which portable generators do people have

[KubotainNH]

Yikes is right, I'd rather spend $500.00 and 3 days building my own............

Ha ha, I was thinking a $5 tarp and some PVC pipe. With the gusts of wind we had today I don't know if any cover would stay put.

 

[Oldpath05]

AFter last nights storm i've been on generator power since I woke up. Champion dual fuel 8kw generator does well powering the house

I've been without power since 2am and still out, my 7500 Generac has been going since 8:30 am. Will yours run a microwave and or a toaster? Those will really lug mine and the toaster takes longer. I think to run the necessities of a house 7-8kw is needed, Nice to make sure the well pump will pump and the fridge will be fridging.

 

[Oldpath05]

Ha ha, I was thinking a $5 tarp and some PVC pipe. With the gusts of wind we had today I don't know if any cover would stay put.

Didn't I read on that site where those covers are held in place by velcro and was rated up to a 300 mph wind..................

 

[dragoneggs]

Ha ha, I was thinking a $5 tarp and some PVC pipe. With the gusts of wind we had today I don't know if any cover would stay put.

Didn't I read on that site where those covers are held in place by velcro and was rated up to a 300 mph wind..................

Yeah... Ha ha, I read 70mph and 18in snow load. Kind of cool as it seems to only attach to the generator making it portable and moveable. I imagine it somehow manages the exhaust appropriately as well. Still too rich for my blood.

I went the DIY route with my welder/plasma cutter stacked rack cover and employed my better half. She bought the heavy duty vinyl cover material and it is going on 18months to finish it. Still has the temporary pins in it prior to completely sewing it up. But the good news I am only about $10 into it. I would take an 'work in progress' pic and share but she would kill me if she found out.

 

[KubotainNH]

Didn't I read on that site where those covers are held in place by velcro and was rated up to a 300 mph wind..................

That's some good Velcro.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Will that Duromax Generator run the unnecessary appliances like a coffee maker, microwave, toaster oven? As of right now now I'm running my 15 year old Generac 7500/12000 surge watts, but it would never run those appliances for some reason. It seems to run the necessary stuff like a 220v water pump, fridge, freezer, lights, laptop and 47" TV. The biggest complaint is it's not quiet, that's why I'm thinking of upgrading.

So how come this is the only ONE realistic priced generator that's mention here with a link? The only other one mention here with the comparable wattage is Honda at a nickel under 4k, are you nuts, that's for people who dont mind buying $100.00 shirts and thinks that's a good deal, no Honda for me.

If your Generac is still working, just keep using it. Any 4-stroke engine is good for 1000 hours if you change the oil once in a while. If it's too noisy, just buy a better muffler. I used to use an old B&S powered generator that came with nothing but a spark arrestor, not even a muffler. The thing would give you a headache if you were within 100'. I bought a lawnmower muffler, which improved things, but still wasn't quiet enough. Then I picked up a scrap yard car muffler from some little compact and piped together an adapter. The motor thread was 1" NPT, so all I had to do was add a 1" to 1-1/4" adapter and nipple, slide the nipple into the muffler and add a little stove cement and a hose clamp. Problem solved. Nice and quiet. Cost me about $3 to fix the problem.

If you are going over 1000 hours, spend the $4k and spring for a diesel. If I run a genny over 6 hours a day in a power outage I'm watching a lot of TV. My current genset is propane, just to simplify fuel storage, but I also get the advantage of better engine reliability. I figure it is good for 200 days of power outages at a minimum.

If your microwave has a chintzy power supply, I can see it having trouble running off of a generator, but any toaster oven should run fine. For coffee I just put a kettle on the wood stove and pour boiling water through a filter cone.

 

[Garandman]

Will that Duromax Generator run the unnecessary appliances like a coffee maker, microwave, toaster oven? As of right now now I'm running my 15 year old Generac 7500/12000 surge watts, but it would never run those appliances for some reason. It seems to run the necessary stuff like a 220v water pump, fridge, freezer, lights, laptop and 47" TV. The biggest complaint is it's not quiet, that's why I'm thinking of upgrading.

So how come this is the only ONE realistic priced generator that's mention here with a link? The only other one mention here with the comparable wattage is Honda at a nickel under 4k, are you nuts, that's for people who dont mind buying $100.00 shirts and thinks that's a good deal, no Honda for me.

Which Honda are you referring to?

The Briggs & Stratton Q6500 Inverter was $1,500, is quiet and will run up to 14 hours on five gallons.

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

I got a small 2000 watt if I need for a take anywhere quickly type of situation and a 12500 watt for the house if we have ice storm or power goes out for extended period of time. I feed the panel and just continue on like we have power from the elec co. Went with out power for over a week some years ago after a bad ice and snow storm and lived around a fire place just waiting for the power to come on. Was not prepared for it at all. Kids liked it roasting hotdogs and anything else they could put on a stick. But we were smelling really ripe by the end of the ordeal. I always keep 10 to fifteen gallons of gas on hand and generator full and run it at least once a month for half hour or so. I also do a better job keeping food on hand also.

OH yea the 12500 is a generac the little one I don't remember what kind but bought it at cabbala's. Have to look tomorrow and see.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Any 4-stroke engine is good for 1000 hours if you change the oil once in a while.

IF only that were true!

SR

 

[dragoneggs]

I'm still waiting to experience a generator that is significantly cheaper that is quieter like my Honda 3000. Doubt I will live that long.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've been thinking of a larger inverter genset and Honda has several offering even with the same output.

My 25 year EM 5000 is a beauty red with chrome... but not inverter tech.

On a separate note my tenants in Washington asked today about getting a generator... power has been out for a week about 10 years back... house is wired with 6 circuits that can be switched to a genset... but they want to power everything and don't realize a 400 amp circuit from PSE will take quite a generator to replace that.

The 6 circuits are well pump, refrigeration, freezer and some lighting and convenience...

 

[Soldier415]

I've been without power since 2am and still out, my 7500 Generac has been going since 8:30 am. Will yours run a microwave and or a toaster? Those will really lug mine and the toaster takes longer. I think to run the necessities of a house 7-8kw is needed, Nice to make sure the well pump will pump and the fridge will be fridging.

The transfer switch for my house is set up to power every circuit.

At one point yesterday I had the following going:
Lights
ceiling fans
23 cubic foot chest freezer
2 fridges
large TV
on demand propane boiler for hot water
dishwasher
vacuum cleaner
Well pump

When the well pump kicked on there would be an RPM spike for a second then went back down to normal

 

[buickanddeere]

IF only that were true!

I know of a 1000i Yamaha inverter generator that ran for years 24/7 during the summer at the neighbour痴 campsite. Takes straight 60wt oil now or it will run low and shut down on low oil in the middle of the night . Govenor, throttle and carb linkages are now so worn it sometimes hunts when on eco mode . A conservative estimate of hours operated would be 5000+.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

IF only that were true!

I know of a 1000i Yamaha inverter generator that ran for years 24/7 during the summer at the neighbourç—´ campsite. Takes straight 60wt oil now or it will run low and shut down on low oil in the middle of the night . Govenor, throttle and carb linkages are now so worn it sometimes hunts when on eco mode . A conservative estimate of hours operated would be 5000+.

I worked on a construction crew about 30 years ago that used an Emglo compressor powered by a 5 hp horizontal shaft Honda to run all the air tools. It ran 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for the 3 years I worked there. Sometimes we had a break between jobs, but it ran at least 5000 hours and was still running like new when I quit. I have never had the motor on a riding mower quit on me, though deck bearings often go out. Everything but the motor requires repair work. My old B&S industrial powered gasoline generator is 19 years old and in perfect condition. It has maybe 500 hours on it, and is barely broken in. My new propane generator has what I think is a Ryobi engine. I fully expect to be pushing up daisies before it dies.

The new generator is electric start and will get exercised on a regular schedule. The old generator just lived in the barn. After each use I ran it dry, changed the oil, fogged the cylinders and bagged the exhaust to keep the bugs out of the valves. In 19 years it never failed to start on the second pull.

 

[KubotainNH]

I'm still waiting to experience a generator that is significantly cheaper that is quieter like my Honda 3000. Doubt I will live that long.

I bought this one 3 or 4 years ago except mine does not have remote start. I got it on sale for under $900 if I remember correctly. The specs are pretty close to the Honda, the motor lasting as long is doubtful of course but I could actually afford to buy it. I wanted the Honda but it was too much money, I think it was close to $3k back then. Seems I need to use the gen at least once a year, so far so good. It's overdue for an oil change with yesterdays usage. This was 40% of the Honda's today price. It's not as quiet as my FIL's EU2000 but it's not far. There seems to be a few options now, it was limited when I bought this one.

Energy Storm 36iER – Lifan Power USA

 

[dragoneggs]

I bought this one 3 or 4 years ago except mine does not have remote start. I got it on sale for under $900 if I remember correctly. The specs are pretty close to the Honda, the motor lasting as long is doubtful of course but I could actually afford to buy it. I wanted the Honda but it was too much money, I think it was close to $3k back then. Seems I need to use the gen at least once a year, so far so good. It's overdue for an oil change with yesterdays usage. This was 40% of the Honda's today price. It's not as quiet as my FIL's EU2000 but it's not far. There seems to be a few options now, it was limited when I bought this one.

Energy Storm 36iER – Lifan Power USA

Yeah the Honda EU2000 is quiet but believe it or not my EU3000 is even quieter! I see that msrp is now $2330. I believe I paid $1899 at least 15 years ago.

 

[KubotainNH]

Yeah the Honda EU2000 is quiet but believe it or not my EU3000 is even quieter! I see that msrp is now $2330. I believe I paid $1899 at least 15 years ago.

Ah, so maybe the price went up? I dunno but it was out of my league at the time. Seems I was watching for used ones that never went under $1500. HF now has one for $700, pay a bit more for extra warranty and call it a day?

35 Watt Super Quiet Inverter Generator

 

[PILOON]

Power went off Monday at 09:00 here.
Back on just an hour ago. (Tues)
Fortunately I have a 6000 watt wired thru a manual switching panel and ran it twice a day to keep fridges and freezer cool cold.
Saved all that food!
INMHO it was a very good investment that has paid off some 5 or six times.
It is one of those things that U can invest in not knowing what the pay off will be.
A couple of freezers full of food makes pay off real quick!
Sure glad I made that "investment" back then.
OK, won't heat the house but that is taken for with the slow combustion stove and or more blankets. LOL.

Must add that I am in the boonies and have to expect outages.
Mind UI am only one hour north of Montreal, a major metropolitan area but mountains are our enemy. eg cell phone is very spotty and land lines suffer by outages as well.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

When the power goes out, pile blankets or what ever you have on/around your freezer and you won't loose any food in that freezer, even if the power doesn't come back on for three days!

Just don't open it, leave it closed and insulation piled on...

SR

 

[George2615]

I'm shopping for a generator right now. Looking for one to serve multiple purposes such as home backup power yet compact enough to take camping to power the trailer. 9-12KW is the range I need.

I've looked at 2 at HF. They have a Predator 8750 watt electric start for $529.99 on sale but it doesn't come with wheel kit or battery and it may be a little small for home backup.

Then I looked at the Predator 3500 watt inverter generator for $699.99, also without battery. This would work only for the camper, not the house.

Then I saw (online only) a DuroMax XP10000EH for $1084.00 best price and an XP12000EH for about $1300. The Duromax can run on gas or Propane, has electric start, and can double as a backup home generator yet is portable enough (abt. 270 lb) to take camping.

I currently have a Miller Bobcat 250NT 10KW welder generator but it doesn't see much use anymore and is way too big to use with my travel trailer. 10KW will run my entire house including the A/C. I have another AC/DC welder plus a MIG so don't need the Bobcat for welding. So my thoughts are to sell the Bobcat welder/ gen and get one of the Duromax units or something similar.

My question is, do any members here own a Duromax 10 or 12KW dual fuel unit and what are your thoughts.