> Where are you going to store 360 gal of fuel. Especially gas, which goes
> bad so quickly.
Even diesel gets old, and needs tending occasionally. In some parts of the
world, algae growth is a problem ... and you sure don't want that getting sucked
into your engine when the power goes out !
> Don't forget, oil.
One other factor is noise ... they ain't exactly silent. I live several blocks
away from a hospital, but I notice it when they run their generator. A week of
that would get really tiring.
> Light bulbs and most appliances won't care.
Just don't expect your AC-powered clocks to keep time !
> But your computer might.
Highly unlikely, IMO. The first thing a computer does with the incoming power
is rectify it and charge a big capacitor. Then it gets chopped into relatively
high frequency AC, run through a transformer, rectified again, and put into
another capacitor. Usually the only thing they are sensitive to are really big
spikes, or big spikes between neutral and ground.
> So for that, get a battery power UPS.
> The power from the generator will charge the batteries in the UPS, and
> then the convert it to AC for the computer.
Very few UPS work this way. For the vast majority of units, if they see AC
power available, they power the load directly from it, and charge the battery
separately. But a decent unit will have the surge suppression needed, so a UPS
is still a good idea; whether or not you have a backup generator.
Randall
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