Which emergency generator?

[JerryMouse]

Build your own. You will need:

1. Lawnmower
2. Auto alternator
3. Pully and belt.
4. Wire and connectors.
5. Battery
6. Inverter

Here's some ideas:

[m Ransley]

Build your own ! Add up the parts new , you will get a better beal buying a used gen not a lawnmower mulcher milk shaker ice cream maker

[Chris Lewis]

According to clifto :

There are Generacs and then there are Generacs. Their commercial and industrial gear is likely just as good as eany, but their retail stuff is on the low end.

[Larry Caldwell]

Pretty good advice, and a generator doesn't have to run everything at once. Refrigerators will hold for hours with no power, and chest type freezers will hold for a day or more. I bought a B&S powered 4400/5000 watt no-name generator that will just run my water heater if everything else is turned off. After heating a tank of water, we can turn off the water heater and kick on the well pump to take a shower. The rest of the time, the generator loafs along running a refrigerator, freezer, a few lights, the satellite dish and computer. At the most, it runs for about 4 hours in the evening and an hour in the morning. We have wood heat available, and an Aladdin lamp for reading.

I bought it in 1998, and we have had one extended power outage since then. When not in use, I run the gas tank empty, fog the cylinder, fill it with clean oil, bag the exhaust and intake so the bugs don't get in, and store it in its original shipping container in a dry location. So far, it has about 35 hours on it. At this rate, it should last another

50 years. It really is an emergency generator. When the power goes out, I don't bother to uncrate it until the outage extends into the next day.

Oh yeah, I paid $279 for it, back before the Y2K panic and all that inflation that never happened.

[zxcvbob]

This has been a great discussion thread. It got me planning ahead for my next house (the local utility here is so reliable I don't think I need a generator now.) With proper planning when you lay out your breaker box, you could put all the lighting circuits, the furnace (assuming it's gas or oil,) one kitchen circuit, the freezer, and a few convienience outlets scattered throughout the house could all be on the same leg, and you could run all this stuff with a little 120V generator backfed into the main panel. Or put all of these circuits in a transfer panel or a subpanel wired for 120V right next to the main breaker box.

Honda makes a cute little 2kW generator with a built-in inverter to provide regulated output. Costs about $800, and small enough to actually carry it around with you and use it occasionally. 2kW is enough to make a big difference in an emergency, although you probably would not want to permanently disconnect from the power grid with a light-duty generator that small.

Bob

[Minnie Bannister]

On 07/01/04 11:21 pm zxcvbob put fingers to keyboard and launched the following message into cyberspace:

I saw this "cute little 2kW generator" by Honda today, but it was almost $1100 at the local authorized Honda dealer. Where do you buy it for only "about $800"?

MB

[m Ransley]

That Cute little red 2k watt generator is the toughest, most clean power [ 1.2v] variance , Quitest , you cant hear it ar 25ft , Reliabe , Portable , Lightweight , little unit made. U haul rents them we abuse them. A great machine and all you need if you plan your house and have all modern low consumption apliances.

It weighs 46.3 lbs and is rated at 59 db, Normal speach is 60 db , thats quiet. the EU 3000 is rated at 58 db, inside of a car at 50 mph is rated apx 80 db . Its Sine wave is equal to or better than utility power, its also extremely efficient with a patented variable throttle- rpm. based on power need. It costs alot more than a junk coleman but will run and run and wont blow a Computer, Tv , Microwave , Furnace with a circuit board or any sensitive circuited apliance as an unregulated unit will. The 3000 is also great and more home apropriate with its added power.

The 2000 can run up to 15 hrs on 1.1 Gallon of gas. The Eu 3000 can run up to 20 hrs on 3.4 gallons gas.

Soon there will be a Eu 5000 out, But their other units still beat most of the competition as well. The junk non OHV coleman may last 250- 350 hrs, the Hondas will go 3000 hrs. You get what you pay for and Honda has a real Home Owner winner.

[m Ransley]

Sorry Newby, ran mine on regular, No Problems, 93 may be better but 89 is fine.

[Newby]

[snipped]

Output of this generator is 2000 watts max. with 1600 watts continuous. Something to note about this generator is that it requires 93 octane fuel.

[HVAC fella]

'Techumpsee'

ME: No no no...its: Techumseh ! You dont live in the backwoods do u Mr. R ??!!

_____________________________________________

Have you hugged your A/C Tech today ?

_____________________________________________

[m Ransley]

I meant regular gas. Ive had no problems. Their brochure doesnt mention any thing about gas. May be its needed for full load but it runs fine on regular.

[m Ransley]

It doesnt matter where I live I dont bullshit people every minute of the day , you are a lian Hack that doesnt back up BS claims and knows less about HVAC then alot of home owners. Answer your statement with proof , V.S. DC wont give a payback.

You cant because as everyone knows you are full of shit.

Did you get a lisence to play HVAC boi yet.

[Newby]

I knew it wasn't 87.

Regards, Newby

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

Dave has a problem understanding the type systems he is claiming to know about and the word Techumseh spell a little different just throwed him off. If everything is not just like it has been written on the newsgroups or discussions going on. He just will not be able to understand it. You can mess with a Trolls head by change something just a little.

TURTLE

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Since we're on the topic of spelling, take a peek at how it's really spelled:

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

I can't spell it and is easily lead stray by anybody spelling it before me. I wish they would get a real name like Copland or Bristol. I'm in the HVAC and Refrigeration business and see a lot of them but that name does not stick in my mine as being a normal name. The trade mark for them is TP and that is how I spell them. Copland [ Copl ] / Bristol [ Br ] / Tecumsomething [ TP ] is how I write them down. I guess i'm going to have to learn how to spell it if I'm going to stay in this business.

TURTLE

[m Ransley]

I dont like tekumpsees they are the worst motor made so I have no respect for spelling techhumpseeee correctly. They have crap main bearings , a weak oiling system and their regular line may only go 200-

300 hrs.

That Tesuckss - see !

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Signs of a misspent youth...

Anyway, Tecumseh was an old Shawnee Indian chief. Talk to his mama if you don't like his name.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

It maybe for I went in the HVAC / R business in my father business when I was 6 year old and even before I enter the first grade. I went to school and when i got out I went to work in the evening and all summer. I'm 54 years old and still doing it but did finish school.

TP is really not very good equipment but I do concider them at the bottom of the barrel for quality. Copl the best , Then Br , Then last TP.

TURTLE

[Dave]

Check out an Onan for the best.