“Portable” generator recommendations

[ACORN]

Thinking of ordering a “portable” inverter generator for home backup duties in the event of a power outage.
We are taking care of my 91 YO MIL and want something just in case.
I can’t afford a whole house standby unit.
Just really to run the furnace, and fridge and a light or 2.
I see a 12000/9000 Westinghouse on Amazon.
Any thoughts?

 

[NYlakesider]

Thinking of ordering a “portable” inverter generator for home backup duties in the event of a power outage.
We are taking care of my 91 YO MIL and want something just in case.
I can’t afford a whole house standby unit.
Just really to run the furnace, and fridge and a light or 2.
I see a 12000/9000 Westinghouse on Amazon.
Any thoughts?

Honda makes some great stuff if you can afford it. I have a portable 5,000 Generac around and it has always done good work.

With what you said you want to run you do not need that much wattage.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have a 4KW (5KW start) Coleman Powermate with a 5 gallon fuel tank. It will run my gas furnace, the fridge OR the deep freezer, and a light circuit with a small TV. With that tank full it usually runs just over 18 hours with high usage and up to 26 with light usage.

I had a 5KW (6,2 KW Start) for 28 years on the farm, helped Keep us warm though many winter outages! We had a shallow well too, but a woodstove and fans instead of any furnace.

Ivan

 

[ACORN]

The unit I’m looking at is an open frame 12500/9000 Westinghouse (I know, it’s just the name)with a remote start. Not really interested in a dual fueler.
Our house also has an electric range, so there’s that.
Gas water heater, and furnace.
I’m kind of a belt AND suspenders guy. So I figure the extra juice wouldn’t hurt.
Amazon wants $720 and I have a couple hundred in gift cards so I’d be into it for about $500.

 

[toad67]

We just looked into a standby unit as well. Our electrician said to properly wire one in, with a transfer switch and all would be about $4000. The type of power, and wattage for the generator didn't make much difference. Biggest extra cost over the electrical work was to run some more pipe from the propane tank to feed the generator.

 

[Jon651]

Thinking of ordering a “portable” inverter generator for home backup duties in the event of a power outage.
We are taking care of my 91 YO MIL and want something just in case.
I can’t afford a whole house standby unit.
Just really to run the furnace, and fridge and a light or 2.
I see a 12000/9000 Westinghouse on Amazon.
Any thoughts?

The only Westinghouse gen I saw on Amazon of that size was a standard generator, not an inverter-generator. This leads to a few questions:

1. Do you intend on running electronics (like a TV, computer, modem/router, etc.) and/or things with digital controls (late model appliances, digital thermostats, etc.)? If you do then you will be best served with an inverter generator that produces power clean enough for electronics. Standard generators are not good for electronic devices as the frequency and voltage can vary quite a bit with loads turning on and off.

2. What capacity do you really need? 5KW is the breakover point. If you need ~5000 watts or less then you can find inverter gens to fill your need; but if you need more than 5000 watts you may have to settle for a standard gen unless you want to spend some really big money.

Over the years of using portable power after storms I have managed to fry a few electronic items such as a TV, digital alarm clock, etc. when using a standard gen. These days I use my standard gen for "analog" items such as my water pump, freezer, fridge, window AC, ceiling fans, etc. because these items can withstand some frequency and voltage variations. But if I will be running my computer or TV I have a dedicated portable inverter gen that produces power clean enough to operate electronics.

In the future I will consider consolidating both units into a single gen if I can find an inverter generator large enough to power everything at a price I can afford. So far, I haven't found one yet.

Good luck.

 

[glowe]

I have had a 13,000/8000W Troy-Built for 15 years and had to use it only twice. I have an outside 220V outlet installed and a manual power cut-off in the electrical panel to feed the house. That kind of wattage will run a whole home if you are careful not to leave things on you are not using. I have a 220V well, so need that voltage to run the pump through the panel.

I would be sure to get an electric start with as large a fuel tank as you can find, so keep filling to a minimum. Brand is probably not a big deal, since many brands are built by just a few companies. Look for the features you want for the price you want to pay.

 

[DWalt]

5000 watts should be adequate to run all items essential for short-term emergency needs, mainly a refrigerator, some lights, the gas or fuel oil furnace systems, and very limited use of an electric stove top burner. But not too much more than that.

 

[ACORN]

Jon, glad you posted this. I went back and checked and the one I was looking at isn’t an inverter/generator. Even though that’s what I had searched for. You saved me from a $700 mistake.

 

[Kinman]

Whatever you do make sure you run it through a transfer box, mainly to eliminate any power from your generator feeding back into the main line. You can also custom tune your output if running a smaller generator. I ran a 6K water cooled Honda two cylinder gen set, it was the greatest little machine. The only downside was keeping 35gal of gas in 5 gallon gas cans, it went through eight gallons in an average run cycle or daily, you can be conservative and hold back at night running on battery powered lights, etc.
I say ran because I switched over to a natural gas fired Generac with 20K, no worries about fuel shortages.

 

[glowe]

You can do it with a manual switch-over in your panel. The electrician that installed the outside 220V plug also installed a switch that, when thrown, cuts the line power and puts the outside box online. No need for a $500 auto-transfer switch.

I will say that the outside plug was a great plus for us. Needless to say, almost everyone undersizes their portable power units and for not that much more money, go for a plug and play unit, not 110V extension cords, no "what can I run" decisions. You can also put it in the trailer and take it to a jobsite, remote project, hunting/fishing camp, plus these larger units will run a welder or any other 220V equipment you need.

 

[Muley Gil]

I posted about generators a while back:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/645696-generator-update.html?highlight=generator

 

[AlHunt]

I'd concur that the brand probably doesn't matter. I have a couple, a 5K and 3 or 3.5K. I shield my electronics on a UPS anyway, not to actually run them w/o power, but to clean up brownouts/spikes, etc even with my regular house current.

I only need them a couple times a year and just drag extension cords. Going forward, I'll probably replace them with propane when/if the time comes just so I don't need to mess with gasoline and carburetors.

 

[ACORN]

OK if I were to go with a std gen with a 5000-6000w running capacity can I buy an “filter” apparatus to clean the power on a single line?
Right now that seems my most affordable option.
The stove, furnace etc. are older. The computers we use mainly are our phones. We do have newer TVs but not smart ones.

 

[jeffrefrig]

I installed a Pulsar gasoline generator at my brother-in-law's house. It's only 2300 Watts but you can parallel another one to it. It's an inverter type so his wife can do her work from home thing. There's a switch you can mount on the wall near the electric panel that isolates the incoming power from the generator that I used for the furnace circuit. Everything is manual changeover and he has to put it outside his garage door and use extension cords for the couple outlets he wants to run. If he bought it, it's probably the least expensive one. It's okay if there's an extended power outage.
Actually, that's the only side job I've done since retiring; and probably the last, hooking up the changeover switch for his furnace circuit.

 

[ACORN]

I installed a Pulsar gasoline generator at my brother-in-law's house. It's only 2300 Watts but you can parallel another one to it. It's an inverter type so his wife can do her work from home thing. There's a switch you can mount on the wall near the electric panel that isolates the incoming power from the generator that I used for the furnace circuit. Everything is manual changeover and he has to put it outside his garage door and use extension cords for the couple outlets he wants to run. If he bought it, it's probably the least expensive one. It's okay if there's an extended power outage.
Actually, that's the only side job I've done since retiring; and probably the last, hooking up the changeover switch for his furnace circuit.

Hi Jeff.
The way my house is set up I think running the cords is our best option. My shed is on the opposite side of our ranch home as the panel.
I’ll probably never need it but like having the option just in case.

 

[Sistema1927]

If possible, look for a dual fuel model. It is easier to store propane long term than it is gasoline.

 

[oddshooter]

We see maybe one or two electricity outages a year and they don't last 24 hours. We use gas for water heater and cooking. We do NOT try to keep running as normal.

During those times, we survive by cutting out all non essential power usage. We keep the fridge and freezer doors closed except for once a day. They run about 5 minutes an hour. We charge (2) 6 volt batteries wired in series when the generator is on. The battery bank runs through a small $50 inverter that can handle non digital needs.

We turn the house into a camp site. Battery operated lanterns last for days. Small tank gas camping stove would get us by in emergencies for cooking.

We have a portable Honda 2000watt generator ($800) that has a PURE sign wave inverter, which is loved by digital electronics. The pure sign wave inverter is tops in this class of generators. We use it a dozen times a year camping and boating. We highly recommend the Honda generator/inverter.

It is used with extension cords for fridge/freezer every 3 or 4 hours for 15 minutes which keeps them frozen and cool. In cold weather, we run a small electric heater on low in a small closed room. Wearing sweaters, hats, and gloves; we adapt.

This is not an area where I want to spend thousands of dollars for rare events. You have to pull start the generator. You have to fill the gas tank when empty. We can easily get through a week with no problems, but it is not convenient. Convenience costs money.

Of course, your local conditions and finances will dictate what you must do.

Prescut

 

[oldbrownhat]

OK if I were to go with a std gen with a 5000-6000w running capacity can I buy an “filter” apparatus to clean the power on a single line? ...

Others may have a clearer idea on this, but I think that if you have a good inverter generator that provides a genuine sine wave, it may provide clean enough power that filtering may not be necessary. You'd probably only need a filter for sensitive electronics like your modem, router and desktop computers and maybe your TV. You'd put an inline filter on the cord that powers them. TrippLite has a pretty good reputation AFAIK.

 

[eveled]

I trust Generac more than the others. I keep mine full of stabilized gas and drain it into my lawnmower and tractor. I start it once a week.