[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Help me pick out a generator (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 10/27/2012 4:25:25 PM EDT
| I live in central ky and I have never owned a generator. Over the last few years there have been a few ice storms that have us without electricity. I would like to have at least a 5500w generator for when electricity goes out. What brand of gen should I get? Thanks in advance. |
|
No generators this week, Sandy has them all.
A lot of people appear to be happy with Champion generators. They are one of the few companies that actually provide support for Chinese made generators. If you want to step up to the big bucks, Honda seems to make the best small generators. |
|
ggreen, I live in an apartment, so I cannot really have a generator. I have paid a lot of attention to posters that have and use generators though. SF's top rated generators the 800w from Harbor Freight ... there is an epic review thread in the Survival Gear forum IIRC Honda EU2000i and the Yamaha equivalent ... quiet, easy on gas and enough power to get by on most of the time. Honda EU3000i quiet Honda EU6500i quiet Kubota lowboy Light towers The trend through all of these is that they work, are quiet, and easy on fuel for their size. Pay attention to Skibane and CJan_NH I hope this helps |
|
Quoted: I would love to have a Honda but I think I could get by with something else. Generators are still available here in Ky. Just want a good quality 5500w generator for the house when I need it. you are in the same boat i was. I found with a 3500/4000 Champion that I could power 1 chest freezer, 1 fridge, a dehumidifier, my furnace bower(nat gas), my PC and related stuff, 1 regular TV and cable box and a few lights using CFL's. All that and the fuel consumption is right around 4 gallons every 8-10 hours of use. to keep food cold and safe, 8 hours per day (spread out) is all you need to run your genny. 5500's are really loud and use way more fuel than i could store or want to buy. I also looked at cost of investment versus use of investment and found that spending $300 for my Champion was a better investment, than say $600+ for a Briggs and Stratton or Generac genny just to have it sit for years on end, never being used in my garage. |
|
I bought a Snapper genset a couple of years ago to use on jobsites with no electricity. It has a 10 hp Briggs engine and puts out 5500 continuous watts. It has been a decent genset. Its not as quiet as a Honda, but its quieter than alot of other gensets I have seen. I think I paid $725 from a mom and pop shop locally.
I have an older Coleman 5000 watt genset. It has a 10 hp Tecumseh engine. It is louder than the Snapper and a little harder to start cold. You need starting fluid. It doesn't have quite the surge watts as the Snapper, and it wouldn't start our contractor sized air compressor like the Snapper does. Last year I bought a All American brand genset which is funny because it is a Chinese product. It has a 13 hp Chinese knock-off of a Honda engine and has 5000 continuous watts. It has a needle type volt meter and also 12 volt DC terminals. I only used it for a day during Hurricane Irene. It sat for a year, and just today I changed the oil and drained the gas(87 octane E-10). The gas stunk, yet the engine started with a shot of starting fluid. All in all I would say it is an OK genset, but I probably wouldn't buy it again simply because of the Chinese parts and their potential availability. Of the three, I would only buy the Snapper again. I would also advise you to look at the surge watts. You can have two similar gensets as far as continuous watts, but a big difference in surge watts. The extra surge watts are crucial if you have an electric motor that has to be started. |
|
I have a Generac with 5550 running and 8550 starting watts. It will run everything in the house all at once but it sounds like a Chevy 350 with open headers.
I bought a Honda EU2000i from Wise Sales and if the hurricane takes out the power this week I am using it first. I will probably have to rotate what is running/starting but it should be just fine. |
|
This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me.
My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would love to have a Honda but I think I could get by with something else. Generators are still available here in Ky. Just want a good quality 5500w generator for the house when I need it. you are in the same boat i was. I found with a 3500/4000 Champion that I could power 1 chest freezer, 1 fridge, a dehumidifier, my furnace bower(nat gas), my PC and related stuff, 1 regular TV and cable box and a few lights using CFL's. All that and the fuel consumption is right around 4 gallons every 8-10 hours of use. to keep food cold and safe, 8 hours per day (spread out) is all you need to run your genny. 5500's are really loud and use way more fuel than i could store or want to buy. I also looked at cost of investment versus use of investment and found that spending $300 for my Champion was a better investment, than say $600+ for a Briggs and Stratton or Generac genny just to have it sit for years on end, never being used in my garage. Can you really power all of that on 3500/4000 watts???? |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would love to have a Honda but I think I could get by with something else. Generators are still available here in Ky. Just want a good quality 5500w generator for the house when I need it. you are in the same boat i was. I found with a 3500/4000 Champion that I could power 1 chest freezer, 1 fridge, a dehumidifier, my furnace bower(nat gas), my PC and related stuff, 1 regular TV and cable box and a few lights using CFL's. All that and the fuel consumption is right around 4 gallons every 8-10 hours of use. to keep food cold and safe, 8 hours per day (spread out) is all you need to run your genny. 5500's are really loud and use way more fuel than i could store or want to buy. I also looked at cost of investment versus use of investment and found that spending $300 for my Champion was a better investment, than say $600+ for a Briggs and Stratton or Generac genny just to have it sit for years on end, never being used in my garage. Can you really power all of that on 3500/4000 watts???? You don't usually run the freezer and refrigerator at the same time as everything else. You can run the freezer and refrigerator separately for a certain length of time each and then disconnect them and they are good for several hours. They take more power when the compressor kicks on. The CFL lights don't take much power. |
|
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I would love to have a Honda but I think I could get by with something else. Generators are still available here in Ky. Just want a good quality 5500w generator for the house when I need it. you are in the same boat i was. I found with a 3500/4000 Champion that I could power 1 chest freezer, 1 fridge, a dehumidifier, my furnace bower(nat gas), my PC and related stuff, 1 regular TV and cable box and a few lights using CFL's. All that and the fuel consumption is right around 4 gallons every 8-10 hours of use. to keep food cold and safe, 8 hours per day (spread out) is all you need to run your genny. 5500's are really loud and use way more fuel than i could store or want to buy. I also looked at cost of investment versus use of investment and found that spending $300 for my Champion was a better investment, than say $600+ for a Briggs and Stratton or Generac genny just to have it sit for years on end, never being used in my garage. Can you really power all of that on 3500/4000 watts???? You don't usually run the freezer and refrigerator at the same time as everything else. You can run the freezer and refrigerator separately for a certain length of time each and then disconnect them and they are good for several hours. They take more power when the compressor kicks on. The CFL lights don't take much power. I do. I can have all that stuff plugged in at the same time. Start with the freezer, wait 30 mins, then fridge, wait 30 mins, then the furnace fan and so on. everything is plugged the whole time. even if everything is running at once (not likely) its still less than 3500 watts. |
|
Quoted:
This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This, best deal going! I got ours with an electric start so the wife unit could run it if she had to. We survived 5 days with out power just using extension cords. I ran a freezer fridge, fan, radio, TV, charged computers and phones and ran the coffee pot. We cooked on the grill. I have a propane fireplace and two kerosene heaters for cold weather and plenty of Coleman cooking appliances with plenty of gas/propane bottles. |
| If you can afford it get a Honda EU3000. Great on fuel and Very quiet. I have one and a 6500watt MAster with a 13HP Honda as back up. I switched most lamps in house to CFL or LED, heat with gas logs, Mr. Buddy,etc. I have two fridgerators,freezer. Load management is easy. Fuel consumption feeding a genny more than a day or two is a big task. |
|
Survival Podcast Everything Generator pt1
Everything Generator pt2 Great info here on how much and what kind of genny power you need. Jim |
|
If you get one with a fuel tank mounted over the generator (in a metal tube frame, usually), make sure to turn off the valve from the tank to the carb below it when you turn off the generator. Normally, the carb shouldn't allow fuel through, but Chinese quality being what it is, it is also possible to come out in the morning and find five gallons of gasoline in a mostly evaporated pool around the generator because it just leaked out overnight. Obviously, this is a hazard if it happens, so just add "turn off fuel tank valve" to the checklist.
Also, again from experience, try to run your generator after you get it but before you need it. You may discover that the last time it was run at Long Duk Dong Global Generators up the Pearl River before being shipped to the US six month ago, they used the cheapest raw gas they could find, which in a lot of the world outside of the US and Europe is pretty much full of gums and tars that we started removing in the 1970s. It's not too much of a problem for the rest of the world because they don't try to remove the aromatics, like benzene, that the US started removing in the 1970s and Europe in the early 1990s, so the aromatics keep the gums and tars dissolved in the fuel. When the fuel evaporates, though, it can leave a nice, red layer or rock-hard varnish on everything and you will have to take the carb apart and clean the heck out of it before the generator will run for more than a minute or two at a time. So you have nitrile gloves, good carb cleaner, and some picks, screwdrivers, and so on, right? If not, add them to your pile. And test before the storm comes in. ETA: To be clear about the varnish, this will not come off with a squirt of carb cleaner. If it is there, you will have to take the carb apart carefully and physically scrub off the varnish as it softens. Fine steel wool will help with the bowl. It's like 1975 all over again. |
|
Quoted: Quoted: This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This, best deal going! I got ours with an electric start so the wife unit could run it if she had to. We survived 5 days with out power just using extension cords. I ran a freezer fridge, fan, radio, TV, charged computers and phones and ran the coffee pot. We cooked on the grill. I have a propane fireplace and two kerosene heaters for cold weather and plenty of Coleman cooking appliances with plenty of gas/propane bottles. The electric start takes this unit from the $319 deal above, to $540, correct? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Camp-Essentials/Generators-Accessories|/pc/104795280/c/104709780/sc/104356980/Champion-3500-Watt-Remote-Start-Generator/1154504.uts Specs (at a glance) indicate it's the same unit, just with electric start. $220 premium for electric start is pretty steep on a unit that's selling for $319. How difficult is the non-electric unit to start? My concern also lies with my wife, but surely she could break a sweat and crank the thing for $220.  |
|
Quoted:
This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This. Bastards ran it on sale after I had already bought ours for 329 without wheels or cover.  Champions seem to be real well thought of online, haven't run ours enough to really test yet, but it fires up fast, runs without too much noise, and is not so heavy that I can't pick it up and move it about even without the wheel kit (i'm a fairly large fellow though, might be much more practical to get the wheel kit).
|
|
. How difficult is the non-electric unit to start? My concern also lies with my wife, but surely she could break a sweat and crank the thing for $220. heck no its not hard. mine starts on the first pull everytime and you can use 1 finger around the cord to start it. Ive had it for 3+ years. i start it once a month and turn off the fuel valve to shut it down if its going to be stored. if its just overnight storage, i use the off button and then turn off the fuel valve. this is the easiest small engine i have ever had to start. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This, best deal going! I got ours with an electric start so the wife unit could run it if she had to. We survived 5 days with out power just using extension cords. I ran a freezer fridge, fan, radio, TV, charged computers and phones and ran the coffee pot. We cooked on the grill. I have a propane fireplace and two kerosene heaters for cold weather and plenty of Coleman cooking appliances with plenty of gas/propane bottles. The electric start takes this unit from the $319 deal above, to $540, correct? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Camp-Essentials/Generators-Accessories|/pc/104795280/c/104709780/sc/104356980/Champion-3500-Watt-Remote-Start-Generator/1154504.uts Specs (at a glance) indicate it's the same unit, just with electric start. $220 premium for electric start is pretty steep on a unit that's selling for $319. How difficult is the non-electric unit to start? My concern also lies with my wife, but surely she could break a sweat and crank the thing for $220.
Mine started with the first pull.... Not a problem at all. Just more to break in my opinion.. Keep it simple stoopid is what I always say.. |
|
Guys –– remember that air-cooled engines running lighter oil will use some every day. It's pretty uncommon for the cylinder bores to expand in a perfect circle, and some oil usually slips by. That's not a lot of oil, but some, so it would be a good idea to check it daily or when you are filling the fuel tank. Some people do get engines that use no oil in 100 hours, but most don't. That's OK, it's just the nature of air-cooled engines.
Also, if you think that you will be running it a long time, you can easily get away with something like a 15W-40 diesel oil which will limit the oil use and keep the sump clean, and when the emergency is over you can drain it (it's only 1/2 quart or so) and refill with straight Mobil1 10W-30 or whatever you want. Also –– remember that you should break it in for the first 5-10 hours, ideally under a modest load, and then change the oil. You can change it to anything you want at that point but it would be nice to use a non-synthetic for the first 5-10 hours. Not required, but nice. If you are anywhere near a truck stop, you should be able to get motor oil easily, both a normal passenger car 10W-30 for the first 5-10 hours and then something a little stronger for continuous operation. |
|
Quoted:
There will be a whole lot of never-run gennys available real soon....  At a significant discount! The stores don't really want to restock! Hang out in the parking lot and talk to the manager of the Home Depot and as one comes off of someone's truck, put it right on yours at a 30% discount. In many cases, the box will never even have been opened and you get the full warranty. Want one of those Hondas that you think you can't afford? Can you afford it at 30% off? |
|
Honda Eu2000i
Runs the fridge, sump pump or the freezer. Yes I have to switch loads. Freezer is OK once every 12 hours. Fridge and sump pump are on an as needed basis. I have a battery powered alarm on the sump pump. Source If the alarm goes off plug in the sump pump till it runs down. I never let it get there though. When I unplug the freezer I hand cycle the sump pump. Hondas are expensive and worth every penny IMHO. Easy as heck on fuel, so quiet that you can carry a conversation in a normal tone with it running. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This, best deal going! I got ours with an electric start so the wife unit could run it if she had to. We survived 5 days with out power just using extension cords. I ran a freezer fridge, fan, radio, TV, charged computers and phones and ran the coffee pot. We cooked on the grill. I have a propane fireplace and two kerosene heaters for cold weather and plenty of Coleman cooking appliances with plenty of gas/propane bottles. The electric start takes this unit from the $319 deal above, to $540, correct? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Camp-Essentials/Generators-Accessories|/pc/104795280/c/104709780/sc/104356980/Champion-3500-Watt-Remote-Start-Generator/1154504.uts Specs (at a glance) indicate it's the same unit, just with electric start. $220 premium for electric start is pretty steep on a unit that's selling for $319. How difficult is the non-electric unit to start? My concern also lies with my wife, but surely she could break a sweat and crank the thing for $220.
Mine started with the first pull.... Not a problem at all. Just more to break in my opinion.. Keep it simple stoopid is what I always say.. If it breaks just use the pull cord, nothing difficult there? But until then my wife, and I will use the electric start and keep it simple. Here it is on Amazon.com for $449 with free shipping Generator |
|
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This, best deal going! I got ours with an electric start so the wife unit could run it if she had to. We survived 5 days with out power just using extension cords. I ran a freezer fridge, fan, radio, TV, charged computers and phones and ran the coffee pot. We cooked on the grill. I have a propane fireplace and two kerosene heaters for cold weather and plenty of Coleman cooking appliances with plenty of gas/propane bottles. The electric start takes this unit from the $319 deal above, to $540, correct? http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/Camp-Essentials/Generators-Accessories|/pc/104795280/c/104709780/sc/104356980/Champion-3500-Watt-Remote-Start-Generator/1154504.uts Specs (at a glance) indicate it's the same unit, just with electric start. $220 premium for electric start is pretty steep on a unit that's selling for $319. How difficult is the non-electric unit to start? My concern also lies with my wife, but surely she could break a sweat and crank the thing for $220. Mine started with the first pull.... Not a problem at all. Just more to break in my opinion.. Keep it simple stoopid is what I always say.. If it breaks just use the pull cord, nothing difficult there? But until then my wife, and I will use the electric start and keep it simple. Here it is on Amazon.com for $449 with free shipping Generator That looks better. Here's the non-CARB version, which oddly enough is $50 more. http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Equipment-46561-4-Stroke-Generator/dp/B0056BYP86/ref=sr_1_3?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1351454780&sr=1-3&keywords=champion+generator+4000+watt Anyone know what the CARB compliance consists of? |
|
Here's a thread I done on ours a while back, we didn't buy the CARB compliant one either and we paid $490.00, I wasn't looking at that when I first posted it.
Generator |
|
Here's another place with generators, the prices were cheaper in the late spring.
I always run my generators with Sta-bil in the gas and I turn the petcock off and let the engine run dry before storing. Both my UST and Champion Chinese generators seem to start on two pulls. I didn't get an electric start due to additional cost and because batteries tend to be dead when you need them and replacements for the lawnmowers and quad I replaced this year all seem to run $40.00 to $60.00 so I would expect the same with one for a generator. The starter rope seems to pull very easy on these. |
|
Quoted:
I have a Generac with 5550 running and 8550 starting watts. It will run everything in the house all at once but it sounds like a Chevy 350 with open headers. I bought a Honda EU2000i from Wise Sales and if the hurricane takes out the power this week I am using it first. I will probably have to rotate what is running/starting but it should be just fine. That's funny. Yeah, I don't want a Chevy 350 for sure. I would like to have a gen that is fairly quiet. I was thinking the 5500w would handle everything I need. I think I should rethink that. I have gas heat and I could run the gas logs and heat the whole first floor of my home. I want something that will keep the fridge going and some lights, tv and maybe the gas furnance. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would love to have a Honda but I think I could get by with something else. Generators are still available here in Ky. Just want a good quality 5500w generator for the house when I need it. you are in the same boat i was. I found with a 3500/4000 Champion that I could power 1 chest freezer, 1 fridge, a dehumidifier, my furnace bower(nat gas), my PC and related stuff, 1 regular TV and cable box and a few lights using CFL's. All that and the fuel consumption is right around 4 gallons every 8-10 hours of use. to keep food cold and safe, 8 hours per day (spread out) is all you need to run your genny. 5500's are really loud and use way more fuel than i could store or want to buy. I also looked at cost of investment versus use of investment and found that spending $300 for my Champion was a better investment, than say $600+ for a Briggs and Stratton or Generac genny just to have it sit for years on end, never being used in my garage. Can you really power all of that on 3500/4000 watts???? You don't usually run the freezer and refrigerator at the same time as everything else. You can run the freezer and refrigerator separately for a certain length of time each and then disconnect them and they are good for several hours. They take more power when the compressor kicks on. The CFL lights don't take much power. I have the same generator but I haven't used it yet but you just made my day since I will be powering everything you just listed minus the furnace. 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
This is the one I bought. It is a 4000/3500 watt Champion for $319.99 and the delivery was free to my house. Comes with the wheel kit and a cover. Starts right up. I might have a $20.00 off Cabelas coupon in my pole barn but I don't know if you would be able to use the coupon code for a purchase if it was mailed to me. My power goes out all the time so I bought it as a spare. I also have a UST 4200/3200 watt generator that I bought first that is not as good as the Champion but I got it out this week when I lost power and ran my HD TV and Dish box with it until power came back on. I bought them for small freezer, refrigerator, TV, lights when I lose power. I can manage with that stuff as I can heat my house with a wood stove and a natural gas free standing direct vent stove when the furnace is down. This. Bastards ran it on sale after I had already bought ours for 329 without wheels or cover. Champions seem to be real well thought of online, haven't run ours enough to really test yet, but it fires up fast, runs without too much noise, and is not so heavy that I can't pick it up and move it about even without the wheel kit (i'm a fairly large fellow though, might be much more practical to get the wheel kit).
If your mad about that then you will be royaly pissed when you find out I bought it for $279 shipped with cover and wheel kit.
|
|
Opened the mailbox today and found my tractor supply company sale flyer. They have the champion 3500/4000 watt generator marked $30.00 off, making the sale price $299.99 no additional accessories such as wheel kit or cover. Anyone know of any better prices for these or good prices on the inverter models? Thanks!!
|
|
Quoted:
Opened the mailbox today and found my tractor supply company sale flyer. They have the champion 3500/4000 watt generator marked $30.00 off, making the sale price $299.99 no additional accessories such as wheel kit or cover. Anyone know of any better prices for these or good prices on the inverter models? Thanks!! Buy the one from Cabelas for $319.99 and try the $20.00 off coupon I posted in another thread. If it works you get the generator for $299.99 and shipping to your door is free (with the wheel kit and cover). I received mine to my house in 3 days, though with the storm you may have to wait longer. You will be glad you have the wheel kit. I have a second generator without wheels and had to go buy a garden wagon for $69.00 to lug it around. no guarantee coupon will work. I received the first one today. $20.00 off $150.00 purchase, expires 11/6/12 Cabela's Bucks Rebate No. 328510651 Cabela's Bucks Code HTRKJK Coupon Code: HWRWTV Cabelas: $20 off $150 Cabela's Bucks. Rebate Number333357682 |
|
I love my Honda 6500. Didn't go silent, but live in the Styx with good neighbors and it runs outside the bedroom window.
I also have 2 freezers, a fridge, sump pump, and electric hot water (only on before a shower and by itself) that I can run with it. 30amp 240v line into the house ftw. |
|
Quoted:
Big +1
Survival Podcast Everything Generator pt1 Everything Generator pt2 Great info here on how much and what kind of genny power you need. Jim All of the Steven Harris interviews on the survival podcast are incredibly informative. |
|
Quoted:
The Champion Inverter Gennys are quite nice. Real quiet. and stackable. http://www.championpowerequipment.com/images/product-photos/73536i/1_medium.jpg And easy to convert to NG/LP. http://i1144.photobucket.com/albums/o500/SR712/Champion%20Generator%20Conversion/ChampionNaturalGas2-Small.jpg and cheaper than the Hondas, but not as cheap as they used to be. I think some Sam's club's still carry them for $499... unfortunately the ones in Indiana don't carry them anymore... 
I really wanted to pick a pair of them up JIC... |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have a Generac with 5550 running and 8550 starting watts. It will run everything in the house all at once but it sounds like a Chevy 350 with open headers. I bought a Honda EU2000i from Wise Sales and if the hurricane takes out the power this week I am using it first. I will probably have to rotate what is running/starting but it should be just fine. That's funny. Yeah, I don't want a Chevy 350 for sure. I would like to have a gen that is fairly quiet. I was thinking the 5500w would handle everything I need. I think I should rethink that. I have gas heat and I could run the gas logs and heat the whole first floor of my home. I want something that will keep the fridge going and some lights, tv and maybe the gas furnance. I can do that all with my Champion 2000w inverter genny. Very quiet. Very fuel efficient. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
The Champion Inverter Gennys are quite nice. Real quiet. and stackable. http://www.championpowerequipment.com/images/product-photos/73536i/1_medium.jpg And easy to convert to NG/LP. http://i1144.photobucket.com/albums/o500/SR712/Champion%20Generator%20Conversion/ChampionNaturalGas2-Small.jpg and cheaper than the Hondas, but not as cheap as they used to be. I think some Sam's club's still carry them for $499... unfortunately the ones in Indiana don't carry them anymore...
I really wanted to pick a pair of them up JIC... I have two of these. |
|
Quoted: I can do that all with my Champion 2000w inverter genny. Very quiet. Very fuel efficient. What's the difference between an inverter generator and a "regular" generator? Aside from what looks to be an attractive reduction in noise and increased portability, being able to run them in parallel, and convert to LP, what do they do that a "regular" generator doesn't? Can a "regular" generator be easily converted to LP? I love the idea of being able to run it on LP... more options are always better. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I can do that all with my Champion 2000w inverter genny. Very quiet. Very fuel efficient. What's the difference between an inverter generator and a "regular" generator? Aside from what looks to be an attractive reduction in noise and increased portability, being able to run them in parallel, and convert to LP, what do they do that a "regular" generator doesn't? Can a "regular" generator be easily converted to LP? I love the idea of being able to run it on LP... more options are always better. If you will go back to my earlier post with the two links it will explain everything about every kind of genny. |