NewFoundLive Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Quick question to all the legal heads in the board.Is it illegal to have a generator in the balcony of an apartment?I am thinking of getting a small and VERY quite generator (53 to 58 decibels) to use in my condo for the next time the city lose power but some people have told me that it's illegal to do so.I think 58 decibles is pretty quiet, what do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest swank Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Illegal!Most (99%) of all associations will not allow 'gens' on the balconies as well as barbeques in some cases. The carbon Monoxide fumes from a gen can be lethal to the neighbour who's windows are open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LeVeL Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Illegal!Most (99%) of all associations will not allow 'gens' on the balconies as well as barbeques in some cases. The carbon Monoxide fumes from a gen can be lethal to the neighbour who's windows are open.Defintely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewFoundLive Posted November 1 Author Report Share Posted November 1 Have you hear if this law is actually enforced after a hurricane? I highly doubt it. About the dangerous fumes, I own a duplex and there are no other apartment as high as my apartment...I remember when I was a kid in Santo Domingo everybody had a generator in their balconies and I never hear of any accidents related to this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rollyp66 Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 not only is it Illegal but not safeThe fumes can causes Carbonmonoxide poisoning and in some cases fires Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teabag Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police...if anything your neighbors would probably ask you to help them cool some water and for some ice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rollyp66 Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police...if anything your neighbors would probably ask you to help them cool some water and for some ice...never say never... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saintjohn Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Legal, fume-free alternative: a deep-cycle, closed-cell 12V battery and a power inverter. It won't run a refrigerator, but it will keep a box fan going to keep you cool (and sane) during the night. Recharge it during the day with your car (or a friend's generator). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Beware of busybody neighbors. A lot of the times, they'll fuck you over just to fuck you over. The best solution for an apt/condo situation is to have a large industrial battery backup to run a small laptop and router. That way you have communications, provided there's landline service. Foodwise? Well, learn to live off of dried and canned goods...Ideally, you should also have a "fallback" location out of the disaster zone. If the emergency extends beyond 3 or 4 days, it is always advisable to just get the hell out of Dodge until normal services resume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest macboy Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police......that is, until your neighbor dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Condo associations don't even allow bbq grills on the balconies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saintjohn Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Busybody neighbors can get really nasty when they're hot, tired, thirsty, hungry, and have nothing else to do at night besides listen to your generator. They'll imagine that you're enjoying air conditioning, eating ice cream, and watching DVDs. Being reported to the landlord, the condo board, or "the authorities" might be the least of your worries in a disaster situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saintjohn Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Ideally, you should also have a "fallback" location out of the disaster zone. If the emergency extends beyond 3 or 4 days, it is always advisable to just get the hell out of Dodge until normal services resume.Assuming you didn't burn up all of your fuel running the generator for the first few days.CoolJunkie Disaster Preparedness forum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted November 1 Report Share Posted November 1 Heheh CJ Civil Defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewFoundLive Posted November 2 Author Report Share Posted November 2 My plans are to run the generator during the day, make some ice, charge some heavy dutty batteries and at night TURN it OFF and run a fan from the batteries and some lights to keep the place bright.This is a real tiny and quiet generator...(http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200315659&R=200315659&langId=-1) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slamminshaun Posted November 2 Report Share Posted November 2 It's only illegal if its on the balcony....you're allowed to run it in your living room though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMT Posted November 2 Report Share Posted November 2 It's only illegal if its on the balcony....you're allowed to run it in your living room though. lol, chuck darwin was on to something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saintjohn Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 My plans are to run the generator during the day, make some ice, charge some heavy dutty batteries and at night TURN it OFF and run a fan from the batteries and some lights to keep the place bright.This is a real tiny and quiet generatorCheck the specifications for that Yamaha generator. It provides only 900W of continuous power. Many refrigerators draw more than that on start up. Also, the manufacturer claims that it will run for 12 hours without refueling - at 1/4 load (225W). Running it at full capacity will burn gas at a much greater rate. When it runs dry after just a few hours, you can wait for it to cool down or take your chances refueling it in a relatively confined space.Let's review:The generator will produce noise which will annoy your neighbors and possibly attract unwanted attention from the authorities.The generator will produce carbon monoxide which may kill you and/or your neighbors.The generator will produce a large amount of heat, giving you an opportunity to play Human Torch every time you refill its relatively small gas tank.The generator may not produce enough power for your stated needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMT Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 unless you feel like springing for a 60KW and hooking your whole building up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest saintjohn Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 Regarding refrigerators, the wattage required to operate a particular unit tends to vary greatly by make, model, and even date of manufacture. Also, it always takes much more power to start a refrigerator than to run it. How much more? Enough that your compressor may not kick on, even if the generator is supposedly rated for the right amount. Sorry for the over-simplification in my previous post, but underpowering a refrigerator is really bad for the appliance. Overloading a generator, however, is even worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teabag Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police......that is, until your neighbor dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Condo associations don't even allow bbq grills on the balconies.In all my years living in florida, I have never heard of such a death or by stepping on a banana peel by the same token. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rollyp66 Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police......that is, until your neighbor dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Condo associations don't even allow bbq grills on the balconies.In all my years living in florida, I have never heard of such a death or by stepping on a banana peel by the same token.it just happend recently well not death but someone got really sick... it was on the news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cosmigonon Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police......that is, until your neighbor dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Condo associations don't even allow bbq grills on the balconies.In all my years living in florida, I have never heard of such a death or by stepping on a banana peel by the same token.it just happend recently well not death but someone got really sick... it was on the newsA person died in Deerfield Beach of monoxide posioning a few last week and several others had to be taken to the hospital.A friend of mine almost died because of the same reason during Katrina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMT Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 Illegal...yet never enforced by local police......that is, until your neighbor dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Condo associations don't even allow bbq grills on the balconies.In all my years living in florida, I have never heard of such a death or by stepping on a banana peel by the same token.actually, it happens somewhat regularly here when there are large power outages:http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5428a2.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewFoundLive Posted November 3 Author Report Share Posted November 3 Ok then, so what options do I have if I want to stay in my apartment after loosing power if I can use a generator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cosmigonon Posted November 3 Report Share Posted November 3 Ok then, so what options do I have if I want to stay in my apartment after loosing power if I can use a generator?You're basically screwed. Move to somebody else's house meanwhile, that's what I had to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.