which portable generators do people have

[ultrarunner]

I've been thinking of a larger inverter genset and Honda has several offering even with the same output.

My 25 year EM 5000 is a beauty red with chrome... but not inverter tech.

On a separate note my tenants in Washington asked today about getting a generator... power has been out for a week about 10 years back... house is wired with 6 circuits that can be switched to a genset... but they want to power everything and don't realize a 400 amp circuit from PSE will take quite a generator to replace that.

The 6 circuits are well pump, refrigeration, freezer and some lighting and convenience...

 

[Soldier415]

I've been without power since 2am and still out, my 7500 Generac has been going since 8:30 am. Will yours run a microwave and or a toaster? Those will really lug mine and the toaster takes longer. I think to run the necessities of a house 7-8kw is needed, Nice to make sure the well pump will pump and the fridge will be fridging.

The transfer switch for my house is set up to power every circuit.

At one point yesterday I had the following going:
Lights
ceiling fans
23 cubic foot chest freezer
2 fridges
large TV
on demand propane boiler for hot water
dishwasher
vacuum cleaner
Well pump

When the well pump kicked on there would be an RPM spike for a second then went back down to normal

 

[buickanddeere]

IF only that were true!

I know of a 1000i Yamaha inverter generator that ran for years 24/7 during the summer at the neighbour痴 campsite. Takes straight 60wt oil now or it will run low and shut down on low oil in the middle of the night . Govenor, throttle and carb linkages are now so worn it sometimes hunts when on eco mode . A conservative estimate of hours operated would be 5000+.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

IF only that were true!

I know of a 1000i Yamaha inverter generator that ran for years 24/7 during the summer at the neighbourç—´ campsite. Takes straight 60wt oil now or it will run low and shut down on low oil in the middle of the night . Govenor, throttle and carb linkages are now so worn it sometimes hunts when on eco mode . A conservative estimate of hours operated would be 5000+.

I worked on a construction crew about 30 years ago that used an Emglo compressor powered by a 5 hp horizontal shaft Honda to run all the air tools. It ran 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for the 3 years I worked there. Sometimes we had a break between jobs, but it ran at least 5000 hours and was still running like new when I quit. I have never had the motor on a riding mower quit on me, though deck bearings often go out. Everything but the motor requires repair work. My old B&S industrial powered gasoline generator is 19 years old and in perfect condition. It has maybe 500 hours on it, and is barely broken in. My new propane generator has what I think is a Ryobi engine. I fully expect to be pushing up daisies before it dies.

The new generator is electric start and will get exercised on a regular schedule. The old generator just lived in the barn. After each use I ran it dry, changed the oil, fogged the cylinders and bagged the exhaust to keep the bugs out of the valves. In 19 years it never failed to start on the second pull.

 

[KubotainNH]

I'm still waiting to experience a generator that is significantly cheaper that is quieter like my Honda 3000. Doubt I will live that long.

I bought this one 3 or 4 years ago except mine does not have remote start. I got it on sale for under $900 if I remember correctly. The specs are pretty close to the Honda, the motor lasting as long is doubtful of course but I could actually afford to buy it. I wanted the Honda but it was too much money, I think it was close to $3k back then. Seems I need to use the gen at least once a year, so far so good. It's overdue for an oil change with yesterdays usage. This was 40% of the Honda's today price. It's not as quiet as my FIL's EU2000 but it's not far. There seems to be a few options now, it was limited when I bought this one.

Energy Storm 36iER – Lifan Power USA

 

[dragoneggs]

I bought this one 3 or 4 years ago except mine does not have remote start. I got it on sale for under $900 if I remember correctly. The specs are pretty close to the Honda, the motor lasting as long is doubtful of course but I could actually afford to buy it. I wanted the Honda but it was too much money, I think it was close to $3k back then. Seems I need to use the gen at least once a year, so far so good. It's overdue for an oil change with yesterdays usage. This was 40% of the Honda's today price. It's not as quiet as my FIL's EU2000 but it's not far. There seems to be a few options now, it was limited when I bought this one.

Energy Storm 36iER – Lifan Power USA

Yeah the Honda EU2000 is quiet but believe it or not my EU3000 is even quieter! I see that msrp is now $2330. I believe I paid $1899 at least 15 years ago.

 

[KubotainNH]

Yeah the Honda EU2000 is quiet but believe it or not my EU3000 is even quieter! I see that msrp is now $2330. I believe I paid $1899 at least 15 years ago.

Ah, so maybe the price went up? I dunno but it was out of my league at the time. Seems I was watching for used ones that never went under $1500. HF now has one for $700, pay a bit more for extra warranty and call it a day?

35 Watt Super Quiet Inverter Generator

 

[PILOON]

Power went off Monday at 09:00 here.
Back on just an hour ago. (Tues)
Fortunately I have a 6000 watt wired thru a manual switching panel and ran it twice a day to keep fridges and freezer cool cold.
Saved all that food!
INMHO it was a very good investment that has paid off some 5 or six times.
It is one of those things that U can invest in not knowing what the pay off will be.
A couple of freezers full of food makes pay off real quick!
Sure glad I made that "investment" back then.
OK, won't heat the house but that is taken for with the slow combustion stove and or more blankets. LOL.

Must add that I am in the boonies and have to expect outages.
Mind UI am only one hour north of Montreal, a major metropolitan area but mountains are our enemy. eg cell phone is very spotty and land lines suffer by outages as well.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

When the power goes out, pile blankets or what ever you have on/around your freezer and you won't loose any food in that freezer, even if the power doesn't come back on for three days!

Just don't open it, leave it closed and insulation piled on...

SR

 

[George2615]

I'm shopping for a generator right now. Looking for one to serve multiple purposes such as home backup power yet compact enough to take camping to power the trailer. 9-12KW is the range I need.

I've looked at 2 at HF. They have a Predator 8750 watt electric start for $529.99 on sale but it doesn't come with wheel kit or battery and it may be a little small for home backup.

Then I looked at the Predator 3500 watt inverter generator for $699.99, also without battery. This would work only for the camper, not the house.

Then I saw (online only) a DuroMax XP10000EH for $1084.00 best price and an XP12000EH for about $1300. The Duromax can run on gas or Propane, has electric start, and can double as a backup home generator yet is portable enough (abt. 270 lb) to take camping.

I currently have a Miller Bobcat 250NT 10KW welder generator but it doesn't see much use anymore and is way too big to use with my travel trailer. 10KW will run my entire house including the A/C. I have another AC/DC welder plus a MIG so don't need the Bobcat for welding. So my thoughts are to sell the Bobcat welder/ gen and get one of the Duromax units or something similar.

My question is, do any members here own a Duromax 10 or 12KW dual fuel unit and what are your thoughts.