portable generator back up for pellet stove

[Jacques909]

I was thinking of getting a portable generator for back up for my Harman p61a. Not looking to spend crazy amount of money. I was wondering if anyone here uses one? How many watts would I need?

 

[Delta-T]

watts are pretty easy...unit hits about 450W at start up...somewheres between about 150 to 250 when its running, depending on the settings. The important thing to consider is the "pure sine wave". Many generators produce a modified sine, or square wave, both of which can lead to premature electronics failure. DO make sure you run a surge suppressor on the stove and avoid using same generator with coffee maker, microwave oven, or hair dryer (somewhat high draw and instantaneous off causes surges that are common for killing control boards). If you are looking for suggestion..I like the Honda EU1000i...is nice unit.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

If you want a cheap back up, go check out harbor freights, starts at $279, delivered...

 

[Jacques909]

So as long as I have a surge suppressor I should be fine?... having more than one generator does not seem ideal...

 

[jslinger]

I am not sure what you consider a crazy amount of money, but I second the Honda Eu1000i inverter generator. I have a EU2000i and love it. They are so quiet, and efficient. I have always tried to purchase power equipment with Japanese engines (Honda, Kawasaki, Maruyama). In my experience, they are worth the extra money.
Yamaha generators are nice as well.
I used a meter to determine the actual power consumption of my XXV, and it was well below what the manual states. If I remember correctly, I was able to start my stove, run my 60" plasma and cable box, for under 500W.
You should certainly be fine with 1000W of output.

 

[St_Earl]

a surge suppressor does not change the output of the generator.

 

[mchasal]

These refurb Champion inverter generators have been recommended here before. No personal experience, but others have reported good results: http://supergenproducts.com/product-category/cpe/cpe-inverter/

 

[richkorn]

I was thinking of getting a portable generator for back up for my Harman p61a. Not looking to spend crazy amount of money. I was wondering if anyone here uses one? How many watts would I need?

Those are great questions. I wonder if this topic has ever been discussed here before?

 

[CamperWill]

We'll be using a Ryobi 2200 inverter generator for our pellet stove this year.

 

[Madcodger]

Warning: Soap box rant approaching... Best bet for any of us: Check with YOUR stove mfr to see if YOUR stove requires a sine wave, near-sign wave (i.e., stepped), or just a plain old modified sine wave generator. Saying "it worked for me" in this subject area, unless someone else has the same stove model (MAYBE same mfr) OR unless a person is just recommending a sine wave gennie (admittedly more expensive), is not much different than comparing eyeglass precriptions. What works for one may not work for another.

A true sine wave generator will always work, of course, if it produces enough wattage (and almost any will, as stoves don't take much). But sending someone off to buy anything less is a roll of the dice, but with their money. Electronics can be damaged, and/or someone can end up with no heat when they need it most. People are easily confused in this area, confusing things like wave form with surges, as we see here. Send them off to THEIR mfr to get facts rather than opinion. Stepping off soap box now...

 

[CamperWill]

From my understanding it's pretty standard to use a pure sine wave UPS with our stoves, so why do we need a pure sine wave generator when the generator will be passing electricity through the UPS which will then regulate the output?

 

[Madcodger]

From my understanding it's pretty standard to use a pure sine wave UPS with our stoves, so why do we need a pure sine wave generator when the generator will be passing electricity through the UPS which will then regulate the output?

In some cases, that will work fine. But many UPS' also will not function on a modified sine wave generator. They will PRODUCE a sine wave from the battety, but not ACCEPT "dirty", modified sine wave power from many gennies. And yes, this varies widely from device to device and gennie to gennie.

Three years ago we purchased three new UPS for our home repair company. The first time we powered up the gennie those three units refused to accept the incoming power, making them useless beyond a few minutes of battery life. The big server UPS chugged along just fine, though, because it was designed to accept this "dirty" power.

If you have a store with a liberal return policy and want to test a UPS on generator power, then now - BEFORE it's needed - is a great time to check this. My concern is for people who buy any combination of gennies and UPS, and then find they have an immediate need they can't meet and/or equipment they can't return.

 

[newbieinCT]

thanks for all the info! Been trying to figure the generator thing out but we don't even have our new stove yet. It's always good to learn. Thanks everyone!

 

[P38X2]

As mentioned before, along with the benefit of pure sine wave power output from the "fancy" generators, the noise (audible) factor should be a HUGE consideration.

I have a Homelite/Yamaha generator that outputs "dirty" power, so no pellet stove, and it is LOUD. I bought it out of desperation during the ice storm of 2009. It worked great for my coffee pot, box fan (to extract heat from my gas PF) and a few other odds n ends. If I could do it again, I'd have spent more on a clean power unit, not just for that fact, but the noise level. The good ones are relatively VERY quiet. Definitely something to consider.

 

[MikeNH]

I was thinking of getting a portable generator for back up for my Harman p61a. Not looking to spend crazy amount of money. I was wondering if anyone here uses one? How many watts would I need?

My UPS display says about 430W when my pellet stove igniter is on. I just added a Yamaha EF2000iS Inverter Generator into my backup plan. They are very similar to the smaller Honda models, except they're blue. This little thing is very quiet. We use it to run the pellet stoves, the TV, a few lights, router, and phone chargers. We have a Generac XP8000e to power everything else during long outages, but during the ice storm of 2008, we noticed that it was running all day to mostly power about 500-800W of stuff, hence the addition of the Yamaha.

Some considerations - do you want to power other things with this? Do you want to power the necessities in your home during a long outage? What's your price range? Chinese knock-offs can be had for a few hundred dollars, and they work just fine in a pinch but I've heard stories around my area of folks frying their well pumps with them.

If you DO get one, whatever you get, make sure you exercise it. Take it out every so often, put fresh gas in it, and run it with a load on it. Generators don't like to just sit around, and you want to make sure it runs when you need it to.

 

[SwineFlue]

We have a Generac XP8000e to power everything else during long outages

Did the Harman & Heatilator run OK on the XP8000?

 

[Micmann]

If you DO get one, whatever you get, make sure you exercise it. Take it out every so often, put fresh gas in it, and run it with a load on it. Generators don't like to just sit around, and you want to make sure it runs when you need it to.

Even better, install a propane carb kit. Never store gasoline again. Propane stores for a very very long time and never gums up lines or carbs.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Warning: Soap box rant approaching... Best bet for any of us: Check with YOUR stove mfr to see if YOUR stove requires a sine wave, near-sign wave (i.e., stepped), or just a plain old modified sine wave generator. Saying "it worked for me" in this subject area, unless someone else has the same stove model (MAYBE same mfr) OR unless a person is just recommending a sine wave gennie (admittedly more expensive), is not much different than comparing eyeglass precriptions. What works for one may not work for another.

A true sine wave generator will always work, of course, if it produces enough wattage (and almost any will, as stoves don't take much). But sending someone off to buy anything less is a roll of the dice, but with their money. Electronics can be damaged, and/or someone can end up with no heat when they need it most. People are easily confused in this area, confusing things like wave form with surges, as we see here. Send them off to THEIR mfr to get facts rather than opinion. Stepping off soap box now...

Good post....just wanted to clarify that regular generators are not a "modified" sine wave. That term is used when using an inverter from dc to ac. Regular generators produce normal sine waves, just not perfect or pure like a "pure" sine wave inverter would.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

My UPS display says about 430W when my pellet stove igniter is on. I just added a Yamaha EF2000iS Inverter Generator into my backup plan. They are very similar to the smaller Honda models, except they're blue. This little thing is very quiet. We use it to run the pellet stoves, the TV, a few lights, router, and phone chargers. We have a Generac XP8000e to power everything else during long outages, but during the ice storm of 2008, we noticed that it was running all day to mostly power about 500-800W of stuff, hence the addition of the Yamaha.

Some considerations - do you want to power other things with this? Do you want to power the necessities in your home during a long outage? What's your price range? Chinese knock-offs can be had for a few hundred dollars, and they work just fine in a pinch but I've heard stories around my area of folks frying their well pumps with them.

If you DO get one, whatever you get, make sure you exercise it. Take it out every so often, put fresh gas in it, and run it with a load on it. Generators don't like to just sit around, and you want to make sure it runs when you need it to.

Do you know if these folks that fried their pumps were using an appropriately sized generator? Those well pumps need outrageous amounts of surge watts to get them going and a generator that is too small would not be good. I have read virtually every blog, review and know people that have a Chinese knock off, including myself and the results are overwhelmingly positive when used correctly.

 

[MikeNH]

Do you know if these folks that fried their pumps were using an appropriately sized generator? Those well pumps need outrageous amounts of surge watts to get them going and a generator that is too small would not be good. I have read virtually every blog, review and know people that have a Chinese knock off, including myself and the results are overwhelmingly positive when used correctly.

I don't know the answer to that. I only heard this from a local well driller that I know, and this was after the ice storm when many people were running their Generators constantly for days...however, I wouldn't doubt for a second that you're right. Either the generator was too small, or they had too much of a load already when the well started.

Did the Harman & Heatilator run OK on the XP8000?

We never had the occasion to try it. We bought the Harman in Dec of 2012 and the Heatilator this past summer, and neither has been run on the Generac.

 

[Threerun]

I am not sure what you consider a crazy amount of money, but I second the Honda Eu1000i inverter generator. I have a EU2000i and love it. They are so quiet, and efficient. I have always tried to purchase power equipment with Japanese engines (Honda, Kawasaki, Maruyama). In my experience, they are worth the extra money.
Yamaha generators are nice as well.
I used a meter to determine the actual power consumption of my XXV, and it was well below what the manual states. If I remember correctly, I was able to start my stove, run my 60" plasma and cable box, for under 500W.
You should certainly be fine with 1000W of output.

I would agree with this. Reliable, quiet and efficient. You can run several appliances off this little bugger.

 

[Madcodger]

Good post....just wanted to clarify that regular generators are not a "modified" sine wave. That term is used when using an inverter from dc to ac. Regular generators produce normal sine waves, just not perfect or pure like a "pure" sine wave inverter would.

Your description may be technically accurate, but as used in normal conversation, the output of an inexpensive generator is anything BUT a sinusoidal wave, which is the normal definition of a "sine" wave as commonly used. And those less expensive gennies are commonly referred to, at least in my part of the world, as "modified" sine wave gennies. I suppose it would be more accurate to call it a "squared waveform", but it is not a "sine" wave if you take that to mean the smooth, repetitive oscillation we obtain from utility power or a true/pure since wave generator.

 

[IHATEPROPANE]

Your description may be technically accurate, but as used in normal conversation, the output of an inexpensive generator is anything BUT a sinusoidal wave, which is the normal definition of a "sine" wave as commonly used. And those less expensive gennies are commonly referred to, at least in my part of the world, as "modified" sine wave gennies. I suppose it would be more accurate to call it a "squared waveform", but it is not a "sine" wave if you take that to mean the smooth, repetitive oscillation we obtain from utility power or a true/pure since wave generator.

Agreed. The Utility power and "Pure" sine wave inverter would be a nice sine wave.

This link from Honda describes some different wave forms that come out if different generator types. http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/selecting-a-generator
And here is a pic of modified wave forms. These visuals are great at seeing the differences. Now how certain electronics and motors will respond to each?????

 

[Dgopetactical]

I have a Coleman 8k gen wired into my home with a flick of a switch I can run most of my home and we can go about our lives. I have ran my stove on the gen from time to time but never had a power outage that I had to depend on the gen to run my stove.

I know there is a science between pure sine and dirty electric and what it could possibly happen to delicate electrical componets.

Has anybody ever had any equipment actualy damaged by a "dirty generator"?

 

[Woody1911a1]

ok lets look at it from a different angle .... fuel cost . i've got 2 , a champion 2k inverter and a champion 4k open frame . the 2 k inverter burns 1 gal in the same time frame that the 4k burns 5 gals .

no big deal if it's only a short outage , but think about spending (10 gals @ 3.50 = $35.00) $35 / day for a long outage . the 2k inverter would be 2 gals = $7.50 and be quiet .

i spent less than $800 for both of them .