Generator is my backup

[RUKelly]

Living in Florida, we’re very prone to power outages, especially in bad T-storms and hurricanes. A few years back we installed a whole-house generator (Generac) which runs off natural gas. Best thing ever. I remember the horrible feeling I had coming home after a lengthy evac and power outage to a large freshwater tank I had with 3 huge lionhead goldfish Floating dead and my saltwater tank basically lifeless (didn’t have any corals back then, just some fish) some years back.

 

[Michael Gray]

Nice on whole house. I don't have a spot for one. So I installed a manual transfer switch last fire season here in CA. Got it all hooked up and bought the Honda is3000 generator. But realized it's not 220 so it won't run the switch. Sold it. Now I gotta buy the Honda 7000is this year. Only problem is we have to be home to start it and flip the switch.

 

[ca1ore]

Only problem is we have to be home to start it and flip the switch.

Portables work great …. if you exercise them regularly and are home to fire them up …

 

[Justin Cook]

Portables work great …. if you exercise them regularly and are home to fire them up …

In my decision making process I was able to talk to some friends of mine at Honda R&D (I make springs for their lawnmower engines) and this was the main takeaway. Most generators die from neglect and they need to be ran for 30 minute at least twice per year. Making sure to put stabilized fuel in them and drain the bowl on the carburetor each time for storage. The Honda line now has a little valve to make draining the carb-bowl a simple process.

We had a pretty honest conversation and I ended up getting a portable generator/inverter from Harbor Freight. If I needed to use it on a regular basis, I would have gotten the Honda. But since mine is 6 years old and I have yet to need it in an emergency, I ended up getting the cheaper option, even if it's a real pain to drain the carburetor.

 

[RUKelly]

Nice on whole house. I don't have a spot for one. So I installed a manual transfer switch last fire season here in CA. Got it all hooked up and bought the Honda is3000 generator. But realized it's not 220 so it won't run the switch. Sold it. Now I gotta buy the Honda 7000is this year. Only problem is we have to be home to start it and flip the switch.

 

[RUKelly]

Wow, that sounds rough. We’re fortunate that ours comes on automatically when power goes out, within 15 seconds. It self-checks itself once a week for 15 min. Hearing that hum is peace of mind.

 

[ca1ore]

Most generators die from neglect and they need to be ran for 30 minute at least twice per year. Making sure to put stabilized fuel in them and drain the bowl on the carburetor each time for storage. The Honda line now has a little valve to make draining the carb-bowl a simple process.

My first portable died due to neglect. Hadn't been running it and the gas was a few years old. Fail! Good insight about the carburetor though - that never occurred to me.

 

[Michael Gray]

CA homes aren't built with space between them. I've watched video on generac. Automatic ones are nice. I'd love one. Just a small one for tank. Don't even care about entire house. That being said there isn't a decent place to put one near my panel or gas line. Or it would be close, I mean close to the neighbors. I'm opting to spend more. For the neighbors on the Honda. Man the 3000 was so dang quiet. So the 7000 is the one for me. Ya spend more but I don't wanna be a pest especially since ca residents. It's not normal to near the gens alll night. I've read posts of CA residents calling the cops and during the fire season cops made them turn it off because of noise. Now I have cool neighbors so I doubt that would be the case.

 

[RUKelly]

Yeah, the big ones can be noisy, but the newer ones are quieter. For years we had a portable one that is filled with gas, kept it just outside the garage door and ran drop cords to tank and fridge/freezer. Had to be home to be able to use it and if county evacuates you, well, it could be days before you’re allowed back because the bridges have to be checked for damages. So the upgrade to whole house automatic. Neighbors are really about it and some now have their own. Prices keep coming down.