I'm looking for a small generator recommendation.   Something that can run a sump pump or two.  I had a generac 6500, but found it difficult to start.  Reliability and easy starting are key, am willing to pay for those.  Thanks.

Honda 2000 I have 4 of them I use on job sites daily.they are super reliable and start great.

How much do sumps pull?

Honda EU7000IS?
Honda EU3000IS?

I have 2 of the honda 2000s.  you can carry them like two suit cases, link them to get the amps up and they are easy to start.  use 91 pure gas with stabilizer and run them while you mow your yard.  I think they run like 5hr under half load on 1 gal of gas.  great generators

dupe

get something from yamaha

Never limit your self to run "just (inserts anything here)."  

I did and regretted it.  I bought a small Honda that was great.  Then I realized how I screwed up.

First, consider if you lose power and are running your pumps, why not save the food in the fridge?  Why not have a lamp on at night? Why not have the TV on (over the air channels or satellite if you have it).  Never go small with a generator.  Go as bog as you can.

Second, check what you have locally for service, before you commit to a brand.  What I found was lots of folks sell different generators in my area, but few actually service them, and many don't want to deal with "residential units" and put you on the bottom of the list.  And I am in Central NJ.  I should not have to drive and hour or cross a state border to a shop to get service.  Nobody with 60 miles was Honda certified to fix generators despite the Honda website saying so.  They did other Honda stuff, but not generator's.  

I replaced it and upgraded to a Generac.  That this is incredible.  If you are having hard time starting it, sell it and get a "E" version, which has electric start.  My 68 year old frail mother can fire it right up by turning a dial and pressing a button.

I also have to laugh when everyone says in every other thread buy American, but runs off and buys a Honda.  If you get a bigger generator (7500kwh+), the best American made one is Baldor (now owned by Generac), then Generacs, then Champion and finally Briggs and Stratton.  Below the 7500kwh, look at Honda's.

the basic problem with "going big" on a generator means you are forced into "going big" on stored fuel.
big generators suck down fuel; gasoline doesn't store well and can be a pain to replenish at times.
you are near the Hurricane Sandy-affected area; you know firsthand that it was impossible to get gasoline for days.

the situation is different with a natural gas or propane-fueled generators; but with gasoline-fueled generators sometimes smaller is better.
small inverter-type generators (example: Honda EU2000i) sip fuel and efficiently match their power output to the applied load.
no, you can't run your whole house on such a generator.  but you also don't end up consuming 10 gallons of gasoline a day to run a TV and a fridge.

ps
modern LED bulbs in lamps and modern LCD/LED TV's use so little power that i don't see any way they are changing your generator needs per your argument above.
i just looked up the 55" Samsung HDTV i bought last year: 46W.

ar-jedi

Baldor?  They make stuff for large industrial applications.  And where's Kohler on this list?  I'd rank them well ahead of Generac.

You're not kidding on LEDs.  Hell they are so efficient you could probably power the tv and lights in a room off 1-2 solar panels.

complains there are not enough Honda equipment repair places; suggests Baldor.  

ps
google "baldor generator".  lol.
google "EU2000 repair".  thousands of sites, including DIY, youtube videos, carb rebuilds, etc. --> https://www.google.com/search?q=EU2000+repair

yup.  Kohler is a mile ahead of Generac in quality.


ar-jedi

Honda for a portable unit

We have close to 20 of the 6500's that are used daily at my shop.  So far, in the many years we have them, only had 1 go bad, and that was the generator portion

If 1,700 watts or around 14 amps will do the job I'm a big fan of the Champion 2000 inverter. Half the price of the comparable Honda, just as Quiet and miserly on fuel. A buddy has one we use, it must have at least 3,000 hours on the little Subaru engine and still starts first pull.

Great reviews. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-1-700-2-000-Watt-Recoil-Start-Gasoline-Powered-Portable-Inverter-Generator-73536i/203791700

Onan is probably the best, but not really practical for small scale applications.

Generac units are LOUD. Really fucking LOUD. Honda units are damned quiet.

8 hours straight under 80% load was sucking 4.75-4.90 gallons every 8 hours on my 8500. To me, that was reasonable.  To others it might not be.  And a little marine Stab-bil will easily protect gas for five days.    

I had no problems getting gas.  I didn't deal with the closed shops or the subsequent rationing that was in my area- I got in my truck and drove an hour or so to Easton PA to get gas.  My neighbors had no trouble either, some heading to Marlton NJ; some to Harriman, NY; etc... where there were no issues.  Second time I headed to Ft Dix where there was no issues getting gas.    

You are right, and it did cost me about 15 gallons a day to run everything we wanted for 13 days.  

But while most of my neighbors headed to the hotels, we sat in our house with the furnace running, the freezer stayed frozen, the fridge stayed cold, no food was thrown away, lights were on, laundry was awashed, the sump pumps kept the basement dry, the aquarium was maintained.

Most neighbors ended up with flooded/damaged basements, threw away at least a couple of hundred of dollars in food, were in a hotel for weeks and had a claim pinned against their policy resulting in an increase in premiums the following year.  Everyone was out at least their deductible of $1K to $2500 plus headaches of cleaning up, mold remediation, getting the insurance companies and contractors out, getting the work done, etc...  

Yes, my ears were plagued with a slight engine roar and my wallet was about $675 lighter; but I had a dry basement, had no insurance companies to deal with and all the comforts of home.  I came out ahead.    

The OP wants to run "a sump pump or two"- not a light or a TV.  My suggestion was if he is running that, he might as well run the lights and TV (and other stuff).  A Honda 2000 will run one pump, not two.  I know- hence my upgrade.  He should consider the possibility and financial impact of only having a small pump; versus his other potential expenses and headaches before he disregards a larger/louder/gas eating unit.  There is no cookie cutter answer for all- he needs to consider the facts and do some research about his local resources.  His decision my be penny wise and pound foolish in the long run if he doesn't look at the bigger picture.

that's 195 gallons of gas for 13 days.
about $55 per day for generator fuel.



your truck gets, what, 15 to 20MPG?  and you say you drove an hour to get there -- and assuming mostly highway -- that's about 60 miles to get more fuel.  so figure 3 to 4 gallons EACH WAY; that is 6 to 8 gallons total of additional fuel USED UP simply to go and get more fuel.

added to the $55 per day for generator gas, and assuming you drove every other day to get more gas (to get 30 gallons more generator gas, to be exact): 6 trips x avg 7 gal per trip = 42 gallons x $3.50 = $147 in gas to get gas, or another $11.50 per day.

summary: roughly $66 per day to keep your generator running, plus the time-value lost chasing gas an hour away.



you can do that on 2 gallons a day...

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/661411_Sandy____12_days_without_power__what_worked__what_didn_t____.html


ar-jedi