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Most alternative power systems use large deep-cycle batteries. Rather than using jumper-cable clamps for connecting your deep-cycle batteries, for safety it is best to attach heavy-gauge battery-cable and terminal lugs. Use a detachable high-amperage-rated twelve-VDC polarity-protected pigtail block connector, in parallel with your vehicle battery cables. That way you can quickly disconnect and still be able to drive your vehicle without a time-consuming cable-unbolting procedure. Ideally, your battery bank will be the heart of an alternative power system that will also—as your budget eventually allows—include some photovoltaic panels. (This online primer is a good starting point: snipurl.com/hrhfm.)

Having a generator that can provide you with power during a grid-down situation will be valuable albeit not as reliable in the long term as photovoltaics. I prefer propane or diesel-engine gensets, due to the longer storage life of their fuels. Low-RPM diesels last the longest, by far (roughly twenty thousand hours for a diesel versus only three thousand hours for a gas genset). Looking at things from a big-picture perspective, you pay a lot more for gas engines in the long run, because you’ll be buying one every four or five years. In contrast, a diesel may last you twenty or more years. And, in fact, if you shop around, diesels don’t cost any more than a gas genset with the same output. You might also consider getting one with an extra coaxial twelve- or twenty-four-VDC winding, so that you can charge a battery bank more efficiently. Plan ahead for the future, when you might have a PV power system.

The right size for a home backup generator is 4,500 watts continuous and 5,500 watts peak, unless you have both a refrigerator/freezer and a chest freezer. You can always alternate between the two, with a little cord shuffling. However, if you live in a typical suburban housing development, I’d recommend that you get a ten-kilowatt unit, if you can afford it. Why? Odds are that the next time you have a lengthy power failure there will be neighbors tapping on your door—with extension cords slung over their shoulders. Believe me, they will hear your generator running.

A genset that is over six or eight horsepower and on wheels tends to “walk” when operating, but you can overcome that either by strapping it down or by temporarily removing the wheels and bolting the frame to something solid. For a midsize genset at a fixed site, you might just skip getting a wheel kit if you have a strong back and a sturdy wheelbarrow.

Because of shipping costs, you are probably better off buying locally, unless you live in a state with high sales tax, as the savings on tax would offset the freight charges.

In my experience, recoil starters are generally the weak link with most low-priced midsize (eight to twelve horsepower) gensets. Be prepared to pay a bit more for one with an electric starter (and manual backup).

Be advised that diesel has a problem with fuel gelling at low temperature. Typically, this clogs fuel filters when the temperature reaches the so-called cold-filter plugging point (CFPP). Fuel gelling can be avoided at temperatures as low as forty degrees below zero, with a diesel-fuel additive called Diesel Fuel Supplement, made by the same company that makes a popular diesel antibacterial additive. This additive also reportedly prevents gelling in biodiesel blends up to B20, which is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent “dinodiesel” (diesel derived from petroleum, rather than plants). There is also a product made in Germany, called Diesel-Therm, that preheats diesel fuel before it enters the fuel filter.

Other than installations in arctic climates, where diesel-fuel gelling can be a problem, diesel gets my vote.

Low-RPM Diesel Generator Availability

Low-speed diesels such as the Lister and its listeroid clones are sadly no longer being imported to the United States. But listeroid engines do pop up on the secondary market here in the U.S. Watch for them vigilantly