Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Which generator?

I had 10" of snow and lost power on new years day. Was without power and phone for 5 days. Am re-thinking my "cheepness" and am going to buy a generator to run my well and a cupple of freezers and a fridge. I have a wood stove for heat and used kerosene lanterns for light. We heated water on the camp stove and lived on cup-o-soup. But melting enough snow to fill the pottie tank got old.
Which generator have you guys had the best luck with ?
My neighbor has a craftsman, and I can hear it running up on my hill a half mile away. He says it's a good unit but it is noisey!
Thanks for any feedback, Virgil B. :crazy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Go to a Honda dealer and get them to fire up one of theirs in the size you think you'll need. We used Hondas up to 3500 watts in our camps and they were relatively quiet. We also had them converted to run on propane and operated them from 100 pound bottles which saved frequent gasoline handling. Unless you run those appliances you name individually you are going to need a fair sized plant.

I went through the same thing years ago. Since I work from home, if I'm without power I'm out of business. I'm an electrical engineer by education so I had some pretty good idea about what I wanted without breaking the bank.

Remember that the rating of the Generator is the Peak power not the continious rating. I have a 4500 watt generator which is good for only 3800+ continious watts. One of the things you need to understand about this whole mess of numbers is not that complicated and it's important to know. Watts is a measure of total power. It's determined by multiplying AMPS times VOLTS.

Since we know the output will be 120 VAC at all times the Amps are easily added up to see what you can run. My generator has about a 30 amp capacity. Now you can look at appliances amp rating and add up how much you can run or more important how big a generator you should buy. In my house I wired in floor outlets to the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and my office. The outlets are in the floor so they can be identified as the generator power outlets. Plus it's easier to wire in floor outlets to an existing house.

During power outages I can leave my office computers and lights on all the time as well as the TV in the living room. However I must use the extension cord to plug in either the Refregerator or the Microwave. Both cannot run at the same time. Same with the wifes coffee maker. One Kitchen appliance at a time. When your done with the coffee or microwave you plug the referigerator back in

We have a gas stove, furnace, freestanding stove(heat) and hot water tank. I don't need any power for those. The bedroom plugin can run the TV *OR* the 120VAC bathroom heater *OR* a blow dryer/ curling iron for my wife. One at a time. Once the Refregerator is nice and cold at night I can run the chest freezer over night every other day and it will stay frozen. If your freezer is not very full, put in a 5 gallon bucket of water to freeze. That will keep the contents frozen for several days without power. It also will cut way down on the electric bill! Fill the bucket over several days so it will not burst.

I searched for several months to get the right features and price. I finally bought an Onan generator from a place in Pheonix Arizona. it has electric start and runs 9 hours on 6 gallons of gas. I paid 1200 bucks with shipping included. It may not be the most easy to use system with the one at a time rule in the kitchen and bath but it's 1200 bucks and life is good when there is no power. It also eliminates any possible backfeed to the utility with the seperate outlets.

It's actually quite easy to just unplug the TV from the wall and then plug it into the floor outlet, same with lamps and anything else needed. The main outlet in the garage has an extension cord to go from the main output of the generator to the wall outlet in the garage. That is how the power gets distributed. The Generator is in what looks like a dog house outside the garage. All that's needed is to run it 2 hours a month to keep everything ready. We usually watch a video with the generator power once a month. When it's needed you plug in the extension cord and push the start button.

DONE! now your powered back up on a limited but functional source.

A few years back we were out of power for 11 days. During this time we ran our Honda generator 24 hours a day with no problems. this is a 3800 or 35oo i need to go look. It was brand new so I did stop it once to do a quick oil change. The only other times it was shut down was to add gas. The Honda is not noisy like a Briggs and Stratton powered unit but it cost more to buy. I also have a 1000 watt suitcase model for the camper. Hondas are top of the line and you the price of addmission to own one. Pay attention to every thing JJ says and you will get along just fine on a generator. unpaidTestamony for Honda Generators

Bullwnkl

JJ,

your dual wiring/ floor plug system is a great alternative for someone who has a small generator of limited output....

if a guy finds himself cycling between appliances, and juggling a limited power supply, there are a couple of things to keep in mind....

a) don't forget your sump pump in the basement!!!

b) turn off the auto defrost option on your freezer!!! have known guys who plugged their freezer in for a period of time to keep it cold, and then cycled power to another appliance... they found out later, to their regret that the freezer only had power long enough for the defrost to cycle... a dozen or more defrost cycles without significant freeze time can be expensive/ smelly.....

c) what about a water supply???

a larger generator can be hooked up at the meter through a feedback proof box(approx $200)... it will run every thing that you need on your primary wiring..... johnw

Honda

miller

You guys are making this way too difficult. If you install one of the Generac type transfer switches, you can hook up any sized generator you want to the unit, as long as it is sized for it. And most generators will put out 220V and 120V, so you can use them on just about anything as long as they are sized for it.
As long as you are careful about which breakers in the transfer switch you select to use at any one time, you can use just about anything in the house. The only drawback is you have to determine those circuits at the time of installation of the unit. They usually come with several 15 amp 120V breakers, a couple 20 amp 120V breakers and 1 220V breaker of either 20amp, 30amp, or 50amp- depending on the size of the unit and the size of the generator.

I've installed several of the 9-12KW Onan generators with automatic transfer switches and separate breaker panels for emergency circuits and even hooked up the range and water heater. Since the safety valve is the circuit breaker at the generator and transfer switch, it is difficult to overload the generator to the point of damage, but you must be careful about the use of appliances that draw lots of power like ranges and water heaters, which are rated at 8KW and 4.5KW respectively. If you use just one burner at a time, you can get by using the range for limited periods.

The generac transfer switch units only run about $200-250 and will eliminate the danger of backfeeding power to the utility. I usually set them up so that at least a couple lighting circuits (includes your plugs in a house) are powered in case of an outage, since you can't do much if you can't see your way around. Then the homeowner can determine which load is most important at what time. Usually they turn the heat off during the day and run the freezer and refrigerator, and use the heat at night and let the freezer keep.

Virgil, in your case, depending on your well pump you might need a fairly large generator to handle the well pump starting cycle. A 5 horse pump will require about a 4000 watt generator by itself for starting purposes and anything you add on top of that for load is additional.
If it were me, I'd buy a cheaper 8KW unit which can be had pretty cheaply these days and build a doghouse with insulation to soundproof it. Then assemble a cord long enough to put it away from your house a bit and install a Generac transfer switch. Usually Home Depot runs a package deal on all these things for a real song. If you need any help installing it, give me a call and I'll try to direct you over the phone.- Sheister

I just checked the paper work on my well, It's 300' deep, and is run by a 1.5 horse motor.
It's aprox. 100 yds. from the house, if the length of wire makes a difference.
I can manage 'bout everything 'cept, no running water. We need to keep the outside freezers running to keep my wifes frozen pet food, for her bussiness, from thawing... (probably $1000. worth)
Thanks for the information, Virgil B.

In my experience, a 5 hp motor requires at least 5000 watts to start and that is border-line.

Black-outs and brown-outs are a fact of life where I live so after the first couple, I got a 15k generater (North Star from Northern Tool) and wired it in through an automatic transfere switch with a manual disconnect. Yes there are better generators out there but this thing does not get a lot of use. The biggest problem is keeping Stabil in the gas tank. Total cost was around 3500 with the wheel kit (just in case I want to take it somewhere else), and I don't have to pick and choose which appliances I can use with that much current available. Steve

I live in the northern part of Canada, and we have power outages with regularity. I was one of the fools that bought a generator for Y2K. Turns out that I have used the thing a lot more than I ever thought I would.

Honda makes one of the best "portable" generators. They are quiet, and the motors run forever. I bought a 6500 watt generator that puts out 5500 continuous watts. It is also capable of 220V with an output of 22.9 Amps, continuous. I have propane cookstove, and a wood forced air furnace, and the requisite two freezers for meat. I have a deep well submersible pump and an electric water heater.

The 6500 is enough to run most of my house if I use my head about what I run together. I can heat my water and run a few lights. After the water is heated (about 1 hour) I can kill that and take a shower. I can run the furnace fan, electric lights, fridges, freezers, microwave, phones, and even this stupid computer.

It burns about 4 gallons in 9 hours of continuous running at my nominal load. It is quiet, but I run it about 100 feet from my house. No problems with line loss for the pump in the well.

There are other good generators available, but for here, the Hondas are the ones - good dealer network, service, etc.

Don't know the name of the generator but as I recall. last year a company came out with a generator that wires right in to your house and comes on 10 second after your power goes out. turns off when your power comes back on. I believe it comes in three sizes. It should handle anything you need. I saw it at Home Depot & Lowes.. You may want to check those out..

GO solar, with the proper generator backup and tell the weather and utility companies to stuff it.


It's the best investment I've ever made.

I asked this same questions when the hurricane hit last summer. Lots of good advice and you may want to dig up that thread.
I ended up with a Craftsman 6300. The generator is a Generac and the engine a Briggs. The price was hard to pass up. I'm wiring a 220 recepticle in my garage back to the panel. When the power goes out, I'll turn off the main breaker and plug in the generator to back feed into the panel.

Sheister and JJ pretty well nailed it. Unless you elect to convert to solar your only real decision has 2 basic choices, size (output in KW) and brand. Both are dictated by your pocketbook as well as reality. It doesn't matter what brand you choose, more output costs more money. The reality question is "how much do you plan on using this". If you only occasionally have an outage and the 5 day power loss is a very rare event, then it likely will not be for long periods or often, to me, this indicates that a cheaper unit would be satisfactory, more often, go with a more expensive unit. Remember, in most cases, you can buy at least 2 of the Cheaper units for the price of one more expensive unit. 2 gives you more power and more flexibility as well as back up.



Bottom line is, Onan and Honda make some of the best units but they are considerably more expensive than the Generac, Home Depot type. It's your money and you can use it how you choose.



I was without power for 14 days in the "Ice Age Storm" starting locally on Christmas day 2000. I used then and would use again a pair of cheapie Generac 5KW units. I haven't used them since for an outage; we have them often, but usually of short duration. Based on my experience, regardless of how expensive a unit you choose, if you have an all electric home (we did, like you including the water well) I'd get at least 5KW.



I have no knowledge of your circumstances, but one other thought. Many "truck" type electric welders, such as Lincoln, Miller, etc have a generator which can be used to power your home and they are not much more expensive than a stand alone Onan or Honda unit. If you weld, or see the need for one, it might be a viable option.



PS, when this electric stove craps out, I'm converting to a propane stove and at least one propane water heater.

I think that you summed up the "need" issue as well as anyone. I knew the size I wanted to "get by" during the power outage periods typical here. From a few hours to about 4-5 days. It's why I did not invest in a 10,000 setup with a transefer switch to power the whole house.



My little Onan was 1200.00 bucks and I had another 400 bucks in wiring and parts. It's much better then candles and a coleman lantern. It also gives piece of mind with the chest freezer full of perishable foods. I suppose it would be nice to have the transfer switch to powerup everything as needed but the cost is not inline with the frequency of use. It's really quite effeortless to transfer the plugs from the utility outlet to the genset outlet as they are needed.





One other problem you folks may not consider but should plan for is the fuel. During the last time I had my generator in use for 4 days this winter(last year). I was out of fuel and the gas station in town had no electricty for their pumps. So I had to Siphon fuel from my truck to keep the genset running. Be very careful about storing the amount of fuel needed by these generators and make sure it's not old stale fuel when it comes time to use it. Those Big 6K or larger gensets use considerably more fuel then the ones at 5K or less. The 10K gensets really start consuming fuel fast when you run the whole house with it. The big generator is of no use without gas, and how much are you willing to store?



I chose an Onan genset but the Hondas are also very good. The Honda was my first chocie but the Onan was a better deal and are one of the most common gensets on refrigerator trucks and motor homes. Cummins owns the Onan company and builds their own engines and and gensets complete. I think most folks know the reputation of Cummins! It's a coin toss IMO between Honda and Onan but get something you can depend on or you're no better off in an emergency without power. I was not gonna spend 3K plus on this so I bought a smaller genset with the greatest durablity I could.



There are a lot of other manufactures out there using the Honda engines on their gensets becasue the Honda engine is so good, and they can advertise a "honda" engine. That does not mean the rest of the equipment is made by honda, just the engine!

Scott,

While technically your system may work, that is the absolute worst way to feed power to your panel for emergencey use. Using a double ended cord is just plain dangerous and asking for a serious problem to equipment and personal safety.

Either JJ's method with separate receptacles or use of a transfer switch that eliminates the possibility of backfeeding power to the utility is the only safe and accepted method of emergency power.

The idea of solar power comes up from time to time, but I've installed several systems and I'll tell you a couple things about them.
1- They don't work worth a darn at night, when you really need lights and power, especially during the winter. And setting up a battery system to carry over is expensive, consumes space, and is not really safe unless installed properly.
2- Solar power still hasn't made the leap to cost/benefit ratio that is acceptable to most people. Even if you could install it for free labor, the cost of components is still way out there for most people.

JJ- So I suppose now you have to shop for a diesel generator if you hope to use fuel from the truck? Another new toy coming to JJ's house. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Shiester is right about backfeeding your panel box. It is a hazard to the lines men when they come to work on your service. It is also the first thing they will ask you when they arrive and hear the generator running.

I have a Multiquip/ MQ that uses a Honda engine. I think they are around 1500 new for a 8hp and 3500 wts.

The last power outage we had lasted for 7 days. I rewired the gas furnace so that it plugs into a receptical instead of a box with a on/off switch. Now I just unplug it and run a extension cord to it.
Most of the gas pumps were out of order with no power. The bigger the generator, the more fuel it will take to run it. How much gas do you keep on hand for such occasions?

Even the smaller gens will crank a blower on a gas furnace. You will have heat, and smaller appliances. throw the food outside if it is cold enough, if not, switch the heat and frig back and forth as needed.

My generator gets used about 3 times a year, if that much. I try to run the gas out before Im done with it. I keep 2 5gal cans full with stabil. Every three months or so, I dump the old gas in my truck and buy new for the cans.
10 gals of gas wont last but a day or so with continuous use. Then you have to start looking for a gas station or siphon vehicles in the neighborhood <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If I lived in the country, where it is harder to get gas. I would mount a 50 or 100 gal tank onto a small trailer. I would fill it, use some stabil, and pump it into my vehicles as it started to get old and refill the tank as needed.

Just my nickle.

vb
I have recently upgraded my 4000EXL Generac with a 7550EXL from Home Depot. The new unit was $1100 and included the wheel kit ,extension cord, and electric start. I have been pleased with the Generac units. Both units do not make much noise. Get the most watts you can afford the first time or you will not be satisfied. When you start adding up power requirements for surge watts it goes quick. You may want to look at generators that run off of alternative fuel sources like natural gas, propane, diesel, ect. They make one that will hook to the PTO of a tractor. I usually will pull mine out and run it every month and change the oil twice a year. Have a good lock and cable to secure the unit from theft.
Bob