Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Suggestions needed: Small Home Generator ???

yes..........Invertor !!!!!!

Quiet !!!!!!!!!

No one likes a loud generator

" No one likes a loud generator."

agreed!

One added FYI:

Generally, the larger the generator the greater the fuel consumption.

During wide spread power outages extra fuel can be difficult to nearly impossible find in the outage area since gas stations require electricity to operate pumps, and even those that can may not be able to process payment via credit/debt cards for a while either.

Point being - plan on-hand fuel reserves accordingly.

I've run a large refrigerator/freezer and an upright freezer on just an EU2000i.
You just plug them in one at a time.

I used to use a 6500 watt Coleman that would burn 5 gallons of gas every eight hours.
The Honda will run 11-12 hours on one gallon, and is so quiet you can barely hear it running.

What I just bought. So far it's doing it's job keeping the power on just by me buying it.

Big Honda and Yamaha fan but I bought a Westinghouse 9000/7500 five years ago for our whole house and saved 75% off the comparable Honda price. Still purrs like a kitten and haven't even thought about big Red.

This. A few days here and there is one thing but if you ever end up in a pickle for a couple weeks the genny burning 2 or 3 times the fuel needed will get old. The fridges and freezers should have peak power requirements on them, add em up and add a little for spare. Then look at the EU 2000 (I've got one as well fantastic units) and if its too small go up the line to find the right one. Hondas really do have the top drawer spot in generators. I've heard Yamahas are good too but no experience.

Since generators are sold in watts, we'll talk in watts. Generally speaking, it takes about 2000-2200 watts to start a refrigerator or freezer. Once it's running, it takes about 800 watts to run it. So figure you'll need 6600 watts minimum to start all 3 at once..... or,

Plug in one 2200 watts, get it running = 800 watts.....after a few minutes plug in another 2200 +800 = 3000 watts, get it running 800 + 800 = 1600.......after a few minutes plug in the 3rd 1600+2200= 3800, get it running 800 x 3 = 2400 watts.

So, a 4000 watt generator will start and run 3 freezer/refrigerators if you start them one at a time, but I would get a 4500 watt minimum. A little extra never hurts.

This leaves you with very little if any extra power. If you plan on running much of anything else, you will need more generator.

Some of the wattage figures are way off.
Here's a calculator that will give more realistic numbers:

https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/wattage-calculator

The inverter generators will adjust the speed (and fuel consumption) to match the load.
Non-inverter types will run wide open all the time.

Freezers don't have to be run constantly, but I've found the refrigerators won't stay cold enough for more than a couple of hours if the ambient temperatures are high.

The smaller Hondas use a fuel pump, which means they can be rigged to run off a remote tank.
I have the fittings needed to run mine from a 6 gallon boat tank or straight from a typical 5 gallon fuel can.

There are lots of Youtubes showing how it's done and costs are well worth it.

Brand and size aside, a few things to note.

ONLY feed it Ethanol FREE gas, run it dry when done to not let gas sit in the carb.

Use a fuel stabilizer. I like Sea-Foam for this, one ounce per gallon.

Keep the oil properly filled, not over filled! And change it after a 5 hour break in and every 100 hours or so.

Agree with some of above... I always add StaBil to my ethanol and have had no problems for the 12 years I've run my Honda...

if you are just running freezers and frig's then you can run the generator for 10 hours a day .

The common method of running multiple refrigeration compressors from a single, limited power source is incorporating an alternating timer relay control system.
To maintain desired temperatures, 3 compressors from a single source is the maximum used.

If this comment triggers that little idea light bulb in your head and you're a little electrical savvy, buy the Honda 2200 and an alternating relay (triplex for 3 load shares).

If not,

Buy the Honda 6500.............You'll spend a little more money but you'll have a safe system that will service your needs.

Be leery of comments suggesting intermediate sized generators with math obtained form various online charts.
Stick to data obtained from the National Electric Code (NEC), it will keep you and your family safe and sound, your appliances in good order and your beer cold.

I was running 2 full sized refrigerators this week with Lowes Troybuilt 6500w

Went to Lowes about 2 yrs ago, it was on the sidewalk marked clearance.
I asked lowes dude what was up, he said some whiny fatfûck bought and brought it back, said it hurt his shoulder when he pull started it.

Because it was "used" and had gasoline in it, it was marked down significantly.

Got it for almost 1/2price off of $750 (so not bad for 400)

In 1999 when I built my house, I had them install a switch panel that has about 10 circuit breakers in with select things running through that box. When I finished my basement in 2002, I had the electrician install a pig tail on that box and bought a Honda 6500 and a 25' extension cord to reach to the patio. When I start it up, I turn the circuits on slowly one at a time so it doesn't overload all at once. Once all circuits are on, it'll handle the load. Burns about 5 gallons in 8 hours. I think these are my circuits.

Well pump
Hot water heater oil burner
Furnace oil burner
Basement 1 refrigerator and 1 freezer
Kitchen refrigerator
Central Control Room (Man Cave) lights and wall outlet, storage room lights, and a wall outlet on 1st floor and 2nd floor. I plug in my TV, cable box and Verizon unit in the Man Cave. I plug in lights, TV's and cable boxes, and Verizon wireless router on 1st and 2nd floors.

I start it up once a month for about 1/2 hour and then run the carburetor dry when done. I've had to replace the carb once and fuel lines a couple of times because of the ethanol and letting it sit for too long. If I start it once a month it runs fine. I use Sabil in the gas and change the gas in the cans every year. I dump it in my truck and refill the cans with fresh gas and Stabil.

I just went through what you are asking about. With the fires here in Northern California PG&E saw fit to turn off all electricity to a good part of the state. Just got ours back after 5 days. I used a Honda 2000 to run two upright freezers in the garage by themselves. I then switched to run the house refrigerator a light, TV set and charger for cell phones and coffee maker in the morning. I would run the freezers for an hour or so to get them cooled down. Generator would not handle the freezers and Fridge at the same time. I also had a Yamaha 1000 I lent to my elderly neighbor and her sister to run their fridge and a light. I also use pure gas in them and they ran perfectly and got us through this time. I am now considering a home stand by unit so if it goes out and I'm not here the wife can get it going.

Refrigerators won't stay cold more than an hour or two if the weather is warm.
Freezers can safely be cycled.

We have a Generac 22KW standby hooked up to propane that runs our humble abode with power to spare. Also I have a Briggs and Stratton 7500 watt that I use in my shop which is not hooked to the grid. Prior to getting the Generac we used it to power our freezers and refrigerators during our frequent power outages. The Briggs is a good machine and has served many years without a glitch. Probably what keeps it reliable is frequent use and regular oil changes. Also I run the gas out of it by shutting off the tank valve. We try to use non-ethanol but some seems to get in it anyway. The worst thing you can do is ignore an engine for a year or two and then try to start it in an emergency. With a generator, rifle, or a tractor it is always best to have a little more than you need instead of a little less

I love my eu2200i, we ran my freezer and my neighbors freezer and fridge off one, along with powerstrip to charge phones, tv, dvd player. Not on eco mode though. I'm sure it was pushing its limits though and we made sure to plug in one at a time.

Honda makes the parallel adapter to run two 2200 together. Two of those together may be an option to look at, instead of storing and moving a huge generator. Then you would have a smaller one to use at the camp or whatever.

I use the Yamaha 2000 suitcase a lot. Commercial fishing, camping, hunting,etc. great unit.