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Generators

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Tony Teveris

New Member
Well after 4 days of no "juice" I just might be in mood to purchase a generator. I sure I need something in the 6000 watts area as I want to run the following:

oil furnace, well pump, 2 frigs, computer w/ monitor, microwave, lights. I live in a rural area so noise is not a big problem.

So, what do you folks out there have, like, hate, etc
 
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cajun312

New Member
Generac makes pretty good quality generators. If you can get a big enough propane tank go that way, otherwise you have a chance of the gasoline/ethanol going bad when you crank it up next hurricane season.

If you go with gas, try and buy your fuel at the bulk plant, they may sell it without the federal highway tax.
 
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Locals Find!

New Member
I would suggest going with a home back up generator. They are a bit pricier but, in the long run your going to be better off. They usually run off propane or diesel and they kick in when your power fails.

I personally have seen them start as low as $2,500 up to $20,000 and I am sure they go higher still depending on your actual needs. Get the right size for your home and shop and you will never be without power for long.

Call your local electrician for pricing etc...

Edit: Always make sure to pay to have any portable generator drained of all oil and gas before storing them away. Its just like a car. They will seize up if left for long periods not being run.
 
Richard G

Richard G

New Member
Watch out when using the generator with some computers. We used ours after a hurricane down here in Fl and burned out our phone system by using the generator. Something about to elec out of a gen compaired to that from the pole.
 
Techman

Techman

New Member
6000 watts is just enuf. It will cost you about 5 gals of gas per 8 hours.
I ran a fridge a few lights, a 5k btu AC, tv, computer and sat link during katrina.
 
Typestries

Typestries

New Member
We run a 5500 watt up in VT an here in NJ. With Irene, I expected to be out for 5+ days, and had 50 gallons of fuel ready. Of course, we never went out. In VT it goes out a lot, so I usually keep 20 gallons around, as it's usually localized enough that fuel is around within a 10 -15 mile range.

Oh yeah, when you put it away, turn off the fuel valve, start it up and run it till it dies. Just as it dies, close the choke to get the last remnants of fuel out of the carb. Treat the fuel in the tank with stabil marine or startron. Otherwise, the crappy ethanol will muck your carb and tank all up, and when you need it, your genny wont start. Try pulling and cleaning a carb in the dark. No thanks.
 
w2csa

w2csa

New Member
I would suggest having a UPS in addition to the generator. This will help reduce issues regarding any unclean generator output.
 
signage

signage

New Member
Tony look at all the info plates on all the items you want to run. If they give you wattages just add them up. If not watts= Amps x voltage. I would add 15% at a minimum to this figure and choose my generator with that figure! 6000 watts = 50 amps at 120v and 25 amps at 240v.
 
fmg

fmg

New Member
I have no power at home now since Sunday.South western Connecticut area and it's starting to get frustrating.
 
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GB2

Old Member
Tony, if you want to run computer equipment you should have an inverter based generator. The next thing you should consider is if you need it to be stationery or portable. The generator business seems to be pretty unstable, you can't seem to find one model or even one company the same from one year to the next. I would stick to a name brand and this is an area that also seems like you'll get what you pay for...cheap price...cheap generator with no warranty or parts availibility. I personally think that Honda makes the best generators and the EU6500iS is the perfect portable backup generator. If you want a stationery generator then you should consider a multi-fuel generator that could run on propane, natural gas, gasoline or diesel. Don't forget that these larger generators consume tremendous amounts of fuel. Costco has a nice stationery Honeywell system on sale at the moment, that seems like a great deal. What I opted for is something else that you might consider, I got two EU2000i Honda generators that could be conected together for 4000 watt 30 amp output to serve as a backup or they could be operated independently for everyday use. The only drawback is that they are only 110 volt but they also will run all day on one gallon of gas. This suits my personal situation but you see there are many options you can consider with generators.
 
signmeup

signmeup

New Member
Get one with 220. It's easy to hook to your house or shop power panel with 220. The panel will divide it up into 110 for small appliances. You can switch off breakers to stuff you don't want to run... like the water heater if it's electric. Also be very careful running a furnace with a generator. They are a hard to start load and that could fry a generator that is too small.
 
Rodi

Rodi

New Member
Tony,

Just ask Governor Malloy, he'll probably get a crew out there to give you a hand at installing it, except of course why would you ruin the pristine woods, do you have the right building and operating permits. Let big bro handle it all for ya. CT is a beautiful state :)
 
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