Generators?
- Thread starter monica123
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You will be able to do what your wanting with a 3kwatt or smaller. :smile:KennyV
RobertBrown
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Some make a lot more noise than others. If this is a consideration you may want to look into a Honda, very quiet but very expensive, if you add it up by watts/dollars. The Hondas seem to be well made, light weight and very reliable.
JDgreen
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Mine is a 5000 watt Coleman Powermate with a 10 hp Tecumseh, Coleman went out of business a LONG time ago...oh well you can always gets parts for a Tek engine !!! Get about 3500-4000 watts, Honda is a great brand but costly. And my 2 cents worth--if powering a TV set or other electronic device, use a good surge suppressor...I mean GOOD, not a cheapo from the dollar store. It's easy to fry electronics with a genset.
BKBrown
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I would also recommend that you think about electric start - Honda engines start easy, but my better half could not pull start a generator we had -- no good if you can't get it started.
Better to have a little too much capacity than too little - make a list of what you might want to run and how many watts and amps they will require at start up. I'd recommend to get the next size up from what you think you will need.
Better to have a little too much capacity than too little - make a list of what you might want to run and how many watts and amps they will require at start up. I'd recommend to get the next size up from what you think you will need.
rekees
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I agree that Honda is the best. Would suggest getting one in the 5000v - 10,000v range since refrig. and freezers use alot of juice and you would still have enough for water pump, some lights, TV, computer, etc. You may also want to look into something called a "transfer switch" that will allow you to connect your generator into the circuits of your house thus avoiding the use of dangerous extension cords.
Emergency Generator - TractorByNet.com
Emergency Generator - TractorByNet.com
JDgreen
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I respectfully disagree with getting a huge genset...nobody NEEDS to have fridge, freezer, well pump, etc running 24/7. My 5000 watt model was used basically to keep the fridge and freezer powered for an hour or two a day, some lights, and maybe the sump pump, furnace, and well pump for a 15 minute period at a time. Bigger gensets suck up gas and you are basically paying for much more capacity than is needed. We made do with water from my barrel for flushing, drinking water from bottles, didn't open the fridge or freezer unless needed, ran the furnace ten minutes an hour, etc. Sure it is nice to have a 10,000 watt genset thsat powers everything in your house but HOW OFTEN do you actually need one? I have had my genset since '94, have probably used it 35-40 hours at most over a 16 year period. It has NEVER been run full throttle, even while feeding my neighbors house thru a cord so they could run their lights and fridge same time as ours were going. 5000 watt continuous/6400 surge is the sweet spot for specs, IMO. Big enough to run things easily, small enough and fuel efficient enough to be affordable. And although I'm a little guy 59 years old, I can still pull start the 10 hp Tecumseh on my genset...:biggrin: