help choosing a generator

[rpearlberg]

Background: 1600 square foot house in CT. Don't lose power too often, but wife wants a generator for furnace, fridge, lights/outlets, etc...
Mainly because we have 2 kids...

Electrician recommended Generac, but was wondering if a cheaper option would be just as good.

This one was on sale for $525 so I bought it, but can always return it:
Hyundai 7,250-Watt Heavy Duty Gasoline Portable Generator - CARB Approved-HHD7250Ca - The Home Depot

Or the 7500 Generac:
Generac 7,500-Watt Gasoline Powered Electric Start Portable Generator-5943 - The Home Depot

BJ's also has a Champion 6250 for $380.

Any suggestions? I don't mind spending more for the Generac if it's really that much better. Also, I'd like to take into account which ones would be easier to maintain.
Features I want: Electric start and low oil indicator.

Thanks!!

 

[theoldwizard1]

First, if you are talking to an electrician, how are you going to connect it to your house ? My vote is for a generator interlock. Less expensive and it gives you more options on what you can run.

Second, I am assuming you are looking a portable generators that you wheel ut of the garage/shed and up to your hook up.

Background: 1600 square foot house in CT. Don't lose power too often, but wife wants a generator for furnace, fridge, lights/outlets, etc...
Mainly because we have 2 kids...

Best reasons for having a generator. If that is all you plan on running, 3000-4000 watts is all you need. Just make sure it has 240V output.

In the world of generator bigger is NOT better ! It just means that it will **** more fuel and run out sooner. I would rather stock 5-10 gallons of gasoline instead of 20-25 gallons.

Of course, you can convert most generators to run on natural gas or propane if you already have that fuel.

All the one you listed are roughly equal. Champion has only been around for a few years, but has made a good reputation for themselves.

Features I want: Electric start and low oil indicator.

IMHO, electric start is not worth the money. My 15+ year old 10hp generator starts first or second pull all of the time, even in dead of winter. (You need to test start a generator and run it under load every 3-4 months.) Plus the battery will likely be flat when you need it.

Almost all generators have low oil shutdown but no indicator.

 

[rpearlberg]

Thanks for the response! Yes, an electrician will be installing something that connects to the house. He suggested a 7500 watt, but maybe that's overkill...

A friend has the 7500 Generac and is happy with it, but is it worth $375 more than the Hyundai? Would it be easier to have the Generac serviced/maintained? Unfortunately we don't have natural gas on my street...

 

[motofool33]

7500 will run your whole house if thats what you want. Generac parts are easier to find. then Hyundai. If budget allowed id go for a honda but your in for a kick on the price.

if your going to store fuel for it make sure its in metal sealed cans not plastic vented cans.

 

[thecj3man]

7500 will run your whole house if thats what you want. Generac parts are easier to find. then Hyundai. If budget allowed id go for a honda but your in for a kick on the price.

if your going to store fuel for it make sure its in metal sealed cans not plastic vented cans.

I bought a Honda EM6500 a couple of years ago for the same reasons, plus having it in the barn before I got power installed. Before I bought it, my power seemed to go out every winter. The power hasn't been out more than a few hours since I bought it. If you do decide to go with a Honda, be sure to check your local Honda motorcycle shop. They beat the local Northern Tool by several hundred dollars in my case.

 

[rpearlberg]

I think a Honda might be way out of my budget...

Just curious, why metal cans and not plastic?

 

[stihlntime]

I have a Mitishtibushi 5000 and a Honda 6500 and a Lincoln Ranger 8 welder/generator . I keep mine stored dry. In the event I need them 91 Oct no ethanol gas is all they get. I run them every four months to exercise them and always put a load on them. I use Lucas Ethanol treatment /stabilizer I the gas. I run them until they die. I went without electricity for 14/15 days during the aftermath of an ice storm. In the event of outage I just remove the meter to prevent back feed and plug into my welder or compressor outlet and it works fine.

 

[Slowgsr]

I have a Mitishtibushi 5000 and a Honda 6500 and a Lincoln Ranger 8 welder/generator . I keep mine stored dry. In the event I need them 91 Oct no ethanol gas is all they get. I run them every four months to exercise them and always put a load on them. I use Lucas Ethanol treatment /stabilizer I the gas. I run them until they die. I went without electricity for 14/15 days during the aftermath of an ice storm. In the event of outage I just remove the meter to prevent back feed and plug into my welder or compressor outlet and it works fine.

For those of us who cant pull our meters - turning off the main works.
I think panels should come with visual line indicators so the consumer has a visual if they phase - neutal and phase - phase voltages are correct,

 

[stihlntime]

I will always prefer a plastic fuel tank on any generator I buy. At work we see generator after generator with severely rusted tanks and damaged carbs beyond repair due to untreated gas being left in the tank. Generac is a pain to deal with on warranty,I think the engines are made in China. Kohler has introduced a nice line of generators.

 

[rpearlberg]

I will always prefer a plastic fuel tank on any generator I buy. At work we see generator after generator with severely rusted tanks and damaged carbs beyond repair due to untreated gas being left in the tank. Generac is a pain to deal with on warranty,I think the engines are made in China. Kohler has introduced a nice line of generators.

Do you work somewhere that sells generators? Which would you recommend in the $500-$800 range? Is the Hyundai that I linked to decent? Don't want to have to replace it anytime soon...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

7500 watt units are recommended all the time because they usually have a L14-30 locking 120/240 receptacle that is very common and you use a inlet connector on the house, with an interlock, that is the same, connected to a 30 amp double pole breaker in the panel, upper right or sometimes upper left, however the interlock installs for your panel. That is why 7500 is recommended, it is 30 amps at 240v.

To use an interlock, you need a main breaker in the panel. OEM interlocks, if available for your brand/model of panel can be had significantly cheaper on Amazon or Ebay than the http://www.interlockkit.com units , which are quite legal, but rather pricey.

THIS THREAD is my contribution to the GJ world of generators and interlocks, little as it is.

 

[rpearlberg]

7500 watt units are recommended all the time because they usually have a L14-30 locking 120/240 receptacle that is very common and you use a inlet connector on the house, with an interlock, that is the same, connected to a 30 amp double pole breaker in the panel, upper right or sometimes upper left, however the interlock mounts for that panel. That is why 7500 is recommended, it is 30 amps at 240v.

THIS THREAD is my contribution to the GJ world of generators and interlocks, little as it is.

Awesome thanks! I think that's why the electrician suggested the 7500 Generac.

(Born and raised in Marietta, until about 10 years ago)

 

[motofool33]

I think a Honda might be way out of my budget...

Just curious, why metal cans and not plastic?

Metal from the factory sealed fuel containers don't loose octane or swell or do dumb things in storage. Assuming they don't store so long they rust through.

I'm not saying a metal fuel tank on generator. I'm talking about your disaster ready fuel in containers like VP racing sells their race fuel in.

Storing fuel in the plastic containers they always lose octane over time.



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[Chilliwack Murray]

All I will say about generac is do some research. Talk to people who put hours on their generators, look at the reviews and people's experiences who've tried to get warranty... Don't get advice from someone who sells them.

I'm biased so i won't recommend a brand, just not that one. I've seen many, many people burned by them.

Get a cheap brand, save money up front and know that a major repair will mean replacing it. Many times you will come out ahead. Or get one of the other name brands, you'll pay a little more and when the time comes to repair it probably a long time from now there will be parts available. But they won't be cheap.

 

[nadogail]

The Predator generator sold by Harbor Freight was very highly rated by the Consumer
Union.

Epicenter.com as a website showing how to make a generator from stuff typically found in or around a garage, plus you will be able to say; "I built it myself."

 

[dogdog]

if you have nature gas services.... no doubt those Generac ones hardwired to the house with automatic transfer switch will be nice... no needed to run to gas station every few hours to get the gasoline for the generators....


I think from reading these type of threads...
Generac have two type, one build for consumer market and the other for commercial.... even at the same rating, the one from consumer are not as tough build.... Not sure if it is the same for other brands. Some one here is/was from Generac out of Europe or something he might be able to shade some light on this .

 

[stihlntime]

Do you work somewhere that sells generators? Which would you recommend in the $500-$800 range? Is the Hyundai that I linked to decent? Don't want to have to replace it anytime soon...

I do work for a farm and home type store that is independently owned. We do sell Generac, and unfortunately I could not recommend one based on what I have seen. I would go with a Honda powered unit or Kohler generator. Check out the GX Honda powered units at Sam's Club. Kohler dealers can be found by using the dealer locator. Northern Tool offers a wide range of units. Generac is what usually is recommended because of name recognition due to box stores. Good luck getting parts in a timely manner or warranty support. Unlike Honda or Kohler their engines are Generac designed no getting parts anywhere else, I've seen 10 to15 year old units were parts aren't available anymore. I guess they didn't bring in enough parts from China. The engine is what your going to have to get serviced,buy one with something you can get parts anywhere,Honda,Kohler,Briggs find me a small engine shop that carries Generac. I've been thru 2 ice storms where power was out for 13 and 14/15 days in a rural area the Generac generators that were brought in not running never left the building due to lack of parts were the other units mentioned were up and going.

 

[rpearlberg]

I do work for a farm and home type store that is independently owned. We do sell Generac, and unfortunately I could not recommend one based on what I have seen. I would go with a Honda powered unit or Kohler generator. Check out the GX Honda powered units at Sam's Club. Kohler dealers can be found by using the dealer locator. Northern Tool offers a wide range of units. Generac is what usually is recommended because of name recognition due to box stores. Good luck getting parts in a timely manner or warranty support. Unlike Honda or Kohler their engines are Generac designed no getting parts anywhere else, I've seen 10 to15 year old units were parts aren't available anymore. I guess they didn't bring in enough parts from China. The engine is what your going to have to get serviced,buy one with something you can get parts anywhere,Honda,Kohler,Briggs find me a small engine shop that carries Generac. I've been thru 2 ice storms where power was out for 13 and 14/15 days in a rural area the Generac generators that were brought in not running never left the building due to lack of parts were the other units mentioned were up and going.

Good to know, thanks! So maybe I'm better off with the Hyundai that I got the deal on, or even the Champion one at BJ's...

 

[motofool33]

Good to know, thanks! So maybe I'm better off with the Hyundai that I got the deal on, or even the Champion one at BJ's...

What I would do is try to find parts for your generator, for instance I just tried to find parts for a Coleman powermate, with a yamaha engine, I wanted to rebuild the carb due to it being all clogged up. Can't get a rebuild for them gotta buy new carbs. And it took hours on the net to find parts outside of a yamaha dealer and they wanted 260$ for the carb on a 600$ new generator.

But without it having a yamaha motor I would of been searching alot longer. Generators in my future will be honda engines, or onan/cummins/kohler

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[CJ7VFR]

Where I live in New Jersey, everything is powered by electricity. I have a well with a pump, a septic system, an oil fired furnace, and all the other things that require electricity. So I wanted a generator for emergencies, and a Manual Transfer Switch to hook it up to my homes load center.

I purchased a Briggs and Stratton Storm Responder generator that has 5500 watts of continuos power, and 8250 starting watts. It was within my budget of $700 to $800 dollars, and most of all it had the longest run time on a tank of gas!!

Run times are measured on how long a generator can run at half load on a full tank of gas. I looked at all the different models of generators in the wattage range I needed, and most of them seemed to have a run time of about 8 or 9 hours on about a 7 gallon tank of gas.

The Briggs on the other hand said it had a run time of 13 hours on a 7 gallon tank of gas which meant if I had to run the generator at night to keep the house warm, I would not have to wake up and add more gas. It also meant that if I was at work and my wife was at home with the generator running, she would not have to worry about having the generator shut off or messing with the gas.

It seems like the more expensive portable generators with the shorter run times are also the quietest, so their exhaust systems must be more restrictive versus the Briggs I have. But I really didn't care if it was a few decibels louder or not. I wanted the longest run time for the least amount of gas.

So when Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast, I was ready! We lost power for 11 days! But we had water and heat, we could take showers, we could use the bathroom, the sump pump kept water out of the basement, our refrigerators kept our food cold, and I even had internet access, the phones worked, and I could watch tv!!

The Briggs and the Manual Transfer Switch worked great! It was able to run all the things we needed to stay in our home, and it ended up running for more than 16 hours on one 5 gallon gas can worth of gas. So I was using a lot less power than the half load run times it said it had.

Over the past three years since Hurricane Sandy I have had to use the generator 3 times when we lost power, mostly due to winter storms and one time just a month ago when someone took out the utility pole near our house.

If you maintain your generator properly, use quality oil in it and change it when your supposed to, drain the gas and run the carb out, and keep it clean, then you will get years of service out of just about any generator brand.

People will say that one generator brand *****, or the one they have is better, or that the one you want is garbage, or whatever. But in the end ANY generator is better than none when you want to keep your family warm and safe in your own home during a power outage!

Jim

 

[theoldwizard1]

7500 watt units are recommended all the time because they usually have a L14-30 locking 120/240 receptacle that is very common and you use a inlet connector on the house, ...

Awesome thanks! I think that's why the electrician suggested the 7500 Generac.

Re-read what Charles wrote. 7500 watt units are chosen simply because of a PLUG ! So what if your generator only has a L14-20 (20A) plug ? Change the end of the cord ($10-$20) and pocket the $200+ you will save !!

Remember what I said. With generators, bigger IS NOT better !! It means you will burn more fuel "just in case" someone comes to your house with a freezer full of meat (or you want to run a cord 100+' to your neighbor's house). Buy the size you need (about 4000 watts based on your original post).

 

[motofool33]

True you definitely want an auto idle down generator in this situation one that doesn't run full blast unless the load is there.

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[wyliesdiesels]

The first thing one must decide when getting a backup generator is how they want it to hookup and operate:

Automatic transfer switch

Manual transfer switch

Interlock

The answer to that dictates what size generator u need because when it comes to an ATS, the generator must be sized to handle the total connected load or have load shedding capabilities.

Obviously the OP is on a budget so i would assume ATS is out of the question.

 

[highland_hunter]

Something you need to consider in the purchase of a generator is the harmonic distortion of the generator head. If you have a pellet stove or newer boiler for your heat source you run the chance of blowing circuit boards with a unit that has a harmonic distortion greater than 5%.

Also if the wife hopes to keep the kids occupied with any electronic gadgets you will be in the same boat with higher distortion genset.

At the end of your decision you'll need to decide if saving a couple hundred $$ is worth damaging any sensitive electronic equipment you may end up powering.

 

[rpearlberg]

Something you need to consider in the purchase of a generator is the harmonic distortion of the generator head. If you have a pellet stove or newer boiler for your heat source you run the chance of blowing circuit boards with a unit that has a harmonic distortion greater than 5%.

Also if the wife hopes to keep the kids occupied with any electronic gadgets you will be in the same boat with higher distortion genset.

At the end of your decision you'll need to decide if saving a couple hundred $$ is worth damaging any sensitive electronic equipment you may end up powering.

Thanks. I think we're going with a manual transfer switch. We have a newer (2 years) Buderus boiler for heat, and I'm sure it'd be nice to use a TV/iPad/laptop, etc...

Yes, I'd like to save money, but if I'm going to do this, I'd rather get something decent.

 

[rpearlberg]

The only reason I bought the Hyundai 7,250 is because it was Home Depot's deal of the day for $525.

The Generac 7500E is $899 right now (which a friend and the electrician recommended), but I know there are many others to choose from as well...

Another friend has this one, and also has been happy with it...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0094539VE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[homebuilt burner]

As far as keeping gas around, I have 2 five gallon cans that I keep only premium in for my lawn tractor / snow blower. When I empty one I fill it and then use the other one next so I do not have stale gas around, in case I need to use my generator. Between mowing lawn and blowing snow I use the 5 gallon cans up enough to keep it fresh.

Just throwing it out there. I am sure others have similar ideas.