Harbor freight 2000w gen

Majicmike

Majicmike

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The one We bought at work has about 70 hrs and no issues. In total we have 7 6k Honda gens. This little thing is the most requested and has Ben a God send.
 
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How quiet are those Honda clones?

Hypothetically - if we had an ice storm in January and it knocked out power, is this something that could be wired into my/a home and power some things?
Or, in another way of asking about it, how much could it power should the power not be on?
Fridge? Microwave?
Obviously it could charge a laptop and cell phones, but Im curious about larger things.
 
I have the Honda and I can't tell a difference in sound, both are stupid quiet. Only thing I ran with in was the fridge and a couple LED lights.
It will also run our house Microwave. I never had the F and M running at the same time because I didn't seen the reason too.
I've seen that they will easily run a 5k window unit AC so that's my next prep purchase.
When I was looking for a Gen I went with what would run the basics.
5-10 gallons of gas will run this thing a looooong time. I see how much fuel a 5k gen uses only a daily basis and the average person can't store enough gas for a week or 2.when powers out it's not like your gonna find any either.
 
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HMP said:
How quiet are those Honda clones?

Hypothetically - if we had an ice storm in January and it knocked out power, is this something that could be wired into my/a home and power some things?
Or, in another way of asking about it, how much could it power should the power not be on?
Fridge? Microwave?
Obviously it could charge a laptop and cell phones, but Im curious about larger things.
Click to expand...
In 2010 I purchased from Amazon a (physically larger) Chinese made 2kw generator. It will power the refrigerator, a desk lamp and a radio without issue. Possibly more but I've never pushed it. It is noisy.

UPDATE: This Chinese generator's load control mechanism went wacky in 2019 and rather than have it fixed, I sold it. The load control mechanism is mechanical, not electronic.
 
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Majicmike said:
I have the Honda and I can't tell a difference in sound, both are stupid quiet. Only thing I ran with in was the fridge and a couple LED lights.
It will also run our house Microwave. I never had the F and M running at the same time because I didn't seen the reason too.
I've seen that they will easily run a 5k window unit AC so that's my next prep purchase.
When I was looking for a Gen I went with what would run the basics.
5-10 gallons of gas will run this thing a looooong time. I see how much fuel a 5k gen uses only a daily basis and the average person can't store enough gas for a week or 2.when powers out it's not like your gonna find any either.
Click to expand...


latest.jpg
 
Mine is as quiet as the Honda’s. It’s good enough to run a window AC, a couple lights and a couple cpap machines at the same time.

I use it every 8 weeks at sage and I’ve used it a few times to run power tools away from a plug in.

It would most likely run a fridge or two.
 
Chdamn said:
Mine is as quiet as the Honda’s. It’s good enough to run a window AC, a couple lights and a couple cpap machines at the same time.

I use it every 8 weeks at sage and I’ve used it a few times to run power tools away from a plug in.

It would most likely run a fridge or two.
Click to expand...
Sage?
 
Watts divided by volts = amps.
2000 watts /120 volts=16 amps of power.

Amps x volts = watts
7 amps x 120 volts= 840 watts

Use either of these 2 formulas to determine how much generator you'll need. On every appliance is a nameplate which will tell you it's power needs either in amps or watts. On microwaves that plate is just inside the door, and fridges it's down by/or on the compressor.

Old timey light bulbs were easy. 100 watt bulb used 100 watts of power. Newer LED 100 watt 'equivalent' will use much less than 100 watts. I recently converted seven 150-watt old metal halide bulb outdoor fixtures at the water plant to LED's. Old bulbs pulled 9 amps of power, new LED's use 1 amp. Generally, figure that most LED bulbs will use about 1/10th of the power of old timey bulbs and have a negligible impact on generators.

Most refrigerators use around 7 amps when the compressor is running. 7 amps x 120 volts = 840 watts.
Most microwaves use 1100 watts.

Fridge, 840 watts. Microwave, 1100 watts.
1100+840= 1940 watts. The 2000 watt genny will complain if you try to run both of these at the same time. Use the micro when the fridge compressor isn't running if you can.

Wifes blow dryer; 1680 watts=14 amps. Shut everything else off and let her dry her hair. Then turn everything back on.
Anything that heats or cools will be the largest demand on the generator, followed by motor loads like a well pump or vacuum cleaner. LED bulbs, flat screen tv's, radio's etc use almost no power worth mentioning. When @Majicmike says it will run his 5K window a/c, he means 5000 btu's...not watts. I have a 5000 btu window a/c and it's nameplate says 4.9 amps. (588 watts)
Heavy electrical loads like heat pumps, dryers, ovens, water heaters, well pumps...forget it. 2000 watts isn't enough. Gas appliances can save your butt here with generators.

These new non-honda small generators are pretty cool. The end result is the same as far as electrical power. But how long will it last? Everyone knows about Honda motors, about indestructible. The extra $400 for the Honda buys some insurance regarding proven quality. For some this is a primary concern, others not so much since they only use it twice a year anyway. But if you neglect stuff and just let it sit, the Honda will still start after a little coaching. The off brands...don't know.
Regardless of brand, the best thing you can do with storing portable generators is to run them at least once a month for 10-15 minutes. Generators are not like lawn mowers, they like to be run. It's not just the engine part that needs running, the generator part does too. Do this, and it will be ready when you need it.
 
I have a Ryobi 1800/2000 inverter and just for sh*ts and giggles I back fed my panel with the main turned off and it powered the entire kitchen circuit (refrig a few lights and TV) and then the Den circuit (TV, lights and freezer) Those were the only 2 I tried as the rest of the circuits only have lights and maybe a TV on them.

I will say this, replacing incandescent bulbs with LED's makes a world of difference. The Ryobi is as quiet as the Honda I had previously before the low life, scum sucking, sister banging, one legged, one eyed, pig brained SOB lifted it from the back of my truck.
 
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