Replacing the generator - suggestions?

[JFoy]

Had a Generac 3300 for several years and it did great but ultimately developed an oil leak. Lucky for me, still had two weeks left on the Lowes extended warranty - they opted to just refund my money.

Needs:
240v connector - will back feed the panel via a welder plug.
Dual fuel - gasoline / propane
Minimum 3000 watts
Quality built

Wants:
7000+ watts
Electric start (so the wife can start it)

Concerns:
Mostly clean/steady power so as not to damage newer/modern appliances
Spending too much for rare power outages

Here in the Piedmont area of NC, our outages in the winter come from ice bringing down trees and in the summer, rare outages from hurricanes.

With our new house (mega insulated on slab), I can keep the house at 60F on a space heater.

The Champion Power 3000watt line has all but the 240v outlet. Cost is acceptable Their 7000/8000 watt series has the 240v output but harder to justify the $1000 price tag.

One of my main concerns is quality. Since this would be for power backup, I don't want a surprising failure if I need to use it.

Thoughts / Suggestions?

Thanks,
JFoy

 

[jaydee325]

Electric Generators Direct (dot com) is a very good shopping tool.

 

[EddieWalker]

Honda. I wouldn't even consider any other brand.

 

[Gunny]

Champion hybrid generator - I've got one that puts out less than 5 THD. Like all the other So far, every Champion I've got has been perfectly reliable and easy starting. The list includes 2 generators, a water pump and a log splitter.

I found the generator at Costco

 

[oosik]

I have ALWAYS used Honda generators. 100% reliable. In a power outage, you already have the one strike against you - do you need/want a second with a cheap generation that won't start or run correctly. Your choice.........

 

[fried1765]

I have ALWAYS used Honda generators. 100% reliable. In a power outage, you already have the one strike against you - do you need/want a second with a cheap generation that won't start or run correctly. Your choice.........

EXACTLY CORRECT!

The Honda will cost more, and it will ALWAYS be ready to work, or working, when you want/need it.
I have had a Honda ES6500 for 25+ years.
Wonderful machine!
OHC, liquid cooled, electric start.

 

[grsthegreat]

i have a bunch of customers using a variety of brands. I can tell you the Champion dual fuel units are reliable running units. i have many customers that have used them during extended power outages and have had no issues. The Hondas are great, but way over priced. I had a Coleman branded 4,000 watt generator that has run for 20 years...it still runs.

Personally ive seen 2 Predator generators destroy customers electronic items. i wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole.

I also have a Briggs and Stratton 5500 watt unit that stsarts first pull, and operates great. it was a home depot purchase, and am very happy with it. its 3 years old.

 

[Lawnranger]

Check out this one: Firman Generators H08053 Firman - Hybird Series 8000 Watt Electric Start Dual Fuel Generator 49-State

You can also go down in size it you want. I had a trusty Briggs and Stratton for over twenty years, 4500/3000. We only replaced it several years ago with a generac 8500/7000 because we needed the electric start option. I had plenty of problems with the generac and ended up leaving it behind when we sold our home last year. It ran the whole house but was a maintenance PIA, and an unreliable electric starter.

I did some research and chose this Firman last summer. So far I have powered our whole house without an issue. Oil changes look easy. Electric start is smooth, and battery access is much better than the generac. I have only run it on the propane option but I am sure it is fine on gas if you take the standard ethanol storage precautions. It was almost half of what I paid for the generac over seven years ago. I am sure it won't be perfect as nothing made today seems to be, but overall I am very pleased with this generator and Electric Generators direct. Good luck in your shopping.

 

[dnw64]

Check out this one: Firman Generators H08053 Firman - Hybird Series 8000 Watt Electric Start Dual Fuel Generator 49-State

My uncle bought one of those after the last FL hurricane. Hasn't had to use it yet...

But the advertising on that site is a bit suspect:

Up to 12 Hours Of Power @ 1/2 Load (8 Gal. Tank or 5 Gal/20 Lb. Tank)
No matter what fuel you use...you're covered in an emergency

A 5 gallon propane tank only holds 4 gallons. And propane only has about 80% the energy that gasoline does per gallon, so a "5 gallon" propane tank is the approximate equivalent of 3.2 gallons of gasoline.

So either they are waaay overstating the propane ability, or are ultra-conservative on the gasoline.

 

[Dwellonroof]

you can get this on sale for $499 shipped
DuroMax 1 Watt Hybrid Dual Fuel Portable Gas Propane Generator - RV Standby | eBay

 

[Lawnranger]

My uncle bought one of those after the last FL hurricane. Hasn't had to use it yet...

But the advertising on that site is a bit suspect:




I agree, I don't put much stock in any marketing I read, but I like the generator for it's dual fuel option and the 50 amp plug for welding.

I only ran it once on 20lb tank for less than an hour. During the power outages I run it off my house tank. When I had to replace the boiler, I had the plumber install a tee with a regulator and port. I put a quick disconnect on it to run my propane grill. Then I bought a second hose to use when I run the generator, so I never really gave the fuel claim a lot of thought.

 

[bigtiller]

I gave up on generators and switched over to inverters for a cleaner power source. In fact, I have 2 of them. A 7000 watt Honda for the house transfer switch and a little 2000 watt Honda for projects too far away from an electrical outlet. The little one weighs less than 50 pounds and can be thrown into the Gator or truck with ease.

 

[grsthegreat]

I gave up on generators and switched over to inverters for a cleaner power source. In fact, I have 2 of them. A 7000 watt Honda for the house transfer switch and a little 2000 watt Honda for projects too far away from an electrical outlet. The little one weighs less than 50 pounds and can be thrown into the Gator or truck with ease.

Inverter units are nice...but personally ive been using my older style gensets on the job and on my property since the late 1980's and ive never had an issue with damaging anything. Then again the portable units only see skill saws and compressors. they dont need clean power. My whole house unit gives me pretty clean power. ive had no issues with any LED lighting, computers (i have ups installed) or TV sets. Ive had the big 22KW running for hours and the lights dont even flicker. Personally i love the Generac 22......

 

[coobie]

Honda. I wouldn't even consider any other brand.

THIS ^^^^^^

 

[Stimw]

I have a Honda EU 2000 for small outages and one of those 10,000 watt units that I bought when they were on sale for $699. last fall.
I was at Lowes today and saw Craftsman generators in the 2200 and a larger one (forget wattage) in a honda look-a-like red for $600. + and $800.+ . Don't know anything about them. ??
I ran a 5.6 kw for 12 days over 10 years ago after a close call with a hurricane so I know the drill.

 

[dnw64]

During the power outages I run it off my house tank. When I had to replace the boiler, I had the plumber install a tee with a regulator and port. I put a quick disconnect on it to run my propane grill. Then I bought a second hose to use when I run the generator, so I never really gave the fuel claim a lot of thought.

I was told that permanent propane sources could only be attached to "installed" appliances. So a built-in grill can be attached to your house propane, but not a portable grill. Ditto for generator, radiant heater, etc.

I thought it was part of the national code, but maybe not. Maybe it's a Vermont thing, or maybe it's true.

 

[Lawnranger]

I was told that permanent propane sources could only be attached to "installed" appliances. So a built-in grill can be attached to your house propane, but not a portable grill. Ditto for generator, radiant heater, etc.

I thought it was part of the national code, but maybe not. Maybe it's a Vermont thing, or maybe it's true.

Not sure about that, I never heard of the code requiring the unit to be 'installed'. I am sure there is a requirement to prevent an open hose running from the tank to the appliance. There would have to be a safeguard from someone moving the portable unit and creating a leak in the supply line. My connection port is mounted permanently and regulated down pressure. It has a shut off in place that will prevent the coupler from being manipulated. After you connect the line, the shut off is open and covers the connection. In theory the portable hose could become compromised if someone tried to move the grill or generator and was strong enough to overpower the disconnects. Then the disconnect should shut the line off. I suppose if you severed the line completely with the connection in place you could still develop a leak, but then you would have to manually shut if off. Each hose is about 15', so the distance from the shut off to the appliance is at least ten.

 

[caver]

I know Long Long Honeymoon (YT RV'ers) have reviewed a Champion Dual fuel. I have roughly the same unit but gasoline only. Limiting factors for you will be needing propane and 240V. I also notice many vendors are back-ordered on units.

 

[TheMan419]

To those of you reccomending Honda units did you see the part where he did not want to spend $1200 on a particular unit. Honda costs well more than that.....

 

[TBone]

Honda's are great generators but so overpriced I would never consider one. I've had 3 Champions and they have all been bulletproof. Their inverters provide clean power as well. In certain sizes you can buy 4 or 5 Champions for the price of one Honda.
Something you said in your original post: "Will backfeed via a welder plug". It will work but is neither safe nor legal. I would strongly advise you either get a transfer switch or (what I did) backfeed into your power panel AFTER you put an interlock on the panel that prevents the generator feed and the utility feed from being on at the same time.