OK guys I need some real information on back up/ portable gen sets. We had a nasty little wind storm here last night and I had my old gen set with a Tecumseh 10hp motor, unit is at least 14 years old and has done well,, up to tonight,, it craped out,, now it is only a 5kw so its a tad on the light side but being careful not to over load it, its done well. I would like to upgrade to an 8 or 10kw gas unit. Everybody seems to have the best on the market, so I would like to ask the guys that have and use them. Give me some ideas on good units you have and ones to stay away from. I was leaning more toward the Genarac , they seem to have a good rep. So let me have it guys before it gets to late in the year, and Im bytchin cause I didn't spring for a new one.
Genarators
- Thread starter skeets
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I'm sure you've already seen it, but I'm pretty envious of Wildfire's Honda:
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?p=77655
Personally, we have a 6KW "Homelite" we bought at a big box store.
It's served well as an emergency backup so far.
Mind you, we haven't actually had an emergency since we bought it...
I would NOT buy another one though.
We are into getting a Cummins-Onan installed/permanent backup generator, but that might be a bit different than what you are looking at.
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?p=77655
Personally, we have a 6KW "Homelite" we bought at a big box store.
It's served well as an emergency backup so far.
Mind you, we haven't actually had an emergency since we bought it...
I would NOT buy another one though.
We are into getting a Cummins-Onan installed/permanent backup generator, but that might be a bit different than what you are looking at.
First some questions:
Back up/ portable gen sets - are you asking which is better, a designated hard wired back up generator or a portable that you hook up only when the power goes out?
How often do you loose power and how long do you loose it for?
How long do you want the gen to be able to run for, planned max power outage?
How do you hook up your gen now?
With an Generator Power Inlet Box such as: http://www.lowes.com/pd_239791-4801...RL=?Ntt=generator+power+inlet+boxes&facetInfo=
Do you use multiple extension cords to connect the gen to individual appliances you want to use?
Do you use a suicide plug?
How much of the instillation can you do yourself (legally and knowledge level)?
How much fuel for the gen do you want to have on hand/can you have on hand (legally-insurance-space) for an outage?
What fuel sources are readily available to you during an outage to resupply? Gasoline, Diesel. Propane, Natural Gas?
Have you considered multi fuel gen's?
Do you want the gen to run continually during the whole power outage or only as needed to to provide heat, refrigeration, cooling, water etc?
"upgrade to an 8 or 10kw gas unit" gas = gasoline or natural gas?
What is your budget? The amount you would like to spend? The amount you can afford to spend to get what you want?
Do you want it to be completely automated?
Do you want an automated transfer switch and a portable gen that you connect and just start up?
Manual transfer and portable gen?
Etc, etc.
Do you have a knowledgeable place near you that specializes in multiple brands of gen's that you can contact and ask questions, support after purchase?
What life expectancy, in hours, do you want to get out of the gen?
Have you considered using your tractor to power a gen head?
Do you have to worry about noise and neighbors?
Theft and vandalism issues?
Back up/ portable gen sets - are you asking which is better, a designated hard wired back up generator or a portable that you hook up only when the power goes out?
How often do you loose power and how long do you loose it for?
How long do you want the gen to be able to run for, planned max power outage?
How do you hook up your gen now?
With an Generator Power Inlet Box such as: http://www.lowes.com/pd_239791-4801...RL=?Ntt=generator+power+inlet+boxes&facetInfo=
Do you use multiple extension cords to connect the gen to individual appliances you want to use?
Do you use a suicide plug?
How much of the instillation can you do yourself (legally and knowledge level)?
How much fuel for the gen do you want to have on hand/can you have on hand (legally-insurance-space) for an outage?
What fuel sources are readily available to you during an outage to resupply? Gasoline, Diesel. Propane, Natural Gas?
Have you considered multi fuel gen's?
Do you want the gen to run continually during the whole power outage or only as needed to to provide heat, refrigeration, cooling, water etc?
"upgrade to an 8 or 10kw gas unit" gas = gasoline or natural gas?
What is your budget? The amount you would like to spend? The amount you can afford to spend to get what you want?
Do you want it to be completely automated?
Do you want an automated transfer switch and a portable gen that you connect and just start up?
Manual transfer and portable gen?
Etc, etc.
Do you have a knowledgeable place near you that specializes in multiple brands of gen's that you can contact and ask questions, support after purchase?
What life expectancy, in hours, do you want to get out of the gen?
Have you considered using your tractor to power a gen head?
Do you have to worry about noise and neighbors?
Theft and vandalism issues?
RCW
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Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Good theory; I thought the same. Better have two tractors.
The number of times we have had power lines down due to heavy spring/fall snows are countless. Need the tractor to move snow. We flooded in 2011 and lost power 2 days - used tractor to put driveway back together. Can't do 2 things at once with it.
Generac is my vote, since I don't have 2 tractors.
A buddy put one in at his house - propane I think. He has electric heat - I don't remember the size. Seems like he had about $8k or so into it 6 or 8 years ago. They were out 10 days once, and several days repeatedly.
Also, same guy has an older Wheel Horse tractor with an Onan engine. I think he said Onan is out of business (or was). Something to think about.
DanDan is looking at an Onan generator. Since Onan was known for generators, I wonder if they still make generators, but not the engine to hook it to...Cummins is good stuff.
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thumpa,,,You bring up some very good points
I use it a bunch and I have it wired from the garage to the disconnect to the panel , 2 years ago it ran for 13 days straight , and covered my needs, a refrigerator 2 freezers, well and some lights, every thing else is NG.
A tri fuel would be nice, but hooking up a NG line in an outage would be a PIA A PTO driven unit was being considered some time back, but after talking to a lot of guys decided it was not the best choice.
SO a portable unit gasoline unit is the most logical type. Cost is always a question as well as reliability and ability to obtain service should it be needed, as far as storing fuel, as far as I know there is no local ordnance, on quantity or type . So I guess a 10kw would handle everything and I could eve turn on a few more lights though it seems a restive load didn't cause it to much grief but florescent lights that's another story.
I use it a bunch and I have it wired from the garage to the disconnect to the panel , 2 years ago it ran for 13 days straight , and covered my needs, a refrigerator 2 freezers, well and some lights, every thing else is NG.
A tri fuel would be nice, but hooking up a NG line in an outage would be a PIA A PTO driven unit was being considered some time back, but after talking to a lot of guys decided it was not the best choice.
SO a portable unit gasoline unit is the most logical type. Cost is always a question as well as reliability and ability to obtain service should it be needed, as far as storing fuel, as far as I know there is no local ordnance, on quantity or type . So I guess a 10kw would handle everything and I could eve turn on a few more lights though it seems a restive load didn't cause it to much grief but florescent lights that's another story.
What is logical for me is maintaining a single power source. Also storing a single fuel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w9aeHNAHGk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w9aeHNAHGk
BAP
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Lifetime Member
Equipment
2012 Kubota 2920, 60MMM, FEL, BH65 48" Bush Hog, 60"Backblade, B2782B Snowblower
I would consider propane. 1. It burns much cleaner and less chance of carbon monoxide issue. 2. The biggest reason, propane will store pretty much indefinitely unlike gas. There is no gumming the carburetor or gas going bad. Because it is a cleaner fuel, the engine stays clean. If you don't have propane, you can go to a hardware store and buy a couple of 100lb tanks to fuel it. I bought a PTO powered generator last winter because I didn't want to deal with another motor to maintain. If the power goes out, I hook it up. Not a big deal to shut it down, unhook the shaft, pull the pin and go plow the driveway. We aren't married to our power 24/7, so I can afford to unhook it for an hour to clean the driveway. I did look at whole house systems at a few places. One dealer who does heating and electrical work, carried many brands. They had GE, Briggs and Stratton, Generac, Kohler and I believe 1 other. The guy told me that the Generac was the bottom of the pile. They considered the GE the best because of longer warranty and a good Briggs motor.
RCW
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Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Good for you. Go for it - its looks pretty cool.
When you do build it, please share so that we all may learn.
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Wildfire
Active member
Equipment
Kubota L5740 HSTC3 and a Kubota ZG222Z, 2013 BX25D,Custom Toyota fork lift.
I did a lot of research on portable generators and I also worked as a Honda power equipment tech back in the 1990's.
When I did my research a few months ago I learned that Generac generators were found to have their wattage ratings being over exaggerated. They claimed higher output when in fact they were actually a lot lower that stated.
The other issues I read about them was parts availability. Customers had to wait for months for simple parts.
I went with the 6500 watt Honda because of their reliability and good reputation. I have gas on hand all the time so that wasn't an issue plus I knew I could use the generator for other uses.
With today's electronics its critical that you have stable power and Honda has the iAVR (Intelligent Auto Voltage Regulation). It comes with a 3 year warranty and parts are ever needed is only a phone call away.
That's how I chose the generator I purchased.
http://powerequipment.honda.ca/generators/premium-series/em6500s2c
When I did my research a few months ago I learned that Generac generators were found to have their wattage ratings being over exaggerated. They claimed higher output when in fact they were actually a lot lower that stated.
The other issues I read about them was parts availability. Customers had to wait for months for simple parts.
I went with the 6500 watt Honda because of their reliability and good reputation. I have gas on hand all the time so that wasn't an issue plus I knew I could use the generator for other uses.
With today's electronics its critical that you have stable power and Honda has the iAVR (Intelligent Auto Voltage Regulation). It comes with a 3 year warranty and parts are ever needed is only a phone call away.
That's how I chose the generator I purchased.
http://powerequipment.honda.ca/generators/premium-series/em6500s2c
I have a 12 year old 10k generac standby whole house generator that runs on propane. It has never had any issues until this year I have a small oil leak on a oil return line I need to replace. I loose power in my small town monthly and some times for hours. I was the only one in my area with power for 12 days during that freak ice storm 12/09 it was great to just have everything working as normal. So 12 days 24 hours a day it ran perfect. I love my generac. I spoke to a installer in my area for parts so hopefully ill get it fixed soon or just keep an eye on it until I can replace the line.
Well...
This is not for the faint-of-heart nor light-of-wallet.
We initially tried to go with a Honeywell (thru Costco- DON'T try this). That was going to cost just north of 3K. That cost did not include the automatic transfer switch. That deal imploded (a story for another time).
The Onan that we are looking at now (still just looking at this point) is the RS13A: http://www.cumminsonan.com/residential/products/homestandby/compare?gensetId=104&detail=true
It's almost certainly more power than we need for just the house, but we'd also like to get the well motor off that service so overall the power rating is pretty close for our needs.
The packages that we have seen include the transfer switch, but that is going to be a more serious investment: 4-5K + installation.
kubotasam
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Equipment
B2410, B7100dt, B7500,Woods BH750,Landpride 2660RFM, Tiller, B2781 Snowblower
I have an 8 kw propane powered Generac automatic stand by unit. It works great. How ever one thing to consider is the cost of the propane tank. Before I put my generator in I had no propane serve at my house. The local propane companies all quoted a price for the install with me buying the tank. They said I would not use enough propane to have me lease a tank or give me a free tank. The purchase of the tank added an extra $1000 (aprox) to the cost of the install.
I bought a 7000 watt Power Horse from Northern Tool. I got this size and brand not by choice but it was the only one they had left and I had to have one or loose all my meat in the freezer. First time I used it we simply ran extention cords to what had to have power and left it at that. Since then I made a cord that I can plug in the gen and plug into a 220 plug that goes to my compressor. Flip the main off and it's ready to go.
I have used it several times without any problem. It powers the fridge, freezer, TV and games, lights, fans and even a window a/c unit in the bathroom. The manual said under full load it would run for 4 - 6 hrs on a tank of gas. Even with all this hooked up I have gone right at 12 hrs between fueling and it was still running so it seems not to be under much of a load. May not be the best out there but so far it has served it's purpose.
I have used it several times without any problem. It powers the fridge, freezer, TV and games, lights, fans and even a window a/c unit in the bathroom. The manual said under full load it would run for 4 - 6 hrs on a tank of gas. Even with all this hooked up I have gone right at 12 hrs between fueling and it was still running so it seems not to be under much of a load. May not be the best out there but so far it has served it's purpose.
RCW
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
LSMurphy - I wasn't trying to be a smart alec - that is pretty cool and 10kw besides. Had me thinkin', should I come across a gen unit.....
Full disclosure-I sell Generacs.
I personally use a portable 8KW Onan. We do not loose power very much.
The biggest problem is fuel. Or keeping good fuel available!
If you have propane, get a propane powered one. Generac has a propane portable but it is only 5KW, I think.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200596740_200596740
They also have a "core Power" unit. I think it's 7kw. At a very good price.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200434679_200434679
I personally use a portable 8KW Onan. We do not loose power very much.
The biggest problem is fuel. Or keeping good fuel available!
If you have propane, get a propane powered one. Generac has a propane portable but it is only 5KW, I think.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200596740_200596740
They also have a "core Power" unit. I think it's 7kw. At a very good price.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200434679_200434679
Maybe consider this combination:
PTO 7kw genetator
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200308467_200308467
and a GenerLink transfer switch
http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm
PTO 7kw genetator
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200308467_200308467
and a GenerLink transfer switch
http://www.generlink.com/about_generlink.cfm
Just adding my 2 cents worth here. Me personally I have a rebranded Pramac generator sold under the home depot brand powermate (5500 watt). Bought it last year when hurricane sandy was about to hit.
For an off brand it did fairly well. Seemed to hold frequency and voltage well. Not terribly hard on gasoline.
With that one and a small diesel powered homebrew, managed to keep 2 houses dry and with fresh food. Kept the connection simple, all cord and plug.
For an off brand it did fairly well. Seemed to hold frequency and voltage well. Not terribly hard on gasoline.
With that one and a small diesel powered homebrew, managed to keep 2 houses dry and with fresh food. Kept the connection simple, all cord and plug.