Generator Recommendations?

[vetteguy53081]

generac
Kohler
Onan

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Generators use lots of propane, so having a large tank is helpful. Having natural gas is much preferred.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

What generator would you recommend that runs propane? I don't have a gas car, so I won't have gasoline readily around the house. Propane have unlimited shelf life, thus I think it will be better fuel choice for me. But Honda don't seem to have a model that do propane.

Do you have natural gas? Champion makes dual fuel models and a third party makes carbs for 3 way for Honda's, don't think a 5 gallon propane tank will do for you, more like a 75 gallon or 100.

 

[Letterkenny]

No one here used solar and Tesla powerwalls?

 

[BourbonLegend]

Letterkenny is where i am. I currently have solar with no battery bank. I am looking in to a bank system, telsa seems to be the most expensive but there are a lot of options out there. As for the generators i can speak on Onan as a top tier genny. i am a master diesel tech and this is the top dog generator used in my field for anything on wheels followed only by cat and tri pac that are not options for home use. Onan is generally powered by cummins diesel engines, diesel will be more efficient and quieter than most other options beyond the ability to store diesel fuel vs other options. Before i got solar i was looking in to generac whole house with auto cutoff. Stay away from propane at all costs unless it is your only option. propane is a tiny molecule and it doesnt produce per volume vs other fuels. thats my 2

 

[BlennyTime]

I don't have any recommendations beyond the above, but make sure you run it outside. Just last week in the news, a whole family died because they left the door into the garage where they were running a generator open overnight.

That being said, even beyond just a reef tank, it's nice to be able to charge phones and run lights even with a small generator.

 

[Trivan]

What generator would you recommend that runs propane? I don't have a gas car, so I won't have gasoline readily around the house. Propane have unlimited shelf life, thus I think it will be better fuel choice for me. But Honda don't seem to have a model that do propane.

you can get after market propane conversion kits for many Honda’s but it will void the warranty. I converted mine to tri-fuel after the ice storm in NJ in 2015 and gasoline was no where to be found. People were lining up for hours just to get 1 or 2 gallons On odd, even days. Yes it was that bad as fuel supply’s were cut, and gas stations weren’t on generator power.

 

[Trivan]

Battery’s are good for a short period of time, unless you have a huge bank. I’ve been out as long as 9 days, so batteries won’t cut it.

 

[Miketay89]

We have a Generac 22kw that runs on propane and kicks on automatically when the power is out for 10 seconds. We have been very happy with it. It will run our whole house. I walked in the house one day when the generator was providing power and my wife was running, the electric oven, dryer, microwave and my kids had 3 tvs on and the a/c was on

 

[Miketay89]

Forgot to mention, we have a dedicated 500 gal propane tank to run the generator.

 

[metzer]

generac has a series with and without inverter ("clean power") output. I ordered a portable 10k/12.5k generator back in april, I recieved about three weeks ago. The 10k portable was cheaper than the non-portable and i can store it for hopefully ever in a weather protected area. Generac has sizing tables to help determine the about of wattage you need. I did a 10k so i can run my house and tank and have a manual switch in place. Keep in mind the fumes and noise for generators, their location and vents/windows on your house.

 

[piranhaman00]

Do you need to have a sine wave for generators? I have a power inverter for the car that is sine wave but looking at generator nows, thoughts?

 

[CindyKz]

Another vote for having a whole house generator installed, if you can. That way not only are your tanks safe, so are the contents of your freezer, your pipes (no freezing and bursting issues), any other pets. If you have natural gas in your home it can be connected directly into the natural gas line so you don't even have to store anything; it just switches on about 30 seconds after the power goes out. No worries if you're at work or on vacation.

It's expensive. We look at ours as an investment/home improvement.

 

[mfinn]

If I could afford it, the whole house generator would have been my first pick.
I can't, so a bigger portable one has been my saviour over the years.
One of the smartest things I've done is to have a separate box ( gentran) wired in so all I have to do is hit the start button
( second smartest thing, electric start) and flip a few switches and 3/4 of my house is powered, including the hotwater tank.

Can't go wrong with Honda. They are about the most expensive brand.
I used a Generac for 20 years, before replacing it 4 years ago with a Predator. ( Harbor Freight)

 

[metzer]

Do you need to have a sine wave for generators? I have a power inverter for the car that is sine wave but looking at generator nows, thoughts?

A generator will produce a sine wave output, assuming the output is AC. Some models will "clean" the sine wave to remove harmonics and other unwanted variants that electronics are sensitive too.

 

[lefkonj]

I started with a Honda 3k but then moved to a natural gas 20kw Generac with automatic transfer switch.

In your part of the country would you live in the house if just the tank was powered? What about heat for the house itself and you? Do you have access to natural gas or will it be propane. Are you looking for a hands off system or something with a little more effort involved.

You can get with a small gas powered generator and run extension cords, it works fine your tank will be happy. You can also get a fully automated system that will run the entire house, your tank and the humans will be happy. Cost is about 3x to go fully automated (when I did it).

You can also get a small gas powered generator with a transfer panel and just wire up what you want to be powered. Roll out the generator, start it plug it in, then flip the switches you want on the generator.

 

[josephxsxn]

Another vote for Generac.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

If I lived in a cold state with the ability to have power outages and you have either propane or natural gas I would get a wall heater yeah they are unsightly and have a apartment esck to them but they do not require electricity to run and keep most of the house warm.

 

[robbyg]

The OP has not gotten back but if he does I really think he needs to give a bit more info.

Is he in a zone that gets hit by Hurricanes? If so I would stay far away from propane and get a Gas generator. After going through five hurricanes I know first hand that propane generators use up fuel fast and you need a big tank. It's almost impossible to get a truck out to your house to refill it after a Hurricane. On the other hand you can always get gas no matter how bad things are.

Does he live close to other houses? Then make sure it's not loud. Your neighbors will be at your front door at 11pm if the generator is loud.

I completely agree about the whole house generator system. If you have the money that is the way to go.

 

[Alaeriel]

I'm up in Minnesota, so no hurricanes here! My husband and I live in the Metro area, so something quiet would be preferable. We'll be renting until next year, so we'll definitely look for a place that either has room on the property for a propane tank, or is on a natural gas line. We'll definitely look at having a whole-house generator put in before we move, and just have it wired in to auto switch. Thanks again for all of your help, guys! Anatomy and biology is my specialty, so I leave the electrical work to those who likely won't set my menagerie on fire.