Portable generator recommendations???

[steveOh]

I'm thinking it's about time to buy a portable generator to run the home essentials during the occasional power outages. Just need to run fridge, chest freezer and some small appliances and a couple lights. I figure that I would need about 3500-4500 watts. Don't think I need an Inverter. Anyone have any recommendations on brands, what features to look for, where to buy, likes and dislikes etc?
TIA
sreveOh

 

[Isaacorps]

Even though you don’t think you’ll need an inverter generator, I would recommend it. Modern refrigerators and appliances have sensitive electronic components that can be damaged by “dirty” generator power. And in the event of a prolonged power outage you will probably want to power your tv, WiFi router, computers, etc. I purchased a Westinghouse 4200 watt inverter generator back in the spring and have nothing but good things to say about it. It’s quiet, fuel efficient, and a real workhorse. I’ve powered circular saws, compressors, table saws, window ACs, drills, etc. Many of them simultaneously. It never skipped a beat. I was a bit leery at first because of the brand not being one of the “big ones” but I haven’t regretted it at all. It won’t break the bank, either

iGen4200 Inverter Generator

Depend on the Westinghouse iGen4200 Hybrid Inverter Generator to handle your portable power needs with 4,200 peak watts and 3,500 running watts. A perfect solution for recreational activities or as an emergency backup at home, the iGen4200 is a true versatile power source. With a unique combinati...

westinghouseoutdoorpower.com

 

[Chancegriffis]

Honda EM5000SXK3AN EM5000SX - 4500 Watt Electric Start Portable Generator w/ Bluetooth® & CO-MINDER™ 49-State

Buy Honda EM5000SXK3AN Today. Free Shipping. Check the Honda EM5000SX - 4500 Watt Electric Start Portable Generator w/ Bluetooth® & CO-MINDER™ (49-State) ratings before checking out.

www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com

Had this one going on four years. Helped out quite a bit during hurricane season the first year I bought it. Haven’t used it all the much since but great unit

 

[hickslawns]

Had the Champion dual fuel/invertor style generator. 3600 watts. Issues several times. Best thing to happen to it was when it got stolen. (Not true. When it worked it worked well and was quiet. Just had 3 carbs in 2 years.)

Replaced with Cummins/Onan 4500watt invertor style. Haven't truly tested it yet at full load. Just trial runs. So far so good. Not well tested. It was cheaper than the Champion brand. Is higher output. About same weight. Slightly larger size but still smaller than non-invertor style. Quiet.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Super pleased with my Generac. I sold my bigger, traditional generator (also a Generac) to buy this for the quietness when we go camping. It's a damn fine unit and highly reviewed, so plenty of good info out there to support my opinion.

Generac iQ3500 3500-Watt Gasoline Powered Electric Start Portable Inverter Generator with PowerRush Technology 50 State/CSA 7127

Whether you're camping, tailgating or on the job, the iQ3500 Portable Inverter Generator delivers the power you need. The durable, lightweight design is engineered for easy portability when you're on the go. An intuitive Power Dial integrates the start, run and stop functions into 1...

www.homedepot.com

 

[Quantum673]

All I can recommend is get an inverter. You will not regret it.

 

[Jamie]

I'm thinking it's about time to buy a portable generator to run the home essentials during the occasional power outages. Just need to run fridge, chest freezer and some small appliances and a couple lights. I figure that I would need about 3500-4500 watts. Don't think I need an Inverter. Anyone have any recommendations on brands, what features to look for, where to buy, likes and dislikes etc?
TIA
sreveOh

I said that to myself for almost 20 years in a row after we moved out of town, then got serious about shopping for a generator. As it were, I never have owned a portable generator, but after considering the power we need during an outage, the actual cost of an adequate generator, pro installation of the hook up, etc., we decided to save our money for another year and bought a whole house stand-by generator. 22KW Generac that runs on propane and powers the entire house and my shop. $7K installed. Very pleased with our decision, and I am certain that now that I'm fully prepared, our power will never go off again as long as I live.

 

[Isaacorps]

I said that to myself for almost 20 years in a row after we moved out of town, then got serious about shopping for a generator. As it were, I never have owned a portable generator, but after considering the power we need during an outage, the actual cost of an adequate generator, pro installation of the hook up, etc., we decided to save our money for another year and bought a whole house stand-by generator. 22KW Generac that runs on propane and powers the entire house and my shop. $7K installed. Very pleased with our decision, and I am certain that now that I'm fully prepared, our power will never go off again as long as I live.

When my dad finally broke down and bought a snowblower years ago he said “if it never snows again then this was a great investment”

 

[Big_Holla]

Super pleased with my Generac. I sold my bigger, traditional generator (also a Generac) to buy this for the quietness when we go camping. It's a damn fine unit and highly reviewed, so plenty of good info out there to support my opinion.

Generac iQ3500 3500-Watt Gasoline Powered Electric Start Portable Inverter Generator with PowerRush Technology 50 State/CSA 7127

Whether you're camping, tailgating or on the job, the iQ3500 Portable Inverter Generator delivers the power you need. The durable, lightweight design is engineered for easy portability when you're on the go. An intuitive Power Dial integrates the start, run and stop functions into 1...

www.homedepot.com

I've been thinking the same thing, ours is a regular Generac and boy is it loud. Would like to swap it one day for a much quieter one but for now it is what it is. Never gave much thought on an inverter, heck I have no idea if mine is set up with that or not LOL. One day I will get with @Isaacorps on what I would have to do for hooking it up to the house panel or if it is even big enough for the job.

 

[steveOh]

Thanks to all for the input. With so many brands out there it is just hard to choose. Hate to spend a lot of $ on an inverter and have it sitting around in the shed for months or years before I need it again. Decisions Decisions!!!

 

[Dannmann801]

Ok, I’ll cut across the grain here with a different option:



Back in 2008 I bought a Honda 3800w gas generator.

Works great still.

Honda is a great name and inspires confidence.

Like anything else, I wish I’d gotten bigger. It’ll run my lights and refrigerators/freezers, but doesn’t have the oomph to run my heat pump/ac.

But, because I have a pellet stove for heat and fans in the summer, I’m ok.

I spent the money on an electrician to fix the box so I can slave a cable to the generator and it makes it easy to convert when electric goes out.

Not as easy as the full house Generac that switches over instantly, but easy enough.



Now, I bought my daughter and SIL a Predator 4375KW from Harbor Freight.

Shortly after their power went out and they used it running extension cords for lights and freezer – saved a whole freezer full of breast milk. I was a hero.

They’ve since had the electrician wire the house box up. And a couple weeks ago they lost power for a week, and the generator ran full-bull for a week.

My SIL changed the oil religiously per the manual’s specs, and he said the thing worked like a champ.



You gotta ask yourself what you want out of your generator - do you want to run lights and fridge? Do you want to run the whole house? Do you want it to come on automatically?

If you’re a minimalist tightass "dip your toe in a little bit" guy like me, buying a Harbor Freight genny gets the job done for $449.

Wiring the house to accept auxiliary power from the generator was the best money I spent.

In my humble opinion.

 

[Isaacorps]

J

I've been thinking the same thing, ours is a regular Generac and boy is it loud. Would like to swap it one day for a much quieter one but for now it is what it is. Never gave much thought on an inverter, heck I have no idea if mine is set up with that or not LOL. One day I will get with @Isaacorps on what I would have to do for hooking it up to the house panel or if it is even big enough for the job.

Just let me know…

 

[HE>I]

With today's modern electronics an inverter generator is the way to go. For winter it will run my pellet stove, computer, wi-fi, TV, and lights and for summer can add the frig/freezer.

 

[Wildlife]

Just going to throw this out there, not that you already have several great recommendations, but I do have a 13,500 startup & 8,000 watt continuous 240v & 120v multi circuits/breaker protected Briggs & Stratton generator. Great on gasoline economy and it's not nearly as loud as my older one, the backup that I never had to use for this one that's used for our place when the utility goes out. All my sensitive critical electronic equipment is protected by APC UPS's and/or APC serge protectors. Electric start with trickle charger too. I run everything off my generator when the power goes out and have for days at a time, and I have had that generator for over 10 years properly maintained with no issues whatsoever. I also have another that is much older that I would use as a backup, but that one is generally used on construction jobs primarily.

Generator handles after opening the transfer switch from utility electric service:

Furnace or two A/C units during the summer months
2 regular size refrigerators (1 newer, the other older) and one small unit inside my workshop
1 large horizontal deep freezer
Wellhouse & house sump pumps
Two electric 40 gallon water heaters, Wellhouse & house
All of our electronic equipment, including televisions & the entire WiFi network
As needed indoor lights in the house, including barn, cabin, wellhouse, outhouse and workshop - six separate buildings.
I have two LED Security Guard Utility Outdoor Lights, but only run one when I loose utility.

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Even have the heavy duty extension cord that breaks out the 120v into the multi circuits that I very rarely use unless I was to use this on a job site for any reason.

Good luck Steve!

 

[Jackalope]

I've been thinking the same thing, ours is a regular Generac and boy is it loud. Would like to swap it one day for a much quieter one but for now it is what it is. Never gave much thought on an inverter, heck I have no idea if mine is set up with that or not LOL. One day I will get with @Isaacorps on what I would have to do for hooking it up to the house panel or if it is even big enough for the job.

Same here. That Generac 5500 that I repaired has a 10.5 brigs and is louder than a son of a gun. I was laughing with Dave and said I was going to get a small muffler off a car and weld it to the exhaust bracket. It's also a fuel hog, the paper say 3/4 gallons an hour at 50% load. But it'll do the job if the time comes. They say for a refrigerator you need to run a 1:4 schedule (Run 1 hour every 4 hours) and for deep freezes it's a 1:12 or 2:24 schedule.

My plan for the hurricane was to only run it in the evening a few hours before bed to keep the freezers good and run a window AC unit in the master bedroom to cool the room down to get to sleep. For the refrigerator I was just going to use it as a good time to clean some crap out. Everything we want to keep could from the refrigerator would go in ice chests. One for long term storage and one for regular use items that would get opened through the day. Prior to the storm I froze eight 1 gallon jugs of water. I figured two in the long term cooler and that leaves 6 for the continual use cooler. I figured using this method I had a solid week of fuel and ice chest cooling capacity on hand. Anything longer than that and all the coolers would get filled wit the stuff we want to keep, the rest thrown out in the yard, and off to panama city we would go to stay with family.

 

[steveOh]

Not looking for a whole house generator at this time. Just a portable to use during our once in a while power outages. Probably one with wheels. Had two outages in the past 4 weeks. We are usually the last house turn on after an outage! Never know if the power will be out for a couple of hours or days!!! I'll keep looking online for options.

Thanks

steveOh

 

[Wildlife]

This is for sale, wife just shared with me, on FB. I'd say it's a heck of a deal. I can easily put you in contact with him.

 

[Wildlife]

This is for sale, wife just shared with me, on FB. I'd say it's a heck of a deal. I can easily put you in contact with him.

View attachment 134579

Call me crazy, but I just bought this generator, and not for what he was asking for it either. Cash money talks these days and seems to make people bend to their knees. On my way to go pick it up now. Looks like I'll have three generators here in about an hour. Might be willing to sell my oldest one if anyone is interested.

Catch up later,

C-ya!

 

[Wildlife]

I stolen this thing!

Duel Fuel - Propane/Gasoline and a higher continuous output than my Briggs & Stratton for both. Propane 10,800/8,550 & Gasoline 12,000//9,500 watts with a 3 year manufacturer warrantee. The guy even showed me his original purchasing receipt from 3 months ago for nearly $1,100 bucks and I got it for a whole lot less than that, cash money! He bought one of those smaller quieter ones instead.

I don't have to worry about noise because I live in the country and my neighbors wouldn't be able to hear any of my generators if they wanted too.

Anyhow, I'm pretty happy with it thus far. Just need to break it in, which I'll do later cause I have to head back out here real soon.

Again, I have a much smaller older generator I'd be interested in getting rid of if anyone might be interested. Just PM me and I'll send photos with whatever I think I might want for it, which really wouldn't be much at all. Like I stated previously, I used it mainly for fresh construction sites/jobs when no utility electric was available for my saws, drills, lights or whatever, and it is gasoline only.

 

[giles]

Generators are like shops...buy what you can afford because you will always want more.