Finally some rain. Got an inch in the last one and supposed to get three more before the weekend is over. Need about two more feet....

 

But not all at once.

Congrats on the rain. We are supposed to get some sprinkles here soon. Like you, we need it too.

 

Update: Jerry posted on Facebook that he is indeed without power since yesterday. Just another good reason to have an emergency generator available. (We have had ours about 10 years, and have used it only twice, but it sure is a great feeling to know it's there when you need it)

 

^^Curious about these generator things (I'm assuming yours is one of the whole house style ones, but correct me if that isn't the case)... do you run a test of it each year at the beginning of the season? Do they need preventative maintenance? How do you test it if it's one of these whole house things that kicks in automatically... I mean, to simulate the real deal could be dangerous, no? So how do you do that?

I've heard they can be quite expensive, but if you live in an area prone to bad weather and/or outages it seems like a nice thing to have and probably well worth it for many people, depending on their situation.

 

Update: Jerry posted on Facebook that he is indeed without power since yesterday. Just another good reason to have an emergency generator available. (We have had ours about 10 years, and have used it only twice, but it sure is a great feeling to know it's there when you need it)
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We are now proud generator owners as well. It won't power the entire house, but it will keep the food/beer cold, give us lights and heat. Rick has run it a couple times since the fall, testing, 1,2,3. We had an electrician do all the necessary wiring, and we (Rick) can use a remote to start it from the house.

 

My next door neighbor has a whole house generator. It fires up and runs automatically once a week. I'm assuming it is performing a type of self test/maintenance routine. Me? I have a small portable unit. I fire it up once a year. Change the gas and oil and put it away for another year.

 

We don't have a whole-house generator, but use a portable one that can be connected to a separate breaker panel that I had installed when we built our house. This panel powers all the critical areas, such as heat, lights, kitchen (except the ovens), my office, and most importantly, the "data center." I just have to flip one breaker to disconnect the outside power to this panel when I use the emergency generator, so that I don't risk damaging it should the outside power come back on.

As Cone says, the whole-house generators self-test weekly. We considered getting one, but couldn't justify the over $5 K cost. The self-test is not dangerous, as there are safety relays built in so that when the outside power is on, the generator does not connect to the house's wiring. When the outside power fails, the emergency generator kicks in in about 15 seconds.

As far as maintenance, I would assume they need somewhat regular oil changes like the smaller ones do.

 

Our next door neighbor has his own business and three generators. He lends us one when we lose power. He is the greatest!

 

No generator here. I stubbornly refuse to buy one.

 

When we lose power, I can shower (gas hot water), I can cook on the stove top (gas, light with match). Most important, we don't have a well, so we can flush. If it's cold out I can store food outside. BUT no power in winter means no heat. We have no fireplace. No heat can mean frozen pipes. No thanks. Rick says he's getting older, and he wants to be comfortable in the event of a power outage, thus the new generator.

Also the generators will run refrigerators in the summer months if needed. Gotta keep the beer cold. Dave, aren't you worried about your beer??