Comparison Home Stand By Generators

[MikePA]

Hi Folks, any advice appreciated. Trying to decide by a Westinghouse WH7500E generator and a DuroMax XP10000EH. I have read really good reviews of teh Westinghouse but it is gasoline only although you can get an aftermarket propane adaptor. The Duromax can run on gasoline or propane. Amazon has good reviews on it as well. Westinghouse is supposedly US made, Duromax in China.
Consumer Reports has Rigid as best, Westinghouse midlevel and no review of Durmax.

Really I just want something reliable if we lose power for a day or so. Propane would be easier for family if I were away. I will be having the Interlock installed soon.

From one of my posts in the other generator thread. Same answers and same responses from someone who considers rudeness a virtue.

Phase 1 - Extension Cord Mode - Like several others have shared, I started out with a portable generator and extension cords. The generator was pull start and it was loud. I had to be home to start it and layout the cords, usually bringing in a single cord in a partially open window from the generator, which was really fun in the winter. While the generator had a 220v outlet, I never took the step of connecting it to our 220v well pump.

This solution worked for a while and was better than nothing.

Phase 2 - Transfer Switch Mode - Happens when you get tired of running extension cords all over the place and install a transfer switch. Some opt for an automatic switch, others manual. You still have to be home to start the generator and flip the switch.

Phase 3 - Automatic Transfer Switch and Auto Generator Start Mode - When you get tired of having to be home to initiate, you get an automatic transfer switch installed that automatically starts your generator. No extension cords, no need to be home to start the process. There are variations of Phase 3. Some have generators they have to keep supplied with gasoline or diesel, some still use portable generators, some opt for permanent installations, others feed with NG or LP.

It all depends on how frequent outages are in your area, how long they last, and your lifestyle. Are you home to start the generator? Are you home to fill the tank? etc.

I am in Phase 3 using an automatic transfer switch that auto starts a Honda generator that powers all the circuits we need, including the well pump. The auto switch only supports one 220v circuit, so we can't power the hot water heater, so we only have hot water for a day or two, but for our area, that is usually not a problem. If it would become an issue, I could switch to an LP hot water heater.

 

[msb1766]

I have a GE 15KW whole house propane generator with automatic transfer switch with load shedding.
It has a Briggs & Stratton engine. It runs great.
The longest it has run so far was in the summer is 12 hours, it was really nice sleeping with the A/C running.
It has also run in the winter that morning it was 8 below outside and it started up no problem, it ran 4 hours.
The unit came with an AGM battery and also a battery warmer.
I feel the auto transfer switch is well worth the money, I had a portable generator before and it was a pain, had to push it from the garage over to the side if the house to plug into the port. Once it the winter with the portable when the power went out at 11 PM got up at 5 AM to go get the generator and there was 18 inches if fresh snow on the ground, the weather station said 2-4 inches had to snow blow a path from the unattached garage to the side of the house then push the generator and hook it up, it was not fun.
Not I do not have to worry when the power goes out. Plus I do not have to keep several 5 gallon cans of gasoline on hand at all times.

 

[buickanddeere]

Please stop quoting me. I'm not breaking any laws. Nor am I advocating that anyone else break any laws. I drive a 21 year old 2nd hand vehicle, rarely have one beer in any 14 day period, don't smoke, eat off the dollar menu and don't own a cell phone. I only have about 60 channels on my low-price entertainment package and yes, I confess, I have a very nice TV. We've paid off 2 houses, 20 acres of farmland, sent two kids through 18 years of very good private schools, college is paid for in the bank, and we've been debt free for 15 years on average local wages. We aren't poor and we aren't endangering anyone. We are frugal. You amass wealth by not giving your money away needlessly. Yes, we sometimes purchase a luxury item, like TWO SCOOPS OF ICE CREAM INSTEAD OF ONE. Good grief man, give it up. We don't need a transfer switch. Unplug your well pump and plug it into a generator. When the toilet tank fills, unplug the well pump and plug in the freezer. When the freezer stops running, plug in the furnace fan if its cold, however, we heat our house with wood, so that doesn't apply to us. That's frugal, too.

That is good to hear that there are at least a few money wise people still around. I didn't say cheap either. I'm still concerned however at cutting corners with generator connections lacking an interlock. They have to be setup so that no matter who is tinkering with the system. Here is no way to tie the generator to the utility grid.

 

[Sodo]

Yes you need to protect the line workers. There is little excuse to ever back feed your panel without protection. ,,,,, If the point is to protect line workers from death, a manual interlock plate that prevents the main from being connected while the generator is on can be accomplished by a $50 interlock plate.

Very good info, thanks for this! Here is a pic of www.interlock.com 's manual interlock plate. Haven't seen or heard of this before but two details noted:

1) This one requires that your feed comes in on the upper-right breaker. The breaker position has to be configured match the interlock device.

2) It also requires that the upper right breaker is dedicated to generator feed ONLY. For example, you can't use your "garage subpanel" or pool house as a feed if employing this Manual Interlock device. Because then with line power "ON", your subpanel is "OFF".

 

[MossRoad]

That is good to hear that there are at least a few money wise people still around. I didn't say cheap either. I'm still concerned however at cutting corners with generator connections lacking an interlock. They have to be setup so that no matter who is tinkering with the system. Here is no way to tie the generator to the utility grid.

Its pretty obvious who needs an interlock here.

 

[aczlan]

It's called being selfish and not caring about the utility worker or the person with downed power lines in their yard or around their vehicle.
Being "poor" is not an excuse to break the law.

Did you bother to read the rest of his post where he suggested disconnecting individual items and using extension cords rather than backfeeding?

A generator transfer switch is not a goal for most folks. Its a luxury item that most folks that are frugal realize they do not need.

The easiest and cheapest way to connect a home generator is to put twist-lock connectors on your furnace and well pump and get an extension cord or two, a bag of charcoal and a grill. You'll be warm. You'll be fed. You can flush your toilet. You can cool your beer and maintain your freezer. You can watch your TV. There's no chance of backfeeding. There's little chance of overloading the generator. And you have nice extension cords to do other projects when the end of the world doesn't pan out.

Yes you need to protect the line workers. There is little excuse to ever back feed your panel without protection. There are too many ways that an untrained person could connects up the generator "the way they see their significant other do it a dozen times", but miss a step. Use something to prevent deadly errors.
Use extension cords or some type of measure if you don't want to ensure you can accidentally back feed the transformer. But you don't need a multi hundred dollar transfer switch that requires professional installation.
If the point is to protect line workers from death, a manual interlock plate that prevents the main from being connected while the generator is on can be accomplished by a $50 interlock plate.

Exactly.

Aaron Z

 

[s219]

I have a 21kW diesel unit, more info given in my install thread here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...1kw-standby-generator-project.html?highlight=

I use an interlock in the main panel, it's a GE part specifically made for their panels. It toggles between the 200A main breaker (to grid) and the 100A back feed breaker (to generator). It's impossible to have them both turned on at the same time -- only one or the other. Very effective and simple approach in cases where you can run a whole house on the generator.

The only hitch in my setup is that I don't have a convenient way to monitor when grid power comes back on, other than looking towards our road for streetlights at night, or going out to my power meter and see if the LCD readout is back on. I could potentially waste a few hours of diesel between checking. Trying to figure out if there's another safe way to monitor this, such as a separate fused lightbulb tied into the breaker panel's main lugs, but that's a project for a later date when I have more time on my hands.

 

[s219]

I have a 21kW diesel unit, more info given in my install thread here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...1kw-standby-generator-project.html?highlight=

I use an interlock in the main panel, it's a GE part specifically made for their panels. It toggles between the 200A main breaker (to grid) and the 100A back feed breaker (to generator). It's impossible to have them both turned on at the same time -- only one or the other. Very effective and simple approach in cases where you can run a whole house on the generator.

The only hitch in my setup is that I don't have a convenient way to monitor when grid power comes back on, other than looking towards our road for streetlights at night, or going out to my power meter and see if the LCD readout is back on. I could potentially waste a few hours of diesel between checking. Trying to figure out if there's another safe way to monitor this, such as a separate fused lightbulb tied into the breaker panel's main lugs, but that's a project for a later date when I have more time on my hands.

 

[tcreeley]

3 of my 4 neighbors ran 3600rpm cheap generators, 24/7, when we had our recent 4 day power outage. They were so noisy it was difficult to sleep. I just bought a Honda inverter generator so I was not adding to the noise levels.

Same around here- it is how I know the power is still off! But we are out in the country. The noise is not a problem, I hear ours theirs, they hear mine and so on. Like the lawn mower or chainsaw.

 

[MossRoad]

I have a 21kW diesel unit, more info given in my install thread here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...1kw-standby-generator-project.html?highlight=

I use an interlock in the main panel, it's a GE part specifically made for their panels. It toggles between the 200A main breaker (to grid) and the 100A back feed breaker (to generator). It's impossible to have them both turned on at the same time -- only one or the other. Very effective and simple approach in cases where you can run a whole house on the generator.

The only hitch in my setup is that I don't have a convenient way to monitor when grid power comes back on, other than looking towards our road for streetlights at night, or going out to my power meter and see if the LCD readout is back on. I could potentially waste a few hours of diesel between checking. Trying to figure out if there's another safe way to monitor this, such as a separate fused lightbulb tied into the breaker panel's main lugs, but that's a project for a later date when I have more time on my hands.

Put a power indicator light before the main.