What is a good generator to use in the event of a power outage?
Lowe's has Troy-Bilt, and Menards has Coleman (much cheaper), but I have never heard either of these running. I have heard small Hondas running, and they are very quiet.
Assuming that I could choose from any of these makes (or others of which I may never have heard), which would be most reliable, best value for money, quietest, . . .? What criteria should I use to make my decision?
MB
This is Turtle.
90% of Generator problems come from the engine in applications where they are stored up and not used much. Most all ''''' Generator ''''' and not the engine are about even in quality, but there is always some exception to everything. Now the Engines are all not created equal. I think and my thoughts here on engines. Kohler or Honda . These are the two I would try to get a generator with the engine made by them. Yes I bought a Briggs & Stratton on mine but I was in a hurry for a week of power outages and Low's was the only place with them left in stock. Never have to buy in a hurry if you can help it.TURTLE
IMHO, the best is a PTO driven generator you can hook up to a small tractor. You will actually start the tractor occasionally, so you know it will run when you need it. Plus you can justify buying a tractor that way. :-) The only downside is you'll need a manual transfer switch rather than automatic, so keep some flashlights handy.
Bob
You want voltage regulation, and a transfer panel. unregulated can swing on a 5000 w unit 40V regulated 10V Honda Inverter 1V , the best. From top to bottom If you can afford it get a 1800 rpm dlesel auto start,
1800 rpm NG auto star 3600 rpm auto start N.G. 3600 rpm honda inverter 3600 Honda 3600 with kohlor 3600 with pressurised oil Generac B &S etc 3600 rpm unpressurised oil 3600 rpm TechumpseeFrom 8000$ to 300$ you have alot to choose from ,
And these units will last from 50000 ++Hours to maybe 300 Hours from top to bottom
Troy built & coleman HD series , not the best not Quality. Look at the price, they are cheap
The best is a tractor if your a hilbilly farmer, and take 2 people to hook up a PTO
Get a built in auto matic 1800 Rpm Propane NG or Diesel
First, I'd consider what you intend to power with it, how you're going to hook it up, where it's going to be located, what you're going to fuel it with, where you're going to store the fuel, and how long you want to run it for.
IF you have natural gas available, the best solution is one powered by that fuel intended as a fixed backup unit. They cost several thousand dollars, but fix most of the problems like having sufficient fresh fuel on hand, running it occasionally to keep it operational, etc.
Assuming you'll use it only a few hours a year, most of the replies so far are bunk. You don't need a Mercedes to get to the 7-11 once a year. Determine what circuits are MUSTs in a power outage (refrigerator, for example). Find out the # of watts from the plates on each appliance/light etc on the circuit. Total it up and you have an idea of how big (capacity) a generator you need. (Ask for a worksheet at Lowes, Home Depot or Menards). Then and only then are you ready to pick a generator...by capacity first, budget 2nd, and worry about the engine maker last. BTW you can convert any generator to propane/nat. gas for $100-$150....not thousands...and it's a very good idea if you have it available. 5 gal. of gasoline won't run a generator as long as you might think. If money and value are of no concern, by all means buy the biggest Honda powered generator you can afford.
Interesting assortment of answers...
First determine the absolutely smallest amount of amperage you can live with; remembering that motors take a lot to start up. If you don't have an ampmeter, you will need some help with this. It is important because gas can be hard to find in an outage. I only needed 16a, but many people with sump or well pumps need much more.
Second, determine your budget. The more expensive ones are quieter, use less gas, and are more dependable. They are also less likely to damage your furnace.
The quiet Honda sounds like a good idea, in that you could use it during the summer to run a light, stereo, cooler at a party, the beach, or something like that.
This would go a long way towards the problem of it not being ready due to inactivity.
You could also use it to power electrical lawn appliances, like weed wacker, chain saw, etc. Then you have only one engine to keep running, and can use shorter cords.
First Gary learn what you are talking about before giving crap information ,
Anyone following your lead will have screwed up equipment costing more to fix then the gen itself.
First no gen can be converted for 100- 150. an exageration.
Second alot of cheap gens damage equipment because of over and undervoltage. Even read Colemans Maintenance manual the one you read AFTER you buy the machine and need it . It says if you bought a Coleman Unregulated and want to power a TV ,Computer, or any thing with sensitive electronics GO BY a Voltage Stabiliser. Now those usualy cost more than 3x an upgrade price. Even Refrigerators and most new Furnaces have such electronics. Learn about generators before you post more Shit. Gary.
Hi, Up here in North(arctic, subarctic area), Honda is most favoured. For one thing it starts well in dead cold. There is other reasons as well. Tony
According to Tony Hwang :
Honda or "Honda powered"[+] generators are heavily prefered by contractors and other people who use portable units on jobsites etc. just about everywhere. Things like Colemans are light duty and not really suitable for long-term use.
Hondas are commercial-duty.
Kohler-powered and commercial-rated Onans are also highly thought of by professionals.
[+] Powered with Honda motors, but the generator/whole unit is manufactured/assembled by someone else. Northern may still assemble their own "line" of generators, for example, using Honda motors."Minnie Bannister" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...
Minnie; Insufficient information to advise. First you have to decide 'what' protection during a power outage you need and also how long you expect the outage to be.
1) At one extreme you may have a situation where power is out for a couple of hours during cold or hot weather and provided you don't open the door of the freezer and minimize how often you open the fridge etc. it probably requires no generator at all. Unless of course you have medical equipment that must be kept going? Except in the most extreme climates, such as Northern Canada you can usually bundle up in extra clothing, crawl into a sleeping bag with a bottle of hot water heated on your emergency camp stove/heater and wait for the power to come back. 2) At another extreme you may have an elderly relative who requires essential equipment for life support. And/or several freezers of food that must not spoil etc.Type 1 can probably be handled by a fairly cheap AC generator into which the freezer can temporarily be plugged via an extension cord if the outage persist for any length of time, to avoid food spoilage.Total cost probably well under $1000. Such a generator will be fairly lightweight and can be also be used for camping or with an RV etc. It won't have much spare capacity to operate much else other than the starting/stopping of the freezer. Sometimes noisy. For example; we have a well used 2000 watt unit, that a 70 year old male can just manhandle, but rarely use it because outages are rare and of short duration. One daughter has a small 'Honda type' generator which can, if necessary, just barely manage to operate her freezer. Normally stored with their camping equipment it is light enough for her to handle. hook up an extension cord and start if absolutely necessary to avoid food spoilage; by alternating plugging in her freezer and fridge she was able to prevent food spoilage during one fairly long 18 hour outage. But if the weather is cold you can put some refrigerated items outside in the cold anyway! Type 2. This requirement can range all the way up to a permanent diesel electric automatic start installation costing many thousands of dollars. Probably $20,000 to $100,000 for a permanently housed unit with the correct fuel storage and fire protection equipment? This is the kind of system that might be required to keep medical freezers, laboratory equipment etc. operating. Also might be installed in extremely luxurious homes where the local commercial supply is unreliable and the wealthy owners/occupants/renters want to keep everything operating including the swimming pool and all kitchen equipment, regardless! Some of the more expensive RVs and boats have such electric generators. My sail boat doesn't!
If, for example it is matter of having enough energy to heat some baby food during an emergency, a small camp stove or even the use of a barbecue (outside of course) will suffice.
So it's all a matter of what you consider you need a 'good' generator to protect?
The engine is more important than the make of the generator. Neither of these are quiet.
Personally I would not own either. Gas engines tend to be more of a problem than a diesel. Gas and diesel both go bad over time. Try this link for some other choices.
The quietest generators on the market are Honda, and Yamaha. IMO You do not just add a larger muffler to the small engines, it will hurt the performance.
Blow me, Ransley. Here are propane conversion kits starting at $83.
Yea uninstaled
I did a lot of research\compared models etc. knew what a wanted (Honda) but at the price decided to wait. Well had a power outage and power co. gave a restore date in 6 days Since the pole to our house was also gone I figured even longer. Lowes was the only ones to still have stock. When we got there they were just bringing the last skid out from back to see a whole skid go in minutes helped to make up my mind to grab one of the few left . Yes I bought a Briggs & Stratton and no over and under voltage its well in range Spud
No one has even mentioned Generac. I know very little about the subject, but have been told they're excellent.
I'll vouch for the Onan units. My old emergency services unit had a "portable" one in a truck and a big diesel unit in the station. If there's oil in the crankcase (and of course fuel), it works perfectly.
This is Turtle.
Where do you live at. You can come get this one here 6KW -- 12 H.P.
TURTLE
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