Zombie Box plus generator

[WillBrink]

I seem to be out of storage space to post a pic of the Zombie Box just put up, that contains a Generac GP Series 17500E generator that can run the entire house. A bypass was added at the main panel, so when power goes out, plug in generator to the box, fire up, and GTG. The the box is designed to be mobile and comes in segments, as it's used commercially and needs to be both easy to move, and secure. It can be bolted down for permanent placement. It reduces sound by something like 90%, protects the generator from weather, thieves, etc, and allows generator to be run during a storm if power lost vs having to wait till the storm passes to pull a generator out and run it. Living in FL, worth every penny. So far, quite impressed with the build quality of the Zombie box.

Zombie Box:

https://www.zombie-box.com/

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Is it just to be polite when the power is out? Seems like a pretty insignificant issue if your power is out? Or is it to help reduce the chances or people knowing you have power (or just steal the generator? I've not lived where generators are common.

[SomeOtherGuy]

Is it just to be polite when the power is out? Seems like a pretty insignificant issue if your power is out? Or is it to help reduce the chances or people knowing you have power (or just steal the generator? I've not lived where generators are common.

When the power is out, all systems stop running, and vehicle traffic is usually way down. This means it's dead quiet and the sound of a generator carries FAR - maybe half a mile in some locations. If you're the only one with a generator running, you will have tons of people aware of this. Some may want to steal, some may beg for help either important (breathing machine for old people) or petty (want to watch favorite TV show), some may start friendly and switch to stealing or threatening. Being quiet and stealthy is a great idea.

The problem with typical generators is that it's not safe or practical to keep enough gasoline on hand to run them for any length of time - beyond 12-24 hours. If you have a propane tank, a propane generator may be an option.

[AKDoug]

Thanks for posting. I've been looking for something like this for some property my wife is converting into a wedding venue. The cost of bringing electricity to it would be in the six figures. This would solve our issues for many years.

[WillBrink]

Thanks for posting. I've been looking for something like this for some property my wife is converting into a wedding venue. The cost of bringing electricity to it would be in the six figures. This would solve our issues for many years.

That's exactly the type of thing that box as designed for, and is easy to break down or leave perm as needed.

[Averageman]

A friend of mine installed one of these himself over a weekend at his home.
He is very happy with it. He lives in a semi-rural area and I will ask him about the noise levels while running.

[WillBrink]

Is it just to be polite when the power is out? Seems like a pretty insignificant issue if your power is out? Or is it to help reduce the chances or people knowing you have power (or just steal the generator? I've not lived where generators are common.

It's to be all mentioned above, less noisy for everyone (trying to sleep while a generator is running really sucks), secure, able to operate while it's storming out, diffuse the sound so it's hard to find, etc.

When the power is out, all systems stop running, and vehicle traffic is usually way down. This means it's dead quiet and the sound of a generator carries FAR - maybe half a mile in some locations. If you're the only one with a generator running, you will have tons of people aware of this. Some may want to steal, some may beg for help either important (breathing machine for old people) or petty (want to watch favorite TV show), some may start friendly and switch to stealing or threatening. Being quiet and stealthy is a great idea.

The problem with typical generators is that it's not safe or practical to keep enough gasoline on hand to run them for any length of time - beyond 12-24 hours. If you have a propane tank, a propane generator may be an option.

The Generac has a big tank and can also run on natural gas. Between the tank and some cans of gas, 2-3 days is realistic, but longer if we don't run AC which is the big power sucker. If the natural gas option happens, more like a week. It's unlikely we'd go more than a few days without power, but possible of course.

[Moose-Knuckle]

When the power is out, all systems stop running, and vehicle traffic is usually way down. This means it's dead quiet and the sound of a generator carries FAR - maybe half a mile in some locations. If you're the only one with a generator running, you will have tons of people aware of this. Some may want to steal, some may beg for help either important (breathing machine for old people) or petty (want to watch favorite TV show), some may start friendly and switch to stealing or threatening. Being quiet and stealthy is a great idea.

Bingo!


ETA:

The last ice storm we had was the first year we were in our first house. I had several shovels but none with a flat wide cutting edge to break the ice free of our sidewalks and driveway so off to the local farm / ranch store for a transfer shovel as all the big box warehouse home improvement stores and Aces' were sold out. While there some poor guy from a rural community that had a power outage outside of our town was desperately looking for a genny as those were all sold out too due to the ice storm.

[Circle_10]

When the power is out, all systems stop running, and vehicle traffic is usually way down. This means it's dead quiet and the sound of a generator carries FAR - maybe half a mile in some locations. If you're the only one with a generator running, you will have tons of people aware of this. Some may want to steal, some may beg for help either important (breathing machine for old people) or petty (want to watch favorite TV show), some may start friendly and switch to stealing or threatening. Being quiet and stealthy is a great idea.
.

Last year we got hit with a massive windstorm that knocked power out all over Maine. My nieghborhood was one of many that had no power for over five days.
My next door nieghbors have an automatic standby generator that ran the whole time but I thought it was interesting that at no point did i see so much as single light on in that house the entire week. My guess is this was to avoid attracting any more attention than they had to. I mean the sound of the generator is a dead giveaway but the sight of lights would really provoke the envy of the nieghbors.

When I first closed on my house I looked into having a standby generator put in but it just wasn't in my budget so, with the lessons of the five-day power outage still fresh in my mind I finally ended up getting a gas-powered 7500w portable back in January. The zombie box idea is pretty cool though because right now my plan if I have to power the house with the genny is to run it in my (detached) garage with the bay door and walk-in door open to allow for airflow through the building. I'm not so concerned about noise reduction as I am protecting the generator from the elements and theft.

[sundance435]

Is it just to be polite when the power is out? Seems like a pretty insignificant issue if your power is out? Or is it to help reduce the chances or people knowing you have power (or just steal the generator? I've not lived where generators are common.

I'd say it's more of a big added bonus along with being able to run the generator outside in inclement weather. Generators aren't real common around me, but this thing seems like it solves quite a few of the ancillary issues with a straight-gas or standalone (e.g. not integrated into or having dedicated ventilation) generator as your primary backup. As others said, you can go propane or NG, but it costs more than just plugging in a regular gas genny.

If you think people aren't dumb enough to run a gasoline generator inside their house, I can introduce you to a few who would disabuse you of that notion.