Well, as usual, the plot thickens.
The well is 780 feet deep and is going to have a 5 HP pump. The well driller says he will call me & tell me if I can power this from an 8kW generator, or if I need a 10kW. So, this certainly sets some requirements.
An electric starter is a must for this old guy (me, not the generator).
I am wondering about this little puppy from Loew's
12.5 KW Generac generator .
While it is a lot more $ than the 4kW ones, the 4kW ones won't run the well pump and this one will for sure. I suspect that this one will run the entire house in a power failure. It is about 450 lb dry, maybe 600 with a full tank. This has disadvantagves and advantages.
No matter what, any "portable" generator is going to ride in the back of the pickup to go very far. I can't lift a 250 lb generator into the truck by myself any easier than I can lift a 600 lb generator. But, the backhoe can pick this one up by a chain through its lifting point and load it easily. The small ones don't have a factory-installed lifting point.
And, the builder has had smaller generators walk away from construction sites. Somehow I think this one is going to stay put more easily at 600 lbs. I will probably chain it to something really heavy as added insurance.
Fuel. As far as this goes, as much as I would like diesel or even propane, the cost of a gas generator is less than other fuels. Back when gas was $1 per gallon, $10 for a quart of Stabil to keep the gas fresh for a year seemed like a lot. Now that gas is $3+ per gallon, the Stabil seems cheap. I have had very good luck using this in small gas engines. The cost advantage of gas is very good.
For jmc:
The electician who will wire your house knows about this, right?
Actually he doesn't. Not because I want to keep it a secret, but because we haven't chosen an electrician yet. The general contractor knows.
This seems like a lot more generator for the money than the Artic Cat...