Portable Generator Advice wanted

-
Joey what are you going to use this for?? backup at home, RV or going to the track?? I have a 3500 watt from HF, I have used it a bunch, works fine it looks alot like the one your looking at, the price on that looks good too.
 
Joey if you live near waukegan it might go out more often than that comming up, last year my brother who lives in Waukegan, behind the target store grand ave was without power for a week, he has a HF generator big enough now to run his whole house. I thnk IMO you'll be fine with that generator you picked out.
 
Not near there, im out west. Only once has the power been out for more then 24 hours, and that was a SERIOUS storm 7 years ago. (some said it was a level 1 tornado)

Usually we get 1 or 2 times a season where we'll lose power for 6-12 hours maybe due to a down power line or something. The is mainly to power my sump pumps in case the battery backup runs out or doesnt work or something. Doesnt take long to get a basement full of water....
 
Joeychgo said:
Im going to buy a Portable Generator. I found this one, anyone have thoughts????


http://www.ebay.com/itm/DuroMax-440...&otn=4&po=LVI&ps=63&clkid=8134717055445229491
Click to expand...
Just my 2 cents. I'd be looking for one rated at 7500 watts. I don't know if you have a well or the type of heating you have but 4000 watts is the bare minimum. Refrigerators, heat (oil hotwater has circulator pumps) and some lighting will use about 4000 watts. If you have a well and any electric heat you'll need more. Check out 5500 watt continous with 7500 peak rating for cost savings. I have that and it heats my house and I have 3 refrigators (wife loves to cook) the TV and some lighting. It does grunt every once in a while..
 
Joey that one and most like it are ok generators. They are china made and get different colors and name tags put on them. The gen portion on them really haven't given people problems that I have seen. The engine is a Chinese copy of the Honda engine. They have two issues that pop up. One is the oil pressure switch which will fail and shut off the gen (grounds the ignition) which can be overridden by disconnecting it as long as you know there is oil in it. The Honda's have the same issue. The push rods are held in place by a thin plate between the two with plastic guides. They eventually wear and the push rod pops out and it will not run. Not an expensive fix and pretty easy to do yourself if slightly mechanically inclined. I would agree though and look for one with a little more wattage.
 
I got a generator after tornados took out a bunch of the main powerlines. The trick is having a good way to connect to the house. Home Depot has these plugs and power chords. They are what you use to plug the "generator plug" to the house using a extension chord. They have the cords also. This is a 30 amp at 220V system which is more than your gen will put out. Good enough for the fridge, tee vee, and some lights. You have to find a way to get the power to both sides of your breaker box and don't forget to turn off the main breaker on the box before you hook up the generator. No point in powering the whole grid. Once you have the gen plugged in you should have a plan for power usage. The hot water heater may take all the ower the thing puts out so knowing which breakers to have off is essential. I only power up my hot water after turning off all the other breakers, then turn it off so I can power other things.

http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/2...-receptacle-for-generator-reviews/reviews.htm

Also you should try to ONLY use non-ethanol gas in the generator and drain the carb after use is done. You need to also keep a jug of FRESH gas cause when the power goes out so do the gas stations.
 
I can pull from my auto gas tank for fresh gas... and I already have a few of those monster extension cords...
 
What do you plan to run on it? When buying a generator I would consider quiet, ample wattage. If you are only going to run maybe the fridge a couple of lights and TV maybe, then that one will work. It's not going to run a whole lot.
 
The is mainly to power my sump pumps in case the battery backup runs out or doesnt work or something. Doesnt take long to get a basement full of water....
 
A backup generator is a thing to buy,maintain and mostly forget about UNTIL You lose power. I have a 5.5 kw and had to use it 3 times in the last 5 years to run heat and sump. The price on this model is competitive...You can pay more or less depending on sales.
 
It should run sump pumps and maybe a couple other things. What you need to consider is how much wattage it takes to start an electrical device, that number is usually higher than what it takes to run the same device once it has started.
 
Always, always use a generator transfer switch. If you end up powering the lines you could kill a lineman.
 
I would avoid the Chinese engines. I've seen them not run well or be hard to start (especially when you need them most). You can get something with a Tecumseh, Briggs, Subaru, or Generac for just a bit more. A Honda will cost the most but it should always work as long as you don't let the gas sit in it for a long time.

Also, make sure your car can be siphoned. During our last hurricane, I attempted to siphon gas from my 4Runner only to find I couldn't get a tube in there. That was a real bummer!
 
Joey, that'll work fine for running your sump a couple times a year. It's more than you need for that. If you wanted to get adventurous you could use it to run your fridge also. Yes, Honda's are by far the best generators out there but for your application the one you're looking at will work fine. No need to go overboard....in this instance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top