This would be to run the whole house for whatever length of time was necessary. Dual fuel is a good option and the electric start is a plus. The price point is a plus right now. Looking at my Briggs & Stratton 8250 generator isn't really enough to power what we had but it's been good in a pinch. Since we have three ways of warming the house and only two require electricity, it's gotten us by.
Hello P.,
This is only a 10,500-Watt steady power unit. That is too small to run a whole house in my opinion. People often pick too small of a generator to save money. I am not trying to talk you into spending more, but a bigger generator is advised.
To run a whole house, I think you need to invest in a larger unit around 14 plus KW continuous output.
Gas models are usually preferred due to availability most of the time, but plan on having fuel standing by fuel before the weather gets desperate.
I have gone through some rapidly changing weather (cold and hot) here in South Texas where the power went out for days. I thought I was good with a 9500-Watt generator only to find out that I was sadly mistaken.
After we had an historical freeze for a few days about 3 years ago, I upgraded to a 15KW Generac portable generator that could handle the power load of an entire house, especially heating and cooling. I added an inlet box & 6/3 cable and wired directly to my main breaker box. For safety I installed a 60A breaker and a lockout so I could power only off the generator without back feeding the main power supply line.
During past outages, I have also had to resort to removing fuel from my vehicles just to run my generator. It's not easy getting fuel out of modern vehicles without some creative engineering.
Now I keep two 14-gallon portable fuel tanks full/ with stabilizer and a 12V electric pump with hoses to refill my generator as needed. When my power goes out, the area gas stations are also shut down.
Propane will have a higher fuel consumption rate and lower generator output, so don't expect getting ahead using Propane, I only use Propane has a last resort when my standby gas reserve is depleted. On Propane, I had to run limited amounts of time to conserve fuel after heating or cooling my house.
Are you planning to have power for heating and AC? That will take a majority of the generator output.
As a minimum, mark your calendar to run the generator once a month for 30 minutes to an hour to maintain it and the fuel does not sit for too long in the carburetor or the tank.
Here is a good generator calculator to use:
https://www.primalsurvivor.net/what-size-generator/
