Who Here Has A Generator, And It Saved Them ?

[peejman]

Any thoughts on this one?  I like the dual fuel option and it gets good reviews... 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsman-2-200-watts-dual-fuel-inverter-generator-gen2200dfi

[billt]

The dual fuel is always nice to have.

[Steve M.]

I've got a 9500 dual fuel, only needed it once to keep chest freezer running during a 12 hour power outage. Normally 12 hours wouldn't be that bad even with it not plugged in but I had just loaded it with some meat that needed to freeze, so wanted it running for sure.

[TripleGGG]

I have a Honda duel fuel 3000w and also a Onan Diesel 12000w in my Motorhome with 100 gallons of diesel available at all times.

I can connect either or both to my house. 

[tnhawk]

During this month I have needed to use a generator on three different occasions varying from 1/2 to several hours.

[Defender]

A friend is researching generators and I mentioned this thread. He’s not a gun guy so he asked me to see what y’all thought about this one:  https://www.harborfreight.com/9500-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-with-co-secure-technology-57080.html

[peejman]

2 hours ago, Defender said:

A friend is researching generators and I mentioned this thread. He’s not a gun guy so he asked me to see what y’all thought about this one:  https://www.harborfreight.com/9500-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-with-co-secure-technology-57080.html

Predator generators are generally well regarded. I know several people with one who are happy. I also see them commonly on food trucks. 

[billmeek]

Predator generators are also used by big construction firms and a lot of full-time RVers.  The only reason I haven't bought one yet is I want a dual-fuel. 

[trunner]

When we lived outside Portland, OR, we raised broiler chickens and rabbits for meat. We also bought in a share of beef or hog regularly. We had a large vegetable garden, as well as fruit trees and berry bushes. 

Not wanting to risk spoiling the hard-won frozen foodstuffs, we installed a whole-house, 20 kW Generac propane generator. It was expensive, but (literally) saved our bacon a few times during extended outages of up to a week. It also made the outages about as comfortable as under normal power. It was a luxury for certain, but also helped boost our home's sale price. I'd do it again.

I've found this site to be helpful in making buying decisions about generators: https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/. These folks also have buying guides for various other equipment. 

[pms]

Ditto TGO Benefactor. I would recommend a whole house generator, if you can afford one. With a 2 week tank of fuel you can't go wrong. Especially if your area has a natural gas line that you can tap into. Even in areas of flooding the gas lines typically don't shut down which means you have power for the whole house as long as you need. Although, if you require more than 2 weeks of generator back up, probably should have evacuated.

[Omega]

I had my small inverter generator stolen so had to replace it and went with a bigger non-inverter but multi-fuel one and do not regret it.  I just broke it out when I went to my land in Hardin County to cut some trails and it worked great.  Much heavier than the 2k inverter but it can run all my electric tools with no issue, unlike the smaller one.  It is a bit louder, but not nearly as bad as my regular generator I leave at home for emergencies.  

[Jeb48]

Since my last post I Have added 4KW of EchoFlow lithium batteries. conservatively I can run most all I need it the house for 3-4 hours and if I started getting close I can charge the EchoFlows from the generator. It gives me the added advantage that the EchoFlow has a higher short term output than the generator so it makes a good buffer. I built the EchoFlow with two 2KW packs I only added the second 2KW when a deal came along.  I could add a 3rd pack but no need at this time.

[TennesseeCamper]

On 3/27/2023 at 8:51 PM, Jeb48 said:

Since my last post I Have added 4KW of EchoFlow lithium batteries. conservatively I can run most all I need it the house for 3-4 hours and if I started getting close I can charge the EchoFlows from the generator. It gives me the added advantage that the EchoFlow has a higher short term output than the generator so it makes a good buffer. I built the EchoFlow with two 2KW packs I only added the second 2KW when a deal came along.  I could add a 3rd pack but no need at this time.

I have a small Jackery and I was looking hard at getting a larger one.  Then I saw Ecoflow! The more I read the more I liked the brand. So I just recently bought a Delta 2 to power my refrigerator and a couple essentials. Tested it out and worked great.

I have a Champion inverter generator and solar panels.  I may add more later. 

[tnhawk]

Last night was the first time my generac has run other than weekly self tests.  I wasn't aware the power had gone out until I woke up in the morning and saw a message than it had powered on during an outage and shut down when power was restored during the night.  Previously during an outage I had to switch off breakers, start a generator and connect in the dark.

[leroy]

On 10/16/2021 at 11:58 PM, m16ty said:

I've got a 10kw military genset, it will run the whole 3,000 square foot house. I look at it as a luxury item though. In a actual full blown major event, I think you are better off to learn how live without electricity than you are to try to produce it. After some time you're going to run into fuel issues, and a big genset running in the night is like a big magnet to attract unwanted attention.

This is a great truth... In my former life, we used big diesel gensets for temporary power and for field heat treating operations.  If ya have a unit big enough ta power everything in your house, that's a big machine, and it takes Lotsa fuel, costs Lotsa money, n makes Lotsa noise.  

Probably, the best compromise is a unit sized to keep the lights and refrigerator until the power comes back on.    

You need to install an automatic transfer switch - generator startup when the power goes down.  Ya need a " real " electrician to install these switches and the genset as well.  I also like the LNG ( tank or piped in )  setup for the gensets.  It's clean n never gives trouble . 

If ya got the dollars ta spend and use reputable folks for the install it's a great idea.

leroy.

[Will Carry]

We haven't lost power for more than a few minutes, in 20 years or so and that was from an ice storm. For me, I just don't see spending thousands of dollars to save $300 worth of food in the refrigerator.  If I lived in rural area or had a lot of money, I might be singing a different tune.

[monkeylizard]

4 hours ago, leroy said:

If ya have a unit big enough ta power everything in your house, that's a big machine, and it takes Lotsa fuel, costs Lotsa money, n makes Lotsa noise. 

That's why I'd like a battery wall. It solves the fuel and noise issue, but not the money one
Upside is it's always ready and always fully charged when the power goes out. Downside (besides cost) is that unless you have a way to generate power (genny/solar/whatever) its lifespan during an outage is limited.

But it would be a great thing to have for the somewhat brief power outages we have in the Nashville area. It's rare for power to be out more than a few hours and I think a well-sized battery wall would easily handle that as long as I'm not running the dryer, A/C, or electric range.

I think the stuff Tesla is doing with battery packs is going to pay off huge in the next few years in terms of falling costs and rising capacity.

Edited May 20 by monkeylizard

[leroy]

57 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

That's why I'd like a battery wall. It solves the fuel and noise issue, but not the money one
Upside is it's always ready and always fully charged when the power goes out. Downside (besides cost) is that unless you have a way to generate power (genny/solar/whatever) its lifespan during an outage is limited.

But it would be a great thing to have for the somewhat brief power outages we have in the Nashville area. It's rare for power to be out more than a few hours and I think a well-sized battery wall would easily handle that as long as I'm not running the dryer, A/C, or electric range.

I think the stuff Tesla is doing with battery packs is going to pay off huge in the next few years in terms of falling costs and rising capacity.

I think the battery thing is a great idea.  Like ya said, the battery technology will get there quickly.  The next hurdle is price. 

When I worked for the TVA, all the old hydro plants had battery rooms with enough capacity to start the plant from solid dark.  The idea has been around for a long time .  The downside to our battery room is that they were giant lead acid batteries...

leroy...

[Jeb48]

Since my last post we lost power for 5 days from the Helena flood.  I was not in the flood but only a 1/2 mile away so no electric or water for 5 days. We got by with my 4KW of EcoFlow batteries and a 2KW Honda generator.  Used about 20 gallons of gas.  I would run the house and charge the batteries during the day with the generator and run on the batteries during the evening and night.  Since then I have added another 4KW of batteries so I could go 10-15 hours on battery if I'm careful and depending if I need the furnace.  I also upgraded to an easier and safer way to connect into the house system, all manual.  I also upped the amount of both drinkable and flushable water I keep on hand.

We seem to lose power and or water for a couple of hours every month or so or I might not be as paranoid.