Interlock kits against transfer switches, running watts against peak watts, tri-fuel portables, and what a whole home unit really costs.
On the Gulf Coast the power goes out. The question is not whether to prepare but how much hardware the answer requires, and the show has been through it live more than once.
Generators and Interlock Systems is the how to. Kevin wired a portable generator into his panel with an interlock kit rather than a transfer switch, and that episode covers why, plus breaker panel poles, tandem breakers, a natural gas quick connect, and the difference between running wattage and peak wattage, which is the number that decides what size machine you need.
The Westinghouse tri-fuel review carries the hardware side: thirty amp against fifty amp hookups, running an air conditioner off a generator, RV power, and what a whole home Generac on natural gas costs by comparison. The hurricane preparedness episode puts the generator in a list with the rest of it, including the emergency radio and food.
Then the two episodes recorded inside an outage. The Hurricane Beryl episode turns into live troubleshooting, with Kevin walking his family through a manual interlock: main breaker off, slide the plate up, close the fifty amp breaker that feeds the rest of the panel. Snowmageddon 2021 is the fuel lesson, recorded during Winter Storm Uri with propane gone from the region.
EP 215 Show Notes In this episode, Craig and Kevin talk about a new setup Kevin has at his house with a generator and an interlock system. For those of you who live in an area where you tend to lose power, it’s important to figure out a way to keep the power on at your home.
Episode Title: New Beginnings and Generator Talk Hosts: Kevin Hackett & Craig William Episode Summary: In this episode, Kevin and Craig discuss their new recording setup and share insights on the importance of trust in business, especially in the context of podcasting. They delve into the practicalities of owning a generator, including its benefits for home and outdoor use, and share personal anecdotes related to power outages and generator experiences.
Trump Rally Shooting and Hurricane Beryl Prep In this episode Craig and Kevin discuss some current events surrounding the recent hurricane that hit the gulf coast as well as the assassination attempt on President Trump at the Pennsylvania rally. Regarding Hurricane Beryl, we discuss the aftermath of the storm, and how we each faired and prepped for the storm.
In this episode Craig and Kevin discuss our top 3 things we think you need if you are in a hurricane. While we hope this never happens to you, if you live where we do, it’s inevitable that we will encounter hurricanes on a somewhat regular basis.
The week of February 14, 2021 will be a week that will live in infamy in Texas history. With power outages, water outages, burst pipes, sub-zero temperatures, a 133 car pile-up on I-20 in Fort Worth, and oh yeah, a LOT of snow - this week will not soon be forgotten.
Kevin went with an interlock kit and explains the reasoning on Generators and Interlock Systems. An interlock is a plate on the panel that makes it physically impossible to have the main breaker and the generator breaker closed at the same time, which costs less than a transfer switch and covers the whole panel rather than a preselected set of circuits.
Size it on running watts and peak watts rather than one headline number. That distinction is the core of the interlock episode, and the Westinghouse tri-fuel review adds the practical version: what a thirty amp hookup will carry compared with a fifty amp one, and whether an air conditioner is within reach.
The show weighs it both ways. The hurricane preparedness episode and the Westinghouse review both cover the Generac style whole home unit running on natural gas, which never needs fuel hauled to it, against a portable that costs a fraction and asks more of you during the outage.
Get the hookup done in advance. The Hurricane Beryl episode is the argument for it, because the parts of that outage that went smoothly were the parts already wired. Snowmageddon 2021 makes the fuel case, since propane ran out across the region while the storm was still going.
There is a lot more where that came from.
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