What size Portable Generator do you have?

[Dave Lehnert]

Every fall I say i'm going to buy a gas power portable generator. I start looking and get all bogged down in the details, add up everything I may want to run etc... I know about what and what not to do tapping into the electric box etc.......Can never decide.
This is just for around the house so I can plug the freezer in every few hours, plug portable electric heaters in so I have some heat etc....

To make it simple on myself. What size portable generator do you own and do you wish you purchased bigger or smaller.


The one im looking at (at a price I feel conformable spending) is 4500 starting watts 3650 running.
http://www.championpowerequipment.com/products/generators/for-home/100216-3650w4500w-generator/

[Jim Becker]

Dave, the portable I own has similar specifications to the one you linked to and it's a nice size for general purposes. I don't need mine anymore because we put in a whole house generator last fall, but for the time I've owned it, it did what I asked of it. One tip...drain the fuel when it's stored away. Really hard starting these puppies with stale gas!!!

[Mike Cutler]

Dave

That's actually a little on the smallish size if you're planning on running temporary heaters. That isn't a whole lot of watts. I'd go higher, 6500 watts continuous.
I have a 4000 watt and need it for the well pump, refer, and freezer, and it's undersized for my needs. We've never lost power i the winter, knock on wood, but if we ever did, I know i want at least 6500 watts continuous.

[John Terefenko]

www.electricgeneratordepot.com/honda-7000watt-super-quiet-light-weight-inverter-120-240v-fuel-efficient-generator-eu7000is

I have this one. They have upgrade to this newer model but I have the 6500watt. Great generator. Done whatever I threw at it. Went through a few storms in the winters.

[Mac McQuinn]

I have a (11) year old Honda EB5000, Works well with regular changing out of gas, recently been using REC 90 w/o ethanol. If you have back or shoulder issues, consider a electric start model. I run a sump pump, furnace, fridge and a few lights with 0 problems. Wired in with Honda panel.
Good luck,
Mac

[Al Launier]

One thing to be cautious about is to be sure the generator has a voltage regulator (electricians please pipe in here) to avoid potential problems with running electronic equipment. I experienced the loss of the command module on my boiler because the generator didn't regulate the voltage well enough to a low percent fluctuation (5-10% ???).

Also, from what I understand there is little that can go wrong with the actual generator part of the system. Instead, I think the engine should be carefully considered for reliability in the event of a multi-day outage. For that reason, I felt more comfortable with a Honda engine with the portable generators I had.

Further, have a good supply of fuel on hand in outside storage since an outage will also affect gas stations as well.

I had a 5 KW and a 7 KW portable, each of which powered the well pump motor, boiler, refrigerator, microwave, & master bedroom suite. I got tired (~75) of getting up at night to haul the generator out, setting things up & then firing it up. We had a 20 KW whole house generator installed in 2015 and no longer have power worries. Previously, a 5-day & a 3-day power outage was very uncomfortable to go through.

Good luck with your search.

[Matt Meiser]

We had. "5500" previously and could get along pretty good with heat, well, refrigerator, freezer, sump pump, lights, etc. We learned pretty quick that it was bad for electronics but luckily only fried a cheap microwave and some UPSs. We eventually put in a 12kw whole house system since we had a lot of outages and this house happened to come with one too but we haven't needed it in the three years we've lived here. I just saw it actually run with a load for the first time when they changed out our mechanical meter for a smart meter a few weeks ago.

[Ole Anderson]

Often the starting load of a motor is a major factor to consider when sizing a generator. But in your case, electric heat could be the main issue. I backfed my panel through my drier's 30 amp breaker so I don't have to run extension cords. A proper lockout will not allow the main breaker to be on while using your generator. Very important. Much less expensive and complicated than a transfer switch. I have a 5500 watt Generac that serves me very well and can run my furnace, sump pump, microwave Tv and all the lights I want in addition to my refrigerator. I don't have a well pump. But if I wanted to run two 1500 watt heaters, I would be looking for at least 7500 watts.

[Wade Lippman]

Forget about running electric heaters. Get a kerosene heater. Much cheaper and more dependable. I have run one for a week with a CO detector next to it and never had a problem.
I have run my fridge, freezer, furnace (perhaps not an issue for you) and a few lights and television for a week at least three times on 2000w Honda.
Remember, in an emergency gasoline might not be available and can't be stored reasonably. Big generators use lots of gasoline; you do the math.
OTOH, kerosene can be store forever.
I now have a Champion 2000w inverter. I have never actually used it except to make sure it runs, but people seem to love it. I saw it for $325 last year and couldn't resist.

[Jim Becker]

Many of us really can't stand the odor from a Kero heater, Wade...even if it is safe for the situation.

[Dave Lehnert]

Many of us really can't stand the odor from a Kero heater, Wade...even if it is safe for the situation.

And I have someone in the home on oxygen.

[Roger Fournier]

I bought a 7000 watt continuous generator a year ago but haven't needed it yet. Had an electrician install a whole house transfer switch, and the generator should run everything except the electric range, electric dryer and air conditioners. It should handle lights, heating system and refrigerators without too much trouble. We rarely lose power but all it would take is one time in the winter for the cost of frozen pipe repair to exceed the cost of the generator.

[Ed Aumiller]

OLE... "I backfed my panel through my drier's 30 amp breaker so I don't have to run extension cords. A proper lockout will not allow the main breaker to be on while using your generator. Very important."
Hopefully you disconnect the main breaker before you do this... Very easy for you to back feed on the main line and possibly kill a lineman working on the power lines or even a neighbor thinking the power is completely gone...
Also, you will not know when power is restored unless the the power company or a neighbor advises you if you disconnected the main breaker..

VERY DANGEROUS....

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own several generators. When we lose power, I start with the 2250 watt 5.0 HP. If outage is more than 4 hours, out comes the 3250, 6.5 HP, and if it over ten hours, out comes the 5250, 10.HP. The 10.0 HP is electric start. Last fall in Hurricane Mathew, we lost power for a week. We ran both refrigerators, a small (5000 BTU) window AC, small TV and some lights, along with booster pump. (We have a 1500 gal above ground storage tank on well.) Craiglist is an excellent source for used generators, usually less than 50% of new. Unfortunately a generator is not a good source to run electric heaters. The coffee pot puts a load on any of our generators. If you happen to have a gas water heater, consider adding an aqua coil to your heating system. This way water heater furnishes hot water to heat the house. We use a surge protector on anything that has electronics in it (refrigerator, TV, microwave etc.)

[Mike Cutler]

One thing to be cautious about is to be sure the generator has a voltage regulator (electricians please pipe in here) to avoid potential problems with running electronic equipment. I experienced the loss of the command module on my boiler because the generator didn't regulate the voltage well enough to a low percent fluctuation (5-10% ???).

Al
The "voltage regulator" you're referring to is part of an inverter. Honda, Yamaha, and others have them. Much more expensive though.The inverter makes a nice clean 60 hertz sine wave, AC, that is filtered. Digital electronics do not like "ratty" AC.

If money were no object, I'd have two Honda, inverter style generators, with the ability to parallel them.

[Matt Meiser]

Surge protectors don't really help with the issue of low-cost generators and electronics. A couple examples of what Mike is mentioning--I had a digital alarm clock that would gain upwards of 15 minutes an hour when we used the generator. I had 2 UPSs fail within days of running the generator, one I thought was going to catch on fire it was so hot. It took a couple times using the generator to realize the connection and cost us several hundred dollars. I would definitely not run any medical equipment off one.

I did the backfeed thing--I'd throw the main breaker and plug in a double ended extension cord to a 220 outlet we had on the outside of the house for that purpose. When we did the standby it was a pretty major project to get the transfer switch installed as our main panel was in a finished wall in the first-floor laundry room. Luckily all the circuits run up from the basement so we installed a 100A subpanel in the basement and pulled all the circuits we wanted on the generator down and installed the transfer switch next to that. Still meant opening up a wall, which led to redoing the laundry, which led to redoing all the hard flooring on the first floor which led to redoing the kitchen.

When we moved, I was planning to get a Honda or Yamaha inverter generator and put in a small transfer panel with just the critical circuits. Apparently early on our sub had power problems because most houses had them or had standbys.

[Dave Lehnert]

If I would decide to go all in and get a whole house generator. What kind of price range am I looking at?
FYI I heat with oil.

[Matt Meiser]

Do you have propane or natural gas? With the prior, you will want a very large tank.

I'm not sure your age but IIRC you retired so I'm going to guess older than me. Are you going to be able to deal with a portable in say 5 or 10 years? My parents made that decision and it was a good thing because my dad's health declined and no way they could have dealt with a portable, nor could I have gotten there in a reasonable time to deal with it a couple bad storms.

[Lloyd Kerry]

I bought a Champion, a little bigger model: http://www.championpowerequipment.com/products/generators/for-home/100107-6500w7800w-generator/

[Jim Becker]

If I would decide to go all in and get a whole house generator. What kind of price range am I looking at?
FYI I heat with oil.
A typical whole house unit, including installation, is a ~$10K investment. You'll need either natural gas or propane to power one.

[Dave Lehnert]

Do you have propane or natural gas? With the prior, you will want a very large tank.

I'm not sure your age but IIRC you retired so I'm going to guess older than me. Are you going to be able to deal with a portable in say 5 or 10 years? My parents made that decision and it was a good thing because my dad's health declined and no way they could have dealt with a portable, nor could I have gotten there in a reasonable time to deal with it a couple bad storms.

Just turned 49

I have natural gas past the house but not hooked up.

[Matt Meiser]

Ah, I must have you confused with someone else. Not much older than me!

I did mine for about $4000, not including all the remodeling it led to. But I got the generator at Costco and did 80% of the install. My friend did the subpanel install as a side job. The gas line was installed when we got natural gas, I just had to remove a plug and hook up a flex line. I did about 50% of my dad's and my friend did the rest, not including a couple hundred for a gas meter upgrade. I think he figured he spent about $6000. The generator Costco sells today is a bigger unit and therefore more expensive, but has a 200A transfer switch so neither of us would have needed a subpanel maybe making it a wash.

To answer your next question :) I have no idea what it costs to run. The weekly exercise is negligible and we didn't see any huge bills when ours ran for a few hours here and there. Maintenance, I put two quarts of oil, an oil filter, plugs, and an air filter in it yearly. I think the kits (minus the oil) are $40. I run synthetic oil for cold starting. Dad bought me a load tester for the batteries as a thank you for doing it. I replaced their battery at 4 years as a safety measure.

[Jim Becker]

I initially considered a "self install", but the gas work and changeover to the auto transfer switch as primary and my main panel to a sub combined with pulling the heavy cable from the switch through a small hole in an 18" thick stone wall (with bends) was more than I wanted to bite off on. And for this job, a permit was required. So I bought mine as a fixed price package from a local installer and nailed the timing for a manufacturer's 10 year parts AND labor warranty.

https://qaepwq-sn3301.files.1drv.com/y4mcKfl1ZGo9Fn7M8Tb2LqZG0hwM2kqUfWGabcKTiJZgEUgFCX n_kUEk0CoBlSGSCswihTE7t_akpFvAUcD-vW3uc8u6mk8-ecOfHsYKiaGVLmOf6wKVIJVx0t4lPDw4r2mOBwQjI4ACCAx290 bOSNtQ2d4p7EMi583ANVTUdB6MR7GNfuEx1pqApr6fzXDamEiI GsiaP96_d41-5hnIWTpkA?width=660&height=660&cropmode=none

[Ole Anderson]

OLE... "I backfed my panel through my drier's 30 amp breaker so I don't have to run extension cords. A proper lockout will not allow the main breaker to be on while using your generator. Very important."
Hopefully you disconnect the main breaker before you do this... Very easy for you to back feed on the main line and possibly kill a lineman working on the power lines or even a neighbor thinking the power is completely gone...
Also, you will not know when power is restored unless the the power company or a neighbor advises you if you disconnected the main breaker..

VERY DANGEROUS....

Yup. Tell me something I don't know... A proper interlock is a safe way to go. https://natramelec.com/genswitch/m/m3/m3.htm https://natramelec.com/genswitch/m/m3/m3.jpg

And unless you have an automatic, not manual, transfer switch, you still don't know when the power is back on.

[Al Launier]

In my neck of the woods (NH) an installed 20 KW Kohler whole house generator system was quoted from $12K to $14K. I was about to abort when I ran across another installer who quoted me $10,800 for a total turn-key installation including the town permits & warranty. Still don't understand how the other quotes could be so different. It pays to search!

[Maurice Hood]

I don’t mean to hi-jack the thread but have noticed that there hasn’t been much conversation regarding portable propane generators. I have a gas generator I’ve had for about 15 years. Luckily we have real dependable commercial power and almost never loose power for more than an hour or so (and that’s usually when some careless driver hits a power pole) unless a hurricane comes through. I have been considering getting a new portable generator and have about decided that propane is the way to go. I had a lot of carburetor problems with my old gas generator until I finally learned to shut off the gas and let the engine run on until all the fuel in the carburetor and fuel line are burned. Additionally I only keep a small amount of gas in the tank and still pull it out and run it about every 6 weeks or so. After years of dealing with a gas unit to me propane seems like a better idea for a piece of equipment that gets run very seldom. I would be interested in hearing from others that have gone the propane route. Thanks.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Propane only has 96,000 BTU's per gallon, so you burn more gallons to do the same amount of work. In our market propane usually costs more than gasoline.

[Brian Lefort]

I have a honda EU5500.

I can run well pump, boiler (with superstore for hot water), and any room (One at a time). I plug into a dryer outlet after shutting the main off. works well.

[michael langman]

I bought a homelite 4400 watt generator in 1996, in a group buy with 5 other people at work. After we lost power for almost a week,previously, my wife had to leave home for a warmer place. It got down to 40 degrees in the house.
I put in a short run of heavy gage wire,10 feet or so to a small breaker box used for my compressor, and then to the main breaker panel for the house. The other side of wire is attached to receptacle that the generator plugs into, outside the house.
When I have to use the generator in a power outage, I switch off the main switch off the power meter box outside the house, close the little metal door the switch is behind, and put a padlock on the door, so no one can open it, and switch the power back on from the road.
I then turn of the main switch to the house breaker panel. The wires from the generator bypass this switch, and feed directly into the main panel. I then turn off all the unnecessary breakers to the house.
The generator puts out 4000 watts with an 8hp gas engine. I easily powers my well,refrigerator,lights, and boiler for heat.
I always leave the gas tank empty until ready to use, because it is not used that often. This saves draining the gas. I also use a spray can of starter fluid, and spray a 3 second burst into the sparkplug hole of engine before starting. This makes it easier to pull starter rope and engine starts on one pull.

[Alan Rutherford]

We have a Ridgid 8500-starting/6800-running portable we got from Lowe's nearly 10 years ago when we moved to Florida. It got its first real test of about 48 hours when Hermine went through a year ago. With Irma aimed more-or-less in our direction, the one thing I'm not worried about is the generator. More would be nice, whole-house would be nice, this is enough. Propane or gas would be nice if we already had an installation. I've learned more about water in fuel tanks and gummy carburetors in the last 10 years than the preceding many decades and it would avoid that.We ran a refrigerator, chest freezer, microwave, computers, lots of lights and a window AC with it but not all at the same time. If I remember correctly, we could run all of those as long as the microwave was off. We didn't cook with electricity. It would be nice to wire it into the panel. I understand the issues. Maybe we'll do that someday but we did OK with extension cords on the floor.

[Arthur Fleming]

We have a Honda i2000 (2000 watt, inverter) generator. We live in a townhouse so the generator MUST be quiet. This is enough to run the gas water heater, gas furnace, and refrigerator, plus maybe a television. I have to cook on the propane grill, or do some unplugging and use the microwave (small microwave). We got through the ice storm about 8 years ago this way. If I had some (about $1200) spare cash I would buy the parallel mate to my generator and just feed the panel. This would give me the full use (though not at the same time) of all my 120 volt circuits. This would mean no ac or dryer, but very doable. And just like Ole Andersons picture, the interlock switch is a must. Us electricians seem to think we wouldn't make the classic home owners mistake of forgetting to unplug the generator when the power comes back on. One of my best friends is also an electrician, and during the same ice storm he backfed his generator into the panel without an interlock switch. On Saturday night he and his wife had a wedding to go to, so he gave his adult son the instructions on what to do if the power came back on. Turn the generator off. Unplug the generator. Turn the main breaker on. Of course the power came back on, and his son turned the generator off, and turned the main breaker on, forgetting to unplug it. Generator still runs like a Swiss watch, but she don't make electricity no more LOL. I'm hoping none of our generators are gonna be needed in the next couple of weeks.

[Wade Lippman]

After years of dealing with a gas unit to me propane seems like a better idea for a piece of equipment that gets run very seldom. I would be interested in hearing from others that have gone the propane route. Thanks.

Propane is a marvelous idea. You can store as much as you want as it doesn't go bad, and it doesn't gunk up your fuel system. And even when gasoline is unavailable you can probably find propane. A decent propane generator is rather more expensive than a gasoline generator and you have to worry about icing up a small tank with a big generator. But otherwise...

[James Waldron]

As one of the Neanderthals around here, I don't need a generator. However, SWMBO needs a generator.

After limping through a two week outage after a hurricane, with just enough portable to run a refrigerator, a few lights and a few other odds and ends, we got a whole house 15 KW Generac propane unit, a 500 gallon tank and an automatic transfer switch. The gen set runs a weekly self-test at a set time (we get to set the time) so we know it's behaving. It gets an oil and air filter change every six months and burns about two gallons of propane a year on it's self-tests. The local utility has a poor record of outages and long waits for restoration of power, so we also get some use out of the thing. The longest was ten days, 24 hours a day that burned through just over half a tank of propane. The house is all electric, including ac, cooking, heating and water heating - all power hogs. No problems. We've had the unit for six years now and have had one problem that was covered by warranty. That was discovered in a routine inspection and corrected quickly, so it didn't impact our usage during an outage. We have no complaints, all our electronics are fine on gen set power, and with an automatic start, automatic transfer switch and automatic shut down when utility power is restored, we don't even have to think about the thing very much.

All those things are, of course, unimportant to a Neander woodworker, but SWMBO makes me French bread, Italian pasta and other goodies that ruin my diet, so I don't mind indulging her with a nice gen set. (I do have a band saw I use for ripping rough stock and it was nice to have the power for that. And it's a bit easier on my eyes to have the good shop lights working; candle light and oil lamps are not as convenient.)

Sitting here, hunkered down waiting for the arrival of Irma, we're hoping not to have occasion to further validate the benefits of our choice of stand-by power. However, the propane tank is full and the system just tested. After all, that's an essential requirement for stand-by power.

[Scott T Smith]

Dave, I have something like ten generators here on the farm, ranging from 2kw portable diesel units up to 225KW stationary models. In-between are 5500 watt, 6500 watt (2), 9000 watt (2), 10,000 watt (2), and a 12,500 watt unit.

If you are not trying to run an air conditioner, electric heater, electric dryer, or electric range/oven something in the range of 5 - 8 KW should be fine for your needs. A unit that size will pull a fridge, freezer, microwave oven, TV, a few lights and fans, a well pump, and furnace fan if you have gas or oil heat. Many of the generator manufacturers have online load calculators to help you determine sizing.

If you want to be able to power any of the higher current appliances or air conditioner, you will need to jump to around 13KW or greater.

Most of my generators are diesel due to it's higher fuel efficiency. I also have 5500 watt and 16KW propane units, and a 6500 watt Honda gasoline model.

Propane and natural gas are nice if you have a large storage tank (125 gallons +) because the fuel does not go bad; however these are not so good of choices for a smaller, portable unit.

Fuel consumption for a generator is based upon the load and the engine's displacement. A smaller sized unit running on average at 50% load will provide you with better fuel efficiency than a large unit running at an average 5% load.

There are multiple methods to handle power transfer - ranging from using extension cords on the low end to an automatic transfer switch on the upper end. In-between are interlock systems, manual transfer switch systems and sub-panel approaches. The biggest drawback to the extension cord approach is that voltage drop through the cords and the hassle of getting them out in the middle of a storm when you lose power.

Typically generators are made to operate at two different rpm's - 1800 and 3600. 1,800 rpm units typically last much longer than 3600 rpm models and generate less noise when running. They are more expensive though.

For a portable gasoline unit, the Honda EU7000i is hard to beat. It has a low rpm eco mode, operates very quietly and is extremely dependable. We've put a few thousand hours of operation on it's predecessor - the EU6500i and have been very pleased with it.

Best of success to you with your endeavor.

Scott

[Larry Edgerton]

Dave, I bought two because I have similar needs and no one unit fit the bill. Go too big so I can run the well and the water heater and it costs too much to run for small things. Go too small, and you can't run the big stuff. So......

I bought a Lincoln Weld&Power for the big stuff, gives me the bonus of a portable welder and a Honda 2000 for the fan on the wood furnace, fridge, freezer. As a bonus the little Honda is perfect for occasional site work and camping.

Having two doubles my chances of one working when I really need it. Most times the Honda will do all I really need, my needs being pretty basic.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I have a 6,400 continuous model from Harbor freight. It is now 9 yrs old. It probably has about 100 hours on it. I have to start it every three months. If I don't I need to pull the spark plugs and drip in a few drops of gas to get it started. Our outdoor boiler really only required about 1,000 watts to run the circulator and fan. We needed 220 to run the well pump so I could water the livestock. . Our other household needs were only another 2,500 watts. I had the electrician install a lockout switch that only permits the generator to be plugged in when the main is switched off.

Kerosene heaters can be nearly odorless. But as soon as they are used a few times, the odor starts. If kept meticulously clean and the wick is replaced frequently the odor is not too bad. But it is also necessary to use only the expensive clear kerosene. In our new house we opted for a propane range and oven. We can keep the house warm by baking some goodies. I also had the electrician figure out how we can run the downstairs furnace with the generator. The heat will rise up the open stairwell and keep the second floor reasonable warm.

[Alan Rutherford]

Irma has come and gone. She trod only lightly on Northern Florida but with above-ground wiring and trees everywhere, it doesn't take much. We've been without power 2 days now, along with nearly everybody else around. The Ridgid 8600/6500-watt generator I mentioned earlier is doing its thing out on the porch, loafing at 36% of capacity according to the front-panel meter. The panel can be removed from the generator and attached at the end of a custom extension cord so it and its 2 20-amp receptacles are in the living room. We have 150-200 feet of extension cords running around the house.

Next time: this is more than enough capacity. I'm wasting capacity because I've reached my tolerance for extension cords. I want it wired to the panel. I don't regret having bought this generator. It's been rock-solid and starts with 1 or 2 pulls. I'd like to make better use of it.

[julian abram]

Alan, I was curious if you and folks in your area still have natural gas service after the storm?

[Alan Rutherford]

Alan, I was curious if you and folks in your area still have natural gas service after the storm?

AFAIK there were no NG outages. We're outside the service area for gas anyway. Irma was a shadow of its former self by the time it got here (Northern Florida) and only 65% of the county was out of electric power on Monday, most restored by Wednesday. Not much other damage, especially compared to what it did in other places.

A friend who has NG available is ready to install a generator which would use it and I have also wondered about the reliability of it. Seems like it would be the best solution if you could count on it being there.