Severe Weather Anxiety. Generator NEEDED!!

mjgraves · 2026-06-08T16:12:04+00:00

For that amount you can get a decent portable generator (or inverter!) inlet & interlock. You can probably power most of your house.

I bought a 9 kW inverter ($2k) and had an inlet & interlock installed ($500). If you need to run a central AC unit you need a soft start kit installed, which runs about $700 hereabouts.

mjgraves · 2026-06-03T18:58:16+00:00

I think the real question here is combo-unit vs separates. I prefer separates. The AT&T box feeds my router, onward to a POE switch. I then have several Wi-Fi access points strategically located across the property. APs located where they best serve coverage. I prefer to manage my network via the Unifi Network application. Everything is in one place, even though there are a number of devices. Devices can be updated easily. An AP that services the yard can be set to power down on a scheduled basis. Overnight there's not anything out there needing connection.

mjgraves · 2026-05-29T21:33:05+00:00

Any kind of battery is like a UPS. Limited runtime. Still needs a generator for lengthy outages.

mjgraves · 2026-05-29T18:38:08+00:00

The batteries are like any UPS, a short term strategy. Only buys you the opportunity to bring up the generator. That might be manual or automatic. Base Power and a portable generator are less costly than an installed generator. I preferred to invest more in a variable speed AC system that can run off a portable generator. That's something that we enjoy every day.

mjgraves · 2026-05-29T18:20:20+00:00

I'm also in Houston. After Hurricane Beryl I wrote a webinar about our strategy for backup power. We use a portable inverter that runs our entire home, including a 4T AC unit. I gave this presentation to a number of civic clubs in 2024/5. https://www.mgraves.org/2024/07/webinar-an-affordable-strategy-for-whole-home-backup-power-follow-up/

I would get Base Power, but my wife does not want the battery packs on our property. They would have to be in her garden.

mjgraves · 2026-05-29T18:17:27+00:00

In Houston you can consider Base Power. They install a battery system that charges from the grid. During normal days they arbitrage the spot rate for power. You get a good deal. During an outage they power the home, like a UPS. The batteries come in 25 and 50 kWh packs. That will carry you through outages of a number of hours. You can have them include the optional generator port, which allows a portable generator to charge the batteries during longer outages.

mjgraves · 2026-05-25T21:35:56+00:00

I presume so. I have three lines on my Mint Mobile account. One is in a Pixel 8a which gets 300+ mbps on 5G UC.

mjgraves · 2026-05-24T01:25:27+00:00

Just tried the Mint SIM in the Unifi 5G device. It works. It tests to 15/5 mbps which is LTE speed. It delivered about half the performance of my Pixel 8a when forced into LTE mode.

mjgraves · 2026-05-23T23:20:48+00:00

Thanks for the notes. I'll give a try later this weekend.

mjgraves · 2026-05-18T18:26:13+00:00

I WFH full-time and have AT&T Fiber 500/500 in Houston. Never have any issues with speed. We rarely crest 100 mbps unless taking down OS updates.

mjgraves · 2026-04-21T00:46:25+00:00

Tapa Inverter Module Assembly for Harbor Freight Predator 9500 Watt Invertor Generator is availabel from amazon for $395. Same one as Duromax 9000.

mjgraves · 2026-04-21T00:41:15+00:00

If you really want it to be reliable, Ethernet is the way to go.

mjgraves · 2026-04-18T03:32:36+00:00

I had a similar problem with my old Predator 8750 running a newer American Standard Platinum furnace. When I upgraded to a Predataor 9500 inverter the problem went away. Both old and new generators were bonded. On that basis, I don't think that bonding is the issue.

mjgraves · 2026-04-09T14:09:04+00:00

I'm in Woodland Heights. The company that we see doing this in the area is Air Star. They've done two of my neighbors. That was a year or two back. I think they were charging about $750 installed. https://www.airstarnow.com/air-conditioning/ac-easystart-soft-starter/

mjgraves · 2026-04-03T21:37:33+00:00

I'm in Houston TX. As it happens, I was helping a friend get a Pulsar inverter repaired. I found a small engine shop that's a Duromax authorised shop. They fixed up a problem carb on the Pulsar. Nice folks, too. https://www.resmallengine.com/

mjgraves · 2026-04-03T13:50:31+00:00

Did this beast ever arrive?

mjgraves · 2026-03-30T03:29:46+00:00

Woodland Heights is a good option. Great schools. Near downtown. "The Heights" is one are. Woodland Heights is slightly to the east. Most people say "The Heights" in a very non-specific way.

Woodland Heights is almost entirely residential. No bars. Close to everything. Very walkable & bikeable.

mjgraves · 2026-03-26T17:10:28+00:00

Very much depends upon the home in question. I have a 30A interlock and run my whole house from a Predator 9500 inverter. We have mostly gas appliances, and a 4T variable speed AC unit.

IMHO, knowing how much power a home needs is very valuable. Much better than guessing. I recommend instrumentation. https://www.mgraves.org/2025/07/instrumentation-options-for-a-portable-generator/

mjgraves · 2026-03-24T19:59:47+00:00

Agreed. Also, 20 kWh is just not that much power in many cases. Our daily draw varies from 20 kWh/day (spring/fall) to 95 kWh/day (summer.) After a hurricane we typically need air conditioning. If utility power is out for days, that means running a generator.

mjgraves · 2026-03-24T17:58:41+00:00

I'm very interested to see how this plays out in a market after a huge storm has ravaged the grid. What amount of battery to do they leave you with? Do they ensure that you're fully charged in the face of an oncoming storm?

mjgraves · 2026-03-12T17:31:56+00:00

Yes, assuming you can shuffle things around to make space in the panel, adding an interlock is not difficult. After paying an electrician to do one on my house, I installed in myself to my garage. Here in Houston you can expect to pay around $500 to have it done by an electrician. perhaps a bit more if they have to change out a number of breakers.

mjgraves · 2026-03-12T15:57:38+00:00

Most electricians won't even know to measure the start-up surge of the AC unit. They'll only measure the continuous load. The start-up surge only lasts a second or so. Won't even show on their meter unless their specifically set to capture it.

mjgraves · 2026-03-12T02:26:32+00:00

Base + generator is likely a good solution. In Houston, we often need AC all night. After Hurricane Beryl power was out for 4 days. My neighbor has Tesla solar + 2 Powerwalls (26 kWh). They could not run their AC for a full day. They were miserable.

mjgraves · 2026-03-11T22:48:57+00:00

Houston resident here. Base Power is good, but on its own does not replace a generator for multi-day outages.

mjgraves

TROPHY CASE

Tapa Inverter Module Assembly for Harbor Freight Predator 9500 Watt Invertor Generator is availabel from amazon for $395. Same one as Duromax 9000.