Any Recommendations for Generators?

seadoug

seadoug

Well-known Member
Location
Texas
We lost power from 7:00am to 9:00pm today due to severe storms. We have one neighbor who has a generator because his wife has health issues that require electricity. It is super loud but it keeps their electricity going.

I am considering one, but I am a complete novice when it comes to generators. What wattage do you need to power A/C, a refrigerator, lights and all the other conveniences? This is highly recommended on Amazon. Is it sufficient?

https://www.amazon.com/Honda-2200-W...8f856894d1743516a5cf9703eeaa71cc&gad_source=1
 

Small jennies are a different matter than even small capacity whole-house setups.

EU1000i is a very small small generator. It isn't going to do what you seem to want. It is barely a camping generator.
 
You need to figure out what you absolutely must have running in an emergency. If you have anything that uses 220, like a well pump or a dryer, make sure to include that. You'll also need very long heavy duty extension cords for each outlet on your generator to reach everything you need to run in your house. Especially one set up for 220 since they use a special plug to attach to the generator.

Our portable generator has three outlets for 110 & one outlet for 220 that we bought when Hurricane Ike hit Ohio. We used it for a 5 days before we had power again. We ran it in the morning before work & when we got home & alternated what we plugged in. Our main items to keep going was 2 full chest freezers, 1 fridge & a couple basement lights to see. We ran one extension cord ran up stairs for the TV in the evening for a few hours.

We used our oil lamps for light, both Lamplighter Farm & Aladdin. We had flashlights for walking around & the radio was for news on batteries.

Remember it's better to have a bigger one than you think you need. They are noisy, but that's a small price to pay for having power.

This is similar to what we have: https://www.briggsandstratton.com/n...50-watt-portable-generator-with-co-guard.html

Best places to find them are the local farm stores like Tractor Supply or Rural King. They usually have a good selection to choose from before SHTF. We always talked about getting one, but put it off for one reason or another. The morning after Ike hit, I drove about 40 miles north that didn't have any power outages & was waiting at the door for the store to open. I was very lucky to find the one we actually wanted.

We've been very happy that we haven't had to use it since then. Every few months we start it up to let it run & make sure it's in working order. Basically, it's kept as a back up now or for a family member to use if needed since we installed a whole house generator a few years ago.

I don't think a portable unit would be able to run your A/C, at least for any length of time with a major outage. You may need to look at a whole house generator that runs off of either natural or LP gas for that.
 

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Lilac said:
I don't think a portable unit would be able to run your A/C, at least for any length of time with a major outage. You may need to look at a whole house generator that runs off of either natural or LP gas for that.
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Yeah
You've gotta figure what you MUST have

Honda is the best, the very best, for small gennies
but running A/C will require a pretty big one

I loved our Honda 2000 for power to our cabins, but that was just lights and charging our phone and computers
Super quiet

If it were me, I'd talk to Honda tech support and tell them your needs
They make some pretty big units
 
I have a 4600 watt Generac that I have used. It powered the refrigerator and a small freezer. I had a 3 way tap and the third socket powered a power strip for recharging.
One thing I learned was to get a 6 foot heavy duty appliance extension cord for the refrigerator so I do not have to pull it out to access its plug.
 
If you buy a gas generator it's an absolute must to run non methanol gasoline. Also shutting off the fuel and running the carb dry because the fuel will damage the carburetor over time. We have our camper with builtin generator and air conditioning on standby.
 
For @seadoug . . .

FIRST, NEVER RUN A GENERATOR INSIDE OR WITHIN 25 FEET OF A HOUSE OR GARAGE. EXHAUST FUMES CAN KILL!

We lose power several times each year; rarely for more than a day or two. If it doesn't come back on within a couple of hours, I set up our 3500/4000W generator (around $500 these days). To give you an idea of what's involved . . .

The previous owners had a manual transfer switch installed on our main power panel that allows me to safely shift from street power to generator power. The switch attaches to a 220V receptacle in our garage. To use the generator, I first move the generator into the driveway and connect it to the 220V receptacle with its heavy 50' power cord. I then start the generator.

Next, I go to the main power panel and turn off ALL of the breakers. Then move the transfer switch from the street power to the generator power position. Finally, I decide which circuits I want to have powered and turn only that/those breakers back on. We only power circuits for a limited time and then only when needed so as to conserve gasoline. I have a chart that lists the power demands (normal and surge) for each of our major appliances and which circuits they're connected to.

Our generator does not provide sufficient power to run air conditioning or our range, so those two are "off the table". We choose a time to power our well. The well consumes almost all of the electricity the generator puts out, so when that circuit is powered on, its the only one. We use that time to get showers, flush toilets, wash dishes, &c.

We have oil/baseboard hot water heat which doesn't draw a lot of electricity, so we can run that as needed. Our chest freezer is good for a couple of days if we don't open the lid, but if needed our generator can handle it. The refrigerator has to be run more often, depending on how often we open it. Lights, television, computers, &c. don't use a lot of power so we can pretty much power those on at will.

You get the general idea. Obviously there's a lot of stopping and starting of the generator and changing of circuits. You can see why we wait to set up the generator until it is truly necessary. It's definitely an "event". If you decide to go this route, I strongly recommend having a manual transfer switch installed on your main electrical panel. Honestly, although it would be nice to have a whole house generator with an automatic transfer switch, for our purposes I just can't justify the $20,000 expense.

Hope that helps.
 
seadoug said:
We lost power from 7:00am to 9:00pm today due to severe storms. We have one neighbor who has a generator because his wife has health issues that require electricity. It is super loud but it keeps their electricity going.

I am considering one, but I am a complete novice when it comes to generators. What wattage do you need to power A/C, a refrigerator, lights and all the other conveniences? This is highly recommended on Amazon. Is it sufficient?

https://www.amazon.com/Honda-2200-W...8f856894d1743516a5cf9703eeaa71cc&gad_source=1
Click to expand...
At my last house subject to all manner of storms we'd frequently lose power from a number of days up to 12 days in one case. Based on your reaction to just 14 hours w/out power the solution is a whole house generator w an automatic transfer switch. Ours was fueled by propane, but natural gas is much better if it's available to you. It was my extended families and business refuge. It's a capital improvement to your home so it does add value so the expense isn't lost forever.

Generac Power Systems - 18kW Guardian Series Home Generator with Transfer Switch - 7228

In my experience when every neighbor has a 4-6000 watt generator running in the summer the noise is overwhelming. Having to have open windows to be comfortable at night makes it impossible to sleep. Generators of that size use lots of fuel which means having several gas cans around and the need to make refueling trips to the gas station which may or may not have power or gas.

The Honda you picked can be twinned up w another of the same size making it easier to move and store when needed. They can also be run on natural gas (if available) or propane avoiding all the misery of infrequently run gas small motors.
 
Whole house generators: Honda, Kohler and Generac are popular. I had the estimate done for the whole house generator and they do this load calculation to see what size generator you need to power the things you want. I'd get a whole house one if you are not averse to spending the money. It's pricey. For my house, guess it's over 12K now and that will only run one hvac system. I thought I would have moved by now, so I didn't get it.
 
seadoug said:
We lost power from 7:00am to 9:00pm today due to severe storms. We have one neighbor who has a generator because his wife has health issues that require electricity. It is super loud but it keeps their electricity going.

I am considering one, but I am a complete novice when it comes to generators. What wattage do you need to power A/C, a refrigerator, lights and all the other conveniences? This is highly recommended on Amazon. Is it sufficient?

https://www.amazon.com/Honda-2200-W...8f856894d1743516a5cf9703eeaa71cc&gad_source=1
Click to expand...
That little Honda is primarily for campers who just want some electricity for their tent or small camper. If you want something that will power the whole house...including the AC, etc., you would need something like a Generac.

Generac Power Systems - 26kW Guardian Series Home Generator - 7291

If you want something that will supply the basics...lights, TV, refrigerator, etc., for a few hours, a portable generator which can supply at least 7500 watts should suffice.

https://www.harborfreight.com/generators-engines/generators.html
 
seadoug said:
I am considering one, but I am a complete novice when it comes to generators.
Click to expand...
If you want to power everything...AC, oven, water heater, electric furnace, etc., you will need a generator that supplies the Wattage/Amps of your normal electric service. Anything less would result in burning out the elements in your AC/furnace, etc., and resulting in some huge replacement costs....and even create the risk for a house fire. To run your basic lights, etc., you would first need to shut off the circuit breakers for the AC, etc., before you fire up the generator.
 
Don M. said:
If you want to power everything...AC, oven, water heater, electric furnace, etc., you will need a generator that supplies the Wattage/Amps of your normal electric service. Anything less would result in burning out the elements in your AC/furnace, etc., and resulting in some huge replacement costs....and even create the risk for a house fire. To run your basic lights, etc., you would first need to shut off the circuit breakers for the AC, etc., before you fire up the generator.
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IMHO you're incorrect about needing a full 200 amp generator because there is a 200 amp panel. I had a 200 amp generator in my last home, but we didn't use the electric drier, for instance, while running 3 zones of AC, even though it was possible.

Most people, including the op, are not idiots and surely take care not to run all the big drawing appliances at once. And if they did what you're talking about is essentially a "brown out" when voltage drops, which millions and millions of appliances have survived w no harm.
 
The average home refrigerator uses between 350-780 watts. Some refrigerators are more energy efficient than others, so you'll want to check the label on yours or look it up online to see how much power it consumes.Aug 15, 2023

Will a 1500 watt generator run a refrigerator?
How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use? [Or Mini-Fridge ...
To start your generator, the motor needs more power to start than it does to run. For example, your 750-watt fridge may have a startup wattage of 1,200 watts. In this case, a 1,500-watt generator would be able to run your refrigerator.Feb 5, 2021

So like the suggestion to check what you must run check the wattage & calculate the ability to run what you need.
 
Generac - A Total Energy Company

I have an automatic system that kicks in if the power goes out. Mine runs on propane (I have a 500 gallon tank specifically for the generator) but they have systems that operate on solar and natural gas. It runs the entire house without any need to limit power consumption. It was installed in 2007 and hasn't failed one time yet.
 
bowmore said:
I have a 4600 watt Generac that I have used. It powered the refrigerator and a small freezer. I had a 3 way tap and the third socket powered a power strip for recharging.
One thing I learned was to get a 6 foot heavy duty appliance extension cord for the refrigerator so I do not have to pull it out to access its plug.
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Are you sure it's 4600 watt? I have a 24kW and that was considered one of the largest. Mine will run anything I want to tap into it.
 
For those of you following along at home:

24kW(24,000w) = 200 amps, a whole house back-up generator

4.6kW (4,600w) = 33.3 amps, bulky, barely portable generator(100+lbs), job site, RV's (run's AC), and minimal home back up

2.2kW (2200w) - 18.3 amps, small, highly portable generator(50lbs), RV's, camping


"A 3 ton AC in the SEER range from 14 to 24 SEER will use 7.5 to 12.3 amps. "

"Common household refrigerators: 3-8 amps"
 

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