which portable generators do people have

[Oldpath05]

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.

Optimizing, pass it on, but wait it's here>> 3500 Watt Super Quiet Inverter Generator, Where Where Where>> at HF........as posted by KubotainNH

 

[KubotainNH]

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.

When you say camping do you mean a campground or your own place? Seems only the inverter gens are quiet enough to use in a camp ground. My FIL has a dual fuel Champion, it has yet to see gas in the tank. Starts up very quickly on propane and runs cleanly. It is loud though.

 

[Oldpath05]

If your Generac is still working, just keep using it. Any 4-stroke engine is good for 1000 hours if you change the oil once in a while. If it's too noisy, just buy a better muffler. I used to use an old B&S powered generator that came with nothing but a spark arrestor, not even a muffler. The thing would give you a headache if you were within 100'. I bought a lawnmower muffler, which improved things, but still wasn't quiet enough. Then I picked up a scrap yard car muffler from some little compact and piped together an adapter. The motor thread was 1" NPT, so all I had to do was add a 1" to 1-1/4" adapter and nipple, slide the nipple into the muffler and add a little stove cement and a hose clamp. Problem solved. Nice and quiet. Cost me about $3 to fix the problem.

If you are going over 1000 hours, spend the $4k and spring for a diesel. If I run a genny over 6 hours a day in a power outage I'm watching a lot of TV. My current genset is propane, just to simplify fuel storage, but I also get the advantage of better engine reliability. I figure it is good for 200 days of power outages at a minimum.

If your microwave has a chintzy power supply, I can see it having trouble running off of a generator, but any toaster oven should run fine. For coffee I just put a kettle on the wood stove and pour boiling water through a filter cone.

Car muffler, I might try that. Any toaster should work, micro, coffee maker and the wife told me tonight that the gas oven with electronic igniter wont ignite off the generator, so I'm thinking of finding someone to check it out that knows what to look for. To me everything in my house dont add up to 7500 watts, although if when I turn on the electric hot water heater, that will lug the generator down. According to the two meters on the transfer switch when I turned on the water heater tonight, one meter read just under 2500 and the other one was at 2500, that still a ways from 7500.

Good news, just got power back two hours ago, now I have quiet power.

 

[Oldpath05]

That's some good Velcro.

Yes, think it was invented by NASA, something about trying to put a man on the moon years ago, if that was really possible............

 

[ultrarunner]

I have some portable battery tools and the accompanying battery chargers that will not work with my modified sine wave inverter... the power produced is not clean enough...

So far never a problem with straight heating type devices to that has me stumped except to say not all generators output the same "Quality" of power.

 

[buickanddeere]

Tough to beat this generator for power , price and fuel fuel capability .8-Watt Dual Fuel Generator - Champion Power Equipment

 

[Oldpath05]

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.

If I was buying one right now, I'd would see what HD has, then buy it try it, if not what or satisfied, then you can take it back, swap it for a different one that will work for you, but up here right now generators are far and few between. When you do find something post it here so the rest of us will know.

 

[ultrarunner]

Lots of lower cost options if noise isn't an over riding factor...

 

[KubotainNH]

Tough to beat this generator for power , price and fuel fuel capability .8-Watt Dual Fuel Generator - Champion Power Equipment

That the same type my FIL has in half the wattage. Quiet is one thing it is not.

 

[buickanddeere]

Often there is a way to add a muffler to the exhaust pipe. I have enough cable back to the transfer switch that a choice of locating the generator on any three different sides of the house is possible . The generator get located downwind and the exhaust pointing away from the house .