Generator

[H.T.]

I am looking at getting a generator. I'd like one that would be able to handle lights,fridge,Computer, radio. Should I go with a Propane, Diesel? How much out put? Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks

H.T.

God Bless

 

[m82mike]

H.T. What heating fuel do you use? If LP or NG, get a generator that runs
on that. Otherwise you must store fuel and worry about spills and stale fuel. On our farm we heat with LP. We have a 10Kw Gen. in the garage,
bolted to the floor, with an exhaust running out the roof. and a disconnect/transfer box to isolate the output from outside lines.

10-15kw lp or ng power IMHO is best.

We've had ours for 11yrs.

Mike

 

[cornbelt]

Figure out the wattage of your most important appliances (volts X amps = watts) and go from there. A smaller unit can power a couple appliances at a time if you keep the other breakers shut off.

 

[MarkR]

Every application is different, and much depends on what fuel resources you have. Do a search on this forum, there are several threads with great info on generators. Melensdad has written a very comprehensive review in one of his posts and suggests going with a tri-fuel setup. I was in your position a year ago and asked the same question - so again - review the forum through the search function.
I ended up going with a 22kw Natural Gas unit that runs at 1800 rpms and is liquid cooled. Reason: No fuel storage issues as we have NG. This should work for every situation except earthquakes or a true SHTF scenario which would shut down NG pumping stations.
Hope this helps.

 

[anewrnn]

Inverter with tri-fuel setup

That says it all. I have called around and the dealers (Wise sales for one) that have the honda, yamaha, subaru have said get the honda cause they have the best technology. The power output depends on how much you will need to power up. Inverter generators are best but pricey as you can charge/ run sensitive electronics off of them like tv's laptops as well bigger stuff like your well or home furnace. Now is not the time to buy used as we are in the season, naturallly summer is ebay time where you can find nice ones for cheap as people don't want to store them or think they don't need them. I was in your exact same boat this time last year and had a 9 month old at home and was worried. I found an eu 7000i honda generator for 1800.00 on craigslist with less than 200 hours on it and it was 10 minutes away from my home. That was lucky. I have also heard good things about yamaha generators as well. Subarus are supposed to be extremely quiet as well as dependable but they are new to the generator game.I like portable generators as I can take them in my truck when doing outside projects or to a relatives if they need it but you have to watch as they are on the top of the list to be stolen. Sorry for the long post but I really did a boat load of research on them. Pm me if I can help.

 

[Bastispah]

where is a good place to buy generators cheaply?

 

[anewrnn]

Places to buy

I have found Wise sales in Illinois is pretty cheap for buying new top name like Honda or yamaha. Free delivery...They also have payment plans etc....Great website also.. For used ones you have to watch ebay almost daily and craigslist. I would highly suggest buying an inverter model with the automatic idle down, they are worth it. Without the idle down the generator is always running balls out and its loud and a waste of fuel. If you don't care about honda etc... they are always some with Briggs and Stratton engines etc.. on craiglist. After watching the market you get to know fair prices and won't get in a bid-off and lose money.Also consider electric start, another battery to tend too but the wife/daughters can start if your not home. Peace of mind.

 

[mrw]

I believe most NG gens can also run LP with a conversion kit (different jets). Might be worth keeping one of those kits around in case the NG goes away.

I have a 800w gen with a Subaru motor in it. It is NOT quiet!

 

[Gray Squirrel]

I have a 3000 watt Honda,one of the good one's.It is expensive but it is quiet,usses very little fuel,is small enough to take along on a bug out and will power a fridg,freezer,lights,and blower on my wood furnace.

 

[kycrawler]

I have a 7500 watt with a 3 cyl kubota diesel on it and a 4500 watt gas with a briggs engine on it . I live in the country and we have power outages 6-10 times per year as i am on the end of the line . most of my house is run on lp gass but even the 4500 will run the furnace fridge and a few lights . The 7500 will run everything in the house like nothing is wrong .

 

[Eddie]

A couple of thoughts

A bought a pair of power inverters first. One just plugs into the vehicle's cigarette lighter, the other attaches to the diesel tractor. Those got us through one big blackout on their own. Later on I bought a small gasoline powered generator. My thoughts are that if we always keep our vehicles at least half full of fuel and the spare fuel tank on the truck full that between the generator and the invertors that I can do pretty well. I also keep several spare five gallon fuel cans. I add a fuel preservative to the cans to keep the fuel fresh.

 

[originalhonkey]

i did not read all the post but if no one else has brought this up i thought it could help.homedepot, menards and so on. all have real good info on gen. not sure if you should buy there but they have free guides on how to add up what it would take to run your home.i thought the free guides were a big help because it gives you options on what size you need for what you want to run. me, i have a 4500 and a 6000. im in the city and im goin to stay until my crew is all here and then will bug if need be. the reason i went with what i have is cuz there small (so so)and can go with me if need be. im in the city so lighting the whole house is out but yet i still need heat the fridge and some light and so on. the second is for a back up its smaller but can get the job done.

 

[HICKMAN]

bought mine at big lots a couple of years ago.

Shop around, check craigslist, etc.

 

[jedi]

Here is a good lesson's learnd about using a generator. In the second post ther is a ebook that has an appendix with the various wattag loads for various items in your house so you get an idea how big or a generator you need.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ness/12040-shtf_tornando_lessons_learned.html

 

[ar15junkie]

I believe most NG gens can also run LP with a conversion kit (different jets). Might be worth keeping one of those kits around in case the NG goes away.

I have a 800w gen with a Subaru motor in it. It is NOT quiet!

These guys sell conversion kits,

Generator Conversion Kits to Propane and Natural Gas.

If you convert a gasoline gen to a NG one it will produce less wattage though. Not sure about LP to NG though.

 

[HICKMAN]

These guys sell conversion kits,

Generator Conversion Kits to Propane and Natural Gas.

If you convert a gasoline gen to a NG one it will produce less wattage though. Not sure about LP to NG though.

Thanks for posting that, I need to look closer at the natural gas option.

 

[Bigkeger]

Either way you decide to go make sure it cant be seen from the road. If SHTF then people will go out looking for other people with better **** that they have. If they can see your generator or hear it while walking down the road you are in trouble.