Generator help

Anonymous-0 · Jan 20, 2009

I am interested in getting a generator. It just seems like it would be a good thing to have around for many reasons. I don't know a whole lot about them & was looking for some advice on what to look for & some recommedations on size, brand, etc. Like everything else, I want the most bang for my buck. Some of the uses would be for camping, general uses around the house, etc.

glennster · Jan 20, 2009

first thing you need to figure out is how big of a genny do you need. what all do you plan to run, ie just a few power tools, maybe a sump pump ect or do you plan on back up power for your house in event of a power failure. i have a 5500 watt genny, has a couple of 110v outlets and a 220v outlet. does a pretty good job, has a 10 hp briggs motor. runs maybe 5-6 hours on 5 gallons of gas, cost me around 650 dollars, had it for 10 years or so. no problems, still runs good.

rrlund · Jan 20, 2009

Only advice I can give is,make sure it's big enough to run your well pump. Last ice storm there were a lot of folks around here with heat and lights,but no water. Their generators wouldn't start the pump.

Kevin (FL) · Jan 20, 2009

When you mention the camping part, that pretty much means you need two different generators. For camping, a 1kw unit, whether an expensive Honda or cheap Harbor Freight will fit the bill. Nice and quite and light to carry around too. I like the ones with 12v DC voltage capability for charging batteries.

For whole house capacity, a 10-15 KW unit is nice to have. Ours is a 12 1/2 KW diesel. If you only need to keep fridge & freezer & a few lights on during power outages, then a 5-7 1/2 KW is good, though the 5KW is borderline for most homes. Many folks buy the 5KW for (down south) hurricane backup because of the cheap price, but its not good to max out a gas-powered air-cooled genset for very long periods.

Assume you'll need specific things running up on the plains but you'll have to figure out total load and size the generator with a 30% margin or more.

Like I said before, you should consider a small genset for the camping/outdoor stuff and the "large one" for home backup power...

pat sublett · Jan 20, 2009

I think the best bet for emergency power, assuming you are a Do-it-yourselfer, buy a good welder. I have a Hobart that puts out 10,000 watts. I converted it to opperate on LP or natural gas, put it on a trailer with a small LP tank. I keep it connected to natural gas and hooked up to my house. When I need it to weld with I use the propane tank.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Jan 20, 2009

You need to add up the total amount of Watts that will be used at one time, then I would size the generator at least 50% higher than your total. Things with electric motors have huge surges to start up. A brushless type is best. They will typically say they are safe for sensitive loads like computers. High efficiency furnaces also fall under that heading.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Jan 20, 2009

One more thing. Have a transfer switch installed by an electrician. There are other cheaper ways to power your house up via generator, but that is the safest way to not start a fire or damage the generator.

Jon Hagen · Jan 20, 2009

You might consider a used gen set from a camper or motorhome salvage place if you intend to use it much.
RV gen sets are expensive new for good reason, they usually run at only 1800 rpm VS 3600 for most cheap gensets. They usually have long life pressure oiled opposed piston two cylinder engines that are smooth and quiet. They are usually also set up for remote start stop. Very good units if you can find one at a good price.

Gun guru · Jan 20, 2009

You should be fine with a 10 HP that has 2 plugs that are 20 amps each and a 220vac 4 prong twist plug to run your well. Total watts 6,500 running watts of 5,500. This would be about $600-700.

davpal · Jan 20, 2009

I bought this Onan last year for emergencies. Will run the furnace, sump pump, some lights. It's a 5500 watt and cost me about $650 dollars if I remember right. Has a large fuel tank and electric start. So far so good. Haven't had a big emergency since I got it but with a winter and the cold like we've been having I'm sure glad it's out there. I start it up about every 6 months and change out all the gas when I do it.

Wesley Stephens · Jan 20, 2009

We have a 5500 watt and a 1000 watt. The big one will run the pump and the 1000 is used for tools and stuff in places on the farm without electricity. To decide what size you need, just figure up the amps of everything you want to run at the same time and convert to watts.

Paul from MI · Jan 20, 2009

Been getting by for years with a 4500 watt. I have the furnace and well set-up with plug connections so I can plug them in to an extension cord. Saved the cost of a transfer switch that way, and there is no chance of back-feeding to the power line. Refrigerators and freezers run fine if you use a 12ga. extension cord. I saved a little money by buying a generator with a 1-1/2 gallon tank. This was a huge mistake, it only runs about 1-3/4 hours between fills. You sure don't get much sleep that way!! I run the generator every year to trim hedges, use Stabil in it and have never had any trouble starting it when I needed to.
Paul

buickanddeere · Jan 20, 2009

http://www.reliancecontrols.com/ProductDetail.aspx?TWB2012DR

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2009

For camping you might want an inverter. Some campgrounds have noise restrictions. Inverters only rev as high as they need to. They are also better for sensitive electronic equipment like computers. Down side is they cost more. Robin Subaru makes a whole line of really good generators, conventional and inverter type. I have a conventional type and it works great. They make most the JD generators as well. Dave

Generator help

Anonymous-0

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glennster

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rrlund

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Kevin (FL)

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pat sublett

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Brian Jasper co. Ia

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Brian Jasper co. Ia

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Jon Hagen

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Gun guru

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davpal

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Wesley Stephens

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Paul from MI

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buickanddeere

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Anonymous-0

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