I just order a solar array for my house I'll be installing in a few weeks. I air sealed my house based on your insulation 2.0 + other videos and now my house is so dang efficient that a 3 kw system will run whole house. Solar I can use throughout the year, so I went that direction for emergency + savings.
What is the sq ft of your house 3kw on 220v would be 13 amps that would run one outdoor a/c but not start it unless it’s a inverter. Give us more details please!
@@adamkubiak9760 it's a very small house, but the most expensive stuff scales. The house is ~1200 sq.ft. The battery system goes through inverters for balancing the startup load of the AC system. I ordered 2 inverters with com for splitting the phase into 220 to run our well and AC.
Hey Matt just as an fyi…. The load shed modules don’t “talk” to the champion transfer switch. They monitor frequency of the electrical line. A generator under load is going to slow down, thus the frequency will drop, and the load will cut out.
Thanks for this. When he said "talks" I knew it wasn't an intelligent system based on the box itself. This makes more sense, and IMO is a more reliable way to do this sort of prioritization.
At 7:45 you can see the antenna on the AXIS box. It sheds these loads in a specific order and not simply by frequency. Each module is shut off by the controller at a specific frequency. The modules are controlled by the box they do not act independently.
My personal experience with a Champion generator is the complete opposite of what you claim their customer support offers. 8 years ago we had a major ice storm just before Christmas, TWO WEEKS without electricity! We got lucky and walked into a Big Box store JUST as they brought in a pallet of Champion 4kW portable units. I will say that little generator ran very nicely for 2 weeks, almost continuously except for refueling and changing the oil. After the power came on, changed the oil again, drained the fuel and put it into the garage. 1 year later, another power outage so I go to fire up the genny. Nope! Took it in for service, with well under 350 hours the block is cracked. No warranty even though I did register it, because the first oil change wasn't done by a Champion dealer. The only way I'll own another item from Champion is if they GIVE me one like they did you.
If you are getting anything other than a cummins generator you are paying for what you get. You're buying a random engine from a no name company that they bolt up to another no name companies electric generator that they slap their name on doesn't matter what brand, Generac, Champion, Kohler. Just from a family of electricians pov who have installed and serviced a lot of generator/ back-up power systems
Probably the best Ryan’s ru-vid.comUgkxGZedDTcDfgD7fG_uU4esfx_EgxzlY2_1 Plans on building a shed is hardly ever found. And Ryan takes the mystery out of different types of foundation options, etc. He even shows how to build a shed with different designs. Very comprehensive, covering different roofing materials, siding, etc.
I LOL'd pretty hard when Matt claimed his build budget was 'tight' but yet most of the hardware/items had been donated in exchange for a plug! Give me that type of deal any day on my next build! But I digress, I would have gone solar/batteries. But Solar is way cheaper in my country vs the USA. But agree with going propane tanks vs putting a street connection and the monthly fees for something not used..
Solar for personal back up use is pretty easy actually. Many RVers have built small systems for their rigs. Won't run central AC but with lithium, it will run basics like refrigerator and an inverter driven room AC with a slow start set up. Enough to stay in the house through a blackout.
@@rykdheiner Yes I think you might be right there! While I love Matts videos, most things shown on the show are 'paid promotions' at the end of the day. Lots of brand name dropping.
@@bitsorbytes I agree, don’t know how much that actually factored into his decision, I would actually appreciate if he was more open about that. I don’t fault him for taking paid spots. I would have loved to have a fraction of his sponsors for my remodel.
I saw a video about generators vs solar+battery, there was a good discussion as to why battery is the way to go is that the generator's actual value would only come if its used. But as for the solar+battery backup, it's value is already used since you can run them to save electricity costs. Or if you do a grid tie, you could earning money as well. As for the lifetime of the battery, it depends on the chemistry you would be using (Li-ion vs LiFePO4 as these are the most popular ones). A good quality LiFePO4 could last a decade.
Yes totally. And with inflation is always better to buy costlier things now rather than later, especially if those things save you money or make you money.
Your electric provider makes a huge difference. If electricity is cheap, as it is in Texas, then solar + batteries will never pay for themselves. Then again a generator can’t pay for itself.
@@ljdavick If you count the costs of losing everything in the freezer in the summer, or the water damage from frozen pipes in winter, the payback period looks better. And we can't count on electricity staying cheap - or available.
I disagree with battery power as the lifepo4 batteries can exceed 10 years with 100% availability. You could use a minimal solar system to charge the batteries and a small propane generator to backup the battery for a long power outage. Nothing is perfect but space availability and cost prioritization can blend a custom solution.
This is the route I am going. With good brands and DIY install, I can get 10KW of panels with 30KW LIPO for ~$20k. I'll have a small generator for backup to the solar if needed. It'll be WONDERFUL being able to sleep through the night without the hum outside my window.
Battery power is also instant transfer. Having everything cut off for a second is not ideal, and doesn't help for all those short term power blips that last under a minute when the utility is having issues during a storm
I have been playing with used equipment from ebay to learn and Lifepo4 batteries are so much better than the gel or hybrid batteries. Solar has dropped so much that inverters, chargers, and batteries are the only costs that are still all over the place.
@@TheJeof1000 solar is planning. Solar requires the right amount of panels to batteries. Too many panels is in efficient and too many batteries can damage the batteries. A generator is instant solution but wrong size leaves no adjustment and fuel can be a hindrance. Both have thier positive and negative.
Great video. Just installed one of Champions 8.5kw for a client. He loves it. He is in a wheel chair and was concerned about his lift not working in an outage.
Installed a champion last year in August. Great system. User Guide is so clear; a knowledgeable DIYer can do it themselves. I did mine, had a Electrician friend check it out, and my buddy from the local gas company check the pipes. Works great!
Definitely going to design my forever home with a backup whole house system. I can see more rolling blackouts due to our increase of heatwaves that are lasting longer and now colder weather with snow when it wasn’t the norm.
Great shows you have, 1 thing i would suggest is raising the generator maybe 2 ft up , the reason being is what if your area is going to flood or is flooded I believe you will be SOL , give it a thought. I love to watch you build shows, very informative.
When Hurricane Sandy came to my area. I got a cold hard lesson. With infrastructure all down, gas stations were down and some limited capacity after they got generator. I don't know how feasible it is to get propane during a catastrophe like that. I think all sources of fuel were hard to come by. Chances of something like this to happen is small but as long you understand this glaring delimma...
Your homeowners insurance agent is going to love you just told them how much propane you are storing on your property. They asked me multiple times how much fuel I stored on the property! Silly you can't have one proper tank or even a buried 500 gallon LP tank, but you can pile up 8 or 10 100 pounders.
btw, snow on solar is actually not a problem. they heat up even in deep winter enough, to keep themselves clear (I live in Canada, and many houses have solar that is mostly clear within hours of a heavy snowfall). Side benefit, it keeps the snow weight off your roof. Small pro-tip: Keep an extra set of spark plugs in your garage. IF you need to run it longer then 3-4 days (which exceeds the 100hr mark) then you'll likely need to swap your sparkplugs before you need to worry about the oil. Oil changes with the fully synthetic oils, def. dont need to be done each 100hrs, they just say this for warranty escape reasons.
@@xxZerosumxx I know three people who got them installed, and all of them had an early catastrophic failure that Generac left them high and dry on. Two of three it was electric, something went poof and it's busted. Their customer service is reportedly rude.
With the solar option, you save on energy costs over time, so comparing up front costs wouldn't be a good idea. The champion generator is just a maintenance expense
With all that sun in TX and solar panels Matt's house could be REALLY close to net zero and the panels pay themselves off in 7ish yrs, maybe sooner with a 100% electric house. Batteries could do 90% of the heavy lifting for short outages. (batteries that size are very recyclable) Since he got the generator for free for doing the commercial, keep that for very bad situations like the big freeze. Maybe if a solar company would sponsor he could get panels? :)
Jim S hello in FLORIDA even if you have much more SOLAR than you need, the LAW says you must be connected to theUTILITY, even if you DO NOT USE 1 KW, FPL CHAREGES YOU A HELl fee They saw RICH PEOPLE WITH SOLAR, ARE NOT PAYING THEIR FARE AMMOUNT TO KEEP THE GRID IN GOOD REPAIR, there are 3 cases before the COURTS NOW, because of the BS but several UTILITIES WONT PAY YOU 1 CENT, WHY? We are in business to generate electric NOT TO BUY IT ! Stay well 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you for covering batteries with your emergency power discussion, it’s becoming more and more important but still difficult. I would consider the peak-shaving value a lot more than the emergency aspects of batteries, but you’re right there’s still a lot of issues and questions even for consulting engineers like me.
@@whattheschmidt any recommendations? I'm always open to better solutions. And yes the Sol-Ark does seem pricey compared to just about everyone besides Radian
Another great video Matt. One thing you want to consider in any backup generator is the percent of THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) of the power output. Almost everything in today's homes have a circuit board and can be damaged by dirty power. Your older tri-fuel genny has 15% THD which is 3x what most electronics can handle. Your new one has
Matt, I think you have made valid points for coming to the conclusion you have. Only downside I see from a longer term maintenance perspective is the life of the propane tanks. While the gas doesn't go bad, those tanks will need to recertiifed or replaced after a few years, and I'm not sure how you would transfer the propane from old tanks to replacement tank.
@@buildshow Tanks are commonly certified for 5-10 years, before needing to be replaced/re-certified. If your getting near your end of life, buy the replacement tank, and use/sell a tank to a neighbour who uses propane bbq (to use up the fuel).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and videos. Sounds like you have looked into your options and found a solution for your situation. My concerns have always been centered around the required maintenance schedule, oil change every 4 days of operation, sounds like something that could or would likely be overlooked in a stressful situation. I like the idea of propanes useful standby lifespan. I probably would go with a larger buried tank if possible in your area with the ability to connect portable tanks as needed. Looking at the pictures of the flood made me wonder what the situation at your new house is. Would hate to see a situation where your generator is flooded but if only it had been installed a foot higher you would have been ok. Don’t forget the lesson of Fukushima, it would have been a nothing story if they had installed the generators a few feet higher than they did and had never lost backup power. The idea of solar in a micro grid configuration is very enticing if you were to add it as it could help reduce your daily energy costs and in a grid down situation could extend the runtime of your system. Wishing you and your family the best.
Pause at the intro, wait, “I’ll let you know what I ended up doing. Today’s episode is sponsored by Champion! Let’s get going!”. I wonder what the odds are that the solution at the end of this video is going to have the name Champion on it? 😂😂
I think it would be significantly easier and cheaper to just use a Span panel as your main breaker and can allow you to dynamically select which circuits can run in on a generator power
I have this unit installed. We had some hot 100+ weather with fairly high humidity and I did a load test and she ran fine without tripping the overheat protection. It's was working hard but it ran the entire house. Also as others mentioned. They sell a service kit which comes with plugs, oil filter, air filter.. Keep a set on hand with a fair amount of extra oil. These air cooled engines go through oil when running 24/7
I am all for going all electric for so many reasons, but I think your research in your situation is absolutely spot on. I grew and lived the majority of my life in the intermountain west both Norther and in the Sonoran Desert. I 3 years ago to Northern Virginia and I have never had so many storms caused power outages in my life. Phoenix has Haboobs and extreme rain and they keep their power. To me the difference is the overhead powerlines. I don't remember them in those newer areas of the intermountain west, but here they are everywhere. So, now I have to figure out how to plan for 3 power outages a season.
I went solar + battery with my house. I do think a generator is going to handle an extended outage better. But as far as worrying about battery longevity I kind of disagree. My system will pay for itself in about 5 years (did everything myself, saved a lot on labor) If I need another battery in 10 years I'll still be money ahead.
I don't know how anyone who had the option doesn't pick solar with battery. you get to use it for the next 25 years daily lol. Instead of having this pile of junk and fuel rotting in your yard. 99.9999% of the time. It's literally the only option that makes you self sufficient.
And if you can tap into something like Tesla’s “Virtual Power Plant”, like we have here in California, that payback could be much shorter. They will pay $2/kwh when the grid is stressed.
Any fuel generator will only last till the fuel runs out then your in the dark again. Natural gas is better if you have a connection at home but with the Texas winter storm some places got their gas shut off because the lines froze. Solar is better for long term.
@@ai4px wow, nice Wes! I guess you do need a good amount when totally off grid. I want an automatic backup LFP setup, probably 20kWh total but waiting for prices to drop. Need AC coupled since I installed 2 separate arrays, big one being in the detached garage with Sunnyboy inverter. Smaller array on my house roof with Enphase micros. 8kW of solar.
Great video! A side note from something that happened here recently i would let my neighbours know especially the elderly that you have a backup generator that way if the power goes out for a long time you can let them keep their food from the fridge/freezer. We had a multiple day outage in some areas and someone i know just hooked up a generator saw their elderly neighbour and offered which was a god send for them as they are a very thin fixed budget and just got the months worth of groceries. LOTS of stories like that here at that desperate time of need
Matt, bought the 14k champion generator after your first video. I live in Maine so the the 24 volt starting system was a big plus when it’s zero degrees out in January. My only suggestion for you would be to consider an underground propane tank, a 500 gallon tank is less than 2k and being underground has many benefits, especially in a hot climate such as Texas.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries can still have 80% life after ten years even IF you cycle them daily. They also don’t have the thermal runaway risk you have with lithium ion.
Micro-Air EasyStart from Hutch Mountain will allow you to start your air conditioner with less power/smaller generator. Matt, you got an EasyStart from us for your RV's ac, but if you need one for the house, let me know. We love the chanel & will hook you up! 😁 Thanks! - Your friends at Hutch Mountain
In my area those propane trucks manage to deliver in nearly the worst winter conditions we get and because there are several reputable companies who's jurisdiction overlap the price is always competitive and product available. What I really like is that my current supplier watches the market and will top us up prior to predictable price hikes which is just good looking out. They keep us full when we need it the most. Unfortunately my generator is not plumbed for anything but straight gasoline but I always have hot water and two secondary stoves for heat, light and cooking even without it thanks to propane and the sky is the limit with what else I could add. I love the reliability and long term storage options of propane. :)
Its really amazing to build your own on-site storage vs a utility. Operating costs are cheaper, and reliability is up to your own maintenance standards (not the company).
Be sure to inspect the engine area's regularly for fluffy the friendly mouse. They will fill the cooling fins with nesting material, causing the engine to overheat and fail. I have several air cooled engines that have warped heads and burned up valves due to the blocked cooling system. Living in the city and rural areas, I have found very few things "mouse-proof"
Love your Channel, maybe disagree on some points in this post though based on experience with propane and research for electrical solution on 30 acre mini-farm. (FYI, checked with High Cotton and they didn’t want to make the trip from Florence to Huntsville for the project, darn) Wife and I powered our RV with a built-in propane generator for tailgating (big War Eagle to Mr. Baczek), no shade so continuous direct sunlight. I choose propane for reasons you mentioned plus, exhaust compared to diesel is like a fresh summer breeze, less maintenance, and less noise. I’m familiar with Austin heat (daughter lives there) and air cooled may be stressed if needed due to summer rolling blackouts. For us avoiding overheat shut-offs required creative modifications. A negative with propane is the volume you need. You mentioned you can throw the cylinders in a pickup and take them to be filled. Not as easy as that sounds, that 100lb cylinders will be ~ 160lb full and must be transported upright. In Texas “I think” individuals can transport 5 cylinders at a time in an open pickup truck or trailer not to exceed 1,000 pounds (propane & cylinders). Plan worse case for volume of propane needed and consider plumbing so that a delivery truck can fill you up. Propane providers may be able to help with a more carefree method of filling. I agree solar isn’t a great option for you, shade, and a shallow sloped roof not a good combo. I’m not sure you should have dismissed batteries though. You stated concerns about longevity and recycling of batteries. Neither should be a limiting concern, cost on the other hand can be a showstopper. You mentioned Tesla and they have gone to great lengths to build a recycling ecosystem. Tesla releases an impact report each year that contains information on their recycling, www.tesla.com/ns_videos/2021-tesla-impact-report.pdf. And as a non-Tesla source of info Sol-up posted a pretty kind sustainability report on the Powerwall, solup.com/the-sustainability-and-benefits-of-the-tesla-powerwall. There are cheaper solutions out there than a Tesla Powerwall but it is an elegant all in one solution backed by a commitment to recycling from a company with perhaps the best possible resume for such products and you have a GigaFactory in town. I think Austin has a pilot program for lower cost off-peak electricity. With sufficient battery backup you could set your system to charge at lowest off-peak (10pm - 7am) and use that power during peak (3pm - 6pm) reducing your bill year-round. Regretfully battery backup alone doesn’t qualify for 26% Federal tax credit. Batteries have to charge 100% from owners’ solar array to qualify. If you could place solar on your property capable of charging your backup batteries, you could reduce cost of overall system by 26%. Solar panels are cheap so you could essentially buy down cost of batteries with the addition of a few inexpensive panels.
Just had my 22kw delivered yesterday.. I'll have 9 modules and 2 200 amp transfer switches. I live in Pennsylvania.. all the power lines are covered with trees.. it's a no brainer for me.
We live in coastal South Carolina. In 2005 we bought a generac 25kw. It’s a water cool 4 Cylinder ford engine. It runs off of LP. We have a buried 350 gallon tank. It sure helps when the power is off for a few days. It runs my whole 2700 sq foot house. Worth the money.
For short outages Batteries are great. I have simplifi batteries that are lithium Iron, need no maintenance, venting or anything special. The solar can run the house most of the day the batteries can run the house thru most of the night. If I need additional power or larger loads, I can fire up the generator. This allows for shorter runs on the generator and ability to do maintenance on the generator for those longer outages.
Matt - I totally agree with your thinking on your solution. My only question is to why you didn’t go with a buried propane tank. A friend did this here in San Antonio and they put a 250 gallon tank in their yard. A permanent solution that isn’t subject to theft or tank maintenance. Having it buried was a little more money - but looks so much better.
I went with a Kohler 14kw with load shedding modules on my electric dryer and range. The Kohler transfer switch already came with a load shedding relay for the 3ton condenser. I also installed a soft start kit on the condenser so it wouldn't put a big load on the generator when it kicks on.
Amen! The soft start is the key to running the air conditioner. It really lowers the amount of power needed to get the AC running. Did you buy a Micro-Air EasyStart from Hutch Mountain?
Have you looked at a solar system with Enphase IQ 8 microinverters? Pretty cool system. If the grid is down but the sun is shining the system will “island” your house from the grid and then pump that power, in real time, to your house, without batteries. Also, F150 lighting has a bi-directional charger that can draw from the trucks batteries to power your house, then charge itself from your solar system, all when the grid is down.
m=Microinverters also are much more shade tolerant. There aren't too many battery systems for these units since it's such a new tech. Also, the system needs somewhere to dump power, if there isn't it can fry. I hope it becomes more widespread.
@@termiterasin - this is a totally battery free system, you can add batteries if you want but you don’t have to. They have some kind of system for load balancing that doesn’t need batteries.
@@termiterasin With the IQ 8's, you can run them while the grid is down. Enphase calls it "Sunlight Backup". To get "sunlight backup", you need a automatic transfer switch just like you would need if you had a battery. ("IQ System Controller 2" is enphase transfer switch that works with "sunlight back"). No transfer switch, no backup. Benefits of this: you dont need a battery for backup power, it's cheaper than a system with a battery, and because you still need everything else like a transfer switch for off grid power, you have made your system "battery ready" for when you do decide to install a battery. (Yeah the installer should, in theory, only have to install the battery if a "sunlight backup" user decided to install one). Of course the cons: It's more expensive than solar alone, can only power when there is light out (should be a given due to its name), and your limited to just 4 circuits for your backup (if memory serves right).
I’ve got a 15-18KW diesel generator on my home. We were out of power 20 days with Ida. Day 10 we had to travel a bit to get fuel. We averaged .7 gallons per hour over the 20 day outage. Diesel was way cheeper than propane so we were fairly cost effective. Didn’t have to change oil till 200 running hours were on it. (Can’t say that with air cooled generators.) I’m total electric also and would have given an eye tooth for natural gas in the neighborhood. I’m selling here and moving to another neighborhood on the water and purchased another diesel generator for the new house when we build it. Can’t beat diesel power.
Diesel generators are the best. But they do have higher costs. And getting approval for a big tank can be a problem. Plus you need to have the fuel "polished" every so often if you don't use it as it will soak up water, which isn't good for your tank or engine.
I have been using a Champion 8.5kw standby generator that was installed back in december 2017 after we were affected by Huracane Maria a few months earlier and we were without power for a couple of months. And today its still working flawlessly like day one. I am using mine with a 120 galons capacity propane tank 👍😊. I live in the carribean PR
Now that you have had the Champion Generator installed for awhile, do you still like it.? I am considering the 12.5 or 14kv. what is it like getting parts ? Any engine or electrial issues with it ? thanks.
@@GreyGhost-r4z my Champion 8.5 kw standby generator is still working flawlessly since the first day it was installed back in december 2017. Durring a outage I can keep powered my whole house including a 24,000 btu inverter a/c, my electric cook top, microwave, washing machine, my lights, 2 fridges, 2 garage doors my 65” tv and my water cistern 1/2 hp electric automatic pump. Next month I am also planning to install a FranklinWH solar system to have two backups since our local water and electricity utilities are prone to fail very often. Remember I live in the carribean not in the states.
@@raymondmorales8252 Thanks for the comment. I am glad it’s still a great Generator. I can’t even find a dealer to install the Champion. I’m in Wisconsin. Champion was my first choice. So jealous you are somewhere warm. It’s supposed to snow this Saturday. 😵💫. Thanks
@@GreyGhost-r4z I am sorry to hear that in my home town we have 4 certified electrician and all of them install any kind of standby generators and offer services to them as well. The more popular brands here are the Generac, Honeywell and Champion, but according to the one who installed mine the more reliable by far are the Champions 👍😊💪.
I understand the appeal of a generator over solar, because it's real peace of mind and simplicity of operation and pretty low cost. I'd probably go the same route unless I just had budget to spare and was looking at solar anyway. But solar is pretty good even with ice and snow. The sun heats those panels up even under several inches of snow and avalanches the stuff off (safety concern, so be careful walking under them). Worst case, you could probably poke it with a long pole and get rid of enough to get by.
When you have the budget or a sponsor, consider adding batteries to your generator setup. When I have a grid down, I use the batteries first, then the generator comes online. Recharge the batteries and the generator shuts off. For a well designed system, that means 8 hours of generator time per 24 hours. I have enough solar to make that 4 hours per day winter and 0 summer but I have also have gas heat. For Lithium batteries, expect about 10 years of life. For a low-cost gas generator, 500 to maybe 1,000 hours is about the limit. Even with no power outages the generator will run doing scheduled tests. You will replace the generator before 10 years.
Hybrid systems are the way to go. with a water cooled system you can also store the heat from the generator for later use if you live in a cold climate. but I would recommend that you are very handy if you go this route
I have a 14Kw Kohler (running on propane). Easily powers my 2,000 sq ft home and all appliances and heat and cooling. I have never had it bog down. The installer initially recommended an 8Kw, but then I asked him about fuel consumption. He went back to his office and found the specs and sure enough, while 8Kw could have worked it would have been taxing the system more and using more fuel. A larger unit could run at 50% load or less and consume less fuel over the same time period. Something to consider when purchasing any whole house generator.
Thanks I was leaning towards the 8k unit because of the gas consumption. I have a 1300 square ft single story but in a hot state, so AC is critical in the summer. 31/2 ton system.
@@jrsmyth9761 Electrical load is correct. But if you heat with electric and/or cool with electric, then square footage DOES have something to do with the sizing. Also, I was just trying to make the point that it is a medium size home - not a tiny two-room cottage or a mansion.
@@kenb3552 Again, I will disagree with home size making ANY difference!! It is STRICTLY the electrical load. 2500 sq' or 5500sq' could have the same electrical load requirements depending on multiple factors. The biggest mistake I see in generator sizing is taking square footage into account.
@@jrsmyth9761 If you heat your house with electricity - would there be a greater electrical load heating a 1000 sq foot home or a 5000 square foot home? Yes or no? If you cool your house with electricity - would there be a greater electrical load to cool a 1000 sq ft home or a 5000 sq ft home? Yes or no? Would you expect there to be more light bulbs, computers, televisions refrigerators etc in a 1000 sq foot home or a 5000 sq ft home?? Yes or no? I never said you should base sizing on the sq ft of your home. I simply gave people a heads up that I live in an average size home. That's it. I never said it was the basis for my determining the generator size. ALSO the entire point of my post was to consider the rate of FUEL consumption. It was not about how to determine what size generator one needs - rather to factor in fuel consumption rates when you do.
Luckily LFP batteries are not much of a fire hazard, they(LFP) are way more affordable than Tesla’s power wall until they(Tesla) come out with LFP(any day now) AND the properties of that battery chemistry is great for keeping it completely charged to 100% as opposed to Tesla’s old batteries (POWERWALL) that should never be charged to 100% or drained below 1% AND they are more likely to catch fire 🔥 in the unlikely event of penetration. I absolutely agree with your champion system and would probably augment with a solar array and LFP batteries. Also using your champion system allows you to buy a smaller solar array and fewer batteries, Plus having a plan in place to prioritize energy usage to preserve food and other necessities. I love your channel and been watching for years. Thanks for all your hard work 🙏👍❤️
I’m up in Vermont, have solar with the Tesla powerwall. Awesome system, will lose power, lights will barely dim, that’s how fast it takes over. Highly recommend.
Hi Matt, I am in Florida and recently installed a 22KW Generac with a buried 500 gal propane tank. I am on the water so the tank had to be buried and the generator is on a 3 ft block pedestal. I would suggest thet you buy a 200 gallon horizontal tank.and do away with all of the rental BS and fees. I had a 200 lb tank rental and the rental fees were over $100/ year. And, my only usage was a gas fireplace. It does get cold in SW Florida. I enjoy your shows. Thanks
My concern is these generators is the noise. If you run them overnight during an outage, you will piss off your neighbors and they may come over knowing you have power.
My goal was to share some of my 3500 watts with my immediate neighbors. There were some snags. First, their gas furnaces are not tied to a transfer switch. But the bigger problem was not realizing that at 0-10 degrees, my 20lb Rhino tank could not evaporate the fuel fast enough to produce more than the 1kw I was consuming. They did get to charge their phones.
Double the generator capacity isn't double the cost. I installed a 22kW Generac generator that's sized to run all the loads in my home, and don't have to screw around with load shedding accessories. It was cheaper to upsize the capacity than worry about not having enough capacity. Plus having more head-room was a win. I've got propane as well; though I would have preferred diesel, but the economics for a small residential generators don't make sense. (I'm more used to using them in the 100kW and beyond size for data center backups..) And you also have to worry about storage of the fuel, as you noted isn't really an issue with propane. I've not seen Champion in commercial systems; I've seen Generac before. But more importantly, I could get support from my electric co-op to install and maintain that brand (which is also rated well.) That's an issue for me living out in the sticks and trying to get competent service and maintenance.
Generac might make commercial units but their homeowner units are just that....homeowner junk. If you want a real backup generator that works like a commercial model, you should have bought a Kohler 12RES.
Nissan was quoted recently (Forbes, 8/1/2022) saying that their experience with lithium batteries was very good... so good that they were talking about perhaps recycling the cars & reusing the batteries. And incidentally causing their battery recycling programs to be delayed. Nissan's Leaf has been in production for 12 years so there's some high volume experience there.
Matt, Was an underground propane tank an option? On the backup battery option, did you consider a backup would serve as a capacitor of sorts to compensate for the spikes in energy. It seems like it could work well in concert with a smaller generator. BTW, good video out there on a former Tesla exec working on recycling the batteries. Interested in your take on it. Respectfully, RAKE
Thank you for this video. We are building a house in the PNW and have had a lot of the same thoughts you had about solar (although the $56,000 price tag is what kept it out of reach for us). Very good info. Thank you so much.
There is a absolutely a good way to recycle any of the big batteries, Matt you can check what I’m saying about that. I would like your tool batteries when there worn out. In factory shell, they can be mailed to me.
I have a Generac on my house, it came with the house. It's probably 15-20 years old and I couldn't tell when it was last used. The gas connection was really sketchy (a rubber hose!) luckily it was turned off. I replaced that, had it checked out and finally got it running. It works fine for the 3 or 4 times we've needed it. If I was starting over, I'd probably go for solar / batteries, but the house has a cedar shake roof which solar is no good for!
I went with a Generac and I'm very happy with it other than it's not propane powered but I plan on changing that. It's way more than I need since my hot water heater is propane fueled. Heat is also propane. I can run my entire house and my pool on it, it's crazy. I also have a meter next to my electrical panel so I can see how much power I'm using. Oh and whole house surge protector. Don't forget it!
Thanks for the video. I am looking at this exact model to install at my home. We have natural gas heating/dryer/hot water so this is a no brainer for fuel source for me. Also, I ‘think’ you know about the Micro Air Easy Start for your AC, right? I have them on both units at my home (4 ton down/3 ton up). Game changer for greatly reducing starting amps. I now have a portable Champion Tri-Fuel 7kW nat gas generator that I have used to run all essentials plus my 4 ton AC unit and it works just fine. Looking now for a permanent auto transfer system, and this one look just right.
The original Tesla Powerwall didn't last long. The specs say 1500 charge cycles (at some low capacity percentage I can't remember). So roughly 4 years. But all the manufactures I've looked at have switched to Life4po lithium cells and they have come a long way. Most advertise 5-6000 cycles at 80% capacity. That is 14-16 years if you discharge them once a day. Quite a few manufactures did a 10 year warranty. So that is at least 10 years where you would be continuously saving on electricity as well.
I tend to agree with you on all points, for your location. I live in NE Wyoming at an elevation of 4500 ft above sea level, so snow can literally happen any time of year. That said, i have very few overcast days. My plan is to have wind, solar, and propane power available. Wind and solar will power me most of the time, but if it's not enough, I'll have propane there to fill the void.
If you're out for 5 days it's time to get on the car and drive away :) as long as you're not trying to last for weeks what you did is a great solution. If you did solar you could add batteries and then the generator exists to change the batteries, in that case it doesn't idle so you get a lot more efficiency, but you still need the generator.
If the streets are still frozen after five days, you still won't be able to drive anywhere. Been there, done that during the Great IcePocalypse here in a different part of Austin.
Nice. My wife and I have a Tesla model S, 135k miles and it's over 8 years old (9 years old October this year) and still has well over 80 percent capacity. My spark EV has well over that too and it's approaching 7 or 8 years old (don't know mfg month off top of my head) for the Tesla, that's eight year old Panasonic cells. They work, dude. But you did make a good choice. Backup power is just that. Have it or not, and you do. Very good. I just spent 10k usd for 13kW and 15kwh (lithium iron phosphate) and 7500 watts of used solar panels. Signature solar, out there in Texas, is where i got the stuff from, minus the panels. Meanwhile our diesel expedition 36t has been on standby for us with 10 days of fuel at the ready since 2016. Only needed it once. Why the off grid setup? Well, fortunately my electricity prices have virtually stayed the same the past 6 years, gas and commodity prices haven't. Getting the renewable setup locks in cost vs. being at the will of energy companies.
Great video. I have the Tesla solar tiles and their battery backup. The 4 Tesla PowerWalls that I have are liquid cooled which extends their life significantly. The batteries in the powerwall are the same ones in the cars giving them a degradation rate of around 10-20 percent over 10 years depending on how many times they are cycled. After that the degradation slows down even further so you may get less kWh backup but you should get a good portion going on 20 years. If you don't want the battery you can still put up some solar. This can extend the amount of time you can be without power quite a bit. Since the house is already hooked up to a generator there may not be a need for as many panels which can save money. The great thing about solar, there is a payback period that can never be achieved with a generator. The solar offset of your daily electrical usage will happen whether you are getting grid power or not. This can save a decent amount on electric bills especially as the cost of electricity rises. I know there are reservations but I would highly recommend getting at least one battery if anyone puts solar on their house. As most grid tie solar systems won't continue to power the house during an outage without a battery backup. This means that even when the sun is shining that you will not be able to use any of that electricity being produced by the solar without someplace for the excess power to go as the solar doesn't moderate itself to meet the changing electrical demands of the house. Making a buffer necessary between the solar and house. During an outage if the battery becomes full the solar will turn itself off until the battery drains to around 90%. Then the solar comes back on to power the house and charge the battery. To share my example of keeping power during the same ice storm outages you mentioned while living in the Dallas metroplex. When the power went out here in North Texas my batteries instantaneously switched over, with barely a flicker to let us know the power even went out. The only way I knew we were on battery power was by looking at the app. Once the batteries kicked on I knew I began to do the calculations and even with the solar I worried that because it was going to be cloudy that I may not produce enough electricity to get me through the 10 days it may be out. Lucky for us the power would come back on a couple times throughout the day and the grid would actually charge my batteries back up. With 4 batteries I had no problem making it through 24 hours and every time that they would get filled up again it would reset the clock as I couldn't rely on solar alone to charge them back up. Between the solar I was able to generate and the grid providing intermittent power to charge the batteries I was able to keep the power on throughout the storm. This allowed me to keep the house heated and keep the kids happy with power for the lights, TVs, WIFI and tablets. This new realization of scraping by during the outage without knowing if I will have enough power. I decided to do like Matt. I picked up a tri fuel generator and multiple propane tanks. During the storm we never lost the NG to the house and I have since added a nipple from the gas line where I installed the tankless in the garage and a detachable 20 foot flexible NG hose to run to the generator if this were to ever happen again. With both NG, propane and 7 gallons of gas this would offset a large portion of the power that would normally drain the batteries if there isn't enough sun. The good news since then is that my system has been able to meet the daily demands for the house and during March through May and September through November we actually produce far more power than we need. My average electric bill for the 4,000 sq. foot house use to run around $3,500 a year. My new power bill for the year after the solar install is around $400 and the majority of that is the $21 monthly meter fee I pay for the privilege of being hooked up to the grid.
4:00 I hear lots of people with standby generators have problems with oil consumption - you might want to try using 0W40 or even 5W50, and save yourself the trouble of it dying in the middle of a blackout!
you only need 0wXX in a cold environment. In texas, even in their cold snaps, a 5WXX or 10WxX would be fine (and oddly offer better protection during startup).
@@spyrule the way I've always understood it is that while you only *need* a 0W in cold environments, it flows easier before engines reach operating temperature & generally are made with better feedstocks It's actually pretty fantastic what we have nowadays, back in my dad's day he could get 10W30, and now I can get an oil that's better in *both* direction, and put 0W40 in his small block!
Hi Matt, Excellent video. To share with your subscribers that Generac offers a significant KW upgrade to 22 KW size generator which is only marginally larger than yours and air cooled. I have had mine for two years with excellent reliability.
Honeywell also sells a 22kw with transfer switch for a reasonable price at Costco. Reliability is always a major consideration. Bigger than needed runs less efficiently.
Propane will work fine as long as you are healthy enough to handle the tanks and your area does not run out of propane during a storm. I’ve been in mid-sized cities where the local propane supply, because of high demand, ran out and the nearest supply was over 100 miles away.
I wouldn't do a lithium battery backup like Tesla wall because of price and lack of longevity, but if you ever want to do solar I recommend Nickel-Iron batteries. They do take up a ton of space but they last forever; there are videos of people taking them out of landfills, refilling the electrolyte, and it works just fine. They are also cheap per kilowatt hour
IMO if you live in a rural area with unreliable power and you are low grid priority because of low population density go with liquid cooled it will handle the 10 day outages much better. In the city I think air cooled is a fine choice. Just make sure you exercise it and maintain it and your all set.
The only thing that would scare me is having all those explosive tanks next to my house. I know it's unlikely, but not impossible. I would suggest you at least make a good enclosure that protects your home.
I have a Generac 16kw, I use a soft start for my AC and it doesn’t bog down anymore when the AC kicks on. How’s the reliability on the older Champion? Our Generac is just a few years ol and has been awesome.
Mr. Matt Redwood Materials has signed multiple deals with legacy automakers to recycle their EV batteries when end of life or faulty occur. Started by the co-founder of Tesla. I Love all your vids. Be Blessed my Brother.
I have a four year old house with a three ton conventional air conditioning unit. I installed a 22 kw Generac backup generator. Even wit the size of the generator when the air kicks on it pulls down the generator and dims the lights. I am considering a Micro Air soft start which can cut your start amps by around 70 percent. The cost installed is around $500 but may be worth it as it will help the compressor life
We are happy to do grid solar without a battery no need now you have a generator. But still nice to also have a battery , 2nd backup the backup. Solar works good CRsolar Texas. And batteries getting better all the time.
I own a portable Champion after Hurrican Michael shut us down. Friends brought in gas to run it from out of state. Otherwise, no power. Kind of stuck in a shut down. That is where solar wins every time!
Long term, i would look into a solar/battery system with a generator tie-in for the ultimate backup solution. (Like enphase or generac) With all 3 systems, (Solar, Battery, & generator) that 3 days of fuel you have could be stretched to several days (possibly a couple of weeks) since the generator will mainly be recharging the battery. Saving fuel when its absolutely needed.
@@spazoq While true.... At 90%(ish) round trip efficiency, it's a "small" hit to charge your battery and take that energy out of it..... (If you had a fix amount of energy, say 2 kWh, and put that into a battery, you'd only be able to pull out 1.8 kWh of usable energy.) Not something the average person is going to notice too hard.... Although I fail to see what that has to do with my comment about saving "fuel" with a generator.. (and where did "free ride" come in?) Running a generator at idle or with low loads is more fuel inefficient when it comes to generating electricity. It's better for a generator to run at a certain load % (say 70% as an example) to get the most electricity from X amount of fuel. Something like charging a battery would do just that (at least getting it up to about 60%-80% charged). Once charged, a generator can be turned off (automatic for these systems). These 2 things, running a generator at it best fuel efficiency to charge a battery and turning it off when no longer needed can stretch the amount of fuel you have. (It honestly wouldn't surprise me that even adding the battery inefficiency to the mix, it's still more electrically fuel efficient to run low power loads with a gen+battery than running a generator by itself under the same condition.) This doesn't even include that solar should be covering most to all of the battery charging and home electrical use... The generator in this setup is just the last line of backup. Incase there hasn't been enough solar nor there enough battery to cover you.
@@facadcofac409 Yep and Nice! Sadly my area doesn't have as nice incentives as you do. Payback before attaching batteries was about 7 years. (10 to 12 years combined with batteries that was added last year.)
Thanks for the breakdown as I've been looking into backup generators for my mother now that my father passed on last year. She's older, so there are some things to consider for her that aren't the same as yours, but both homes are good quality builds. She can do a 12kw system plus two Tesla powerwalls and it's $37k, way over the budget of your system (I've scene pricing of around $8k to $10k installed when I was looking). So there is a huge $27k difference in price, BUT your system sits there, does nothing 98 to 99% of the year, but a solar and battery system will produce you electricity all year. The above system could go much lower in cost if she went to 9.6kw and 1 powerwall, then it's $26k, but I figure the extra cost future proofs the home for when she does move out and a family will move in and turns the home which already is rainwater and septic into a true off grid home, a nice selling point. It also sets the home up to be able to handle even the harshest breaks, potentially running by itself for weeks if need be. In an ice storm there is no refilling tanks or getting out of her hill country home. As far as the batteries, they have a 10 year warranty of capacity of min 70%, but with the current systems using LFP chemistry batteries that are rated for well over 2,000 cycles, you are looking at well over 10 years. For recycling, there are already companies ready to take your batteries for cash at the end of their life (Redwood Systems is the main one, started by former Tesla executive). The biggest thing I like is there is zero maintenance for the Tesla or similar systems, just some washing of the panels twice a year and that is it. The standby systems usually have one or two times a year they need to be run to keep them preforming well, plus annual or every two year. At a savings of $120 a month on the solar/battery it will pay for itself around 22 years, which is near it's life cycle, but it's paying for independence. if you go the lower cost route, it can pay for itself in 16 years, plus I'm not sure on how much credit she would get over her bill, but above is just having the electric bill covered. The cost of a propane generator is appealing, but at the end of the day, I didn't like that it just sat there and didn't really do anything when another option was there that reduced the load on the grid, especially at peak demand times of hot sunny days, and would make the house off grid in 99.99% of all situations.
@@LB-bo8os 2 power walls are 26kwhs, or roughly 2 days of power with zero solar, nearly infinite power with even light sun. I have solar with a battery and it is able to go days without using the grid despite being a small system not designed for backup.
@@LB-bo8os your friend is using way to much power given what you say thier system is. 30kwh should last two days without any sun, and I just checked the weather to confirm what I remember and there was still solar production
Matt, I just put in a 20Kw Generator. It was about 13k. I work two jobs. 18 hours a day from home and I make well over $300k y and ave two full internet access points in my home as well. It's very important to me that I can assure my clients that I am well prepared for anything. I have had a few days of complete failure last year so I know how much you can be at the mercy of the grid.
What happens if you get a flood again, the generator gets submerged. Might make sense to raise it off the ground. It might look ridiculous but at least you will still have power.
We have had 2 all electric houses. I will not have another one. We have a pellet stove plus central Heat & Air. We have a propane tank (500 gal). I do have a Miller welder/gas generator but that is limited. I saw your video when you put it in your last house. Why did you not do this in the new house plan?
Everyone that can afford it, especially in Texas, needs to get some kind of backup set up. I don't think people realize how outdated our electrical grid is, and how lucky, yes LUCKY, Texas was with the winter disaster. Could have been much worse.
Your concerns about battery back-up noted but you can use battery back-up with city power or your generator, just some suspenders for your belt of powering the home. Most battery systems have great management and if you are only using it as back--up it will last you much longer than what you are looking for Later one you can even add solar, for another level of protection.
Hi Matt. Thanks for the overview. I also purchased a 14k Champion a couple of months ago. I just don't know how to setup the wifi to be able to view the status on my iPhone. How did. you get this setup? I followed the directions in the installation manual but can't even find the wifi link to connect it. Any advice would be appreciated. Also, I live in New Braunfels. Do you know anyone you can recommend for follow up service? Thank you!
I specified a 225 kw Generac generator, propane, for the house in east Texas. A little less expensive, I'll have to look at the Champions model on the next project. The transfer switch alone was $1700 supplied & installed.
225kw? That's more than ten times the power requirements of any house I know of, except maybe the White House in Washington, DC. Did you perhaps mean just 25kw? That's a large Generac for a home, but not totally whackadoodle.
