9-12,000 watt Portable Standby Generator Recommendations

[RCW]

So far in 2022, I've gotten a lot of practice running our older 5.5k watt generator during power outages.

February, 2 days.
April, 4 days.
This week, 2 days.

Sometimes, I need to keep the house warm and from freezing pipes. Others, like this week, I need to keep the 2 refrigerators and 2 freezers cold. The house got real hot too. I have just run extension cords with good success for many years.

5,500 watts doesn't cut it anymore. I also think it's off on voltage after this week's outage. Not a good thing, as increase in amperage could cause problems. I honestly haven't measured it, but since it's too small, not my primary concern right now.

I don't think I'm interested in a fixed Generac or similar unit with automatic stuff.

Prefer a portable unit (on wheels) to connect to the house panel in a fashion I can figure out.

9k would be bare minimum. Prefer something in the 9-12 kw range, preferably dual fuel with gasoline/propane. Don't think I'm prepared for a diesel.

Anyone have a portable generator in the 9-12kw range they recommend?

 

[WoodKutter]

Do you already have natural gas or propane?

 

[Biker1mike]

Westinghouse 9.5K runs our entire house, Oil hot water furnace , deep water pump, 2 refers, a large freezer, several TV and the internet , and land line. In hot weather the 4 portable AC units push the generator to the limit so we shut some doors and run only the AC we need.
They have gas or duel fuel. I have just gas.
Portable is questionable. The sucker has wheels and a big handle but weighs around 325 lbs.
Set up is simple. A 220 line from unit to a outlet/inlet on the side of the house. This is hard wired to the breaker box as a 220 line. A basic slide acts as safety so generator cannot back feed the line.
I run about 12 hours on 6 gallons of fuel , depending on load.
I keep the battery on a battery manager at all times.
Unit is kept and run in a plastic shed made for garbage cans. I added a fan and vents for air flow.
It is not quite but we all sleep to the hum.

 

[Magicman]

I bought this one and run it on natural gas: LINK

On natural gas it is rated @ 7000 watts running and 8750 starting watts.

 

[Quick]

I'm still in the research phase of getting a stand-by generator. From online research, it appears propane/lp is not the cost effective way to go, so have been looking at gas only.

Inverter generators have great reviews, but they cost more and don't go up to the wattage you're looking for.

Based on online reviews only, this is what I would look at: Champion 100485 PRO 11,500/9,200-Watt Portable Generator with EFI and CO Shield

 

[Dieseldonato]

Duel fuel/tri fuel generators have separate ratings for wattage depending on fuel being run, on gasoline they have the highest rating. They are also typically sold with the highest rating and not the nat gas/propane ratings.
I'm also questioning that your generator is a 5500 running watt, another marketing ploy, most smaller generator rating are for motor starting and not continuous rating.
I run a very similar load to yours on a 6.5kw gen set. It is 6kw Continuous rated. Motor starting up to 6.8kw for 5 seconds. It's a mosa brand, powered by a yanmar diesel. Nice little unit, but very costly. I've had it powering the house for days already, never missed a beat. I also have a Coleman 5kw generator and it's has its hands full with just fridge, deep freeze, furnace, well pump and a few window units. I haven't found a spec for running watts vs starting watts, but I would assume from it having an amp rating a decent bit lower then the mosa that the 5kw rating is it's motor starting rating.
My younger brother has a cheap 8kw gasoline powered generator, I believe it's a harbor freight brand. It's does ok for him, quite a fuel pig. Runs his entire house, other then the noise you wouldn't know he wasn't on line power.
My father has a 20kw generator. Can't remember the brand name, but it does have a v twin Honda engine on it. It built like a tank is "portable" (if we didn't have a tractor to load it in a truck it wouldn't get moved. It does have a wheel kit, but is very heavy.) Very quiet, burns about a gallon an hour on gasoline. It's ran his house for a few weeks when we had that flood years back.
I would personally advocate for a kohler or generac unit if you have nat-gas or propane at your house, just from the fuel storage stand point. (Neither really go bad, and most people have large storage on hand/pipelines)
Diesel if you want the most efficient. Running for days or weeks on a gasoline powered generator gets expensive to fuel very quickly and keeping 40 to 50 gallons on hand is not super easy with how quickly it goes bad these days. (Thanks ethonal)
Owning a smaller diesel powered generator myself I very much so understand the upfront cost, but it's very easy on fuel.

 

[woodman55]

Have you considered a 3 pt hitch/pto driven one ?

 

[RBsingl]

Propane is no problem for the smaller generators but if you go with a larger genset, make sure that your propane tank is large enough to provide sufficient vaporization rate to handle the generator, heat, and any other gas appliances during the coldest weather. The tank has to provide sufficient surface area to maintain the needed vaporization rate if your power fails during a major cold wave.

I briefly considered a propane fueled standby generator but in the size I was considering, my supplier wanted it to be on its own separate tank. I also like that in the event of a weather disaster, getting more diesel isn't going to be an issue in my rural farm area and the 3.3L 4 cylinder turbo diesel is a fuel sipper under light load in my genset.

Rodger

 

[BAP]

One thing to consider for buying a generator is the future. How long are you going to be happy or able to drag out a generator from storage, hook it up and start it. Is it going to become too physically hard to do? If you become sick, is your other half going to be able to do it?

 

[NCL4701]

I notice your profile indicates you have more than one tractor. If you’re considering using one of your tractors to power the generator I’d suggest looking at https://www.imdllc.com/. They’re in South Carolina and very helpful if you prefer talking to someone v just reading a website.

I’ve been quite pleased with the performance of their 16kW AVR unit. As best I understand it, you generally need about 2hp (PTO HP) per kW. I’m aware PTO units aren’t for everyone and some don’t care to put hours on their tractor. Honestly, I’m not here to debate that. However, if you consider a PTO unit, I’d suggest taking a hard look at the IMD line.

 

[The Evil Twin]

We had a Generac that we used for emergencies and I used for portable power out on the road. We then got a whole house gen and gave the portable to a friend. He used it for a week straight last winter. Flawless operation as long as you used E0 fuel or fuel stabilizer. But man oh man, if that little carb sat with corn fuel it was a bear to start if it sat for a few months. That's the status quo these days.
Anyway, if noise is not a concern then almost any large open frame is going to be the same. Motor, generator, electronics....basically the same machines in different colors. Exceptions being Honda, Yamaha and maybe Generac. You will definitely want one that does 240v if you have a well and/ or septic.
The easiest way to hook it up is to install a manual transfer switch and a "suicide" box on the outside wall. Then you just wheel the gen over and plug in a fat 8ga cord to the house.
Oh, and one thing to consider if you want to run LP on a dual fuel- it's gonna gnaw through the gas. Probably a gallon per hour at half load. So the grill tanks are not going to cut it for long.

 

[WoodKutter]

So far in 2022, I've gotten a lot of practice running our older 5.5k watt generator during power outages.

February, 2 days.
April, 4 days.
This week, 2 days.

Sometimes, I need to keep the house warm and from freezing pipes. Others, like this week, I need to keep the 2 refrigerators and 2 freezers cold. The house got real hot too. I have just run extension cords with good success for many years.

5,500 watts doesn't cut it anymore. I also think it's off on voltage after this week's outage. Not a good thing, as increase in amperage could cause problems. I honestly haven't measured it, but since it's too small, not my primary concern right now.

I don't think I'm interested in a fixed Generac or similar unit with automatic stuff.

Prefer a portable unit (on wheels) to connect to the house panel in a fashion I can figure out.

9k would be bare minimum. Prefer something in the 9-12 kw range, preferably dual fuel with gasoline/propane. Don't think I'm prepared for a diesel.

Anyone have a portable generator in the 9-12kw range they recommend?

Another consideration is portable or standby. There are pros and cons to both. If you have natural gas or a large propane tank the standby can be great. For me it's to automated. I don't want a generator that starts on it's own runs non stop even if I'm not home and burns all my propane. For others the convenience or necessity of having start automatically in the middle of the night or snow storm is the way to go.

 

[D2Cat]

The automated ones have an over ride switch so you can control them manually also.

 

[RCW]

I think I want to stick with portable, but BAP does bring up a good point. I'm not getting younger.

Know I don't want PTO-powered. The Kubota is very small, and the larger 'Moline is 70 years old. The MM is only rated about 32 drawbar HP. Not sure I'd want to run either one for days on end.....

The ones biker1mike, Magicman, and Quick mention all seem to be well regarded in the little bit of looking I've done.

Thanks guys.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I think I want to stick with portable, but BAP does bring up a good point. I'm not getting younger.

I've been doing the same research for my MIL. She lives in frequent blackout country, thanks to politics (but we won't go there).

If there is ANY possibility of you being out of town or.... maybe in the hospital? when an outage hits, does whoever is left at home have the ability and knowledge to get your portable hooked up safely and running? OR, if there's nobody home, are things going to be okay without power until you get back?

Something to consider, anyway....

 

[WoodKutter]

It depends on your setup. A portable doesn't need to be portable. Mine is 10k, 300-400 lbs. (guess) When the power goes out you move two switches, one is an interlock, hit the starter button and life goes on. For me having control is important. I heat with wood, would never want or need the genny on over night or when I'm not home. For others a fully automatic standby is the way to go.

 

[dirtydeed]

Not sure if this helps but I've had a Champion (a bit smaller than what you are looking for) for a dozen years. It's been very reliable and it was a great deal at the time (like $300 range from Ace). Used it at two homes and it always started (I ran the carb bowl dry before putting it away after every use). Never had an issue with the generator.

I was a little skeptical when I made that purchase only because it wasn't a very common brand name to me. But, it's proven itself for many years to be reliable. It's now relegated to playing backup duty to a newly installed Kohler 22kW standby generator. So happy and relieved to have the new system in place.

 

[Clint from Flint]

I purchased a 17,500 watt Generac portable last year and it has been used several times since the purchase...The generator, a large transfer switch and a 50 ft cord, electrician labor ...total cost was $6,879.11. I had my plug in installed inside a small work area that is inside the house because I didn't want to stand in the rain or snow and plug that thing in. It will run everything in the house. I only use non-ethanol gas in my generator and so far have had great results....and always remember to turn the gas off at the line and run all the gas out of the carburetor before you put it back up in storage..You will have less carburetor troubles.

 

[D2Cat]

Not sure if this helps but I've had a Champion (a bit smaller than what you are looking for) for a dozen years. It's been very reliable and it was a great deal at the time (like $300 range from Ace). Used it at two homes and it always started (I ran the carb bowl dry before putting it away after every use). Never had an issue with the generator.

I was a little skeptical when I made that purchase only because it wasn't a very common brand name to me. But, it's proven itself for many years to be reliable. It's now relegated to playing backup duty to a newly installed Kohler 22kW standby generator. So happy and relieved to have the new system in place.

How you like the Kohler? I'm going to get a 20KW, but the guy selling it won't come to the county I'm in to wire it due to permits, license etc. He'll deliver it, set it in place, coach any installation and then come back and go through start up. He'll also service it as needed.

I'm ready to hire a qualified electrician, with or without this counties permits/license and just get it done. I just need to check with a couple of the guys from the power company about them pulling the meter for a while without them blowing a gasket.

 

[Flintknapper]

I purchased a 17,500 watt Generac portable last year and it has been used several times since the purchase...The generator, a large transfer switch and a 50 ft cord, electrician labor ...total cost was $6,879.11. I had my plug in installed inside a small work area that is inside the house because I didn't want to stand in the rain or snow and plug that thing in. It will run everything in the house. I only use non-ethanol gas in my generator and so far have had great results....and always remember to turn the gas off at the line and run all the gas out of the carburetor before you put it back up in storage..You will have less carburetor troubles.
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I do pretty much the same thing. Keep a portable in a storage building on my property. When needed for power outages....I simply roll it into a small trailer that I have. Drive that up by the house and park it. I have a 50'....6 gauge shoreline that I plug into the genset. On the house I simply mounted a 50amp reliance receptacle.

It is wired to my breaker box/panel inside the house and has a dual 60 amp breaker. So I will switch off the 'Main' at the house panel, also the main at the service entering the house, so everything is isolated (serves the same purpose as a transfer switch) and will not backfeed power down the utility lines.

Works well for us....BUT as 'Mark' alluded to....if i were not available to set it all up, my Wife would certainly not be able to do so. So a permanently installed (auto-on) genset could be just the ticket for some (if not most) folks.