Comparison Home Stand By Generators

[Looking4new]

Get the whole house unit, Luke. You wont be sorry.

 

[buickanddeere]

A cheap gas generator will run 3600RPM constant. LOUD and uses lots of fuel. If anyone thinks they're going to run a house non-stop for several days with one of these things needs to be aware that they'll consume 1/2 to 1 gallon PER HOUR! So, if your power is out for three days, you're looking at 36-72 gallons of fuel, or, $90 to $210 just for gas! And read the oil change intervals on cheap gens, too. You'll be surprised how often its recommended to change the oil.

Most people run 8-12hrs a day when on a generator. Noise, who cares, the lights are on, the sump pump is running and the freezer is keeping the food frozen. Oil changes are cheap. Going to a 1200rpm or 1800rpm machine will never break even let alone save money for the typical house with an average or 6-12hrs of outages per year. Even a week or 10days won't make any difference.
It's a standby emergency power machine. Why do people think they are setting up a prime power generation unit that will run 24/7 365days a year ?

 

[ultrarunner]

My location is Washington is peacefull and quiet until the genset kicks on... it just echos and the sound really carries.

If I ever to get situated permanently... really considering one of the Honda Diesels that is whispered... really quiet and fuel efficient...

One of my friends parks his class A motorhome next to his house and has the diesel genset wired to the house when he is home... power was out 3 days with temps in the teens... that 8kW motorhome diesel powered through and he had plenty of fuel since it drew from the main motor home tank... just another option.

RV Diesel Generators

Here's a link to a site that makes it easy to compare... I've never done business with them.

Cummins Onan RV QD 3200 RV QD3200 - 3.2kW RV Generator Diesel

 

[MossRoad]

Most people run 8-12hrs a day when on a generator. Noise, who cares, the lights are on, the sump pump is running and the freezer is keeping the food frozen. Oil changes are cheap. Going to a 1200rpm or 1800rpm machine will never break even let alone save money for the typical house with an average or 6-12hrs of outages per year. Even a week or 10days won't make any difference.
It's a standby emergency power machine. Why do people think they are setting up a prime power generation unit that will run 24/7 365days a year ?

Because they can do it. They can afford to do it. They want to do it. And its their business. That's why.

 

[IXLR8]

3 of my 4 neighbors ran 3600rpm cheap generators, 24/7, when we had our recent 4 day power outage. They were so noisy it was difficult to sleep. I just bought a Honda inverter generator so I was not adding to the noise levels.

 

[buickanddeere]

Because they can do it. They can afford to do it. They want to do it. And its their business. That's why.

Most people here are trying to do something on a budget of less than what the project costs. Hence the 3600 rpm 7200 watt yellow Champion with a GenerLink.com - About GenerLink - The easy way to connect a home generator is a goal for most folk. Good value for the dollar.
The whole house, auto transfer, Auto start Generac or better yet a Kohler or Cummins is the ideal unit.

 

[MossRoad]

Most people here are trying to do something on a budget of less than what the project costs. Hence the 3600 rpm 7200 watt yellow Champion with a GenerLink.com - About GenerLink - The easy way to connect a home generator is a goal for most folk. Good value for the dollar.
The whole house, auto transfer, Auto start Generac or better yet a Kohler or Cummins is the ideal unit.

A generator transfer switch is not a goal for most folks. Its a luxury item that most folks that are frugal realize they do not need.

The easiest and cheapest way to connect a home generator is to put twist-lock connectors on your furnace and well pump and get an extension cord or two, a bag of charcoal and a grill. You'll be warm. You'll be fed. You can flush your toilet. You can cool your beer and maintain your freezer. You can watch your TV. There's no chance of backfeeding. There's little chance of overloading the generator. And you have nice extension cords to do other projects when the end of the world doesn't pan out.

 

[ultrarunner]

A generator transfer switch is not a goal for most folks. Its a luxury item that most folks that are frugal realize they do not need.

The easiest and cheapest way to connect a home generator is to put twist-lock connectors on your furnace and well pump and get an extension cord or two, a bag of charcoal and a grill. You'll be warm. You'll be fed. You can flush your toilet. You can cool your beer and maintain your freezer. You can watch your TV. There's no chance of backfeeding. There's little chance of overloading the generator. And you have nice extension cords to do other projects when the end of the world doesn't pan out.

This is how we've been doing it in Oakland...

Twice, I was away when the power went out for an extended time...

My Honda EM5000 generator is stored in my retired neighbors garage with cords... both times he ran cords to his and my refrigerator/freezer and rotated another to the 101 widow next door.

We did everything with extension cords... it's nice to have a retired neighbor always home and knowledgeable... plus he has CWP... and can do security and keeps the fuel fresh...

Some people have an Auto transfer switch and I have an Al transfer person!

 

[kenmac]

even though I could buy the unit at cost , install it myself. No more than my power is out, I just couldn't justify the cost of a auto start stand by genset.. I have a portable generac 5500 w that uses about 5 gallons ? in 8 hrs. I back feed by way of my outside pool breaker box. Able to operate most of the lights, heat, tv, etc . I usually keep about 20-30 gallons of gasoline on hand for grass cutting, etc, so, I usually have plenty of gasoline around for the generator

 

[bigdeano]

It's not hard to put a better muffler on those air cooled engines if they're too noisy. Oil changes don't cost much because they don't hold much oil. If that's all I had I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

 

[Jkott]

What are your reasons for getting a generator, what do you need to power, how often, and how conveniently?

Last year at my home I bought a Generac 3250 after a storm came through and took out my power for a hundred thousand customers in my area. That evening another storm took out another 500,000 customers, and after being wishy washy for a dozen years about getting a generator, I ended up putting on over 50 hours on it. My power was out for 5 days. My needs were minimal (gas furnace, hot water, and stove). The 3250 can easily power my fridge, freezer, lights, and coffee maker. I didn't burn 15 gallons of gas in the 5 days, didn't lose any food, and I was much more comfortable than my neighbors.

Up at my cabin, we ended up having a few extended outages as well, and I found that while the 3250 could power the well pump, it struggled, so I bought the Westinghouse 7500 on sale from Costco. At the cabin we have electric everything--well, hot water, stove, etc. it easily powers our fridges, water pump, and even the electric water heater.

I don't see long enough power outages to justify a $6000 whole home generator, or the fuel to run it 24x7 during an outage. Nor do I need to. I kept everything cold in the freezer and "comfortable" during the day running it most of the day and shutting it off at night. If it was really cold and I needed it to power a furnace at night, the windows are closed and noise doesn't matter. In the summer....well many survived just fine without a/c at night for a few days.

If your power is out frequently in the winter and don't have a backup heat source, a more permanent install is warranted. If all you need is some water during the day and charge your phones back up, the Westinghouse is just fine.

These little backup gens don't have oil filters....don't expect to never change the oil. I changed the oil in my generator at about the 20 hour breakin interval. When I shut it down to refuel, I just drained the oil while fueling and added back in the half quart. $6 for a full synthetic oil change isn't really that big of a deal.

So far I have had the Westinghouse for about a year and have used it for a few power outages. I've also used it out in the back 40 to build a deer stand. It seems to be as good as any of the "cheap" generators. It isn't a Honda, but it's no louder than lawn mower. I have a pic of my name plate somewhere, but I really don't think it's made in the USA. And the name Westinghouse is licensed. Westinghouse doesn't actually make it. But the Westinghouse does have some of the best overall reviews on multiple sites and I have not been disappointed with mine. Wire is cheap and from the detached garage, we can barely hear the generator from inside the house. We are the gathering place when the power is out for a day, because we have cold beer, running water, and flushing toilets.

Even On the gas units, fuel consumption is definitely load related. Full load takes a lot more than powering just the 500-1000w base load. The 7500 does have a much better at frequency regulation. The 3250 has issues keeping frequency at 60 hz based on load. A couple turns of the governor screw to keep rpm at 3600/60hz gets it close enough for my ups to run my electronics based on load.

Gas engines do need good fuel. Siphon or drain out m the fuel annually or semi annually (depending on your comfort level) and refill it with stabilized non oxy fuel and it will be fine. Run it at least every quarter to make sure it works, batter is charged, and stale fuel is out of the carb. Put a couple gallons of the drained fuel at a time in your vehicle to burn it off so there is no waste.

So, what do you need it to do? The Westinghouse 7500 does me just fine at a very reasonable price. I'm also with those that don't want to tie up my tractor during an emergency with a pto gen. I'm very likely to need to remove trees or move massive amounts of snow at the same time I want my toilet to flush.

 

[buickanddeere]

Charcoal for inside heat claims CO victims every power outage. Sad thing is when it maims or kills children.

 

[buickanddeere]

A generator transfer switch is not a goal for most folks. Its a luxury item that most folks that are frugal realize they do not need.

Spending you $$$ on a truck for daily transportation, booze, smokes, 500TV channels, a big screen TV, meals out and a smart phone is just a higher priority than a proper transfer switch.
It's called being selfish and not caring about the utility worker or the person with downed power lines in their yard or around their vehicle.
Being "poor" is not an excuse to break the law.

 

[Jkott]

Spending you $$$ on a truck for daily transportation, booze, smokes, 500TV channels, a big screen TV, meals out and a smart phone is just a higher priority than a proper transfer switch. It's called being selfish and not caring about the utility worker or the person with downed power lines in their yard or around their vehicle. Being "poor" is not an excuse to break the law.

Yes you need to protect the line workers. There is little excuse to ever back feed your panel without protection. There are too many ways that an untrained person could connects up the generator "the way they see their significant other do it a dozen times", but miss a step. Use something to prevent deadly errors.

Use extension cords or some type of measure if you don't want to ensure you can accidentally back feed the transformer. But you don't need a multi hundred dollar transfer switch that requires professional installation.

If the point is to protect line workers from death, a manual interlock plate that prevents the main from being connected while the generator is on can be accomplished by a $50 interlock plate.

 

[MossRoad]

even though I could buy the unit at cost , install it myself. No more than my power is out, I just couldn't justify the cost of a auto start stand by genset.. I have a portable generac 5500 w that uses about 5 gallons ? in 8 hrs. I back feed by way of my outside pool breaker box. Able to operate most of the lights, heat, tv, etc . I usually keep about 20-30 gallons of gasoline on hand for grass cutting, etc, so, I usually have plenty of gasoline around for the generator

Shhh. Ixnay on the ackfeedbay. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Charcoal for inside heat claims CO victims every power outage. Sad thing is when it maims or kills children.

The charcoal and grill I've mentioned is for cooking outside.

I've NEVER heard of someone dying EVERY power outage from using charcoal inside to heat their house. For that matter, I recall only once that someone started a fire using charcoal inside to cook during the winter. We do hear about people using generators indoors and especially in their garage and a few people die every year here from that.

 

[Sodo]

Thx for the discussion. I just ordered a DuroMax XP10000E, $999 & free shipping. I will use if for powering my shop (welding and lights).

 

[MossRoad]

Spending you $$$ on a truck for daily transportation, booze, smokes, 500TV channels, a big screen TV, meals out and a smart phone is just a higher priority than a proper transfer switch.
It's called being selfish and not caring about the utility worker or the person with downed power lines in their yard or around their vehicle.
Being "poor" is not an excuse to break the law.

Please stop quoting me. I'm not breaking any laws. Nor am I advocating that anyone else break any laws. I drive a 21 year old 2nd hand vehicle, rarely have one beer in any 14 day period, don't smoke, eat off the dollar menu and don't own a cell phone. I only have about 60 channels on my low-price entertainment package and yes, I confess, I have a very nice TV. We've paid off 2 houses, 20 acres of farmland, sent two kids through 18 years of very good private schools, college is paid for in the bank, and we've been debt free for 15 years on average local wages. We aren't poor and we aren't endangering anyone. We are frugal. You amass wealth by not giving your money away needlessly. Yes, we sometimes purchase a luxury item, like TWO SCOOPS OF ICE CREAM INSTEAD OF ONE. Good grief man, give it up. We don't need a transfer switch. Unplug your well pump and plug it into a generator. When the toilet tank fills, unplug the well pump and plug in the freezer. When the freezer stops running, plug in the furnace fan if its cold, however, we heat our house with wood, so that doesn't apply to us. That's frugal, too.
:mur::duh::hissyfit::squirrel::mouse::donkey::beaver::grinch:die::soapbox::soapbox::soapbox:

Ouch! My head hurts.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes you need to protect the line workers. There is little excuse to ever back feed your panel without protection. There are too many ways that an untrained person could connects up the generator "the way they see their significant other do it a dozen times", but miss a step. Use something to prevent deadly errors.

Use extension cords or some type of measure if you don't want to ensure you can accidentally back feed the transformer. But you don't need a multi hundred dollar transfer switch that requires professional installation.

If the point is to protect line workers from death, a manual interlock plate that prevents the main from being connected while the generator is on can be accomplished by a $50 interlock plate.

THANK YOU!!! :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Thx for the discussion. I just ordered a DuroMax XP10000E, $999 & free shipping. I will use if for powering my shop (welding and lights).

Looks nice. Solid no-flat tires and a 12v for charging, too. Give us a review when you get it. :thumbsup: