Your Standby/Backup Generator ??

Grijon

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Oct 14, 2014
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1,358
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Midwest, USA
Still up for conversation?

I don't believe we've had a power outage that lasted more than an hour or two in the last 10 years, but I very much want a small generator like the Honda or Yamaha 2000 units to run the refrigerator and furnace fan if something were to happen in the winter. A manual interlock/transfer switch to those two breakers and an outlet would be just right for my house - we have plenty of battery-powered light to last for months!
 

scout24

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Dec 23, 2008
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Penn's Woods
Had an unexpected use of my EU7000is today. Lost power around noon, and got an alert from our power company saying it would be 4-5 hours. A great time to do a "dry run". Out it came, hooked up to the house, shut off all non-essential breakers (and the main) and let it get some exercise. Always nice to do this in daylight, above freezing, and no precipitation. Not two hours after power was restored and everything was put away, we had torrential rain and hail, and 40mph winds. Thankfully, the power stayed on!
 

BVH

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Sep 25, 2004
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CentCalCoast
I've got a loud 1982 Honda 4.5KW(4KW continuous) that looks like it was bought yesterday and a 1-year old Yamaha 2000i inverter genny. Also have a 30 Volt/150 Ah LiFeP04 battery pack feeding a Samlex 1500 Full Sine Wave inverter. There are almost no power outages here....except for last Friday through Sunday. That's extremely unusual. So I had fun using all 3 backup systems at different times. We pretty much lived normally. My G.E. Profile fridge is a 2010 unit and equipped with an inverter driven dc motor/compressor. I've taken start-up and running readings and am amazed that it has no surge at all and runs at less than 100 watts. Scout, I am Really Really eying that Honda EU7000is. The way you describe it, it's everything I could possibly want. I'd really like to have a manual transfer switch installed along with the Honda 7000. But that battery pack feeding the inverter is 100% silent and I've also thought about tripling the pack size and doubling the inverter size.
 

Grijon

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Midwest, USA
In my last energy bill the company newsletter gave the stat that they average 1 outage a year for less than 30 minutes, which seems in line with what I've experienced from them the last 5 years...le sigh :rolleyes:

Still have plans for a generator, just way down the list since my actual need for it is so low.

scout24 and BVH, thanks for sharing your recent experiences!
 

sledhead

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Jan 20, 2007
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N.J.
Another Honda eu2000 fan here. Ours ran for a week when we got hit with a Dorechio (Straight line winds) that knocked power lines down and damaged houses. On my list is a Goal Zero Yeti 1250 or the new 1400 (Lithium Battery version) solar generator that should be out shortly.

scout24 That eu7000 is a beautiful thing! Was thinking about that one!
 

scout24

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Dec 23, 2008
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Penn's Woods
Sledhead- I needed access to 240v, and wanted the quiet inverter like my EU2000i. I thought about whole house standby, but we don't have natural gas here, and I don't want 1000gal. of propane buried. The final decider for me was this is portable, so I can loan it to family if needed. It's 280+/- pounds, on wheels, so it's somewhat portable. 39 hours on it so far, I changed the oil after 10 hours. I'd expect nothing less, but so far so good.

Edit- I like the looks of the Yeti, it's on the endless list... :)
 
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scout24

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I'm going to bump this to extend my Honda love. We had occasion to use both of our Hondas on a rotating basis (four days on, four days off for each) last year. We ran 24-7 non stop, changing oil during the four day downtime for each machine. I now have just over 1000 hours on each, neither missed a beat. I can't speak highly enough of both machines.
 

ironhorse

Enlightened
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Sep 8, 2008
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593
Location
Pennsylvania
I have a 5,000 watt that runs off propane or gas. I have a bunch of propane tanks filled and waiting.
I also have a Lister diesel unit that I am putting together.
 

vadimax

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Dec 28, 2015
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Vilnius, Lithuania
I wonder why are Honda generators so expensive? Generac produces twice the power for the same money, Yamaha produces same power, but costs twice less :shrug:
 

scout24

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I presume that was legitimate curiosity on your part, and not trolling. :) If I could get a Yamaha inverter generator for half the cost of the Honda, I probably would. They are comprably priced here. You're paying for quality, reputation, longevity, dealer parts and service support, and warranty. Generac isn't in the same class in those areas.
 

Grijon

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I'm going to bump this to extend my Honda love. We had occasion to use both of our Hondas on a rotating basis (four days on, four days off for each) last year. We ran 24-7 non stop, changing oil during the four day downtime for each machine. I now have just over 1000 hours on each, neither missed a beat. I can't speak highly enough of both machines.
This is great information, scout24; thank you for sharing and updating. Real-world experience is the best!
 

The-David

Flashaholic, Formerly KE7AYF
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Western Washington
We have a goal zero yeti 1400 and 150 watts of solar panels. Not the most cost efficient system, but dose precisely what I needed.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

sledhead

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N.J.
We have a goal zero yeti 1400 and 150 watts of solar panels. Not the most cost efficient system, but dose precisely what I needed.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Congrats on the Goal Zero set-up !

Last Sept. I picked up an Inergy Kodiak solar generator and paired it with a Powerfilm 120 foldable panel. Like you said, not the most cost effective but it does what I needed it for.
 

snakebite

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Mar 17, 2001
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dayton oh
honda eu1000i for light work.
honda eb3500.ran the shop/house a week after we got hit by a tornado in Dayton Memorial day.
and an antique generac "camper special".
it has been here about 30 years and was old when i got it.
it too ran my place 2 weeks after ike hit.
and lots of solar,batteries,ect.
 

skid00skid00

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Dec 13, 2009
Messages
91
I have had a Yamaha 2000 watt inverter for more than a decade, used a few times in anger. It feeds through a 10 gauge 100 foot power cord to a 6-circuit transfer switch. This was mainly to power the sump pump and furnace to care for my wife, who cannot handle cold temps.

Also have a Yamaha EF3000iSEB purchased spring 2019, which uses an internal lead-acid battery to boost output to 3500 watts for 10 seconds. This will replace the 2k unit for powering the transfer switch, and the 2k can be dedicated to the sump pump, which can run every 15 minutes in wet weather.

The transfer switch has circuits for furnace, sump pump, one kitchen wall (microwave and fridge), living room (tv!), bathroom, and 'computer' room. It's a Gentran 15116v with watt meters. 'Backfeeding' is illegal and highly dangerous, so please don't do that.

Bought the 2k Yamaha to avoid the Honda's plastic cam gear problems. (Honda has dealers everywhere, Yamaha DOES NOT).

Bought the Yam 3k for the boost mode, and cheaper amazon price.

You need to change the oil somewhere around 50 hours of use. These small gennies don't have a lot of oil in them. You should run them before each storm season. I keep about 20 gallons of treated non-ethanol fuel on hand, and cycle it into the cars each year. I use Marine Stabil and Techron to keep the gas fresh longer, and the tiny carb orifices clean. My boat motor sat unused for about 10 years, and when I rebuilt that carb, it looked brand-new inside. That gas also feeds the lawn implements and snow blower.
 

bignc

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Aug 31, 2010
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South GA/ North FL
I used to treat the gas before storage. Now that I buy nonetahnol and store in Jerry cans, I have used 2+ year old gas with no problem!!!! Real Jerry cans are amaze. Lol

I keep 20 in jerry's and use another 30 in lawn equipment but cycle it all a couple times a year.


My 2k Yamaha hasn't had a lot of use but a few hours at a time over the last 11 years is all we've needed. I have the yeti lithium 400 (and a Boulder 50) for the small stuff and it will run a small fan for 12 hours in a pinch. But I DO want to get a solar solution for the well pump at a minimum....
 

harro

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Dec 5, 2009
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Location
Northern Victoria, Australia
I used to treat the gas before storage. Now that I buy nonetahnol and store in Jerry cans, I have used 2+ year old gas with no problem!!!! Real Jerry cans are amaze. Lol


I'm certain everyone has a different experience on this point, but I too have also had similar results to bignc. In Australia, while E10 and E15 and E90 and just about any other E with a number you can think of, are available, we are lucky enough to have access to non ethanol fuel ( gas ) just about anywhere. Kept in a jerrycan that seals properly, it lasts 12 months - 2 years without any worry. I still throw in a recommended dose of Stabil anyway, cause I don't think my EU10i or 2kw Yamaha have that well sealed fuel tanks. The powers that supposedly be, in Victoria, Aus, at least, are predicting power outages over this Summer, so the gennies may get a run or two on a fridge and evaporative roof mounted cooler, and, there's plenty of well charged 18650,s and torches for light.
 

DIY Lumens

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Apr 12, 2010
Messages
24
Cheers Mike! I just found this thread although it has been going for nearly 4 years.
For my petrol gennies and motorcycles, I put a small amount (30ml per 20l or 1 oz per 5 gal US) of TC-W3 2 stroke oil in non-ethanol petrol. This helps to prevent rust in steel tanks and jerry cans, and I've heard it also contains a stabilizer.

Tracy
 

Poppy

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Dec 20, 2012
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Northern New Jersey
I sold my house and the 5K Coleman 10 HP generator with it.
It was a 220v / 110 unit.
Man... it was LOUD!!!

I put it into a sound insulated box which made it bearable, but still it could be heard from a distance.

I recently bought a Harbor Freight 3500 watt inverter generator.
It was kind of an impulse buy. My main consideration was quietness. Second consideration was fuel economy.


Under 1500 watt load the HF 3500 was quite a bit more quiet than the Honda EU2000 at the same load.
Thinking that the Honda would be under at least 50% load most of the time, the HF 3500 would be quieter.

The trade off is that the little Honda sips fuel better when not under load.
OTOH the little Honda has less capacity should greater capacity be needed.

The biggest downside of a 110 v unit is that it will not run my 220v central AC.
 

Poppy

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Dec 20, 2012
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Northern New Jersey
New to me, I got a back up to my back up.
So impressed with the quietness of my Harbor Freight 3500 watt inverter generator, I've been considering getting it's little brother the 2000 watt unit. This way if I needed mined, I'd still have one to lend to my son, or still be able help out neighbors, and not feel guilty about using mine.

I've been watching craigslist. People want almost new prices for stuff that is years old. Some want 150% of new price. :shakehead:
At any rate, this gent wanted a reasonably low price for a used unit, and for some reason it didn't sell in a month. I explained that I didn't need it, but would like it, to be able to loan it to neighbors if they need it. He agreed to a lower price. It appears that it is under powered for his needs.

It started right up... four pulls. It is only a 2.8 HP engine, so it is very easy to pull. It won't run my compressor. :(
I'm sure it will run my refrigerator, or freezer, (maybe both at the same time). I'll borrow a "kill a watt" from a friend to check their loads.
It should however run my gas fired furnace and the water circulation pump. LED lights, and TVs should also be a snap.

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