which portable generators do people have

[DieselnHooters]

I have a Honda EU 2000i that will support my Oil or wood furnace along with lights, tv, and electric blankets.
Testing I’ve done has shown the little Honda EU2000i (1500 Watts) will run the heat & lights for 10 hours on 1 gallon if fuel and with the auxiliary 4 gallon fuel tank is good for over 40 hours.
For something that could make the difference between being OK or freezing to death quality and efficiency should be the primary concern.
The Honda produces power quality the equals or exceeds the utility making it safe for any modern Appliance.
90cummins

Bought one of those 3 weeks ago, awesome how smooth and quiet it is . Weighs only 45 lbs so truly portable , safe stable current for electronics and just enough power to run my 1/2 HP water pump.

Really pricey though but totally worth it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

When it comes to generators, you usually get what you pay for. And sometimes you pay way too much as well, like for those whole house (3600rpm) screamers.

A very talented friend repeatedly drilled into me, how little generator, the average home needs. He is right. But yes, it's also about management.

It sure is nice to have every light on the property work during an outage.

Europeans are certainly different. My (German) Dad has never owned an airconditioner. Even had the standard one deleted on his Sprinter, like some courier companies do. And some very wealthy Germans I know, with houses all over the world have basically a bar fridge in their kitchen.

 

[dragoneggs]

When I finally pulled the trigger more than 10 years ago I decided I wanted only to deal with one unit and it needed to be portable but with some decent power. Installed a mechanical transfer switch on the house main. Went with a Honda 3000is that works great as emergency home backup and also portable enough to take it with me. It is super quiet and fuel efficient and I am happy and confident I made the right choice.

I am so glad I didn't splurge for a whole house auto on which I was contemplating. We lose power less than five times per year so the little inconvenience of not being able to power everything is far outweighed by the operating costs and flexibility. When we moved I simply took the gen with us and had a transfer switch installed in our new to us house. The service panel needed replaced anyways so for a few more bucks we were in business as usual.

 

[ultrarunner]

When it comes to generators, you usually get what you pay for. And sometimes you pay way too much as well, like for those whole house (3600rpm) screamers.

A very talented friend repeatedly drilled into me, how little generator, the average home needs. He is right. But yes, it's also about management.

It sure is nice to have every light on the property work during an outage.

Europeans are certainly different. My (German) Dad has never owned an airconditioner. Even had the standard one deleted on his Sprinter, like some courier companies do. And some very wealthy Germans I know, with houses all over the world have basically a bar fridge in their kitchen.

But they are catching up quick and surpassing in many cases... remember the flak I got for ordering my new BMW with automatic for Munich pickup... had to explain many times the stick option simply not available here.

All those I worked with back in the 80's scoffed at A/C... now they all have them in their cars and more shops in Salzburg are getting them... no market 30 years ago and now increasing each summer... and of course they blame American for hotter summers... go figure.

Old time Germans are great at making due... maybe the work is frugal... BUT... when they decide on something they generally are ready to pay for quality...

 

[Industrial Toys]

Quality? Like where? The Germans like everyone else have sold their souls.

The one somewhat satisfying thing I see with RICH folk is that it really is a law of diminishing returns. You have to spend an awful lot to get something of quality.

Maybe it's one reason I have spent so much on back ups for my back ups for my back ups. When the power does fail, it's the one time I do feel quite Wealthy!

 

[ultrarunner]

Quality? Like where? The Germans like everyone else have sold their souls.

The one somewhat satisfying thing I see with RICH folk is that it really is a law of diminishing returns. You have to spend an awful lot to get something of quality.

Most of my friends built or renovate their homes... some have been in their family for centuries...

These were regular working professionals... Engineers, Teachers, etc..

It was mind boggling what they would spend on materials... no price too high if it was the best/efficient.

Still remember 20 years ago when one was building out the attic for their living space... one "Patio" door was $6,000... just for one door... true is was gas filled, highest energy rating and slid and tipped... but 6k for a door most Americans would have gone to Home Depot for a couple of Hundred and been done.

Another spent even more on a entry front door 2 years ago... the door when locked is like a bank vault... dead bolts go out on all sides when locked for the night... it would be easier to jack hammer through the filled concrete block...

Another friend was spending a fortune installing the metal rolling window shutters... said they were super strong...

Hino was proud to show me his new boiler for his radiant in floor heating... they all have in floor heating... the boiler was 20k when all said and done... it will do wood, coal, natural gas and he also has a heating oil option...

Again... these are regular folks... but they tell me what good is money in the bank... when you can invest that same money in your home and get to enjoy it and know the next generations will too...

I bought roll up garage doors under the Hormann brand... they cost 3x what I would buy in California... but looking at the construction... I could see quality... the hardware, rust proofing, safety features... etc.. ironic because they might go a year and never be opened!!!

About Us - Garage Door Manufacturers

 

[Industrial Toys]

Sounds like some friends/customers I know. They bring in fancy German woodstoves. Three for starters. And Solatubes to bring in the light through a tube to the roof. Sad though. They work like dogs and have little time to enjoy much of what they can afford so easy. And spend so much time in aircraft and at airports, away from loved ones.

 

[buickanddeere]

There is a point of diminishing returns for these high efficiency door, windows , boilers etc .

 

[brokenknee]

You don稚 have to run everything. The generator does have to be able to provide enough inrush current for starting without lowering the voltage, lowering the frequency and without a noisy wave form. A 5000 watt consumer grade generator should not be continuously loaded past 4000 watts anyways .
Never understood why some people are so how proud of how little they can get along with.

Really not proud of how little I can get along with. I would love to have a whole house generator to power everything when the grid goes down. It is just a matter of economics. My main concern is not freezing to death or having the house freeze up breaking all the pipes.

Bigger generators cost more to begin with and I can only assume more expensive to operate.

 

[goeduck]

I have a Yanmar 3.7 single cylinder air cooled Diesel for Portable use and have used it to run the entire complex albeit with heat and water heater shut off. Noisy, stinky, stupidly fast running and heavy, but really reliable. And makes nice power.

Which Yanmar engine do you have? I have a 6HP Yanmar diesel powering a 3000W Dayton generator (from Grainger). I tend to use it as the farm generator when I need to use electric tools remote. VERY nice running engine, always starts on the first pull. I don”t know how clean the power is.

 

[ultrarunner]

Really not proud of how little I can get along with. I would love to have a whole house generator to power everything when the grid goes down. It is just a matter of economics. My main concern is not freezing to death or having the house freeze up breaking all the pipes.

Bigger generators cost more to begin with and I can only assume more expensive to operate.

Count me on the side of how well I can live with how little I need...

It's why I don't drive my 12 mpg truck when all I need is to get myself from point A to B...

 

[Einthewoods]

I just have a small (3500) Generac. Just enough to be able to keep the fridge and freezers going in the summer if the power goes out for any length of time. I can heat and cook without electricity, have plenty of lighting (oil lamps, solar lamps, battery/rechargable) so no need for more.

I do have a few APC UPS protecting all of my computer and sensitive electronics (TV , etc.). I have low enough load on any single one that they can run for an hour or so without shutting anything off. So used conservatively, you can keep things going and recharge off of the gen if really needed. Never have felt a need to be that "connected" though.

I think I have used the gen out in the back property more than ever at the house. I have run cement mixers, jack hammers, blenders (margarita's) and ice makers when I have needed. LOL

 

[Gem99ultra]

I just have a small (3500) Generac. Just enough to be able to keep the fridge and freezers going in the summer if the power goes out for any length of time. I can heat and cook without electricity, have plenty of lighting (oil lamps, solar lamps, battery/rechargable) so no need for more.

I do have a few APC UPS protecting all of my computer and sensitive electronics (TV , etc.). I have low enough load on any single one that they can run for an hour or so without shutting anything off. So used conservatively, you can keep things going and recharge off of the gen if really needed. Never have felt a need to be that "connected" though.

I think I have used the gen out in the back property more than ever at the house. I have run cement mixers, jack hammers, blenders (margarita's) and ice makers when I have needed. LOL

======================================

I agree 100% about not needing to 'be connected'. I do have one of those 10K $650 DuraMax generators that I bought on their Fire Sale last year. But even 10K was way more power than really I needed during our last 3 day power outage. And that's what I bought an 'emergency' generator for in the first place.

In fact, I also have a pair of 2K Honda generators that I supplied our basic needs for 6 weeks during the Hurricane Ike when living back in Texas. Those two little quiet generators kept us going just fine, although it would have been nice to have had that 10K DuraMax at the time. I suppose that one's particular situation calls for different power supplies. The little Honda's are my go-to for remote minor use electricity. So far I haven't needed a whole-house generator for any extended period of time. If we lived in a very remote area where it was not unusual to be out of power often and for long periods of time, my desires for backup power would be different. But, fortunately, we don't.

 

[Garandman]

I few have used line conditioners or higher end UPS power supply for insurance.

I scored an old large Sine Wave UPS that was being tossed out... all it needed was new batteries...

It was for a $400,000 medical laser and the manufacturer simply sent a new one...

A friend of mine bought an old data room UPS that needed new batteries. He sourced them locally. He can run lights internet and heat circulation pump for a few hours.

We had a Honda EU3000iS we used to backup our server UPS. Also tried an EU2000i and it seemed to work OK. We only had to run it a couple times.

 

[ultrarunner]

Generator with Battery Back up can be a good work around... the Battery Back Up is nearly instantaneous and can handle momentary surges better allowing for the generator to be sized smaller which means more efficient operation over all.

The down side is batteries require maintenance/replacement which adds another cost factor.

 

[two_bit_score]

Generator with Battery Back up can be a good work around... the Battery Back Up is nearly instantaneous and can handle momentary surges better allowing for the generator to be sized smaller which means more efficient operation over all.

The down side is batteries require maintenance/replacement which adds another cost factor.

It’s that ‘other cost factor’ that gets you every time.

 

[goeduck]

It痴 that 双ther cost factor that gets you every time.

Yes and with a UPS every few years it gets you again.

 

[check]

Have a 6500/5500 King portable with electric start that I bought years ago during a power outage. (It was the last one left when I got to the store!)

Runs great, and now we use it at a rental property. Uses about 5 gallons in eight hours.

 

[3930dave]

If you are stuck, and only have one hammer to use, then you'll probably appreciate having it. Given a choice, many of us have multiple sized hammers around though.

Same with generators. Compact suitcase gens are very popular - easy to move, relatively quiet, and easy on fuel - so they fit a lot of short-term needs. Step up to 5kw or so, and you can run most household essentials in a longer outage.

Needs vs. Wants...... hard to beat the convenience of a whole-house auto xfer system - esp. if on natgas or propane to get away from fuel stability issues. If I still traveled on business (aka still made the same money....) like I used to, I'd probably have have an auto-xfer system in place here by now.....

Some people on here have major agricultural systems (water, heat, ventilation, dairy herds, blast freezers, manure pumps.....) to keep powered - they Need to have a high capacity generator in place - either dedicated/pre-wired, or at least a high-capacity PTO gen available quickly.....

You can't break large granite rocks with a tack hammer.....

Many times in a household outage, all that needs to be run is a cell charger, table radio, or laptop+router for communication needs...... there's where I like an inverter+battery..... You don't need a 2kw gen running constantly for those kind of light loads.

All systems take money, planning, and maintenance..... specifics vary....... when pressed in an emergency, even today's all-thumbs average consumer could probably manage to unbolt 2 cables, and connect a new/fresh battery, perhaps even getting the polarity correct

I wouldn't make the same bet, with anything involving carburator issues.....

(Re. thread title: 2kw Briggs, 7kw Briggs - continuous power rating, both gasoline).

Rgds, D.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I saw a crash last week where a semi carrying neat toys on a flatbed took out some wires at a gas station.

Later that night I went through the area again, stopping for fuel at another gas station. All kinds of people were filling up jerry cans, and even questionable containers which is what got me noticing. Apparently, the power was still out in the area.

I personally, don't ever want to be that guy standing in lines at the pumps to get emergency fuel. Now, that it's the new tax year, I will be getting my Bulk Diesel Tanks Filled, although I don't even need it. Just like to have it. There are easily enough things to go wrong with backup systems, never mind running for fuel, or making calls.