Lets talk portable Home Generators

#102
About generators; the biggest part of what I did as a USMC Engineer Electrician was run and maintain them. Very few of them ran on gasoline; most were diesel.

My job was essentially to keep the iron age from invading our war space. Think WWI.

Gas generators were the smaller ones; 5Kw and the like. Gasoline is hazardous, especially the vapor. The Navy generally shuns anything that must run on gas. Gas boat blow up kinda frequently due to gasoline vapor accumulations; I've seen it happen. It's spectacular.

Diesel generators, 20Kw and up, are highly vulnerable to air in the fuel lines. The hardest part of changing fuel filters was purging the air from the fuel lines, and it wasn't any fun at all.

Generators that run on natural gas mains are still vulnerable to electric power failures. The pumps that pressurize and pump the natural gas run off the grid. Backup generators for those pumps are only as reliable as their fuel supplies, which are vulnerable to whatever disables that fuel's delivery. EMP's and modern automotive powerplants are incompatible. Word for the day, "magnetos".

Electricity is what divides modern man from iron age man.

Lose it indefinitely, and we're automatically back to that iron age. Generators are only a short time stopgap unless the outage is short term.

Scouts say be prepared. Study iron age skills.

Does anyone make a propane power diesel Generator that has a manual start option?

Greg
 
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#103
Not really, as any gas engine will produce about 75% of it rated load on woodgas. 1800rpm engines on wood gas require very little adjustment to achieve 75%, 3600 rpm fly-a-parts require a slits timing change most of the time. This can be done by slotting the coil mounting holes an moving the coil to change the times a few degrees. Woodgas has been around for many many years. If it had not been for W/G during WW II the Brits would have been in bigger trouble than they were,...
 
#104
I have a few. Two 5K's and an 8K running.
Buy one before you need it. Let it run for a an hour, and after break in - load it. Also, you might not use it for anoher 5-10 years, so drain it after use.

The small 1K Hondas are great for tailgates and smaller events, but if you have a sump pump and furnace that needs to run (and power usually goes out as a result of storms) - than add a few refrigerators, lights, etc you probably want a 4 or 5K running.

I cycle out fuel into my big ass mower, and Stabile any purchased in the fall. Back in 2003(?) power in the midwest went out for about 5 days, so having a backup makes sense. My 8K generac was on closeout for about $500, those deals are out there, just gotta look.

You can backfeed (or off a transfer switch) with a portable generator. Hire an electrician. If it's winter you want it to power your furnace (which is only 110, but is usually hardwired and learning how to get it to work on a cold evening without lights isn't easy).
 
#105
The problem with the gas engines is that they depend on an electric spark to run.

An EMP would fry the ECC and Ignition systems.

Could woodgas power a diesel? Yes, until the source of wood is exhausted, but it's harder to do than for a gas engine.

Propane injection, propane provides 70% as many BTU's as biodiesel per gallon

My Bn HQ gen set in 'Nam was (five, sorry, 50+ years ago...) three 60Kw's running parallel, and we only got 20minutes (before reveille) to do my PM's. Gen watch was on 4hr rotating watches and PM occurred during some overlap between night and day shifts. We did a lot of watch trading. Life got interesting even without all that war stuff thrown in...; and yes, we still got out offbase to the field and the war.

Still a long way off, Hybrids might be used to take power from the home/grid and return some in an emergency. But for now that's not a compatible dream.

Greg
 
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#107
I think this is all good info, and should be a starting point for SH'ers individual research.

God forbid this should come to pass, but lately, it's looking like God's not forbidding so much after all...
 
#108
Sometimes consider. Once you have a Honda 2000 as I do you will want more. Nothing like having lights and AC during a hurricane. All freezers and fridges stay running. Quiet is expensive. A generac 5500 if properly grounded should run things. If a fridge in garage on a gfi could be an issue, I run a Honda 2000 in my garage and a generac 8500 run the house. Neighbors will be jealous of your preparedness. As far as costs it will pay for itself the first time you use it.
 
#109


We joke that when sizing, you need one that will power the sump, the furnace, the refrigerator(s), TV, and Christmas lights.

You need to let the neighbors know you have excess capacity to run Christmas lights.
 
#110
6500 Honda is probably gonna be the sweet spot for price vs. performance. It's portable but I wouldn't wanna be moving it around a lot. 6500W and 240v. If you're using this to power your house in an outage this is kinda what you want. 240 is better for powering up a breaker box and 6500 is about what you'll need to run most stuff like normal in an outage. That varies depending on how big your house is, etc. but that'll run a kitchen, bathroom and living room plus HVAC.

It's also suitable for powering an RV or a welding setup, whatever. Push button, jump or pull start.

For a house you may wanna consider wiring the outlet into breaker box main. They sell a lockout switch that allows power to flow from only one source, the pole or the generator. This prevents you from frying your local lineman and I think is required by law now. It's a low cost alternative to an automatic switch (name escapes me right now).

For noise keep it inside and run an exhaust line through the wall.

Be safe, be careful, some good advice on here and some lethal.
 
#112
I was an electro-mechanical tech for 20 years after I left the military, primarily working commercial equipment. The Hondas are probably the best portable generators available- I have an old EU2000 that I used on jobsites for years. Great unit, still runs like new. I have recommended Hondas for years and everyone that I know that has one is very happy with them.
My dad bought one of the Harbor Freight gensets, a 3500 watt unit, I believe. In less than 20 hours it threw its rod through its block. They would not warranty it for some reason. If he hasn't thrown it away I can get its exact model number.
Don't forget that if you use a gas conversion with natural gas you'll lose about 20% of your output power. LPG has the same output as gasoline.
Often a good place to look for a great commercial grade genset is a local commercial generator sales shop- they often replace good existing generators, sometimes due to building expansions, and you can pick up a low hour unit cheap. I recently picked up a 12.5KW Onan diesel for under 2K, complete with transfer panel.
 
#115
I went in to my local Stihl dealer to check on a special order. Since they are also a Honda dealer (Generators, Pumps, etc), Ariens Snowblower, Commercial Lawn Care equipment, along with other small engine repair. I inquired with the owner about reliability issues with Honda's, and what kind of problems they come in for. He told me all the problems they see are owner/user induced problems i.e. using bad gas, storing units with gas that goes bad, running them without oil, etc. I asked about Yamaha. He said they appear to be reliable, but they over complicate them so they are hard to work on, and also said parts are hard to get sometimes. He said the Honda Generators have a real good parts supply network. I didn't ask, but he also mentioned, those people think they're getting a good deal on those Northern Tool and Supply faux Honda's, and the Harbor Freight models until they have a problem and need a part. Parts are vertually unobtainable for them, and what is supposed to be the correct part doesn't fit when it's received.
 
#116
I manufacture, repair and service generators.
On RV generators, the biggest failure is leaving old gas in the system and carb.

I enjoy the part of the conversation with my customers who tell me they bought a brand new carburetor for their Onan RV generator off eBay for 1/10 what an actual Cummins/Onan carb costs - when they ask us to “fix” their generator for them. I explain their odds, and our hourly rate. Then I ask them if the money they think they saved will pay for us doing it 2 or 3 times, or how much aggravation they are willing to accept while out camping with the family - and no generator. So far, 1 out of 3 works out OK. The other 2 out of 3 usually come back and have an authentic part installed.

They pays their money.
They takes their chances.
 
#117
I can agree with that- most problems that I've seen with Honda generators have been user induced. Mainly leaving the trash that they call gasoline these days in the unit for months or years. The smaller the generator, the easier it is to clog or corrode the tiny ports in its carb.
I've had issues with Generac in the past. They had tended to use many oddball, low production parts that were difficult to find a few years after the unit was produced. I had to replace one once that was still in great shape but had an odball Fiat (gas) engine in it, and ignition parts were unavailable. Electronic modules also failed and were no longer available, but I could usually rewire a generic replacement in to keep it running. Giant PITA, however.
 
#118
That's another good point- counterfeit parts. The Chinese have flooded the parts market with aftermarket junk. I use Stihl chainsaws and I'm pretty sure that you could just about build an entire saw from Chicom copied parts. Buyer beware.
 
#121
We have 2 Honda 2200's and a 3000 for backup and to power a food truck at events. The 2200's doubled up work a lot better. We've never had any trouble with any of them.
 
#122
guys, my Honda 2200i just went down (it's being fixed now, but it will take a week or so)
in the meantime, I need something more portable, that I can carry in one hand.
Found this review of portable generators, but man, all those brands... what are those??? Anyone had experience with them? I need to buy something by Monday, cause I already have a client waiting. Are those suaoki reliable? Or should I go and just check the good old Honda models
 
#124
Liquid cooled MEP-802a (5KW) and MEP-803a (10KW) or Air cooled MEP-002a (5KW) and MEP-003A (10KW).

If you want a nice home diesel generator that doesn't cost 15k this is the way to go. The military generators are all underrated (KW wise) and quality stuff with Lister Petter diesel engines. Perfect for a off grid cabin setup. These generators have went up in price and are getting a little harder to find but I'm sure you can still find a deal on one. Look at .gov auctions.

Study up on them here: https://www.steelsoldiers.com/forums/generators.55/

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on that website and they are happy to take questions and help you troubleshoot if you have a problem with your genset. If you are somewhat mechanically incline and can change your own oil you can work on these generators if you had to.
 
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#125
I buy all Hinda engine generators. I have a 3000 or 3300w bug out and an 8500w that I hook up to the house. I find the Hinda engines are quieter and run more smoothly. I know there are hacks out there to quiet most generators, but I just like the Hinda engine.
 
#130

Having vast experience with those, they do not like light loads (possibly partially because they are under rated?). If you can’t get a good load on it they are very susceptible to wet stacking.
 
#131
You are correct about being prone to wet stacking. A simple solution would be to plug in a space heater or two to get them to about 80% load and not running them at light loads for extended periods.

The air cooled MEP-002a and MEP-003a are not as prone to wet stacking as the newer models from what I understand.
 
#132
Make sure you don't need 230V for something like a well pump... That said, I have a Honda 2200 and love (LOVE) it. I drag that thing around in the trunk of my Honda Ridegline. I use it for the work I do, when there is no power on location. When done, I turn it off, turn the carburetor-bowl drain screw and put it away. That thing is a tank! However, I'd buy a Yamaha 2200 and have no second thoughts if it was on sale.
 
#135
If you use one of those converters you do lose some capacity. The other fuels are less energy dense so you can run longer but at less generated capacity. In situations where there is no power everywhere that might be worth the tradeoff if you can't get gasoline anywhere at all. Happens all the time after hurricanes go through.

If you are even thinking of converting you have to get an even bigger generator. Don't know how much you lose.

So in short there are tradeoffs.
 
#136
I ended up with one of the small Yamahas. Already used it a handful of times over the summer. Kept the essentials running while all my neighbors had to throw out all the food in their fridges and freezers.
 
#137
I used to think that too. The trunk is under the truck bed. That Ridgeline is the best truck I've ever had (and I've currently have a F250 diesel, albeit a 1992). Rides like a car but I can still: pull 5000 pounds, fill the bed up with sheets if plywood, take it off-road (gently off-road...lol).
 
#141
It's probably not going to be a scam.
It's somebody that's getting paid to post a link to a product that's for sale somewhere else.
These kinds of "posters" are invading pretty much every forum that somebody can join.
 
#143
Laura and Delta for me. 8 mile line of cars for the one gas station in the Parish that had a generator. People would wait 6-8 hours only to be told when they got to the pump that the tanks were empty and a fuel truck was on the way. The diesel pumps however didn't have much if any traffic so I didn't have issues and was luckily smart enough to have stocked up on fuel before the storm. We went almost a month without power for Laura and then were hit by Delta which knocked out the power for another couple of weeks. Gotta love the south.
 
#146
I picked up this Champion 2500 duel fuel about a month ago


I just wanted SOMETHING for when the power goes out for a day. I don't mind swapping plugs, this is emergency use only for me.

Very small, quiet, light weight, can buy a second and parallel them.

I have only run it for 1 hour to test it out so far (on gas only) so far so good.

Was less than $600 on amazon
 
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