Which Generator Should I Get? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: dbreckejn
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 07, 2019, 04:56:33 pm
content: Hello folks, I am looking to buy one of these 6500 watt generators listed herehttp://generatorist.com/best-6500-watt-portable-generatorsand I am inclined to get the best budget friendly version on that list. I want it mainly to power my house during blackouts or any other situations when I cant get enough power. But mainly power blackouts. Are there any features I should look for specifically? Is there anything particular you would consider with generators? I am mainly looking for power, good value/price ratio and maybe noisines is another thing I would look at.Any other tips? Any prepper around here?Thanks for any input.

author: eKretz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2019, 04:11:21 pm
content: I have a generator I use for power backup if the power goes out. I have a fairly small house and mostly gas appliances so I only use a 5000/6250 watt (running/surge) generator. After using mine for years, I think electric start would be a nice feature to have. Pull starting a cold arsed engine when it's 20 below is kind of a pain.Other than that just make sure you get enough power to run what you need to when the power is out. I'm not worried about the noise so much but quieter is always better regardless. Something that runs on natural gas would be nice, no running to the gas station that might not be open etc.

author: djacobow
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2019, 04:37:49 pm
content: I'd also like a generator for emergency backup, but have always held off because they seem to require a fair bit of maintenance, removing old gas, etc.What is the state of the art in generators you can put in the shed and not give a moment's thought to for a years, but then be able to start in a jiff?

author: Bratster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2019, 06:24:12 pm
content: Quote from: djacobow on February 08, 2019, 04:37:49 pmNatural gas or propane.exercise at least once a month.Good quality oil and filter and change it at least once a year.Should last a very long time.We have a bunch of generators at various radio transmitter sites and studios.They are all the generac residential units between 9 and 16 kilowatts.We exercise them every Monday automatically just to make sure everything's still happy.the ones that studios have are natural gas and the ones at transmitter sites are propane.Sent from my Fi Moto x4 using Tapatalk

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 08, 2019, 08:16:52 pm
content: Quote from: djacobow on February 08, 2019, 04:37:49 pmI have a 6500 W Polaris electric start bought after Hurricane Charlie. It has had 1 oil change in all that time and I have had gas sit for over a year at a time in it with some Stabil added. I test it before each hurricane season and shut the petcock off and let it run out of gas. Never an issue starting it in one or 2 pulls. I haven't bothered replacing the battery as it starts very easy by hand. Right now, there is no fuel in it as the last time I used it, it ran out of gas just as the power came back on.It has no issue running a refrigerator, a freezer and a 13,000 btu window AC unit with a couple of box fans thrown in.

author: eKretz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2019, 11:14:52 pm
content: If you take a few precautions, a gas generator isn't that much of a headache. Mine has been out in the garage for at least 4 years and it starts up every time. I start it up a couple times a year and run it for a bit even if it's not needed. I also use Sta-Bil and when I shut it down I don't use the ignition kill. I shut the fuel off and let the engine run until it can't anymore so the carb bowl gets mostly drained.

author: particleman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2019, 03:46:12 am
content: I have a Champion 7,500 watt dual fuel. I have never used gasoline so the maintenance is super low. Pretty good generator.

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2019, 04:47:35 am
content: I have a Yamaha EF2500i, a 2500W inverter model.I keep a jerrycan of fuel with stabilizer mixed in and a full tank with the same.I used run-in oil and loaded it up for a tank of fuel to make sure the rings seated and then swapped back to the full synthetic oil that it came with from the factory.I run it once a month or so and it is working fine.Here's how I broke the engine in:

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2019, 11:29:18 pm
content: I guess I'm lucky here in the Netherlands.Electricity outages are very rare and if they occur they are almost always very localised and of short duration.It just seems silly to buy such a generator, except when you need a lot of power in places you can't get electricity out of the ground or some other niche applications.Apparently we do have an Apache flying into some high voltage lines every ten years or so, but that's about it.When there is a potential for lots of damage during a power outage, insurance companies often demand a (well maintained) generator, but these tend to be of the heavy diesel variant and not lightweight nor on wheels.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2019, 11:55:51 pm
content: IMHO inverter generators are the only kind worth owning, the cheap open frame contractor generators most people have are junk. They scream away at 3600 RPM (or a more modest 3000 in 50Hz land) burning a lot of fuel and making an awful racket. I run my whole house easily from a Honda EU2000i, it's quiet and dependable and it's adequate to run the fridge, gas furnace, lights, TV, laptops, all the 120V appliances with some sensible management, ie don't try to run everything all at once. 6500W is way more than necessary for most homes, unless you have a lot of power outages and need to run things like an electric water heater or cooktop.I loathe 3600RPM generators and wish they would outlaw them in residential areas or mandate mufflers that actually do something. A bunch of people in my neighborhood bought the Home Depot and Costco specials after a storm several years back and within 10 minutes of the power going out the incessant drone of screaming generators is so loud I can hardly hear myself think. It comes from all directions and there's no escaping it.

author: particleman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 02:52:42 am
content: Quote from: james_s on February 12, 2019, 11:55:51 pm120°F in the summer here I dont know what air conditioner I could run with a 2000 watt generator. But at least I could power my laptop.

author: djacobow
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 03:34:32 am
content: I live in the SF Bay Area. My use case for a generator is not routine outages, but a long-term outage due to earthquake. There's a good chance that I'll never use such a generator, but I'd like to have it all the same. But keeping a unit like that in working order is a bit tricky. I think a small inverter unit with dual fuel, never running it on gasoline, and testing it once or twice a year might work. I always have a couple cans of propane around the house for the grill.

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 06:47:00 am
content: Quote from: djacobow on February 08, 2019, 04:37:49 pmYou can put in stabilized fuel. It's expensive, but they sell this for chainsaws and old-timer scooters. It also doesn't smell.Quote from: Doctorandus_P on February 12, 2019, 11:29:18 pmLast september we had a 25 hours outage due to "spontaneous" cable failure. We all know those spontaneous failures are due to the cheap post-war era cables put in. There isa lotof this old stuff buried in the netherlands.We now have a small Honda 900 Watt with inverter. Should be enough to keep the central heating running so at least you have a warm house with shower. Meaning you can go to work fresh next day.If you read the long term storage instructions they state that you fill fresh oil, and put a bit in the spark plug hole. Pull the cord till the valves are closed, and it should be ready to store for a year.However, I found this honda second hand, few running hours, with original oil and fuel (10 years old). One pull and run.

author: eKretz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 03:21:52 pm
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on February 12, 2019, 11:29:18 pmThey are rare here as well, but I use my generator for other things as well. Like mobile welding, etc. I use the tractor loader bucket to carry it wherever I need it in the yard if I need to do something a good distance from the house too. In the Netherlands perhaps it is less likely to have huge properties like we often have here in the U.S. Even for smaller properties it is nice to have and a generator doesn't cost much here in the used market. We don't have many outages either but when it's 15 below and you have little children it's nice to be able to run the furnace and internet to keep them warm and entertained when the power goes out. I have only actually really had to use mine for any length of time in an outage probably 4 times in 10 years, but I'm happy to have it.This applies for the guy complaining about noise as well... If you didn't want to hear the neighbors, should have bought a house that wasn't stacked up so close to them...I will never live in a tightly packed subdivision if I have the choice.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 05:44:58 pm
content: Get propane. Gasoline has been a complete night mare for me.You need starter fluid on hand, a spare pull cord (they rip) nut drivers, wrench and some carb cleaner, brushes, wrench, cleaning water, soap, gasoline, oilI had to strip my costco piece of shit so many times in the middle of the night with flashlights sitting on gravel that i am completely fucking sick of it.Get a electric start propane one for general use and then buy a pure gasoline (more fixable and durable but way less reliable and high maintenece) if your a survivalist type. Would not recommend a pure gasoline generator to anyone but the hard core.Also get a set of little mig or gas welding tip cleaners (their like tiny needle files in a matchbox) and some steel wool. And fuel tank rated epoxy putty. Keep it all in a generator repair box along with a flashlight, fire extinguisher, torch, blanket to sit on, electrical type flex tape.Get spare tools you geep in a closeby generator repair kit. Jesus christ i have trauma from dealing with these things!!!! PROPANE!!! Think hank hill!!!And get good 3m earmuffs to keep with it while you are around it!! I cant think at all when i have interruption of services and a damn generator roaring , you will basically be dumbfounded and distracted for a while. Easy to have a accident in bad weather that way. Minimize inconveniance. And some good leather gloves that you keep with the generator when you need to haul it out and start it so the pull cord does not hurt your hand. All this stuff can make the biggest POS pleasant to use.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 06:33:56 pm
content: Quote from: particleman on February 13, 2019, 02:52:42 amDo you often have outages in the summer? I've never in my life had the power go out in the summer, I suppose it could happen but so far in close to 40 years it hasn't. Outages here are not uncommon in the winter when storms blow trees over. If you need to run central AC then I would think that a permanently installed emergency generator would be the way to go, something that runs the whole house and has an insulated cabinet to absorb noise and a real muffler.I power much more than laptops from a 2kW generator. Fridge, TV, lighting, desktop PC, gas furnace, ignition and controls on the gas stove, dishwasher, really everything except the clothes dryer and resistance heating appliances. A gallon of gas lasts all day long. There are larger inverter generators for those who need more power too.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 06:49:52 pm
content: Quote from: eKretz on February 13, 2019, 03:21:52 pmOh, gee, why didn't I think of that? Let me just look under the sofa and maybe I can find several million dollars to buy a house on a large property, or maybe I'll move waaay out into the sticks, commuting 5 hours each way to work is such a simple way to escape generator noise a few nights a year.Or, you know, people who live in dense suburban areas could be courteous, realize they are not the only people in the universe and spend a little more on a nice quiet generator like I did in order to not drown the whole neighborhood in noise. It's real easy to say "just move somewhere else" but that completely ignores reality which is that people need to live near jobs and there is not enough land for everyone to have acres of it to themselves, especially in popular areas. Living in densely populated areas means thinking about someone other than yourself once in a while in order to make life more pleasant for everyone. I could just as easily suggest that anyone who really wants to use the cheapest piece of crap generator they can find should just move somewhere that offers them the space to run it without being a major nuisance to everyone else, I mean like you said, they should have bought a house that wasn't stacked so close to others, right?

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 06:52:47 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on February 12, 2019, 11:55:51 pmI have a Honda EU2000i as well - total dream machine! When I need a generator I generally need it *now*, no time to mess with something that isn't crazy dependable. I've had no issues running everything needed with it - fridge, deep freeze, big screenI've had the neighbors all confused before because we had lights and TV on yet they thought there was no power in the area. They actually came over to ask why we had power. The generator was running out back, but was so quiet they had no idea it was going.

author: particleman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 08:14:15 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on February 13, 2019, 06:33:56 pmSummer is monsoon season in the desert. Some years are mild others are insane.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 10:10:15 pm
content: Yikes, that looks like the apocalypse or something.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2019, 11:11:36 pm
content: Apocalypse or worse...a'Boxing Day Sale'stampede...---------------------As I've avoided generators thus far, especially the frequency casino petrol jobs,I'd like to pop a few questions at the more experienced members:How do the Honda EU2000i gens handle audio systems?any buzz or hum from the speakers, audio electronics, extra heat in the PSUs orWhat percentage output from the generator before artifacts, if any, begin to show up?Anyone hook up a CRO or DSO on these when they are working -HARD- to see what the abused sine wave resembles?Honda or Yamaha, which one is better/worse/flip a coin------------------Bonus brain bangers:Would the Honda handle a smallish welder, say an inverter or transformer buzz box in the 140 amp range or less,but run with smaller electrodes (2.4mm, 2.0, 1.6 etc) to keep demand down ?Although if the electrode sticks on the work, the gen will see a full short circuit up to 200 amps or moreThat said, there are some baby inverter welders (Awelco brand IIRC) that shut down on a stuck electrode ( dead short) but amazingly kick in again when unstuckPerhaps a MIG or TIG welder would be a better bet, and less likely to cause generator drama like a stick welder mightI'll have to bite the bullet one day and buy something to try out all this stuff, but a good gen ain't cheap and I want to get the right one the first timeApparently a LOT of inverter gen clones/knockoffs are hit and miss from shafted 'occasional users'

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2019, 04:54:30 am
content: I'm not an audiophile but I haven't heard any noise at all through the speakers, you'd never know the power wasn't coming from the power company. I've seen Honda inverter generators used to power PA systems at small outdoor event. I haven't scoped it personally but I'm sure someone out there has, the output is certainly cleaner than that of a conventional portable generator.Running a welder, probably not, at least not a big enough one to be useful. The EU2000i gives 1600W continuous, 2000W surge so most things that will run from a standard 15A 120V receptacle will work. I had a small welder for a while that would run from 120V but it was quite limited, fortunately it could be configured for 240V which made it a lot more useful.There are larger inverter generators, Honda makes a 3000, possibly others, I haven't looked. It's larger, quite a bit heavier and costs more, the 2000i is a better fit for my own needs. Emergency power to keep the heat and lights on during an occasional outage and portable power I can lug around to power small tools and appliances away from convenient line power. Everyone's needs will be slightly different.

author: eKretz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2019, 04:09:43 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on February 13, 2019, 06:49:52 pmSorry, it's pretty easy to commute - which does NOT have to take 5 hours - and buying a house absolutely doesn't have to cost a million dollars. You're being ridiculous. And to me it's worth the drive to avoid all the B.S. you are complaining about. If you want to live stacked right up on top of and near to everyone around you, go right ahead - that's your prerogative. But if you do so, you will have to deal with all the crap that comes with it - but it's not like you should have foreseen any of that, right? Better to just bitch about it after the fact. Reminds me of the people who buy a house right next to a racetrack and then after the fact complain so much about the noise that the racetrack gets shut down.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2019, 04:59:48 pm
content: I am a bad man that uses the angle grinder out side in the front of my house at 9pm sometimes

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2019, 05:15:37 pm
content: I think generator reliability and repairability ties into military doctrine and civil defense capability. I dont think legislators should fuck with it, they harden the country against precision military strike, emp and cyber warfare capabilities. None of these options are effective if even the ultra cheap have power and anyone can fix it. I wonder how a inverter generator fares to a second strike hemp compared to a old school one.They also keep pumps running and put a massive curb on disease spread due to hygine and enhance decontamination capabilities and reduce fear since services are not interupted. I think they are vital. Be glad people have em.Power to the people!Take out power and biological warfare is going to work much better if people dont wash hamds. Even non hyper militarized agents become effective in this situation.Still loathe generators though, but highly useful as a little known detterant. James s the last thing you want is to hear all your neighbors start coughing...be happy they are protected..

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2019, 04:22:32 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on February 13, 2019, 05:44:58 pmWhat brand was that generator?I wonder how much of that trouble was attributed to the fuel type or to the cheap Chinese Costco generator?I used to repair and service generators, gensets, engine driven welders, etc from the little tradesman site generators up to gensets the size of a mid-size car and from my experience the cheap shit is exactly that, more trouble than the cost saving is worth.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2019, 04:32:33 am
content: it was a cheap ass costco one.i don't know if it was that bad a deal, it lasted for something like 15 years before the hoses started to disintegrate. I intend to fix it up with a gasket kit and a ultrasonic cleaner eventually so I have a backup.it was alot of work but mostly because the power company does not have their shit together at all. Paying for a really expensive generator kinda sucks.. on the plus side the internet is usually down too, so it does alleviate some boredom :'(vFor some reason in general during a power outage it seems hard to be productive even if you have power. it just feels like you should slack off anyway, 95% of the neighborhood is complaining and doing nothing so... i mean usually what do you do, text and complain that you are running on generator power? haha

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2019, 01:14:22 pm
content: Yeah, cheap rubber and gaskets are a pain. I've upgraded a few cheap generators with quality hoses and gasket kits that then last for ages after, and a good fuel filter too.I hear you on the slacking off. The perfect time to toast marshmallows over a candle.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2019, 11:55:14 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on February 14, 2019, 04:59:48 pmThis guy has been making noise in his front yard for about 10 years now.Hadn't watched SV Seeker for a while. It seems he's getting near the end now.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2019, 04:44:26 am
content: Quote from: TERRA Operative on February 18, 2019, 01:14:22 pmWhats a good source of gasket kits? I HATE small engines and I don't want to do research on them or cars for that matter if I can avoid it. I don't know the model but its a 2500W or 3000W peak costco generator from like 2004/5.Honestly I sometimes wonder if there are stimulation effects from the EM fields from the power lines, because as soon as the power goes out, even if I am on generator power, or backup battery, or a laptop, I just feel like doin nothing and relaxing. I mean it kinda jokingly but I noticed it even 15 years ago when hardly anyone here had generators. I have woken up before right after the power went out for no discernible reason (MAYBE the computer fan turning off, but I am pretty sure PC was running on backup when it happened. It was eerie. ).Before people get to close minded...https://science.slashdot.org/story/19/02/20/004208/neuroscientists-say-theyve-found-an-entirely-new-form-of-neural-communicationI know its probably just because you know everyone else is doing nothing but waking up timed with power outages is kinda bizarre. I sleep through computer update restarts and stuff all the time. I also thought it might be some kinda infrasonic noise that it turned off from something that effects you subconsciously. One of my old friends said he kinda noticed some thing going on (not necessarily pleasant) relating to power outages.