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Gererator recommendations

Mark...

Mark...

Rwc

Rwc

As with anything in life you get what you pay for if you want a portable standby generator that will last for a long time go with an honda inverter generator they are more costly but a Briggs would be like a Kia vs Mercedes comparison. Don't be sold on the advertisement of it saying that an 8 hp is generac or what have you is going to put out 10000 watt ,possibly at peak and more possible not for long. A good friend is an industrial generator mechanic ,servicing hospital gensets and and said for a smaller standby unit Honda is the way to go but it'll cost you a lot more. I purchased a 4000 watt Honda inverter genset and it was about 3k vs one of those depot throw away generacs but it runs for 14 hours full load on about 7 gallons of fuel and is silent.
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I'm going to preface my response by first stating my opinion about tools and equipment. I buy the quality of the tool to the expected use. So when I know I'll use it frequently, or for a long time, I'll pay the extra to buy quality. When I know I'll use it rarely, if not just once, I'll buy the stuff at Harbor Freight.


I feel the same way about a generator. I rarely lose power. Sandy is the first time in decades where I've lost power for any period of time. The few times I've lost power, it's only been for a couple minutes....typically by the time I've found the elusive flashlight, the power is back on. With this in mind, I purchased my generator at Sam's Club for $299....A 3650 watt. During Sandy my generator ran 24/7 for seven plus days. It ran my entire tank, refrigerator, boiler, television and a couple lights. My only complaint was that it was noisy. I've since put it at the very back portion of my yard in it's own shed:


c0e9a8cd-02c2-46f9-9872-efdc42ff0a58_zpsfc079186.jpg





Sam's has a 7500 watt generator with electric start for $649.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

My GE 10K natural gas generator has a Briggs and Straton Engine and it ran solid over a week with Sandy. I understand that we are talking apples and oranges but the guy who did my tune up said that their engines are better than the Generacs. The coils are heavier and better made. He suggested that the unit I have and a Kohler are the better choices and mine actually has less problems. That is from a Generac installer. Take from it what you will. I think one Jim posted is pretty nice choice.
 
H

horseplay

NJRC Member
I agree with Paul. It depends on what you want fro. The generator. For me I lost power during Irene and Sandy, for two weeks. So I know I need on that will run a long duration without problem. With gas generators one need to consider the supply of gas. I chose a Honda 2000w for this reason. It uses two gallons of gas per day at 600w load and last forever. The big portable ones are great but where do you get 10g of gas per day for two weeks. The Honda was $950.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk
 
Mark...

Mark...

downbeach said:
Consumer Reports gave this one it's recommended "best buy", so it's the one I bought. I also bought and installed the same transfer switch you linked.
Click to expand...

This one seems perfect for my needs. Where I live in Jackson I lose power about one to two times a year. Sandy the worst (3 days), once for 24 ours on a Labor day. And many 1-3 hours losses.

So Jim, since you are using the same transfer switch, no problem connecting to the L14-30 or L14-20 chords? Like the fact it is CR rated and a Briggs. Did it come with the battery?

Thanks guys...keep them coming.
 
lefkonj

lefkonj

In the fall we did the Generac 20kw Natural Gas with the automated transfer switch. Between irene and sandy we were out over 3.5 weeks not to mention the random days here or there. For some reason our power sucks in my neighborhood. Did a ton of research and found this to be the best solution for my needs.
 
downbeach

downbeach

Mark... said:
This one seems perfect for my needs. Where I live in Jackson I lose power about one to two times a year. Sandy the worst (3 days), once for 24 ours on a Labor day. And many 1-3 hours losses.

So Jim, since you are using the same transfer switch, no problem connecting to the L14-30 or L14-20 chords? Like the fact it is CR rated and a Briggs. Did it come with the battery?
Thanks guys...keep them coming.
Click to expand...

It does come with a battery so you can start it by just pushing a button, or it also has a pull starter. I tried them both, and they both worked fine. There is a small trickle charger that you will need to keep connected to keep the battery charged.
It comes with something called a connect-a-panel which is on a 25' cord that is good for 20A. The L14-30 connects to a plug on the generator, that is next to where the connect-a-panel is mounted. In my case I have the generator in a shed next to the garage, so I bought the transfer switch with the plug built in, and a 25' cord which I run from the shed into the garage, and the switch.

http://webapps.easy2.com/cm2/flash/generic_alt_index.asp?page_id=36098692

TransferSwitch_zps43876b44.jpg
 
Mark...

Mark...

downbeach said:
It does come with a battery so you can start it by just pushing a button, or it also has a pull starter. I tried them both, and they both worked fine. There is a small trickle charger that you will need to keep connected to keep the battery charged.
It comes with something called a connect-a-panel which is on a 25' cord that is good for 20A. The L14-30 connects to a plug on the generator, that is next to where the connect-a-panel is mounted. In my case I have the generator in a shed next to the garage, so I bought the transfer switch with the plug built in, and a 25' cord which I run from the shed into the garage, and the switch.

http://webapps.easy2.com/cm2/flash/generic_alt_index.asp?page_id=36098692


TransferSwitch_zps43876b44.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks...I like the fact the plug is built in the switch. I haven't seen that one before.
 
trivan

trivan

I converted my generator to work off gas, propane and natural gas. After Sandy, I was convinced propane is the way to go. I have a 40 LB tank which will last about 48 hours. I hope to never have to wait on line for gas again.

From my research, generators which are meant for motors, ie contractor generators can damage electronics. Dirty power can damage sensitive electrics, which are in most modern day appliances and furnaces. For this reason I went with a Honda EU as well. After Irene, a number of people I knew who ran contractor generators have refrigerators or microwaves die. A appliance salesmen even said sales were up after Irene.
 
Paul B

Paul B

NJRC Member
I converted my generator to work off gas, propane and natural gas. After Sandy, I was convinced propane is the way to go. I converted my generator to work off gas, propane and natural gas.
Click to expand...

That's what I did. During Sandy it was hard to get gas. I had to siphon it out of my boat. The conversion kit was $200.00 and took about 15 minutes to install. The generator still also works with gasoline in case I want to take it someplace. Mine is 5,500 watts and runs my entire house. I have had a generator for about 25 years and I have never seen one wear out. We used them on the job for weeks at a time. For the once or twice I use it in a year or two for my home I don't need the most expensive, quietest generator there is. Mine was only about $500.00. I am an electrician (40 years) and installed it in a couple of hours. You don't need a transfer switch with a portable generator but if you have it "professionally" installed, they will sell you one.
If I was going to run a generator all the time for some reason, I would buy a quiet one,. My main criteria was that it was made in the US, and most of it is
 
Paul B

Paul B

NJRC Member
Paul, was the conversion kit hard to tune? Where did you buy it from?
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There was no tuning involved. I do find it easier to start the generator on gasoline then just close the gasoline valve and turn on the natural gas, but it runs fine either way.
I don't remember exactly where I got the conversion kit but I just Googled "generator conversion kit". It was $200.00 and is custom for the engine you have on your machine so you need to know the model number. It bolts up to the carburetor right behind the air filter.
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
downbeach said:
The unit I bought came with a straight 30W oil, I would suggest using one of the synthetic 5W-30W oils instead.
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'


Hold up Jim, I believe generators and things like compressors need to run with non-detergent oils. So make sure you read the instructions for your genarator.
 
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