Portable Generator

[kcflhrc]

I was kicking around the idea of getting a portable generator for power outages after all this ice we got this past week. Power never went out but it was always in the back of my mind. Looking for something to run the furnace blower since I can switch to Emergency Heat and run off propane instead of the heat pump. Also back up the frig and possibly a few other small items. Looks like I can get a 4000/3200 watt at Harbor Freight or Home Depot for $299 Or the next step up would be a 6500/5500 watt for $499. The Home Depot models are gas/propane and the Harbor Freight models are gas only. Probably never use the propane set up though. I hate to have just another thing sitting around collecting dust like the snow blower but I think it may be a good idea. Thoughts?

 

[davesl708]

Seeing the list of items you want to run on the generator I would opt for the larger unit. The propane option could be a plus if it is a prolonged outage. In the 2002 storm here service stations were in short supply for awhile.

 

[EddieWalker]

The problem with low priced generators is they rarely last very long, and when you really need it, it wont start.

 

[kenmac]

The 3200 would run the 2 items you listed without any problems,but. You will think of something else you want to operate ,and may not have enough power..I would opt for the 5500..I bought a 5500 generac with a B&S engine about 10 yrs ago..It has never failed to start..I only use pure gasoline ,and start it every now and again..I wouldn't buy 1 with the chinese engines like HF sells.. Also, don't buy 1 with a metal fuel tank.. You'll be asking for trouble

 

[Garandman]

We looked at lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy, which flooded coastal property that in some cases had not flooded in the last 100 years.

One of those lessons was that typical "construction" generators must run at 3,600rpms to generate 120V. This makes them thirsty. A friend of mine has a 7500W unit and it burns 15 gallons a day. Driving around to get fuel after a major snow storm or ice storm isn't that easy, you need to but a lot of fuel, and you need a lot of containers: you couldn't buy a gas can within 100 miles on NYC.

Inverter generators can run at low rpms and still generate 120V. This allows them to throttle down. A Honda EU2000i can run up to nine hours on one gallon of gas. Many small inverter generators can be daisy-chained together: we have an EU2000i and EU2000i Companion, which can be connected with special cables to provide up to 4,000 watts max. These machines are also light, very quiet and produce "clean" power for electronics.

The downsides are cost and lack of 220V. So if you have a well pump they probably won't work for you.

The two best-sellers are Honda and Yamaha, but there are now many others on the market: Briggs & Stratton and various household brands. to my mind they aren't cheap enough compared to the legendary reliability of the EU series.

One EU2000i will run a circulation pump and a fridge. You need two for daytime use, most likely. They are a little over $1,000.

 

[kcflhrc]

I'm not going to dump a lot of money into a generator that I may actually never need. So the Harbor Freight and Home Depot brands is about as much as I'm willing to spend. Our power rarely goes off and typically only for a few hours. But on a rare occasion of a prolonged outage it would be nice to have something I could run the furnace blower and frig on. I have rural water so need for 220V. I'm quite sure I can get to a gas station to get gas if needed. No hurricanes here just your typical tornado or ice/snow storm. Winters are typically not that bad here. The ice storms is what can cause the extended outages.

 

[4570Man]

The furnace blower is a pretty big motor. It is probably over 1000 watts. A 3,000 watt would run what you wanted, but not much extra. Have you considered a welder/generator? It would have other possible uses and not sit around all the time. I have a 8000 watt Lincoln electric welder/generator with a 20 hp Kohler command motor. The two downsides are that it is heavy and it is real thirsty on gas. It is way heavier than two guys can lift. This could be considered a plus because after any major powers outage there is a lot generator theft.

 

[CCWKen]

And you better have some type of mains disconnect. You don't want to just plug a generator into a socket and start throwing AC back over the lines. Not only is it a killer for your generator but also for other people. If your service provider determines the power is coming from your house, they may cut your lines and drag their feet getting them back up. Not to mention the possibility of a mega-buck fine.

 

[nybirdman]

Your other option is a PTO powered generator.You already have a tractor and hopefully fuel on hand.Maybe a little more money but more power for the dollar.One less motor to maintain.

 

[Gunny]

You may want to rethink the propane idea, especially since it's a dual fuel generator.

A several years ago we had blizzard sweep through here, the wind and ice knocked out lights and phones all over several counties, the interstate was even shut down for three days. We went 7 days without electricity and 10 days before the phones came up.

I've got about 10 gas stations within 10 miles of my home - all of them had gas in the tanks, but not a one of them had a backup generator, so the gas stayed in the tanks. If you wanted to buy anything else, you had to use cash or check, no credit or debit cards since the telephone lines were down.

Fast forward to just a few years ago, we had a freak wind storm blow through here, once again, no electricity, no phones and none of those gas stations had a backup generator, so another 6 days in August with no electricity. People had to throw out a literal ton of food they'd stored in their freezers and refrigerators.

Propane stores much better than gasoline and with all the other LP thingies I've got, I now have a total of 2 30# tanks and 5 20# tanks, plus if push comes to shove, I've got a 500 gallon tank in the back yard.

Even if you didn't have spare tanks, almost all gas stations exchange LP cylinders now. Granted, they're not the cheapest, but if you can't get gasoline because they can't pump it, you can still pay cash or check and they can unlock the cage with the cylinders for you.

I've got a LP gas stove and furnace, we're on city water service. All I need electricity for is for freezers and refrigerator, plus the blow motor in cold weather.

I'd get three days running a 20# tank, keeping a refrigerator and two freezers going. I didn't run them all the time, just for 1 out of 4 hours, - that saved me a lot of money simply because I saved my foodstocks, plus we had icecubes for all the cold drinks we were going through in that hot weather.

If you have a dual fuel genny, you can run gasoline when you have it and keep your LP stashed away for the bad times.

 

[buickanddeere]

And you better have some type of mains disconnect. You don't want to just plug a generator into a socket and start throwing AC back over the lines. Not only is it a killer for your generator but also for other people. If your service provider determines the power is coming from your house, they may cut your lines and drag their feet getting them back up. Not to mention the possibility of a mega-buck fine.

I was thinking that too, no mention of a transfer switch. We need to find out if the house panel is fuses or a breaker panel compatable with those interlock sliding add on safety devices .
Going cheap and under sizing generator is one of the all time classic errors. Just because the nameplate indicates 3500W or what ever. That home owner grade generator will have a short lift span of loaded past 3000W .
The other error as previously stated is not allowing enough capacity for starting motors. No consideration to size the generator to supply reactive power for motor loads.
Find a Champion 7500/9000 on sale . You will never regret it.
As for planning on driving around and finding fuel when the power is off. It ain't gonna happen. Store 50 gallons in jugs and rotate it through the vehicles to keep it fresh.

 

[kcflhrc]

OK guys, just asking about a generator. No need to get way off track on transfer switches and all that. I know the electrical piece of it. Just need opinions on sizing and brand recommendations. Looks like Tractor Supply has a 4000/3500 Champion for $299 also. The Dual Fuel would be nice but not a deal breaker. If I cant get to a gas station then I probably wont be at home anyway.

 

[Garandman]

OK guys, just asking about a generator. No need to get way off track on transfer switches and all that. I know the electrical piece of it. Just need opinions on sizing and brand recommendations. Looks like Tractor Supply has a 4000/3500 Champion for $299 also.

OK, is your preference "best genset for $500?" or "Cheapest generator that will run my circulation pump and fridge?"

 

[newbury]

The problem with low priced generators is they rarely last very long, and when you really need it, it wont start.

A halfway decent low priced generator can last decades. I bought my "cheapo" 6K w/ a Honda engine back in 2003. I have only "had to run it" for 1 power outage which lasted maybe 8 hours since then. I try to run it for about 20 minutes a couple of times a year. The only REAL problem I've had is the tires go flat. I do tend to use the gas tank as a holding tank for what I put in my lawn mower. I draw a gallon or so out, put a fresh gallon of ethanol free w/ Stabil back in.

The 3200 would run the 2 items you listed without any problems,but. You will think of something else you want to operate ,and may not have enough power..I would opt for the 5500..I bought a 5500 generac with a B&S engine about 10 yrs ago..It has never failed to start..I only use pure gasoline ,and start it every now and again..I wouldn't buy 1 with the chinese engines like HF sells.. Also, don't buy 1 with a metal fuel tank.. You'll be asking for trouble

The HF with the Predator engine has gotten some good reviews.

I'm not going to dump a lot of money into a generator that I may actually never need. So the Harbor Freight and Home Depot brands is about as much as I'm willing to spend. Our power rarely goes off and typically only for a few hours. But on a rare occasion of a prolonged outage it would be nice to have something I could run the furnace blower and frig on. I have rural water so need for 220V. I'm quite sure I can get to a gas station to get gas if needed. No hurricanes here just your typical tornado or ice/snow storm. Winters are typically not that bad here. The ice storms is what can cause the extended outages.

Get one that will run your minimum calculated needs plus 50%. Run it semi-annually on ethanol free gas (or propane even better) and it will provide a lot of peace of mind JUST KNOWING you are prepared. DON'T let it sit for years.

I've a 12KW PTO, 8KW Duramax dual fuel, 6KW from HD w/ Honda motor, 800 WATT from HF.

 

[kenmac]

If you aren't going to use it much.. then you don't need to get a steel fuel tank..If It sits up and moisture gets in the tank,, you will deal with rust issues in the carb .

 

[newbury]

If you aren't going to use it much.. then you don't need to get a steel fuel tank..If It sits up and moisture gets in the tank,, you will deal with rust issues in the carb .

The key is preventative maintenance. DON'T let moisture get in the tank, keep it full, use a "storage additive" like Stabil, use the fuel tank as a temporary storage. Fill the tank, occasionally drain for lawnmowers or just for your gasoline car, refill. Modern GASOLINE is only designed for about a 3 month shelf life.

 

[kcflhrc]

I have yet to see a portable generator with anything but a metal fuel tank. But I'm fully aware of proper gas storage methods. I also have a BP Station close to me that has non ethanol premium that I use in the motorcycle and mowers for winter storage along with StaBil.

 

[HeLa]

i've done a ton of research of generators over the past few years - general consensus is that the harbor freight units have some of the absolute highest gasoline consumption rates around.

after all that research ... i never convinced myself to upgrade and we're still going strong with a well-maintained cheap-o ridgid (HomeDepot) ~6500 gasoline unit. we've got a ton of gas cans that i fill up ahead of any big storms. 99.9% of the time that gas goes into the cars afterward :thumbsup:

 

[kcflhrc]

Looks like Sams Club is going to have one on sale this week. A 6000/7500 for $479. That seems like a pretty good deal and should run just about whatever I need.

Gentron 6,000W / 7,500W Portable Gas Powered Generator w/ Electric Start - Sam's Club

 

[buickanddeere]

OK guys, just asking about a generator. No need to get way off track on transfer switches and all that. I know the electrical piece of it. Just need opinions on sizing and brand recommendations. Looks like Tractor Supply has a 4000/3500 Champion for $299 also. The Dual Fuel would be nice but not a deal breaker. If I cant get to a gas station then I probably wont be at home anyway.

Do you want generator advice or do you just want to tell us what you are going to do ?
Danger signs all over this when you are balking at a proper transfer switch system.