Quote History Quoted: big generators suck down fuel; gasoline doesn't store well and can be a pain to replenish at times.
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Quote History Quoted: big generators suck down fuel; gasoline doesn't store well and can be a pain to replenish at times.
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.
you are near the Hurricane Sandy-affected area; you know firsthand that it was impossible to get gasoline for 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.