Backup Generator

kbjelka · Oct 24, 2009

Ever since I moved from wood to pellets I have been concerned about winter power outages. I think you can live without most things in an outage but heat is a must. Borrowed a buddies Honda EU2000i last week during a wet snow outage here and with two extension cords we were running the stove and watching TV as the generator quietly purred outside the garage below my two sleeping toddlers. My wife was sold which gave me the green light to spend the $$$. Bought a six gallon extended run tank which is good for about 72 hours at full draw. I keep 4 five gallon gerry cans filled all the time so I’m not too worried about weathering a long outage. Would have liked a standby generator or at least a larger whole house unit but I opted for a simple turn key solution. Big $$$ generator + Transfer Switch + Electrician = Never Happens in my budget. The honda was a quick solution for under a grand. For those of you worried about a big north east ice storm I am sure it will never happen again now that I am prepared.

imacman · Oct 24, 2009

Thats a nice little set-up you have there GroundHog. Never knew they had such a thing as an extended run tank, but it makes sense.

Only thing I'd suggest (if it's in the budget), is maybe getting a small manual transfer switch that can be wired into the house to run the stove and TV, etc, without having to run extension cords. Just fire the genny up, flip the switch...done!

EDIT: maybe something like this:

www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Reliance-Controls-TF151W/p1094.html

kbjelka · Oct 24, 2009

macman said:
Thats a nice little set-up you have there GroundHog. Never knew they had such a thing as an extended run tank, but it makes sense.

Only thing I'd suggest (if it's in the budget), is maybe getting a small manual transfer switch that can be wired into the house to run the stove and TV, etc, without having to run extension cords. Just fire the genny up, flip the switch...done!

EDIT: maybe something like this:

www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/Reliance-Controls-TF151W/p1094.html

Thanks macman, may go for a four circuit transfer switch in the future but for now it's extension cords. You must be able to run everything on that 12 Kw unit. I'm just shooting for basic survival.

ChandlerR · Oct 24, 2009

When I redid the house and the wiring, I installed a manual transfer switch and a weatherproof plug on the outside of the house. I installed a plug in the electrical bay of my motorhome which is wired to my automatic transfer switch on my genny. I plug the cord into the motorhome then onto my house, switch my feed from the utility to the generator and start it up. It powers the whole house, burns 1 to 2 quarts of fuel an hour and has 75 gallons of fuel on board.

Last year, in my old house, it powered the house for over a week after an ice storm. Just an FYI for any of you who have a camper with a generator. I'ts an easy job for an electrician to make this happen.

Chandler

imacman · Oct 24, 2009

Groundhog said:
........I'm just shooting for basic survival.

:lol: Yep, I hear ya. Gotta have heat, and something to watch while the snow is falling (don't need the fridge...just keep the beer cold in the snow...LOL).

As for the 12kw unit, I only got it because it was on sale back in 2004 at Home Despot, plus I had a 10% off coupon if I opened a HD credit card. Got the unit, and paid the card off immediately....free 2 month loan.

littlesmokey · Oct 24, 2009

Here I go, again. Mr. BubbleBurster. Those portable units are intermittent use only. You run that sucker continuously and you'll be back for another and another and another. It will void your warranty. Inverter, batteries and a good charging generator are the way to go, or get an extended use generator. The sticker shock will probably kill you, but what the heck. An RV generator is the same. You need to really step up for a continuous unit.

freebird77 · Oct 24, 2009

I Have a 500 watt I bought from Sams Club for such occasions and have since read that you should only run them up to three hours at a time, then shut them off. Also, I remember reading that these small gas generators are only good for about 500 hours total before needing rebuilding, or replacing. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Wood Pirate · Oct 24, 2009

I just got my hands on a Kohler 10kW 2 cylinder diesel generator. It was being replaced on a job and needed to be removed. Pretty heavy on skids. I took it out and cleaned it up and it was barely ever used. It has 85 hours on it. It came with a 25 gallon day tank and the whole exhaust system.

A mouse chewed through a few wires but I ordered the owners and parts manuals from kohler which should be arriving soon.

I plan on putting it up at my hunting camp in the Catskills (Log Home No Electric but pre wired). I will pour a small pad and build an enclosure around it.

freebird77 · Oct 24, 2009

Sounds like he way to go

CanadaClinker · Oct 24, 2009

here's a new alternative to installing a service Xfer switch....... not sure what the cost comparison is between this meter base type and the one the electrician has to wire in the basement panel.... looks simple enough....CC http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm

keep-in warm · Oct 24, 2009

I purchased the same EU2000i setup to run the stove, fridge and TV. I opted to purchase the propane conversion kit to avoid stale gas issues.

see the kit here:

http://www.generatorsales.com/order/Honda-EU2000i-Tri-Fuel-Kit.asp?page=Honda_EU2000i_Tri_Fuel_Kit

gbreda · Oct 24, 2009

CanadaClinker said:
here's a new alternative to installing a service Xfer switch....... not sure what the cost comparison is between this meter base type and the one the electrician has to wire in the basement panel.... looks simple enough....CC http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm

Looks good, but I would definately pay to have your utility company install this. That way if there is a backfeed, they cannot come after you for a line tech getting zapped. Alot of people dont think about backfeed, I know that I didnt until a friend in that line of work mentioned it during last years ice outage.

amick780 · Oct 24, 2009

CanadaClinker said:
here's a new alternative to installing a service Xfer switch....... not sure what the cost comparison is between this meter base type and the one the electrician has to wire in the basement panel.... looks simple enough....CC http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm

Looks like a great setup, unfortunately it will not work with generator that are Full panel GFCI (or neutral bonded). It will trip the Ground fault. Too bad, most generators these days are full GFCI.

burrman · Oct 24, 2009

littlesmokey said:
Here I go, again. Mr. BubbleBurster. Those portable units are intermittent use only. You run that sucker continuously and you'll be back for another and another and another. It will void your warranty. Inverter, batteries and a good charging generator are the way to go, or get an extended use generator. The sticker shock will probably kill you, but what the heck. An RV generator is the same. You need to really step up for a continuous unit.

not true...i have a 1200 watt genny and i bet it has 3000 hours on it..still runs like a top..and the genny is a walmart special best 200 bucks i spent....i have a 5000 watt genny for my house when the power goes out ive ran that for a week and half one time constant...runs like a top still....JMO thanks

CanadaClinker · Oct 24, 2009

amick780 said:
CanadaClinker said:

here's a new alternative to installing a service Xfer switch....... not sure what the cost comparison is between this meter base type and the one the electrician has to wire in the basement panel.... looks simple enough....CC http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm

Click to expand...

Looks like a great setup, unfortunately it will not work with generator that are Full panel GFCI (or neutral bonded). It will trip the Ground fault. Too bad, most generators these days are full GFCI.

amick..... here's a link to what generators can be used with the 'generlink' check under 'compatible notes' ... http://www.generlink.com/generators_main.cfm ...... CC

amick780 · Oct 24, 2009

CanadaClinker said:
amick780 said:

CanadaClinker said:

here's a new alternative to installing a service Xfer switch....... not sure what the cost comparison is between this meter base type and the one the electrician has to wire in the basement panel.... looks simple enough....CC http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm

Click to expand...

Looks like a great setup, unfortunately it will not work with generator that are Full panel GFCI (or neutral bonded). It will trip the Ground fault. Too bad, most generators these days are full GFCI.

Click to expand...

amick..... here's a link to what generators can be used with the 'generlink' check under 'compatible notes' ... http://www.generlink.com/generators_main.cfm ...... CC

amick780 · Oct 24, 2009

Looks like a nice and easy product to use, unfortunally I have a Generac XP 8000, and it is not compatable. Was real excited about the product though. Thanks for the information!!

As to littlesmokey's comment about portable generators failing, I have used my generator a bunch of times for 4+days at a rip and never had a problem. For the cost of a standby generator I can get 3 portable generators and they will probably outlive me!! 450hrs on it and going strong, just change the oil (gas and go).

LIpelletpig · Oct 24, 2009

I have to disagree with some of you. This unit is a workhorse and it stands up to hard use. I just recently purcahsed the same set-up without the 5 gallon extension and it is a perfect unit for back-up on the stove. This unit has a conversion kit for a halogen light that gets mounted right on the unit. They use it often in the fire/EMS service for extra light at auto accidents and fires at night. This same Honda Generator is at my fire department and has been in use since 9/11. We had that unit at the sight for weeks and it never died. It continues to be in service on our ladder truck today. It has never given us a problem and it has run for 1000s of hours. Yeah it won't power the whole house or all your appliances but thie unit is a solid generator. my2c

imacman · Oct 24, 2009

keep-in warm said:
...... I opted to purchase the propane conversion kit to avoid stale gas issues.

see the kit here:

http://www.generatorsales.com/order/Honda-EU2000i-Tri-Fuel-Kit.asp?page=Honda_EU2000i_Tri_Fuel_Kit

Nice find, keep-inwarm. What size propane tank do you use? How long is the run time?

imacman · Oct 24, 2009

amick780 said:
.....As to littlesmokey's comment about portable generators failing, I have used my generator a bunch of times for 4+days at a rip and never had a problem...... just change the oil (gas and go).

Having been around engines all my life (all the way from little .049 model airplane engines, up to 500cu.in race engines), if you have a 4 cycle genny, run the unit for a few hours, dump the oil (while hot), and put a good quality synthetic in it (Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc).

Synthetic will handle extended runs w/o breakdown. I have run Mobil 1 in my generator since after the first 10 hrs.

If you have a 2 cycle unit, there are synthetics for that too, I believe. Amsoil Professional or Sabre is what I'd use.

Run synthetic.....your genny will thank you for it. ;-)

eric_s · Oct 25, 2009

macman said:
amick780 said:

.....As to littlesmokey's comment about portable generators failing, I have used my generator a bunch of times for 4+days at a rip and never had a problem...... just change the oil (gas and go).

Click to expand...

Having been around engines all my life (all the way from little .049 model airplane engines, up to 500cu.in race engines), if you have a 4 cycle genny, run the unit for a few hours, dump the oil (while hot), and put a good quality synthetic in it (Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc).

Synthetic will handle extended runs w/o breakdown. I have run Mobil 1 in my generator since after the first 10 hrs.

If you have a 2 cycle unit, there are synthetics for that too, I believe. Amsoil Professional or Sabre is what I'd use.

Run synthetic.....your genny will thank you for it. ;-)

Any opnions on brands of engines to look for or say away from with generators? Been looking for something about 5kw to run the pellet stove and a few other things. Home Depot has some on sale right now (Husky 5500W with a Subaru Engine, or B&S 5000W,or Generac GP5500). I've heard good things about the Subaru engines.

kbjelka · Oct 25, 2009

eric_s said:
macman said:

amick780 said:

.....As to littlesmokey's comment about portable generators failing, I have used my generator a bunch of times for 4+days at a rip and never had a problem...... just change the oil (gas and go).

Click to expand...

Having been around engines all my life (all the way from little .049 model airplane engines, up to 500cu.in race engines), if you have a 4 cycle genny, run the unit for a few hours, dump the oil (while hot), and put a good quality synthetic in it (Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc).

Synthetic will handle extended runs w/o breakdown. I have run Mobil 1 in my generator since after the first 10 hrs.

If you have a 2 cycle unit, there are synthetics for that too, I believe. Amsoil Professional or Sabre is what I'd use.

Run synthetic.....your genny will thank you for it. ;-)

Click to expand...

Any opnions on brands of engines to look for or say away from with generators? Been looking for something about 5kw to run the pellet stove and a few other things. Home Depot has some on sale right now (Husky 5500W with a Subaru Engine, or B&S 5000W,or Generac GP5500). I've heard good things about the Subaru engines.

I have a Billy Goat Leaf Blower with a Subaru 9HP and I have been very impressed. Was sold to me by a commercial guy that got out of the business. I have had it for 5 years and it still starts on the first pull every time.

imacman · Oct 25, 2009

eric_s said:
Any opnions on brands of engines to look for or say away from with generators? Been looking for something about 5kw to run the pellet stove and a few other things. Home Depot has some on sale right now (Husky 5500W with a Subaru Engine, or B&S 5000W,or Generac GP5500)......

Eric, you could try this forum that I belong to that just deals with Generac generators. This is a forum just for portable units.

http://zillerelectric.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=11

eric_s · Oct 25, 2009

macman said:
eric_s said:

Any opnions on brands of engines to look for or say away from with generators? Been looking for something about 5kw to run the pellet stove and a few other things. Home Depot has some on sale right now (Husky 5500W with a Subaru Engine, or B&S 5000W,or Generac GP5500)......

Click to expand...

Eric, you could try this forum that I belong to that just deals with Generac generators. This is a forum just for portable units.

http://zillerelectric.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=11

Thanks. I'll take a look.

rowerwet · Oct 26, 2009

eric_s said:
macman said:

amick780 said:

.....As to littlesmokey's comment about portable generators failing, I have used my generator a bunch of times for 4+days at a rip and never had a problem...... just change the oil (gas and go).

Click to expand...

Having been around engines all my life (all the way from little .049 model airplane engines, up to 500cu.in race engines), if you have a 4 cycle genny, run the unit for a few hours, dump the oil (while hot), and put a good quality synthetic in it (Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Amsoil, etc).

Synthetic will handle extended runs w/o breakdown. I have run Mobil 1 in my generator since after the first 10 hrs.

If you have a 2 cycle unit, there are synthetics for that too, I believe. Amsoil Professional or Sabre is what I'd use.

Run synthetic.....your genny will thank you for it. ;-)

Click to expand...

Any opnions on brands of engines to look for or say away from with generators? Been looking for something about 5kw to run the pellet stove and a few other things. Home Depot has some on sale right now (Husky 5500W with a Subaru Engine, or B&S 5000W,or Generac GP5500). I've heard good things about the Subaru engines.

my generator (see signature) ran 5 days straight during the ice storm last winter, then for another full day or three during another power outage (we get them all the time here) refilled with amsoil and no issues, the subaru engine is recomended on most places I looked. the 4 gal tank ran me up to 16 hrs, with a fridge or deepfreeze, tankless hot water heater, up to three circulators (two continuous), the maxim, and different CFLs in the house all on. (oh yeah I also plugged in the tree, good thing I just got LED christmas lights for it.)

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