Yesterday we spent much of the day cleaning up the North Bergen Condo then testing the emergency generator for the big storm coming this afternoon; the same storm that wrought tornadoes in KY and TN.
On and off, for months, I have have been away from the New Jersey house and working in - and from - the Pennsylvania house.
As Autumn came, and the leaves of trees throughout the nearby neighborhood fell, many accumulated in our small back yard. It always happens, but this year, I was not here very often to take care of it.
So now that I've been home for a few weeks, it became painfully clear that the yard needing a slew of cleaning. My son and I did that yesterday. Oh, what a mess!
It wasn't just leaves and twigs, it was decaying boxes from deliveries we had gotten, tools which hadn't been put away, buckets that filled with rain water and went stagnant, mold that grew in the concrete and the like. Old garden hoses that were drying out/rotting.
It took the better part of the whole day to get it back in order and up to snuff.
Once the yard was recognizable again, we decided to take out the emergency generator, crank it up, and test it under load, powering the house. It hasn't been used in YEARS, and with a big storm coming today, we thought it wise to make sure it was working.
The generator battery for its electric start is on a Battery Tender, and was fully charged. We checked the engine oil level; fine. We turned on the fuel valve and cranked-it-up. Started just fine. That was a surprise given the gasoline has been in it for years! I guess the STABIL fuel stabilizer, worked.
Ran it a few minutes, then switched the main house circuit breaker to cut-out the external power and switch to the generator. We put it under load to power the house. Good-to go! The voltage meter showed 240 volts, the amp meter showed the house running on ten amps. That included all the lights, the ceiling fans, refrigerator, freezer, computers.
It got interesting when we deliberately engaged the heat pump to see if it would heat the house. WOW, did that "dog" the generator. ALL the lights in the house dimmed badly for a few seconds. The UPS which protect the computers all started beeping. The generator itself seemed to struggle a few seconds as the compressor came up to speed and reduced its demand.
Within about three or four seconds, all the lights were back to normal, the UPS stopped beeping and the heat was running. The amp meter had jumped to 60 amps while the compressor was starting, and dropped quickly until it rested around twenty amps for the whole house and heat.
We left the generator running for about fifteen minutes. During that time, we tested the microwave oven. NOT good. It is an 1100 watt, over-the-stove microwave, so we figure it drew 17 amps. Just a guess. When we used it, the voltage meter on the generator dropped to 235 volts, and the microwave itself sounded sickly for the 30 seconds I told it to run. So clearly, using the microwave on the generator, is NOT a good idea.
We didn't even bother trying any burner or the oven, on the electric stove. Clearly that would have been too much. But we have a propane gas grill in the yard, with spare propane tank, so we will be able to cook.
I can't help but wonder if the fuel might have contributed to this generator performance. The fuel is waaaay old. Maybe just not enough "ummmmph" from it?
We did this because there's a storm system coming today and the weather guys on TV have been saying it will be a serious WIND event for us here in the New York City area. It is the same storm that brought tornadoes to Kentucky and Tennessee yesterday. Gale Warnings are in effect for New York Harbor and high wind warnings too. The weather guys claim there will be winds of about 50 knots on the Harbor, gusts to perhaps 70 MPH on land.
THAT is pretty significant wind!
While our electric utility - Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) -- has "hardened" their grid since Hurricane Sandy, and power to this condo has been amazingly reliable for years, you never can tell what mother nature may cause when she storms through.
So, we're as ready as we think we can be.
Today, it will be cleaning-up of the inside of the condo.
. . . and so it goes.
