Inverter Generators

[MotorSeven]

I bought an inverter Genset 4 years ago. It's a Boliy Pro 3000(3300 surge) watt and yes it is made in China, but it is very well done copy of the Yamaha. It is extremely quiet and costs about the same as a Honda 2000.

I got it here: Boliy Pro3600Si Digital Inverter Generator

I did a lot of research and a 2000 was just too small to run a regular sized RV A/c unit. The Boliy weighs 70 lbs so it is easy to move around. I have put well over 200 hrs on it and am very pleased. I am building my log home right now and after a month & a half still have no power, so the Boliy has been running 5-6 hrs a day.

Here are the high and low points:

-Easy to start(1-2 pulls)
-Uses very little oil.
-Quiet even off Econ mode.
-Has handled large power tools with ease.
-Off Econ it burns about a gallon and a half a day(5-6 hrs of heavy power tool use)
-It is so easy to handle I sold my big 5600 watt Sears genny that was a back breaker to load and un-load and I have never regretted it.

-Does not like ethanol...after having to take the carb off and clean it I run Marine Stabil in every tank, then run the carb empty at the end of the day...now no issues. If it gets crap in the gas it also will cause it to surge in Econ mode.
-Spark arrestor completely clogged up so I removed it(it's a 4 stroke so I really don't see the need for a spark arrestor)
-Fuel gauge is usless....too small & now faded.
-if you want to run a big appliance, it must be OFF Econ or the inverter just can't adjust from idle quick enough.

I would buy another one in a heartbeat & it looks like they have done some re-designing/upgrading over the past few years. I know Honda rules, but they are not the only game in town.

 

[JB4310]

$1,000.00 for 3kw is not cheap, so it better be as good as you say.

Pretty soon made in China will mean it's better than average, instead of something to be worried about, just like forty years ago with made in Japan.

Then some other emerging country will be making cheap junk that everyone will criticise.

JB

 

[psj12]

I have run all digital TVs and computers on standard generators. No problems. I don't understand why anyone would think they would harm electronics. If the produce 60Hz (+- 2Hz) and 105 to 120 V they shouldn't have any affect on your electronics or appliances.

 

[JB4310]

I think now the best thing about the inverters is their fuel efficiency, from what I'm hearing. At least 2 times better than comparable non inverter types.

That's a huge difference in fuel cost, which would defer any extra purchase price pretty quickly.

Apparently that comes from them not having to run full bore just to make 1/4 output??

JB.

 

[BobRip]

Apparently that comes from them not having to run full bore just to make 1/4 output??

JB.

That's correct. Running at 3600 all of the time,even with low torque from low watts uses a of fuel and puts more wear on the engine. If you don't believe this put your car in a lower gear and keep your engine at 3600 rpms even when stopped. Then check your gas mileage.

 

[thatguy]

I have run all digital TVs and computers on standard generators. No problems. I don't understand why anyone would think they would harm electronics. If the produce 60Hz (+- 2Hz) and 105 to 120 V they shouldn't have any affect on your electronics or appliances.

I know first hand that a non-inverter generator destroyed the converters in two campers during hunting season a few years ago.. I was not at camp at the time, but they said the generator sped up and then the converters quit working. This was in the winter so all that was running was lights and blowers for the gas furnace..

Brian

 

[Travelover]

I know first hand that a non-inverter generator destroyed the converters in two campers during hunting season a few years ago.. I was not at camp at the time, but they said the generator sped up and then the converters quit working. This was in the winter so all that was running was lights and blowers for the gas furnace..

Brian

Did it destroy the converters because it was a non-inverter generator, or was it because something failed on the generator, like a voltage regulator or governor?

I've run all kinds of stuff off a crappy Coleman generator and have never had a generator related failure. That's not to say that if something goes wrong with the generator that it couldn't fry something.

 

[thatguy]

Did it destroy the converters because it was a non-inverter generator, or was it because something failed on the generator, like a voltage regulator or governor?

I've run all kinds of stuff off a crappy Coleman generator and have never had a generator related failure. That's not to say that if something goes wrong with the generator that it couldn't fry something.

it was a hunting buddies generator but to my knowledge nothing broke on the generator.. So I am not sure what happened to cause the problem with the converters..

Brian

 

[EE_Bota]

Home refrigerators and freezers are a problem now. Instead of coming on and getting the job done, they nurse it and take their time. It makes for higher efficiency, but very long generator times.

 

[BobRip]

Home refrigerators and freezers are a problem now. Instead of coming on and getting the job done, they nurse it and take their time. It makes for higher efficiency, but very long generator times.

Right you are. Running the refrigators is my main need the inverter fills. I can run it all night with minimal noise and gas consumption.

It would be nice to have a refrigerator that could be run for a few minutes and stay cold for hours.

 

[EE_Bota]

Right you are. Running the refrigators is my main need the inverter fills. I can run it all night with minimal noise and gas consumption.

It would be nice to have a refrigerator that could be run for a few minutes and stay cold for hours.

If a power outage happened frequently, I could do the following:

I have a 7000 watt pto generator, and a 3000 W invertor. Not an invertor generator, just an invertor.

I could get a lead acid battery bank, and keep it charged. I could consider a solar panel too for this. Then I could use the invertor to run the fridge during an outage, and while my Generator is running, charge the batteries back up, while still running the fridge at the same time. I may be able to cut my generator run time in half that way, but throwing more load on the generator while it is running, but let the batteries power the fridge half the time.

I have a fridge, but also an upright frost free freezer. I need to find the defrost timers on both, since it would be handy to be very sure that the units don't go into a defrost cycle while the power is out. No use heating the units I am desperate to cool.

But I don't have that many outages. I had one for 10 days a few years back during the worst ice storm I ever saw. Later that same winter, I was down a week. But since, I have not lost power more that 10 seconds. That's why I went the PTO route..I have something, at least, but don't have to maintain an additional engine. If I had frequent, or sustained outages, I would not have gone this route.

 

[JB4310]

I like the idea of the bank of batteries and solar and the inverter.

That's the way the guys who live "off the grid" do it. but they have monster whole house inverters and a basement full of batteries.

Good plan though, could get costly, but when you figure the fuel savings, if you really needed the back up power often, then in the long run it would be well worth it.

JB.

 

[Reg]

Right you are. Running the refrigators is my main need the inverter fills. I can run it all night with minimal noise and gas consumption.

It would be nice to have a refrigerator that could be run for a few minutes and stay cold for hours.

Ah Hahh,
{an "Ah Hahh" moment}
Keep the door shut and/or add more insulation and/or fix any door seals.

If you want to change the cycling from short and frequent to long and infrequent you can "fix" that quite easily and the fix is reversible.
Find the temperature sensor and "insulate" it, just a little bit, no need to put thick foam around it, maybe a few layers of duct tape as an experiment.
This will cause it to lag both the cooling and warming phases of the cycle, i.e. your fridge will come ON when warmer and switch OFF when colder.
It will run for longer, but then stay off for longer - is that what you want ?

 

[psj12]

I know first hand that a non-inverter generator destroyed the converters in two campers during hunting season a few years ago.. I was not at camp at the time, but they said the generator sped up and then the converters quit working. This was in the winter so all that was running was lights and blowers for the gas furnace..

Brian

Your own description states what happened. "they said the generator sped up and then the converters quit working" speed in a standard gen set is what determines Hz/V. If the generator sped up then the Hz exceeded 60 Hz and the voltage was also increased. This is what destroyed the converters. If the gen set is governed correctly this shouldn't happen.

 

[psj12]

That's correct. Running at 3600 all of the time,even with low torque from low watts uses a of fuel and puts more wear on the engine. If you don't believe this put your car in a lower gear and keep your engine at 3600 rpms even when stopped. Then check your gas mileage.

I agree. I lent my old Coleman 3,500 W gen set to my sister in NC after a hurricane a few years ago. Their area was without power for about two weeks. It seems my generator was used by all in the neighborhood for that entire time. When it was returned to me it was using oil and smoking. These standard gen sets are really not meant for long term use but do work out well for emergency and on the job power.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have a 7000 watt pto generator, and a 3000 W invertor. Not an invertor generator, just an invertor.

I could get a lead acid battery bank, and keep it charged. I could consider a solar panel too for this. Then I could use the invertor to run the fridge during an outage, and while my Generator is running, charge the batteries back up, while still running the fridge at the same time. I may be able to cut my generator run time in half that way, but throwing more load on the generator while it is running, but let the batteries power the fridge half the time.

A couple of thoughts: If you have a small compact tractor, you might upgrade the alternator and use the tractor alternator to charge the batteries while you are running the PTO generator. I don't know the capacity of the alternator on my Kubota, but one look at it tells me it won't run a 3000w inverter, which pulls over 200 amps at full load.

Alternatively, you could get a junkyard GM alternator (internal regulated) and a recycled lawnmower motor and use that to charge the batteries. That's another motor to maintain, which you wanted to avoid, but it would cost a lot less than a solar panel big enough to recharge the batteries, and the motor will run at night or when it's cloudy.

 

[BobRip]

I like the idea of the bank of batteries and solar and the inverter.

That's the way the guys who live "off the grid" do it. but they have monster whole house inverters and a basement full of batteries.

Good plan though, could get costly, but when you figure the fuel savings, if you really needed the back up power often, then in the long run it would be well worth it.

JB.

I actually had that. I had not kept water in the batteries and they went bad. I went to get new ones and they were close to $200. They take a long time to charge, say 8 to 10 hours. So I have to run the generator 10 hours to charge. The inverter generator was $500. It seemed to me that it is a better solution.

 

[EE_Bota]

I actually had that. I had not kept water in the batteries and they went bad. I went to get new ones and they were close to $200. They take a long time to charge, say 8 to 10 hours. So I have to run the generator 10 hours to charge. The inverter generator was $500. It seemed to me that it is a better solution.

I definitely understand your point there...

 

[BobRip]

I definitely understand your point there...

I actually plan to use the inverter Generator most of the time during the outage. Jus run the bigger generator for the well, cooking, septic tank pump, etc.

 

[EE_Bota]

I actually plan to use the inverter Generator most of the time during the outage. Jus run the bigger generator for the well, cooking, septic tank pump, etc.

I may wind up doing something similar someday. I have very few outages, as mentioned, but if the frequency or duration increases, I may need to to that just for the fridge and freezer.