Portable gas generators?

[Anonymous Poster]

I think all Chinese Diesels though...? /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[scruffy]

John, I know you are right. My Pa-in-Law bought two from this dealership (at ten year intervals), and the first lasted 10 years using it anywhere from 6/7 hours to 12/14 hours per day. If I remember right, he replaced a flywheel that cracked, and rebuilt the generator head once in that ten years. It finally died an undue death from overheating and cracking the block when he was not at home. My Mom-in-Law was in her late 70's and knows about as much as a monkey when it comes to mechanical things.
he bought a Honda generator that lasted a little over a year, before developing insurmountable engine problems, and then he bought another 10K diesel generator from Hardy's. Still running when he sold the place and moved down to SOCAL.
Solid? With his experience with them, I would have to say...yes.

In addition, he had a remote 300 gallon tank hooked up to it, and a remote switch system in the house to start it up, or shut it down. It was his only source of power for a good 15 years (total), not counting his first, a pain in the rear military surplus 10K (couldn't get parts), and the Honda 5K.

 

[gmason]

Well this posting got me to looking and shopping. I've settled on something in the 5-6.5kw range with a diesel powersource. Yanmar sells some nice ones, Ebay has a store from Main selling some Italian brand-Lifter.

One thing I've noticed is that Honda, Genrac, Coleman down sell diesel units. They rely on gas powerstations, wonder why? I think most of us know why compact diesel tractors last so long, the engines!!
We all know the benifits for diesel fuel vs gas, and the reliability of them. And almost all larger gensets use diesel engines.
Anyway, I found a website http://www.allworlddieselgen.com/ that is selling a generator with some nice specs. Anyone else gone through this site?

Just wondering if anyone has been running a diesel generator for a backup power station?

thanks
gary

 

[Bird]

On the first trip I made to Alaska in '72, there were a number of "lodges" (gas station/grocery store/cafe/motel combinations) at which I could hear off in the distance the slowest turning single cylinder motors running that I've ever heard. Naturally, I had to ask and was told that it was their diesel generators (no power lines in the wilderness). Some of them also told me they had running continuously for 10 to 15 years and never shut down for anything. Don't know whether it was true and if they were just kidding a cheechako (not sure of the spelling on that word; but we call 'em greenhorns in Texas)./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

 

[IH3444]

Finest, longest lasting, most fuel efficient: Lister Diesel Generator - springfield tools for sale - backpage.com

 

[Financegal]

Likewise, we have a transfer switch installed. Makes it real easy for the missus to do the switch when we have one of our regular outages. She just cranks up the Generac (electric start), plugs it into the transfer inlet, and flips the big switch on the wall. Because it's a 10KW, we can run pretty much everything in the house without worrying about isolation breakers.

I wrote up a little "how to" sheet. She filed one copy in her filing cabinet, and the other gets posted on the door during the winter months (so it's real handy)...

The GlueGuy

After no electricity for 6 days this past winter, I bought a 7000 watt generator and had a transfer switch installed. Speaking as a 55 y/o woman, your post is spot on - if your wife/GF may need to get things going, electric start is great and mine came with large wheels and I can roll down to the switch easily enough. Getting it back up, not so much but after things are back to normal there is always help available.

The electrician installed/tested the switch with my generator, and thoroughly schooled me on all the specifics (my home has a switch that can run any circuits in the box as long as they don't exceed wattage of my generator).

He left, I came in and typed up a step by step instruction sheet and drew a diagram of my circuit breaker box. I shaded in red those circuits that my generator can't sustain and I had it laminated. I have a storm ready corner in my garage - generator with battery charger adapter plugged in, next to it is a box with empty gas containers, the gencord and a holepunched laminated instruction sheet that I twisy tied around the cord so it's always there when I need it. I'll be ready next time but if we never need it (fine with me) but its nice to know it's available.

 

[derhul]

Try generators from ETQ... They are noisy but very solid and dependable!:thumbsup: