ago. The generator with installation, and all the things needed to integrate with the grid system came to north of 10,000.00. Having seen how much damage can be done so quickly by a fire, I will not use a system that burns gasoline. The dual systems can be set up for gasoline or propane and I already have a large propane tank that serves the greenhouse and stove. In the three storms this winter, the power was actually off for only three of the nine days I was away (tonight being the ninth). The way I see it, if I had had the generator this year, I would have run it only two days. An 8k watt generator for dual fuel is about $900.00, plus what the plumber will charge. That ought to be fairly inexpensive (for a plumber) because all I will need is a fuel line and valves from the tank to the generator and that will only be 10 to 12 feet. There will be no costs at all for electrical work because I will simply run a heavy duty cable (which I already have) from the generator, through a window, and to my UPS units and space heater. The heater will do just one room and will be set to a maximum of 7.5 amps unless I turn off most of the computers. The emergency system will be completely isolated from the house electrical system and grid.
8kw is roughly 65 amps at 120v. I think your space heater will be ok.
