EmotionallyUnstable Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Lost power earlier this week for 24+ hours. With two little ones, finally going to stop “roughing it out” and get something for emergency purposes. I am not looking for a full home generator, but something portable. I’ve been looking at dual fuel options for gas/propane but not a necessity. I am also interested in either the invertor technology or old school. Im looking for enough Watts to run the sump pump, some lights, fridge and some iPhone chargers. Thinking 3500 running watts should be okay. I’ve found suitable options in the $450-700 range that seem to meet these qualifications. What do you all have? Are you happy with it? Anything I’m seeming to forget? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) I have a Generac 7000W gas-only generator. I wanted tri fuel but had to settle for this. I've used it once for an extended period in the past decade. The problem I've had for the past 4 years or so is that despite starting it every month, I sometimes can't get it to run and need to pull the carburetor and clean it. Get one with more power than you think you need and an electric start. Also get an interlock installed on your panel. That way you don't need to have a sub-panel. It will save you a ton of money and allow you to pick and choose what you want to turn on. And have an outlet installed outside your house to plug the generator into. Edited January 14 by Doc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zevo Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, EmotionallyUnstable said: Lost power earlier this week for 24+ hours. With two little ones, finally going to stop “roughing it out” and get something for emergency purposes. I am not looking for a full home generator, but something portable. I’ve been looking at dual fuel options for gas/propane but not a necessity. I am also interested in either the invertor technology or old school. Im looking for enough Watts to run the sump pump, some lights, fridge and some iPhone chargers. Thinking 3500 running watts should be okay. I’ve found suitable options in the $450-700 range that seem to meet these qualifications. What do you all have? Are you happy with it? Anything I’m seeming to forget? I currently have a durostar 4400 gas. it's been pretty solid. got us through the blizzard last year. My purposes are the same as you stated. I recently scored a solid deal on amazon for this open inverter generator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KQ2P49Y?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1. still have yet to unbox it. I also recently purchased the ecoflow river 2 pro battery "generator" to have power on hand for a quick hook up for the sump pump in a pinch so if im not home my wife can easily keep it going. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpberr Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Another vote for Generac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That's No Moon Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 My parents have a Generac for their whole house. Runs on natural gas. It's awesome. Ran for a week straight a couple years ago after some real bad summer storms, no issues whatsoever. Automatically clicks over when the power goes out, shuts itself off when the power comes back on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 On 1/13/2024 at 7:08 PM, EmotionallyUnstable said: Lost power earlier this week for 24+ hours. With two little ones, finally going to stop “roughing it out” and get something for emergency purposes. I am not looking for a full home generator, but something portable. I’ve been looking at dual fuel options for gas/propane but not a necessity. I am also interested in either the invertor technology or old school. Im looking for enough Watts to run the sump pump, some lights, fridge and some iPhone chargers. Thinking 3500 running watts should be okay. I’ve found suitable options in the $450-700 range that seem to meet these qualifications. What do you all have? Are you happy with it? Anything I’m seeming to forget? https://www.harborfreight.com/3500-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-with-co-secure-technology-59137.html This is my jam. Keep an eye out for sales as I've seen it marked down before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 On 1/13/2024 at 7:22 PM, Doc said: I have a Generac 7000W gas-only generator. I wanted tri fuel but had to settle for this. I've used it once for an extended period in the past decade. The problem I've had for the past 4 years or so is that despite starting it every month, I sometimes can't get it to run and need to pull the carburetor and clean it. Get one with more power than you think you need and an electric start. Also get an interlock installed on your panel. That way you don't need to have a sub-panel. It will save you a ton of money and allow you to pick and choose what you want to turn on. And have an outlet installed outside your house to plug the generator into. Just out of curiosity: How does an electric start start when the electricity is out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zevo Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 22 minutes ago, Albany,n.y. said: Just out of curiosity: How does an electric start start when the electricity is out? usually powered by a battery source 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynical Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 On 1/13/2024 at 7:08 PM, EmotionallyUnstable said: Lost power earlier this week for 24+ hours. With two little ones, finally going to stop “roughing it out” and get something for emergency purposes. I am not looking for a full home generator, but something portable. I’ve been looking at dual fuel options for gas/propane but not a necessity. I am also interested in either the invertor technology or old school. Im looking for enough Watts to run the sump pump, some lights, fridge and some iPhone chargers. Thinking 3500 running watts should be okay. I’ve found suitable options in the $450-700 range that seem to meet these qualifications. What do you all have? Are you happy with it? Anything I’m seeming to forget? If you haven't already done so, look up wattage calculators online. They will help determine the size of generator you need. Personally, we chose a larger dual fuel generator - gas/propane. With gas, you have be diligent in treating it for longer term storage and rotating out the old with new. That is not a problem with propane. As somebody else posted, eventually you will have to clean the carb when using gas. Do you want to be doing that at 10 Pm when its freezing out and you need it running? You can buy 20lb, 40lb and 100lb tanks from different places. (i.e Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware near us) You can transport 20 and 40lb tanks inside a vehicle, but 100lb tanks need to be transported out side the vehicle. Near us, there a number of places that refill propane tanks based on the amount needed to fill the tank. Far cheaper than those propane tank exchanges. When you want to up your preparedness game, get a Kill-A-Watt meter like this one: https://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Monitor-dp-B000RGF29Q/dp/B000RGF29Q/ref=dp_ob_title_hi?th=1 That way you can measure how much wattage each device is actually using. Look into Solar generators as a supplement to your current (or soon to be) generator set up. They can be recharged either through solar panels or plugging into an electrical outlet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 You'll be amazed at how many friends you'll make. Just make sure they bring their own extension cords. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfanmiamioh Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 For portable, the Honda super quiet generators are great. Not cheap though. I believe you can run multiple units together if you need more juice. On 1/15/2024 at 12:09 PM, That's No Moon said: My parents have a Generac for their whole house. Runs on natural gas. It's awesome. Ran for a week straight a couple years ago after some real bad summer storms, no issues whatsoever. Automatically clicks over when the power goes out, shuts itself off when the power comes back on. We have the same setup, it’s been a lifesaver a couple times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWATeam Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 3 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said: Just out of curiosity: How does an electric start start when the electricity is out? LOL, now that would be a design flaw for a generator! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 3 minutes ago, SWATeam said: LOL, now that would be a design flaw for a generator! I figured it would be a battery source, but it was such a hanging curve ball I had to try to hit it. 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 We don't have a generator but I'm thinking about getting one. If you are a Costco member, it appears there is a 10% discount available if you buy Generac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconator Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Following this as we are in the process of finally buying the house we have been living in since last June. My wife wants a gas fireplace insert and a whole home generator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionallyUnstable Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 one of the other aspects I’m weighing is that I’ll be needing hundreds of feet of extension cord. How do you guys generally hook up? Extension cord directly into the outlet or do you run one to a power strip and monitor your watts that you put into it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That's No Moon Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 5 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said: Just out of curiosity: How does an electric start start when the electricity is out? Same way your car does. Battery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 6 hours ago, zevo said: usually powered by a battery source Yep. Make sure that it’s charged. And in case it isn’t, there’s always that rope thingy… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 (edited) Had a Generac whole house natural gas generator installed two years ago. Expensive, but no regrets. Prior to that, had a Craftsman portable generator. It ran well, but the whole when to get it out, and then the extension cord maze, made me switch to the Generac. Edited January 18 by LabattBlue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) 1 hour ago, LabattBlue said: Had a Generac whole house natural gas generator installed two years ago. Expensive, but no regrets. Prior to that, had a Craftsman portable generator. It ran well, but the whole when to get it out, and then the extension cord maze, made me switch to the Generac. If you get an outlet installed outside your house and an interlock system, no need for any extension cords. The standby generator like you have is the gold standard but very expensive. Not to mention you need a gas line to your house or a large tank buried in your yard. Edited January 19 by Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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