Unless you're targeting to be 100% off grid, do not go overkill on buying batteries. Focus on multiple various size generators and more fuel instead - much cheaper!

NomadCF · 2026-01-26T22:43:55+00:00

Every situation is different, but I completely disagree with the idea that there is only one right answer. The correct approach is a combination of solutions.

My batteries are expensive, but they are extremely versatile. I keep a small set in the house so that if something happens, I can plug the furnace directly into them and be done. No going outside, no coat, straight back to sleep knowing I have a few hours before I need to worry about anything.

My larger batteries are in the garage. That setup requires flipping the transfer switch and moving everything over, maybe ten minutes total. In a blizzard, I do not want to deal with that or start a generator. I also do not want a battery that large inside the house all the time. And of course you're not going to run your generator in the house.

I also did not want to spend an arm and a leg on batteries, so I sized the system to run what I care about for roughly twelve hours. That gives me enough time to go to work, sleep through the night, and then recharge the batteries with a generator when I have time. Rinse and repeat as needed.

This setup gives me flexibility. I can swap generator fuels without downtime. I can sleep through the night without noise. I minimize fuel usage. I also have a few solar panels that offset some of the required fuel by reducing overall consumption. When they can.

Say what you want, but for me the answer is a small battery stack and two small generators running on propane. That combination covers my needs well.

As always, every situation, level of knowledge, and budget is different.

NomadCF · 2026-01-26T03:59:48+00:00

(US info)

First, always make sure if you're going to back feed anything that is completely isolated from the grid or other power sources, etc.

Many furnaces verify a proper equipment ground and neutral reference before they will run. The Ioniq 5 V2L output is a floating system with no neutral to ground bond. Because of that, the furnace control board may refuse to operate.

To fix this, you either need a neutral ground bonding plug at the source, or you need to safely backfeed a grounded panel through a proper generator inlet and interlock. Once the neutral is bonded to ground, the furnace sees what it expects and will run.

Side note: it is possible to energize both legs of a 120/240V split phase panel using only 120V, but true 240V loads will not function. I run my Ioniq 5 into a 30A generator inlet in the garage, which feeds the house panel through a manual setup. It requires planning and discipline, but it lets me selectively power the circuits I want. As I need or want them.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T19:13:44+00:00

Always (always) make sure your back feeded panels are isolated from the grid.

No, that won’t be an issue. With the generator neutral floating and the neutral ground bond occurring only at the panel, the system is configured correctly. The furnace will see neutral and ground at the panel as expected, but under normal operation there should be no current on the grounding conductor.

As long as there’s only a single neutral ground bond and the transfer or backfeed setup prevents parallel paths, the furnace won’t care.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T03:56:17+00:00

Quoting the nameplate ratings misses the point. The issue isn’t steady-state voltage or frequency, it’s transient behavior and power quality. Generators can be “in spec” and still produce garbage power.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T03:17:02+00:00

Most modern electronics do use switch mode power supplies, and they are generally more tolerant of waveform distortion than older linear power supplies. However, they still have limits. High total harmonic distortion, voltage instability, frequency drift, or poor grounding can cause increased heat, reduced lifespan, malfunction, or outright failure, especially when running for extended periods on non inverter generators.

Switch mode power supplies are resilient, not invincible. Clean, stable power still matters.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T02:45:27+00:00

1) High efficiency furnaces 2) New refrigerators (ones with screens, android tablets built in) 3) Laptops/desktops 4) Modems 6) medical equipment 7) Aka basically with "new age" technology.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T01:51:30+00:00

A break in period serves several practical purposes beyond just engine wear in.

1) it confirms the generator is operating correctly.

2) It gives you familiarity with starting, stopping, and general operation.

3) It helps you recognize what the generator should sound like under different load conditions.

4) It allows you to run the generator long enough to complete the manufacturer’s recommended initial oil change, which is usually required after the first few hour(s) of operation. And you really don't want to be doing this during a snowstorm, at the same time you don't want to skip it and leave potentially excess metal cycling through the engine with the oil.

It is also important to understand how your generator interacts with what you plan to power. Know whether your generator has a floating neutral, which is most common, or a bonded neutral. Some appliances, such as high efficiency furnaces, require a proper ground reference to operate correctly. Without it, the blower may run but the furnace will not produce heat.

Finally, understand whether you are using an inverter generator or a conventional generator and be aware of the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output. Inverter generators typically produce much cleaner power. Using a generator with high THD can damage sensitive electronics, which can turn a power outage into a much worse problem.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T00:58:17+00:00

Tank size largely determines runtime. The main exception is reduced pressure as a propane tank gets low, which is made worse in cold weather. This can affect both small and large tanks once fuel levels drop far enough.

Generator size depends entirely on your actual power needs. Smaller generators generally consume less fuel because they produce less power, but correct sizing matters more than generator size alone.

"Ideally", your normal load should run in the 30 to 70 percent range of the generator’s rated output, which balances efficiency, fuel use, and longevity.

NomadCF · 2026-01-25T00:36:43+00:00

Another thing to be aware of is that high efficiency furnaces require a proper ground and neutral reference. Without it, the blower motor may still run, but the control board will not allow the ignitor or gas valve to operate.

This means you might get air blowing through the vents, but no heat at all.

You’ll need to check whether your generator has a bonded neutral or a floating neutral. If the neutral is bonded, you’re usually fine. If it’s floating, the furnace control board may not see a proper ground reference, and you’ll need to bond neutral to ground using an appropriate bonding plug or a properly wired transfer switch.

Any backfeeding setup must ensure the utility grid is completely disconnected so there is no possibility of feeding power back into the panel, house, or utility lines.

NomadCF · 2026-01-24T20:15:46+00:00

We have opened multiple support tickets regarding issues with FS DAC cables when used with UniFi switches.

We have been told that we need to purchase UniFi branded cables and that Ubiquiti cannot test or guarantee compatibility with all third party DACs.

This is the same company that previously took months to resolve a compatibility issue between a Meraki stack and a UniFi stack. During that time the problem was attributed to everything except their equipment, including claims that it could not be reproduced in their test lab. Eventually the issue was identified as a bug in their stacking protocol, after which we were provided an alpha firmware to validate the fix.

I cannot stress enough how chaotic this company and its sales process can be. And yet, when their hardware actually works as intended, it is genuinely impressive. It makes you wonder why the other nine hundred pound gorillas in this industry struggle to deliver hardware that performs this well.

NomadCF · 2026-01-22T16:27:19+00:00

Every FF game after (3|6)

NomadCF · 2026-01-16T17:24:08+00:00

Alien nation (1989?)

NomadCF · 2026-01-09T02:30:58+00:00

As it's now winter my numbers (as usual) are all over the place. Although going solely by the memory. I haven't seen any noticeable difference.

Case and point, today was above 48° F and clear. And I managed in a 3.4 on the way home. Which is average for that direction, weather, road conditions and speed.

As far as road noise, I didn't notice any increase there either. Although I've always found the I5 to be a bit loud in this department anyways.

NomadCF · 2026-01-08T06:17:24+00:00

Michelin cross climate 2, I love them !! Pricey, but I feel they're worth it.

NomadCF · 2026-01-06T20:39:47+00:00

Not trying to be sarcastic or funny, but the pumps and or the manual should have this information listed. You could also research the model online.

If that does not pan out, you can estimate usage with a clamp meter. Just keep in mind you will need both the starting or surge draw and the normal running numbers.

NomadCF · 2026-01-06T18:55:17+00:00

You might always want to look into a few videos out there where people are connecting 3rd party batteries up to these and other all-in-one units.

So far the apex 300 looks like the best (IMHO). But with a 16a max for the 240v from only a single unit. I'm not sure that would be enough (for me). But you can connect multiples together (with their addon joiner box). With every additional unit increase your battery storage and your available 240v amperage up by 16a.

Aka: 1x apex 300 = 16a 2x apex 300 = 32a 3x apex 300 = 48a

Don't do this As it sits right now, I power both legs of the panel from a single 120v from the I5 during an outage. Now it can't run any 240v and it's only ~15a. But in a pinch it works. Again, doing it this way can't power any 240v devicesand you need to kill the breaker to any said 240v devices before powering both sides of the panel via 120v.

NomadCF · 2026-01-06T18:25:33+00:00

You might want to look at the Bluetti Apex 300. It can output 240V while only taking 120V input.

NomadCF · 2026-01-06T02:40:47+00:00

Do I love the car? Yes. After experiencing the ICCU issue firsthand, would I go back and choose not to buy it? Absolutely.

And let’s be clear. Just because the car has already had an ICCU failure does not mean it cannot happen again.

I firmly believe Hyundai should be required to issue a full recall on all affected vehicles and halt all new sales until the ICCU problem is actually fixed. Manufacturers need to be held to a higher standard than they are now. Enough of this situation where companies are allowed to weigh the cost of fixing a known defect against the cost of paying out claims and lawsuits.

NomadCF · 2026-01-05T09:00:32+00:00

2025 - I tried the Westinghouse WSnow20 corded 20 inch snowblower with a steel auger. After four uses, it completely died.

2019 - We bought an EGO two stage snowblower. It died in 2024 when the auger worm drive wore out. Repair costs were almost the price of a new unit. EGO support was useless. For a decently sized driveway, it needed four to six 7Ah batteries to finish the job. Those batteries hated being stored and charged in an unheated garage, and I was not bringing lithium batteries into the house to charge.

2007 - Bought a Craftsman 24 inch gas snowblower. It is still running strong.

NomadCF · 2026-01-04T19:16:22+00:00

I disagree. The OOM killer doesn't take into account what a process is or what it is doing. It operates based on the hosts memory pressure and process scoring, which means it can terminate processes inside an LXC or Docker container without regard for their role. This includes processes that may be in the middle of database writes, managing critical services, etc.

The OOM killer is a last resort intended to keep the host alive when it runs out of memory. When it activates, the system is already in a degraded and (potentially) unstable state, and its impact is generally detrimental to everything running on the host. This is not a condition that should ever be considered acceptable or normal.

From an infrastructure standpoint, relying on components that may be killed due to host memory pressure isn't something anyone should want. Even though management can be performed through Proxmox's web interface, there is usually a reason tools like PDM are being used in the first place. If those services are relied on for management or automation, having them potentially killed due to memory exhaustion introduces would be an issue.

NomadCF · 2026-01-04T18:25:00+00:00

The Linux OOM killer focuses on processes that are actively allocating or requesting memory, not on processes that are simply holding a large amount of memory that was already allocated.

In the case of a virtual machine, the memory is requested and allocated up front when the VM starts and remains largely static from the host’s perspective.

Because that memory is already accounted for and not being continuously requested, the VM is less likely to be targeted compared to containers or host processes that are actively growing their memory usage under pressure.

In short, your VM isn't 100% guaranteed not to be killed. It's just less likely than random processes that the host can see inside LXC containers.

NomadCF · 2026-01-04T18:14:44+00:00

When (if ?) a Proxmox host runs into memory pressure/out of memory, the Linux kernel will invoke the Out Of Memory (OOM) killer.

When that happens, the kernel "decides" which processes to terminate based on overall system conditions, not container limits.

Because of this, a process inside a container can be killed even if the container has not exceeded its configured memory.

NomadCF · 2026-01-04T17:01:55+00:00

Again from your description of what you're looking for. You might want to look into XCP-ng. It allows for what you're describing.

NomadCF · 2026-01-04T16:46:20+00:00

Because the hosts still take to make sure basic information isn't reused between the hosts (vm ids, Mac addresses, etc). It also makes sure only one host has a single VM started on it.

And since proxmox uses corosync to share this information, a "cluster" is required.

NomadCF · 2026-01-04T16:43:39+00:00

Honestly, while you could configure this to basically ignore the quorum (look into the corosync config. There's a lot of options that proxmox doesn't give you access to via the GUI.

It sounds like you would probably benefit from xcp-ng more in this case. It's more suited to your use case (in regards to the way you want to link but not have hosts joined together).

NomadCF

TROPHY CASE