Generator question

[MikeyG]

I've had a 36kw liquid cooled Generac for my 4000sq ft house/pool. 500 gallon propane tank. Since I've installed it about 1.5 years ago, it's ran for 10 minutes for an outage and every Tuesday to exercise. I've had 3 warranty issues to deal with. My service guy, who is a certified Generac dealer and service agent says Briggs is the bullet proof Cadillac. It doesn't have all of the tech bells and whistles that the Generac does, but maybe that's why it's a fault proof machine.
There's calculators on the interwebs to help you estimate how long your fuel source will last. For me, at 50% load, I estimate I'll be doing good to get 5 days from my 80% filled 500 gallon propane tank.

[Greenheadless]

I am a huge portable Honda generator fan.
if I told you how old ours is, you wouldn’t believe it.

Long term investment ! Worth it.

but I will never be without a tiny inverter for, camping and lights

BP

I personally am running a 1984 model EX5000, still hums right along, but I only run at night, not continuous.

I am VERY disappointed by the performance of the EU3000is I mentioned above. I paid for not having to worry about the reliability to run non-stop when needed. They are dependent on it as my dad is on oxygen. I was just curious if I might have got a lemon, but the interweb comments/reviews says maybe not.

I thought maybe running nonstop had something to do with it. One thing we noticed when it was having issues is how hot the gas in the gas tank was getting (like coffee temp hot). They are running at ~50-75% rated load.

[Chase4556]

I have had two Honda 2000s since 2008 and zero trouble with them. I have a generac whole house now but keep these two as a back up if needed. My daughter has been using them this week in kingwood area until last night. I bought these two due to the gas mileage they get as you mentioned, doesn’t take much room to store, lightweight and can run the necessities to get by on. My BIL has a larger Honda for his house and has had zero issues.

I’ve got a Honda 2000 and a Honda 1000. Can’t run much off them, but they sure are reliable, easy to transport, quiet and sip fuel. When the tornado rolled through Temple the other month I backed my panel with them. Kept our fridges going, ceiling fans running, baby monitors to give momma some peace of mind… the basics.



When it comes to the different brand midsize generators, just about all of them run a Honda clone engine and the power heads are basics the same. You are paying for a different name on the side. Honda is and always has been in a league of its own though. Watch enough James Condon YouTube videos of him tearing into generators and pulling power heads or carbs off one brand to slap on another and you realize they are for the most part the same stuff. Key is to have one, change the oil and maintain it properly, keep fresh fuel in it and drain the fuel before storing it… they will last. Westinghouse, Harbor Freight…. Find one that gives the wattage you want and is in budget and go with it.

With the outages from this hurricane my buddy is running a 3600w generator we got from Harbor freight in probably 2008 or 2009. Chicago brand maybe? We bought it to run par cans when fishing the jetties. Cheap but the thing still runs like a top.

[rtjh]

Thanks folks. Will look into which one to buy.

[SaltwaterSlick]

If I wasn't going to buy a Honda inverter, I'd just go get a Harbor Freight Predator unit... If you can see your way clear to spend the money, get you a Honda EU6500i (maybe a 7000 now)... The most reliable mid-sized unit out there a whisper quiet... I've been running one of them since Ike. If you keep it maintained and never store fuel in the tank, it will outlive you.
Another smaller size alternative is to get 2 of the EU2000i units and run them in parallel. Two of them will cost you about the same as one EU3000i and is capable of delivering more power, burn less fuel and about 1/2 the weight as a EU3000i... In '07 I built a bowfishing boat and I ran 10 75 watt HPS lights, 2 150 watt HPS lights, and a 45 amp power inverter 24 volt to run my troller... I wanted to minimize the weight in the boat, so I got 2 of the EU2000i units... With one gallon of gas in each of the gennys, they weigh 50# each and would run my lights/inverter from dark to just at daylight all night, every night... Most efficient power plant/watt that I've ever seen... Of course, now a days, everyone just uses LED's and lithium batteries... no need for a genny...

[rtjh]

Ordered a Westinghouse 9500 off Amazon. I'm working around the clock right right now from the hurricane so free delivery to my house is well worth paying a little extra. My wife is excited about having one with electric start.

[Quackerbox]

Ordered a Westinghouse 9500 off Amazon. I'm working around the clock right right now from the hurricane so free delivery to my house is well worth paying a little extra. My wife is excited about having one with electric start.

amazon prime days start tomorrow