Generator

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Ok folks, drop some generator knowledge on me. How clean is the power out of a standard generator versus an inverter generator? I know you can run sensitive electronics off of an inverter generator, but when I was looking at standard generators some new ones are saying they have built in voltage regulators. Would that mean it is safe for laptops and such? All I’m looking for is a fairly small generator to run one fridge/freezer, space heater, HVAC blower, lights, and ability to charge phones. Not all at the same time obviously.
 
Last year I bought a small 2000
Watt gen. My reasoning was because of a long power outage I would only want enough power to run the fridge, some lights and a micro wave. We use large gen's at work and I don't think people realize how much fuel they consume,

I have ran the fridge for 10 hrs on less than 1 gallon of gas. Also after this storm is over I'm going to buy a small (5k but) AC. I watch a vid last night showing it could easily run it also.
I have 15 gallons store and I think I can run 140 straight hrs if need be.

Honda 2000ei. Weights about 50lbs
 
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Ok folks, drop some generator knowledge on me. How clean is the power out of a standard generator versus an inverter generator? I know you can run sensitive electronics off of an inverter generator, but when I was looking at standard generators some new ones are saying they have built in voltage regulators. Would that mean it is safe for laptops and such? All I’m looking for is a fairly small generator to run one fridge/freezer, space heater, HVAC blower, lights, and ability to charge phones. Not all at the same time obviously.


Either should work fine for what your wanting to do.
 
Last year I bought a small 2000
Watt gen. My reasoning was because of a long power outage I would only want enough power to run the fridge, some lights and a micro wave. We use large gen's at work and I don't think people realize how much fuel they consume,

I have ran the fridge for 10 hrs on less than 1 gallon of gas. Also after this storm is over I'm going to buy a small (5k but) AC. I watch a vid last night showing it could easily run it also.
I have 15 gallons store and I think I can run 140 straight hrs if need be.

Honda 2000ei. Weights about 50lbs
I’m looking at one that is 1600 running watts. That’s what your small Honda runs right? My wife finally wants one.
 
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I run a Miller welder 5500KW as a generator, no issues. A laptop is already using a transformer/inverter to step down to 12V to charge the battery, which also is a V controller/buffer.
If you have a meter, it's a good idea to check the Hz and output voltage first. I borrowed one during Fran that was running hot and it smoked a TV.
 
I run a Miller welder 5500KW as a generator, no issues. A laptop is already using a transformer/inverter to step down to 12V to charge the battery, which also is a V controller/buffer.
If you have a meter, it's a good idea to check the Hz and output voltage first. I borrowed one during Fran that was running hot and it smoked a TV.
That’s why the one I saw that claims it has a voltage regulator intrigued me. If it can keep itself from spiking then that’s definitely something to consider.
 
I bought the predertor equivalent for work because I needed one for a small task, It will surely be abused on jobsites. So far so good. Half the price of a Honda

I’ve been looking at the Honda 2oooi, but the predator seems to be a good equivalent for a lot less. Both get great reviews and seems very quiet.
 
One nice thing about inverter generators is that they can throttle up and down as needed due to load. This saves you fuel when you’re not running it at max capacity continuously.

Non inverter generators must run at a fixed rpm in order to deliver the proper voltage and cycles. The lower rpm models (1,800 versus 3,600) will use less field per KW than the high rpm models.
 
Watch the wave shape too. A cheap inverter may not put out a pure sine wave, but rather a square wave. The resulting harmonics can cause extra heating in motors. A lot of electronics today will rectify the input power and generate their own DC in their supply and hence won’t care what you feed them.

A normal, mechanical / coil winding generator should be clean in terms of sinusoidal but may fluctuate in terms of voltage and frequency.
 
I have a Ryobi 1800/2300 inverter generator and have checked it with my meters and the output is very even and level and would have no qualms about running electronics from it. The electronics in the refrig are also a big consideration (control boards and displays) Other than that I only need to power a freezer and a few lights and maybe a microwave.
It's noise level is very low and it goes into idle mode when the load is reduced.
 
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Last year I bought a small 2000
Watt gen. My reasoning was because of a long power outage I would only want enough power to run the fridge, some lights and a micro wave. We use large gen's at work and I don't think people realize how much fuel they consume,

I have ran the fridge for 10 hrs on less than 1 gallon of gas. Also after this storm is over I'm going to buy a small (5k but) AC. I watch a vid last night showing it could easily run it also.
I have 15 gallons store and I think I can run 140 straight hrs if need be.

Honda 2000ei. Weights about 50lbs
Best in the biz
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I’ve been looking at the Honda 2oooi, but the predator seems to be a good equivalent for a lot less. Both get great reviews and seems very quiet.
The predator is a 250hr generator. The Honda is a 2500+ hr Genny. Pick and choose accordingly. At the very least change the oil to synthetic, and the plug to an NGK if you cheap out in a backup
 
I have a 8KW Generac portable unit, my fiber optic gear that runs my internet, phone and video are on
an full sine wave ups as are my desktop computer.

The big advantage to the inverter units is they put out a clean sine wave, can throttle up and down,
are also smaller in size and weight and are a lot quieter.
We run them at our Field Day for amateur radio.

Should I wear it out it will be replaced with a Honda unit.
 
I have a 8KW Generac portable unit, my fiber optic gear that runs my internet, phone and video are on
an full sine wave ups as are my desktop computer.

The big advantage to the inverter units is they put out a clean sine wave, can throttle up and down,
are also smaller in size and weight and are a lot quieter.
We run them at our Field Day for amateur radio.

Should I wear it out it will be replaced with a Honda unit.
I have a large AC voltage regulator that I plan on using if I have to pull dirty power. Its still brand new in the box ;)
 
Last year I bought a small 2000
Watt gen. My reasoning was because of a long power outage I would only want enough power to run the fridge, some lights and a micro wave. We use large gen's at work and I don't think people realize how much fuel they consume,

I have ran the fridge for 10 hrs on less than 1 gallon of gas. Also after this storm is over I'm going to buy a small (5k but) AC. I watch a vid last night showing it could easily run it also.
I have 15 gallons store and I think I can run 140 straight hrs if need be.

Honda 2000ei. Weights about 50lbs
I’m burning about 2 gallons for 8 hours on a predator 13hp 420cc 6500. Running Fridge / Freezer, 1 deep freezer, 2 box fans, 24” shop fan, TV, Laptop PC, charging phones, LED bulb in a lamp. Occasionally cooking with a hot plate 750 Watts. So yeah that 2000 is little more than double the fuel efficiency for what you want to run. I’m burning a full tank for 24 hours. It’s been going since early Friday Morning.

I use to use one of those small inverter units for flounder gigging, before LED lights became common. Now you get lots of time on a 12 volt battery with LED. It was Light weight and quiet for a boat.

The old design of that predator engine is solid though, copy of the old Honda, and easy to work on. That time I wrecked my boat with a long tail turning it over in the road and dragging the engine, the gas tank had a little dent, still ran like a champ.

I paid 381 for the 6500, new but no box discount. I’m thinking about buying that duel fuel peice you can hook to the carb to run propane, just because of ease of storage of propane vs gasoline. Is there any improvement in fuel cost efficiency with propane?
 
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I just got through running a Honda 2000 over the last two days. What a little beast and quiet! I only wanted to run my refrigerator, TV, Dish, Xbox (for the kids), a light, two mid size shop fans and chargers for phones, iPads, etc. Burned less than 3 gallons over 36 or so hours...left it in eco mode the whole time. I have the companion 2000 but never even pulled it out for this one. I am going to add an external tank so that I won’t have to worry about refills in the future. Can’t be any more happy with the Honda. My son (12) could crank it on the first pull and it convinced my dad as well...he was skeptical when they came over.

They are pricey but it is, as it usually is, buy once cry once situation. I got a fairly good deal on both after Matthew from Northern Tool online. They had instant rebates plus a sale price along with e-gift cards. The gift cards were used on the second order to get another good discount on the companion 2000. Those gift cards from the companion were used to buy some accessories.
 
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I understand that the Honda is great, but I don’t have the cash for a buy once cry once type deal like that right now. Especially since my wife takes the worst happening to be convinced of anything. Anyone have any experience with other brands of inverter generators other than the Honda and Predator? I’m also looking at a few standards that run in the 3000 watt range that seem pretty efficient.
 
I bought a Champion 3200 in 2015 at Costco for our travel trailer. It has a RV ready 30 amp plug built in. Runs the AC in the camper with no problem in Eco mode. I've been nothing but pleased with it. It's a bit heavy at 96 lbs but has a handle and wheels built in. I think it was about $800 with Costco extending the warranty. I'd buy another one without hesitation.
 
I bought a Champion 100263 last year from Electric Generators Direct. It is a dual fuel inverter generator rated for 2800/3100 watts on propane/gas. Since the break in run, I have only run it for 20 minute exercises every couple months. We've had a couple short outages since I bought it, but I can run my fridge and a few lights on a 1000W sine wave inverter and 12 volt battery, so haven't needed to fire up the Champion yet.

I am happy with it so far, but obviously haven't really tested it. I got two 30 lb propane tanks to feed it and have not run it on gas. It's got an electric starter in addition to the pull rope, and can be connected in parallel with another unit to increase capacity.
 
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I've had one of these for a couple of yrs and it's far exceeded my expectations. It's ran hard through a couple of storms and gets regular camping duty. Don't think I've ever had to pull it more than twice to crank. I'm seriously considering getting another one as a backup. The new ones show a 1.1 gallon tank but mine is 1.45 gallons. I normally get around 10 hrs run time before I have to fill it up. Screenshot_20180916-024548_Amazon Shopping.jpg
 
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Due to price I’m picking up a JEGS generator with 4250 running watts. Can’t find much about it online, but seems like a Ryobi clone. My sister and BIL were going to return it, but there was a restocking fee. They are selling it to us for what they would get back. For the price I can pick up a cheap low wattage inverter generator for sensitive stuff later and still come out ahead. I also have someone that will give me a free UPS that can protect electronics if I hook them up to the generator as well.
 
I've had one of these for a couple of yrs and it's far exceeded my expectations. It's ran hard through a couple of storms and gets regular camping duty. Don't think I've ever had to pull it more than twice to crank. I'm seriously considering getting another one as a backup. The new ones show a 1.1 gallon tank but mine is 1.45 gallons. I normally get around 10 hrs run time before I have to fill it up.
View attachment 74551

My Wen 3000 has run great thus far, no drama at all.
 
My Wen 3000 has run great thus far, no drama at all.
I haven’t heard anything bad about Wen generators.

Found out mine is an A-iPower. Mixed reviews online, but couldn’t pass up the wattage for the price. If I don’t like it I pay the restocking fee. Oh well.
 
The predator is a 250hr generator. The Honda is a 2500+ hr Genny. Pick and choose accordingly. At the very least change the oil to synthetic, and the plug to an NGK if you cheap out in a backup
Can you expound on why the Predator is only a 250hr gen?

I have an old craftsman 2100w hat was given to me and have been thinking about getting the Predator as it’ll be quieter, smaller, and surely more efficient while not costing me Honda money.
 
Can you expound on why the Predator is only a 250hr gen?

I have an old craftsman 2100w hat was given to me and have been thinking about getting the Predator as it’ll be quieter, smaller, and surely more efficient while not costing me Honda money.
EPA warranty rating given on the engine, basically certifies the engine will meet emissions for z number of hours until the cheap Chinese rings on the cylinder gives way.
 
Ok folks, drop some generator knowledge on me. How clean is the power out of a standard generator versus an inverter generator? I know you can run sensitive electronics off of an inverter generator, but when I was looking at standard generators some new ones are saying they have built in voltage regulators. Would that mean it is safe for laptops and such? All I’m looking for is a fairly small generator to run one fridge/freezer, space heater, HVAC blower, lights, and ability to charge phones. Not all at the same time obviously.
Oh good, now I don't have to start a "generator help" thread!! I was going to pick everyone's brain about what I need, so I'll read thru this first and see...thanks!
 
Well, I understood about a third of all this, so I'd better go do some research before I start asking a bunch of questions.....
 
Well, I understood about a third of all this, so I'd better go do some research before I start asking a bunch of questions.....
I myself did a bit of research before starting this thread. I probably research stuff too much to be honest.
 
I've had one of these for a couple of yrs and it's far exceeded my expectations. It's ran hard through a couple of storms and gets regular camping duty. Don't think I've ever had to pull it more than twice to crank. I'm seriously considering getting another one as a backup. The new ones show a 1.1 gallon tank but mine is 1.45 gallons. I normally get around 10 hrs run time before I have to fill it up. View attachment 74551
What does this run on, regular gas? And what can it run for you? All I want is a fan, fridge, a light, a way to charge stuff up, and my router, and maybe the well pump, which I suppose I can get a manual pump for. I've learned the last few days it's claustrophobic in the complete dark (a light), my phone is not that smart, so I can't get online (my router), I hate the heat (a fan!), and I like cold water (fridge), and it would be nice to flush the toilet without lifting a big thing of water. What do I need to get that done?
 
What does this run on, regular gas? And what can it run for you? All I want is a fan, fridge, a light, a way to charge stuff up, and my router, and maybe the well pump, which I suppose I can get a manual pump for. I've learned the last few days it's claustrophobic in the complete dark (a light), my phone is not that smart, so I can't get online (my router), I hate the heat (a fan!), and I like cold water (fridge), and it would be nice to flush the toilet without lifting a big thing of water. What do I need to get that done?

The first thing you need to do is move to the mountains where it is cooler. The rest is easy after that. Water, blankets, candles, lanterns and a good fireplace will keep you happy.
 
The first thing you need to do is move to the mountains where it is cooler. The rest is easy after that. Water, blankets, candles, lanterns and a good fireplace will keep you happy.
Great idea, and I don't even mind being without power in winter, oddly enough. One outage had it at 45* in my room for days on end, but it was fine because I had plenty of blankets and socks and my propane heater, and my camping stove to cook with...
But I can't see leaving here, too much family around.
 
I myself did a bit of research before starting this thread. I probably research stuff too much to be honest.
Well, you obviously did the research, because I have no idea what most of the stuff means!! But I'll find out. LoL. I tend to do lots of research these days too. I've been told Generac has a good system they can hook you up with, but I'll have to look them up.
 
Great idea, and I don't even mind being without power in winter, oddly enough. One outage had it at 45* in my room for days on end, but it was fine because I had plenty of blankets and socks and my propane heater, and my camping stove to cook with...
But I can't see leaving here, too much family around.

Ha, for some of us that would be all the reason needed to leave!
 
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