Buying Advice Diesel generator for home back up use

[GManBart]

Welcome!

How about a 3pt pto-driven generator using your Kubota? Cheaper but it does tie your tractor up when in use.

10KW is a lot of power for a typical household. How sure are you that you need that much?

Our place is 3,400sq ft, and we have a 20KW Generac hooked up to natural gas. It's capable of running everything, including the central air,which is pretty much necessary.....last outage we had it was well into the 90s, and we would have baked.

 

[newbury]

OP -
Do a search on generators on this forum. There are several EXCELLENT and LONG threads. Very little has changed in the last few years besides the relative lower price of natural gas..
I've a 12kw PTO almost unused I got for $600. I've a 6.5KW Honda powered I paid about $600 for a few months after Hurricane Isabel. And I've two of the little HF 800 watt. The HF get's used the most.

/edit - right now there is a 40KW PTO on the NVA CL for $1050.

And remember folks a BX 25 can probably only drive about 8KW anyways.

 

[dave1949]

Our place is 3,400sq ft, and we have a 20KW Generac hooked up to natural gas. It's capable of running everything, including the central air,which is pretty much necessary.....last outage we had it was well into the 90s, and we would have baked.

How much of the 20KW are you actually using? Peak? Average? Unless you know, then it doesn't matter how big the generator is.

The OP lives in a rural setting in NY. Chances are, he will survive without AC. I'm sure AC is nice to have in your location, but unless you have a compelling medical condition, you would also survive.

My 6500W generator will run my house. Well pump, water heater, lights, microwave, refrigerator and small chest freezer. I cook with propane, heat with wood and sunshine, and it would be a long outage before I would really miss using the washer and dryer. With some manual power management, the dryer could be used. It wouldn't surprise me if the generator breaker tripped if the well, water heater and refrigerator all ran together. That would not be hard to manage either.

No point in overspending for generator capacity that will never be used.

 

[aczlan]

No point in overspending for generator capacity that will never be used.

And more importantly, no point in paying for the extra fuel in an emergency situation when fuel is limited to spin a 20kw genset when a 7kw one would work just fine...

Aaron Z

 

[jenkinsph]

Dave,
We can't spend much of the OP's money if we are sensible about this.

 

[dave1949]

Dave,
We can't spend much of the OP's money if we are sensible about this.

Yeah, you are right. :laughing:

I'm not trying to tell the OP what size gen. he needs. His estimate was 10KW as I understood it. Could be right, or not. But suppose it's really less and he passes up a good generator value because he thinks it is more? We should help him save on the generator so we can spend that money of his somewhere more useful.

 

[Scooby074]

If Diesel PTO driven is out, ill throw some support behind jenkinsph of the EU6500is honda, its a very nice unit that makes clean power and isnt overly hard on gas (inverter with smart throttle). We have the EU7000. Its been 100% reliable. Only problem is the battery dies if the generator is not exercised regularly. That battery is foolish money too, something like $200+. Its a bit of a unique size, real small. Smaller than an ATV battery.

I agree with the others, no since buying more generator than you need. Some people want to just flick a switch and live like there is no outage...Thats not really prudent IMHO. That costs, not only for a large generator, but larger supply wiring, higher operating costs and less available run time for a given amount of fuel. Even my genset at 7000w could be considered overkill let alone 15 or 20kw.

 

[Gary Fowler]

craigslist littlerock Ark. for a 20 KV diesel generator on a trailer for 6250 or without trailer for 5250. It has a Daihatsu engine.

Some of us are not fortunate enough to have access to natural gas and propane is too expensive to use for heating so total electric is what is left. During long power outages, 7kw gensets wont run much other than a few lights and freezer/ fridge/microwave/tv and maybe not all those at the same time. If you cant live in comfort during an outage, then why have a generator at all, just break out the Coleman stove and lantern, put your sleeping bag under a nice shade tree and wait it out if in summer. Winter- got some wood for campfire. I don't think the wife would be too happy with that though. Time to go for a visit with kids or relatives if no big genset which I don't have.

 

[Scooby074]

craigslist littlerock Ark. for a 20 KV diesel generator on a trailer for 6250 or without trailer for 5250. It has a Daihatsu engine.

Some of us are not fortunate enough to have access to natural gas and propane is too expensive to use for heating so total electric is what is left. During long power outages, 7kw gensets wont run much other than a few lights and freezer/ fridge/microwave/tv and maybe not all those at the same time. If you cant live in comfort during an outage, then why have a generator at all, just break out the Coleman stove and lantern, put your sleeping bag under a nice shade tree and wait it out if in summer. Winter- got some wood for campfire. I don't think the wife would be too happy with that though. Time to go for a visit with kids or relatives if no big genset which I don't have.

How often does your power go out? Is comfort really a criteria, any generator is comfort relative to candles! With a 7k set you can run all the house with careful balancing of loads. Heat? fire up the woodstove or run an electric space heater. Far from roughing it.

Having to buy a larger unit and the larger wiring and other costs for a 20kw dont pencil out for a few hours a year without power.

 

[dave1949]

Gary,

I have heard, but have no personal knowledge of it, that not all gen sets are created equal. Honda was, probably still is, known for being a gen set that actually produces what it says it will. My generator is a Honda unit.

If you have a 7KW gen set that won't power that list of stuff you mentioned, something is very wrong somewhere. The length of outage is really immaterial to the gen set, except for fuel supplies. You can have generators load tested.

The electric heat is a killer, no doubt. Typical/standard electric baseboard heat uses about 250W per foot of heater unit I think. Even that is not a constant load, it cycles on and off. You should be able to run an 8' section, and that other stuff you listed with a 7KW gen set without it breaking a sweat.