Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Generator

We've been looking at generators, for those days when winter storms cut the power.  We've had as long as 5 days without power over the past few years, and it gets a little chilly!  But now that I depend on an electric lift to get in and out of bed, to get into the house, and of course to run my wheelchair, it's rather more important to always have electricity.

We started out with a beautiful sunrise.

We were headed for the local John Deere farm equipment dealer, Huron Tractor, where we'd been told Honda generators were available.  Several people had recommended these.  The lot was filled with lawn tractors like these, as well as much bigger farm tractors.

And lots of tractor size snowblowers, like these.  Anyway, we did get our generator; it will be delivered tomorrow.  That's enough to protect us, but we're planning to have an electrician wire it in to cover selected circuits in the house to make it as easy for Mrs. F.G. as possible.

We've learned that many farmers are having a problem with corn harvest due to the growth of mould, which produces a vomitoxin, making the corn unfit for consumption by cattle.  Farm groups have described it as a 'catastrophe'.  Note the interesting clerestory roof on the barn, very unusual here.

15 comments:

  1. I'm glad you are covering all the bases and will hopefully not be without power now. It would be very difficult in your situation. I think you and Mrs. F.G. are making some good calls. :-)

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  2. An hour or so without power is one thing, five days is quite another. Northcentral Pennsylvania is more than 20 inches above rainfall for the year, many of the farmers can't even get into their fields to harvest corn or soybeans for fear of getting stuck in mud or destroying soil structure.

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  3. 3 1/2 days were the longest we were ever out of power. Uncle living on a farm was out of power for over 2 weeks. Wired the generator incorrectly and ruined the generator.

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  4. You are very wise to get a back up generator. Never mind getting out of bed. the house cools off quickly with no power.

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  5. I hope you have a safe place to put the generator where Mrs FG can keep it running and fill it with gas if need be...not in an enclosed space. Great idea to get it hardwired in to the circuits that you need! Our first generator was a Honda...and it was easy to start! :) My brother has one of those first tractors in your photo...he has a belly mower, a tiller, a log grabber and a brush mower attachment for his...it really mows the brush!:)

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  6. A key start. and hard wired into the house for some power points is the way to go. We had that at a previous home, and it was such a bonus when a goose flew into the power lines. Honda, quiet, reliable, well done to be prepared so well.And look at all that equipment, enough for any outdoor need.

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  7. Glad to hear you've got fixed up with a generator before the winter storms. John Deere must use an awful lot of that green paint!

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  8. Hello, we are happy with our generator. It is hard going 5 days or more without power. That is sad news about the corn being ruined! Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!

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  9. Have always heard good things about Honda generators and especially how quiet they are. Good thing for people to have as a back up and in your case an absolute vital necessity. I see more John Deere equipment in farmer's fields than anything else.

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  10. Nice that you have a generator and will have it hardwired, they sure do come in handy and an absolutely necessity for you.

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  11. I'm glad you are covering your bases, you never know when you might need it. It is important that Mrs. F.G. can look after it too.
    I admit having to look up the word clerestory. :) Now I know and yes, indeed, it is interesting on that barn. Stay warm you two!

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  12. A generator sounds like a very good idea for you to have.
    We have a portable Honda generator that has worked well for us.

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  13. That's good to have a generator for backup. Power outages are common in winter when power and heat are needed the most. We have several generators for specific purposes. We have a large generic one that runs our electric log splitter. We needed more power to run it. We have an old Honda that runs our power tools for cabin projects, and we have a new 1000 watt Yamaha that gives our cabin batteries a trickle charge during the winter when our solar and wind generating system can't keep up with our meager power needs. - Margy

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  14. We had a wonderful seamless generator in Bala. It really made a difference. We were out 10 days in Ice Storm '98.

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