Genmon plugin for XTension (was Re: Whole House Generators)

[James Sentman]

I had this done finally this past summer got a 22k Generac and auto transfer switch running natural gas.

My MIL has a much older system with 2 underground propane tanks and while the install and refilling is much more expensive you dont use it unless you need it, or if you already use propane for the rest of the house. That being said you are limited in runtime to whatever is in the tank and then youre out. If the natural gas doesnt get turned off i can run until i run out of money ;)

If you with generac’s wifi monitoring thing then you are limited in what info you can get into XTension without installing a bunch of other sensors. The upside of their system is that they also monitor it and theoretically will come out to fix any errors or warnings it is throwing.

If you dont care about that I built a whole plugin for the genmonitor software that runs on a raspberry pi that you connect to the same port on the panel that their monitor connects to but gives you the option of using ethernet instead of wifi and getting absolutely every bit of info into XTension!

http://www.machomeautomation.com/doku.php/supported_hardware/genmon <http://www.machomeautomation.com/doku.php/supported_hardware/genmon>

I added a bunch more units in XTension for specific errors and states beyond what is documented there and while i wrote it into the release notes I seem not to have updated the wiki yet. But you get the idea.

Total cost for us installed was around 14k I think, but it was a bit more because we needed 2 transfer switches and an extra long electrical and gas run.


> On Feb 3, 2022, at 11:15 AM, Jerry — MacSolutions <jerry at stlmacguy.com> wrote:
> 
> We’re having a snowstorm here in St Louis.  Nothing crazy but about eight inches of snow is expected to fall by today.  To our south however, the region had freezing rain and sleet.  The power lines are  coming down in the rural areas and causing major blackouts.
> 
> We’re toyed with the idea of a natural gas, whole house generator and really don’t do more than look at prices.  But this time we’re discussing things with a little more depth.
> 
> If I may, I’d like to ask a few questions from those of you who have “made the plunge.”
> What type of fuel did you choose for your generator and why?
> Do you limit your activities and lighting while the generator is being used?  Can you detect the generator is being used and set a pseudo in XTension to change the behavior of your home’s electrical use?  Does it even matter?
> If you’re ever in a disaster area, do you think that the fuel supply will be unavailable?  Will liquid fuel be tough to find?  Will the natural gas supply be interrupted by the plant going offline?   
> Thx!
> —Jerry
> 
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Thanks,
 James


James Sentman                       http://www.PlanetaryGear.org		http://MacHomeAutomation.com




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