????generator????

[Panther]

Now that the storm has past my power is up. It's time to look into the Future on getting a generator so I can power up some of my Appliances and sump pump and my pellet stove. My question is what's good and what do I look for in one? I plugged into my Neighbors generator once i lost power and ran my sump pump and pellet store and my Refrigerator all worked out. Thanks for any input.


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[whitey]

I looked into one a few months ago, and heres what I came up with. Find out what how many watts your appliances need, keep in mind there is a wattage surge when things start up, like your refridgerator make take 1200w to start, but after it starts running it only takes 800 watts. Get a generator that has atleast a 1200w surge, 800 watts power. Your fridge, or any compressor driven appliance will still run if its under powered, but the life expextency will greatly shorten. An easier way of doing this is to find out the amps your circuit breaker allows, and times that by 100, ex. 15A, will need 1500 watts of power to run that circuit. Dont get a generator thats rated for too much more than you need because it will be a gas hog. Lastly, look at google for a roundabout figure on what appliances use what wattage.

[wannaMM]

On a sidenote...If natural gas is available wherever y'all are at, it would pay you to check on the "conversion" kit for whatever generator you decide to buy....been thru several hurricaines when I lived on the Gulf Coast,never did I loose my natural gas service,even when I lost power.
Just my .02...

[Curless]

When it comes to generators there is NO substitute...HONDA is the only way, quiet, efficient, quiet, did I mention quiet????

[Cheeseheadbob]

This is the generator I have. I am able to power my whole house, including the A/C if it comes to that. The simplest and most economical way to power the whole house, is to have an electrician come in and measure what a whole load would be, then you can buy the appropriate sized equipment and then wire your main panel to an outside 240V outlet that you can plug the power cord from the generator into.

Of course, you will have to turn off your main breaker and use the breakers installed for the generator when switching to back up power. My house does not pull alot of electricity because I have gas appliances and my hot water heater is a tankless model. That said, I spent a total of $1200 for the unit and the electrical work. Much better than the 10K or more advertised by Home Depot or Lowe's.



http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/th/content_26/Q2_2009/generac-gp7500E-lg.jpg

[Panther]

Nice thanks for the info. Pls if anyone else has more to add please do so. Thanks again.


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[justbob]

My Honda 5500X powers up my fridge, freezer box, sump, ejector, fan, and at minimum three halogen work lights PLUS my neighbors crap!


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[whitey]

Like I said in my first post....hondas are the best, but theyre super pricey, and you can run a lot of refridgerators off of 1500 watts, but expect them to die in a few months. im no electrician, but I know my share of what I need to know. My houses ac unit pulls 44A on start up, then running uses 30A, if I remember correctly, plus it doesnt just use 120v, it uses 240v or something(tag says 208/230v). 7500w, would get the job done, however I dont NEED the luxury of ac, a fan will do just fine. Plus if you figure a 5 gal gas tank that runs for 5 hours, thats going to cost you 24 gallons of gas in one day...not cost efficient. I reccomend 3500watts or smaller. Enough to get by safely in a time of need, without ripping your wallet a new azzhole every day.

[Spectragod]

Honda EU6500, if you have electronics or appliances that are "sensitive" for voltage surges, electrical noise etc., I would recommend something along the EU line. My 6500 runs 14 hours on 5 gallons of fuel. It is also super quiet, you get what you pay for.

During my last power outage, my neighbor who cheap's out on everything, burnt up his POS harbor freight unit and had to plug into my house because the cheap unit ran great for 3 hours, then went tits up.

[maineiac]

I have to agree on honda ,i have a 6800 watt that i have had for 10 years always starts,very quiet,fuel efficent,and if you ever need a part they are redily available.

[Marauderjack]

Hard to beat this deal since it WILL run the AC too!!!:beer::bows:

http://www.harborfreight.com/engines-generators/gas-engine-generators/generator-portable-420cc-8750-watts-max7000-watts-rated-68530.html