Good Generators....

Capt Quirk said:

That would be nice! What did that set up set you back?

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Sorry, I just now saw this. With installation and all, the setup was around $8000. We plan on staying in the house, so we considered it a justifiable expense. The only future upgrade I am planning is an increase from a 250 gallon propane tank to a 1000 gallon tank.

rjcruiser said:

Are all of the main generacs or whole house back ups Propane? Do you have a separate tank for just that? Trying to figure out if I go all electric on my house, do I have a separate propane tank just for the backup generator?

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They can be propane or natural gas. I have mine rigged up to the same tank that feeds my gas logs and gas grill.

smokey30725 said:

Sorry, I just now saw this. With installation and all, the setup was around $8000. We plan on staying in the house, so we considered it a justifiable expense. The only future upgrade I am planning is an increase from a 250 gallon propane tank to a 1000 gallon tank.

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Is the genny a full time, or only for emergency? How much run time will the 250 tank get you?

To the OP- I'll answer your PM here, just to help others. The Predator is what we run on, up to 12hrs a day or more. Quality Control is from what I can tell, a best guess on their end. Most of the gennys I've gotten there, run like they are supposed to, from the start. There have been a few, maybe 2-3 times, I had a dud right out of the box. If you live close to a HF, no biggie. I have to drive an hour and a half each way.

If you run it like we do, a one year warranty will run about $120. Occasional use, get the 2 year. When you have to return it, DO NOT let them tell you there is a restocking fee. We had one new manager try to charge $120 to restock the genny that blew up. Returns and exchanges under warranty do not incur a restock fee.

Pros- It's cheap, and will run most things. We run tv, lights, fans, coffee maker and well off it.

Cons- It might or might not work. It might blow up. Just be safe and smart, and keep the warranty handy. You have the first 30-90 days, no warranty needed.

We've been running HF gennys for going on 9 years now... just not the same one. We usually swap it out yearly, sometimes 2 years. I will also say, it is a lot easier than trying to get the odd POwerMate genny fixed. They took over a year to get it done, and it didn't make it 3 weeks.

HD28 said:

What is a good, reasonably priced 6000-7000 watt generator? Got to get one whenever they become available again. Had new house wired for one with a transfer switch....just haven't got generator yet (and now need it!). Thanks.

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Start checking Florida's Craiglist for gennys, folks will sale basically brand new ones for half price.

Champion makes a good genny.

Capt Quirk said:

Is the genny a full time, or only for emergency? How much run time will the 250 tank get you?

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It's our emergency backup. A full tank of propane would get 4-5 days depending on how hard I use it. I make it a habit to top off the propane tank at the end of summer every year. That's my main motivation to upgrade to at least a 500 gallon, and preferably a 1000 gallon. Our main motivation, other than convenience, was that our son has 3 large fish tanks that have to be temperature regulated. We waited too long once during an ice storm to get the gas powered portable generator going (power went off during the night) and lost a considerable amount of very expensive fish.

Bit the bullet and ordered a Generac GP6500.
Should be delivered in 4 to 6 weeks!
Thanks to everyone for their help and advice!

Congrats on your portable generator decision which is in a very different category than larger, more expensive home backup generators. From what I've seen, Generac is a well known, good reputable brand in generators with usually high consumer reviews which I've seen installed & used in home renovation TV shows, but also have lots of helpful details on their website, including their product spec sheets. I've seen helpful Youtube videos showing how to install a home generator transfer switch to save on costs.

Thanks for all the good info posted about other brands & experiences.

The last several years I've been educating myself on portable generators for short home emergency & small outdoors purposes. This year, I stumbled across a clearance deal on a new, lesser brand at two-thirds off or for one-third of the avg. regular price with a free 2-year manufacturer warranty that I bought, but it's not as good as others recommended in this discussion thread.

Now, I'm in the process of deciding which portable generator extension cords to get along with how many of each type with varying lengths, gauges/wire thickness, etc. Of course, everyone's situation, needs, requirements, equipment, & preferences, etc., are different with variations possibly to consider. For my situation, generator, & possibly longer distance considerations, I will probably need to start with 12-gauge (rated at 20-amps) ext. cords, but may add in one or more higher priced 10-gauge (rated at 30-amps) ext. cord(s).

It will be interesting & helpful to hear other people's generator extension cord selections, recommendations, & advice, etc.

Here's a helpful web link below with beneficial info, guidelines, & tips that includes a good "Wire Gauge Requirements" table:



http://www.generatorgrader.com/extension-cords-portable-generators/

Extension Cords for Portable Generators

Wire Gauge Requirements

Device Requirements and Maximum Cord Length (ft) by Wire Gauge

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Examples of Amperage limits are…

16-gauge = 10-amps

14-gauge = 15-amps

12-gauge = 20-amps

10-gauge = 30-amps

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Another helpful web link below about selecting sizes of portable generators which includes a good device & watts table:



http://www.generatorgrader.com/what-size-portable-generator-do-i-need/

What Size Portable Generator Do I Need

device, running watts, starting (surge) watts

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I was told by my electrician to get as short as cord as possible, so I got a 15 ft, 10 gauge 30 amp cord. The receptacle installed on my house is made by Reliance, so I got a Reliance cord off Amazon.

Plug

When using a gas generator on the outside and to avoid running a cord thru the window or door does everyone jus install a back to back electrical receptacle?

whchunter said:

When using a gas generator on the outside and to avoid running a cord thru the window or door does everyone jus install a back to back electrical receptacle?

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I had an electrician install a manual transfer switch panel similar to this in our house.