looking at generators...

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timbo

timbo

New Member
Oct 9, 2009
119
Concord area, NH
OK, I may be opening a can of worms here....I am in the market for a generator. Almost a year ago, we lost our power for 8 days (great NE ice storm). Fortunately at the time we had a coal stove so we had heat, such as it was. Now we have the pellet stove and it ain't gonna run by itself.

SO I need to start looking at generators. Hondas are really nice but way to pricey for me unless I can find a used one so those are out. I have about $600 to spend, maybe a bit more...

Here's my wish list:

Must be a 4 cycle
Must have 120 and 230 VAC
preferably quiet(ish)
must be 5KW

I don't necessarily need to know THE one to get unless you feel REALLY strongly about it...what I'd rather know is which one's to stay away from.

Tim
 
sinnian said:
If you can stretch your $600 to $950, there is a Honda in Nashua on CL

http://nh.craigslist.org/hsh/1450953450.html

I would stay away from HD's Husky generators.
Click to expand...

yeah, I saw that...a bit rich for my blood right now...I really want to have a generator before snow flies...last years ice storm, there was no warning...it was supposed to be rain as those of us that went through it know... it was until the temps dropped like a stone through a wet paper bag...I remember standing in my back yard and listening to the trees falling over in the woods behind my house like something huge was strolling through the woods, pushing trees down at will...scary.
 
Timbo: I know about the Ice Storm. Went through It. (Plaistow N.H.) I have a Generac 5500 XL.
Notice the XL. It stands for Extended Life. When looking for a generator try to get one with a oil pump and filter It will greatly extend the life of your machine. I didnt have the pellet stove I now have when we had the Ice storm last year but We were in the house with the Boiler, well, refrig,freezer plasma tv and dvd running along with 5 or 6 lights with NO problems
I also gave out Care Packages (Water and Food to the neighbors) that for years were thinking of getting a gen set.

P.S. Make sure you hook It up to a Gen transfer switch
Jim H
 
That storm went just north of us last year but it sure was a wake up call. I just bought a Honda EU2000i from www.mayberrys.com shipped to the door for $899 flat. I did not get a price from them on the EU1000i but I bet would be right in your price range. Borrowed a watt meter from work and Quadra-Fire Castile draws about 400 watts at startup and 80 - 100 watts running depending on the selected feed rate. I'm sure the EU1000i would run your stove no problem but there is no replacement for displacement as they say. I would go with the Honda and spring for the EU2000i if you can. Reliable as it gets and super quiet. I purchased an extended run tank setup in case the big one hits here. Call both www.mayberrys.com and www.wisesales.com for the best pricing. Good luck!
 

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You have to figure out what else you will run too.
I was surprised that I measured 39 amps inrush on my 450' well.
The 5kw generator didn't cut it; had to use 7.5 kW unit.
 
You might want to look at Briggs & Stratton® Generators

I menage to get a Briggs & Stratton a day after after the Ice storm, last one in Northern New England in Rutland Vermont. Good thing I had friends and family that lived near there. I only had to use it for eight hours, power got reconnected after some one in my mobile home park all most burned down their home by leaving a candle unattended near some curtains in a bath room.

The one I have is a 5500/8550 watts last year version of their Storm responce gens for $800.00. I seen them for less now all over the place. There is a smaller one from Briggs 3500/4800 Elite Series may cost less. Should be enough for heat, fridge, few lights, maybe a small tv.
 
Try to find a Honda 2500em or 3500em It will run much quieter then the Generac (VERY LOUD. I HAD ONE) and use less gas. It will run anything you need but not at once. I have a Gardian 8k whole house that runs on propane and a Honda 2500 em for the extended periods of the power being out. Running the 8k for long periods will cost $$$$$. Find the Honda em I picked mine up for $250
 
my dad just bought the champion generator from tractor supply...$300 ,3000 watt, and quiet! i couldnt believe how quiet it was.puts my coleman contractor series to shame. as soon as i can afford it, i wil have one as well.

mike
 
mjbrown65 said:
my dad just bought the champion generator from tractor supply...$300 ,3000 watt, and quiet! i couldnt believe how quiet it was.puts my coleman contractor series to shame. as soon as i can afford it, i wil have one as well.

mike
Click to expand...

I didn't realize until last week that there was a TSC near where I live. I will check out the generators they have...one of the more important requirements is that it be fairly quiet as I have neighbors that, while they certainly aren't pains in my butt, probably wouldn't like to listen to a generator droning away for hours on end, 150 feet away...on the other hand, if it comes down to my comfort or theirs, mine will win out...within reason.
 
timbo said:
mjbrown65 said:
my dad just bought the champion generator from tractor supply...$300 ,3000 watt, and quiet! i couldnt believe how quiet it was.puts my coleman contractor series to shame. as soon as i can afford it, i wil have one as well.

mike
Click to expand...

I didn't realize until last week that there was a TSC near where I live. I will check out the generators they have...one of the more important requirements is that it be fairly quiet as I have neighbors that, while they certainly aren't pains in my butt, probably wouldn't like to listen to a generator droning away for hours on end, 150 feet away...on the other hand, if it comes down to my comfort or theirs, mine will win out...within reason.
Click to expand...

When it come to staying warm, "with in reason" the neighbor can take a flying leap. Invite them over, maybe they Will buy their own gen as well. Get your mind set on surviving an emergency situation and less on the neighbor. That's why there were so many people who acted so stupidly last year. They were not thinking of going to a shelter, they wanted the power company to do an imposable, restore power to their house right now.
 
Hoverfly said:
timbo said:
mjbrown65 said:
my dad just bought the champion generator from tractor supply...$300 ,3000 watt, and quiet! i couldnt believe how quiet it was.puts my coleman contractor series to shame. as soon as i can afford it, i wil have one as well.

mike
Click to expand...

I didn't realize until last week that there was a TSC near where I live. I will check out the generators they have...one of the more important requirements is that it be fairly quiet as I have neighbors that, while they certainly aren't pains in my butt, probably wouldn't like to listen to a generator droning away for hours on end, 150 feet away...on the other hand, if it comes down to my comfort or theirs, mine will win out...within reason.
Click to expand...

When it come to staying warm, "with in reason" the neighbor can take a flying leap. Invite them over, maybe they Will buy their own gen as well. Get your mind set on surviving an emergency situation and less on the neighbor. That's why there were so many people who acted so stupidly last year. They were not thinking of going to a shelter, they wanted the power company to do an imposable, restore power to their house right now.
Click to expand...

well, they have a woodstove so they're all set and like I said, if it comes down to my comfort or theirs, mine will definitely win out. I do live out in the country and don't have any really close neighbors...one guy across the street who could care less (he burns wood too) and then the neighbors just north of me about 200 feet away...they are the ones that might get a bit edgy if it's too loud too long but then again, I'm not going to run it unless there's an emergency in which case, they can kiss my @$$ if it's too loud. They're "city" folk, moved up from "Joizey" trying to do the country thing...they're actually fun to watch sometimes...particularly funny to watch him attempt to split wood. He ended up renting a splitter for a week. I had to show them how to build a fire in their stove. Nice people, I guess, just not too many "country" smarts.
 
timbo said:
well, they have a woodstove so they're all set and like I said, if it comes down to my comfort or theirs, mine will definitely win out. I do live out in the country and don't have any really close neighbors...
Click to expand...

I can't say I'm out in the country, as my nearest neighbor is about 50 ft away, but they have NO problem running their little, noisy, portable genny about 40 ft from my bedroom window ALL NIGHT LONG. (and they have a wood stove, so it's not for heat.)

I like them, and their nice people, but they are worrying about themselves first and foremost.

Bottom line, do what's best for you & your family......if the neighbors are 200 ft away, I wouldn't give it a 2nd thought.
 
Now we got that all set, my Briggs has a good size muffler it's not a Honda but it was less expensive than a Honda. Opens other possibility's for yeah.
 
I recently purchased a Husky 5000 Watt Genny. We get an unusual amount of power outages on my street due to mature trees loosing branches in high wind. A few weeks a go we had a 23 hour power outage and the generator came in handy. I had my fridge, Pellet stove, tv, a few laptops and about 6 light bulbs. Used the microwave here and there also. I bought a device at Radio Schlack called Kill A Watt that tells me the precise watts needed by any appliance, that came in very handy for $22.
 
Honda EU-2000 all the way,Best Gen i've ever owned, bought used from Bangor Maine off buy and sell paper for $450, someone used it for there motorhome, we use it every weekend all weekend long all summer long at the lake,and then at home when the power goes out to keep the Pellet stove fired up.Best $450 i ever spent.When its dead, I'll buy same thing again.Well, Maybe the EU-3000 with Elect remote start, Yeah,
 
Might want to check your local Home Depot. I was looking to buy one and they had some on sale.
I ended up with a 5500W Briggs and Stratton for $235, but haven't seen any stores with those left.
The stores did still have a 5000W Husky w/ Subaru Engine for $499, 5500W Generac for $549 and a larger Generac (can't remember details as it was more than I wanted).
 
I was looking at generators the other day on the web (another great New England ice storm of 2008 survivor here) and I ran across this propane powered 3000 watt unit that looked intriquing -
<http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Generators/ETQ/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh3Zb8xpZ4h3/R-100669122/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053>

Its only available online apparently, but not a bad price. The specs say it is also relatively quiet (not quite as quiet as some of the Hondas though) and should have decent run time on a 20lb tank.
 
macman said:
timbo said:
There's someone on craigslist here in NH selling a Generac Generator for $500. It's kinda peaked my interest...

http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/1451901483.html
Click to expand...

Their made by Generac for Lowes.......Lowes has lowered their price on a brand new one to $599

www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=255887-24212-0055770&lpage=none
Click to expand...

Word of caution on that lowes link. Right from their site
"UL Safety Listing: No
CSA Safety Listing: No
ETL Safety Listing: No"

So buyer beware.
 
Gweeper64 said:
I was looking at generators the other day on the web (another great New England ice storm of 2008 survivor here) and I ran across this propane powered 3000 watt unit that looked intriquing -
<http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Generators/ETQ/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh3Zb8xpZ4h3/R-100669122/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053>

Its only available online apparently, but not a bad price. The specs say it is also relatively quiet (not quite as quiet as some of the Hondas though) and should have decent run time on a 20lb tank.
Click to expand...

Just remember that in cold weather a 20 pounder does not boil into a gas very fast, in might not be enough to run the gen. You should be able to double up on them to boil fast enough to supply the gen at full power. I have see bigger tanks that strap to RV's as well, same diameter just taller than a 20 pounder but still manageable to move around if supply is an issue. Also make sure it's a dual or tipple fuel unit, if you run out of propane, you can run gasoline duel fuel, or natural gas on a triple unit.
 
Hoverfly said:
I have see bigger tanks that strap to RV's as well, same diameter just taller than a 20 pounder but still manageable to move around if supply is an issue......
Click to expand...

like the 2 on the left of this pic ( 30, 40 Lb)
 

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