Portable Generators
- Thread starter discydisc
- Start date
I would get a transfer switch installed in your house. Manual is cheaper and will work for your house. Then you can get buy with one generator and not run wires all over the place.
Probably will be some sales in the CR area in the near future.
This will be my plan if we build on our next house.
I haven't bought one, but had been thinking about getting one. It depends on what you are wanting to do with it. I was thinking about getting a small portable inverter generator. These can be picked up and moved around. They can't run a whole house, but could at least run a fridge/freezer and water heater. They are only about 2,000 watts, but I don't want to buy a generator for the worst case scenario. Running the bare essentials is what I need. I could also turn off things like the fridge or freezer every now an the when running it to keep things cold but that way it doesn't run all the time. The benefit to these i like is for things like tailgating and the very minimal camping i do.
Since we were without power for a week after derecho I"d say this. First I'd echo considering getting a transfer switch installed. If you are looking to run fridge, deep freeze and a handful of lights, TV's etc 5000-6000 will probably get by. Depending on where you will most likely run it I'd say loudness is a factor. c After listening to 10 generators running on our street for a week I'd shell out some extra bucks for something quiet like a Honda.
You won't even hear the Honda due to the drone of the other generators. You would be better off buying your neighbors Honda generators also if you want quiet.
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That apostrophe totally changed the meaning from what I think you meant to say.
I got a Honda 3000i just after the first of the year and glad i did. A buddy of mine that is a farmer was hit hard by the recent Derecho, lost several bins, augers....part of their house. They do have a tornado on video that day headed toward their house. One bin went south instead of east like all the others and was picked up and flew over a huge Morton building and hit the front of their 2 year old home. Literally it flew 300 feet without scaring the ground and knocked the front of their home 3" of the foundation. They start ripping the front of the house apart this week. He was able to use it for about 2 weeks as they had no power. Ran two fridges, a freezer, laptops and lighting...
Same. If I was in a long term house, I'd look into a whole home. However, I love getting "away" so having a small portable is a more attractive option. Something I could run a fridge/freezer on to keep food from spoiling but wouldn't NEED much more than that. Then I'd have something I could throw in my truck for backcountry adventures and tailgaiting.
I have a Champion 9000/7000 that I bought from Costco a number of years ago. I was constantly fighting carbuerator problems because of aging gasoline mucking things up. About 3 years ago, I added a Motor Snorkel (https://motorsnorkel.com/) which allows the generator to burn propane or gasoline. I now run it exclusively on propane, and I have not had single problem since I started running on propane. It starts right up every time. I start it every 3-4 months if I haven't used it. Champion now has a version of that generator that comes factory-ready for propane/gasoline use. The power output is slightly less on propane.
Also, I would strongly recommend putting in a transfer switch. I've got a 1-ton mini-split AC in my office, and the generator can run that, so I can at least get a little cooling when the power is out. With the transfer switch, I can easily switch between circuits as load requires.
Also, I would strongly recommend putting in a transfer switch. I've got a 1-ton mini-split AC in my office, and the generator can run that, so I can at least get a little cooling when the power is out. With the transfer switch, I can easily switch between circuits as load requires.
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That is good to hear I just ordered my Motorsnorkel last night. Along with a low pressure regulator so I can use 20lb cylinders, I MIGHT run a NG line over to where I run my generator.
Do you run it off a 20lb cylinder or a large home propane tank? If you run it off the 20lb tanks how long does it run?
Katolight (a huge generator company in Mankato) told me that LP generators are about half th power of gas. Don’t have other info than that, but they specialize in that so I go with them.
I run off 20-lb cylinders. The run time really depends on the load. I would say somewhere between 4-5 hours.
The Champion generator I spoke of earlier is rated at 7500 running watts on gasoline and 6750 running watts on propane, so I'm not sure where that "half" power comment is coming from. With my generator, the Champion rating seems about right.
They mentioned that with what I was looking at, I needed 25k gas generator or a 45k LP generator. So maybe it was just a different thing for what I having to deal with.
We purchased two smaller (for second building/office) and one large (for house) dual fuel generators. They run on LP or gasoline. when on LP they are noticeably quieter (not as many watts tho). All three are from Firman, and we purchased on Costco.com. We have an external input for power (20 amp) located in the garage down to the utility room with a separate 4 port receptacle box. Looking into transfer switches at both buildings for ease. Also looking at the possibility for hookups to the LP house tank.
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My mom had a whole house generator installed this spring. Cost was about $16,000. Every Thursday at 10:10 am it "exercises" for about 20 minutes.
She had this extreme fear of losing power for a long period and we felt if it may you feel better do it.
We've joked about the neighbors coming with their extension cords wanting to borrow some electricity.
She had this extreme fear of losing power for a long period and we felt if it may you feel better do it.
We've joked about the neighbors coming with their extension cords wanting to borrow some electricity.
I can't say enough good things about the Honda 2000i. It checks all of the boxes for a smaller generator plus they are great for tailgating since they are so quiet. The one I have pops off on the first pull every time too. My biggest piece of advice is to start that sucker up about once a quarter and let it run for a good ten minutes with a load on it.
What is the service to your house and what all are you wanting to be able to run?
I for instance have a 200 amp service and if I want the ability to run everything in my house to the maximum possible I would be looking at a 20000 watt generator, but to get away cheaper (and I don't suggest what I did) I used a 8000 watt generator which I hooked directly up to my panel (if for some reason you do this make sure to turn the main breaker off) and was able to run all but things that heated (oven, stove, microwave, dryer) or my ac. I was able to run all lights, water heater (gas), tv, refrigerator, deep freeze and some fans.