What generator to buy?

mikenestle · Apr 14, 2017

Hey Everybody,

Was just informed from the power company that they have a planned power outage for 8 hours on Tuesday. I need to get a generator just for my tank. I am only going to plug in the wavemaker, 2 power heads, return pump and 2 heaters. What size generator and tank size will I need to get me through the day without worrying?

moseley75 · Apr 14, 2017

Home Depot has one for under$150. It's two cycle but provides 1200 watts and we'll run for about 8 hours.

Rick.45cal · Apr 14, 2017

Becareful what you plug into a generator without an inverter. I wouldn't go plugging your APEX stuff or anything with delicate electronics into a non inverter generator. Especially an inexpensive one. Go the extra mile and find a portable inverter to go with it, if you have electronics that need to be plugged in.

locito277 · Apr 14, 2017

Can I add an inverted to any generator?

mikenestle · Apr 14, 2017

Rick.45cal said:
Becareful what you plug into a generator without an inverter. I wouldn't go plugging your APEX stuff or anything with delicate electronics into a non inverter generator. Especially an inexpensive one. Go the extra mile and find a portable inverter to go with it, if you have electronics that need to be plugged in.

I am not plugging anything in but pumps and heaters. Not even going to plug my lights in.

lion king · Apr 14, 2017

Your tank is not using as much power as you think, you could easily get away with a 1200w gen. As an example my 210g uses about 1000w with everything on; heaters, lights, pumps, skimmer, etc. I got a 4000w gen to run 5 tanks, fridge, lights, use the micro or electric teapot, etc. I just lost my power last week for 6 hours, worked perfectly. An inverter is a style of generator, it is more expensive but not necessary if you are not running sensitive electronics. Although an inverter style generator also runs quieter and uses less fuel. Check out a harbor freight if you have one.

JoshH · Apr 15, 2017

Also when purchasing a generator, do not go by the wattage stated on the tag or on the side of it. These are typically peak watts or what the generator will run for a very short period of time. a 1200 watt generator really only produces 1000 or so continuous watts. all generators come with inverters, that is how they convert DC to AC power most standard generators have basic inverters that will fluctuate there output which is a problem when you run sensitive electronics. This is where a pure sine wave inverter comes into play and why they are always suggested.

Scorpius · Apr 15, 2017

This one. Digital Inverter and it's super quiet for a generator. I use it to run my reef and I've had no issue running sensitive equipment. Honda makes a version of this one for twice the price. Save yourself some cash.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-2-...-Digital-Inverter-Generator-RYI2200/203617901

JoshH · Apr 15, 2017

perfect example of what I was talking about earlier, they call it it 2200 but it only has 1800 continuous watts of power. Props to ryobi for making that very clear on there labels!! Honda does have a similar set up with a few less watts I believe around 1500 orso and as stated above roughly twice the price. Honda generators are well known for there durability and long lasting products so there is another side to that price. Both would be very efficient for this application and consume very little fuel the only downside to these smaller generators is the smaller fuel tank that comes with them. As stated on home depots website at a half load it only runs for 5.6 hours. a little modification you can extend the fuel life by adding a larger tank. Another thing to mention with these generators is the auto idle. something I stopped using as it can mess with the power output when it kicks back in after idling for a while.

Scorpius · Apr 15, 2017

JoshH said:
perfect example of what I was talking about earlier, they call it it 2200 but it only has 1800 continuous watts of power. Props to ryobi for making that very clear on there labels!! Honda does have a similar set up with a few less watts I believe around 1500 orso and as stated above roughly twice the price. Honda generators are well known for there durability and long lasting products so there is another side to that price. Both would be very efficient for this application and consume very little fuel the only downside to these smaller generators is the smaller fuel tank that comes with them. As stated on home depots website at a half load it only runs for 5.6 hours. a little modification you can extend the fuel life by adding a larger tank. Another thing to mention with these generators is the auto idle. something I stopped using as it can mess with the power output when it kicks back in after idling for a while.

This is my next purchase. lol Lets say I like to have all my bases covered. http://www.genxdirect.com/b-e-r-g-s...ed-run-fuel-system-with-tank-part-ryb1-2200s/

Ubergroover · Apr 15, 2017

Find the amperage or the total amount of equipment you want to run. so pump+ filter+.....etc. Multiply that by the voltage. 120 is my guess. that gives you watts. Generators are rated in watts.....

JoshH · Apr 15, 2017

Excellent you've already covered that. The one thing you can not have a larger tank for is oil unfortunately. Last thing I forgot to mention about these smaller generator's is the oil should be checked DAILY. Especially if running for more than 12 hours in a day. The one we used on our job site (The Honda version) needed to be topped up at a minimum every second day. Not a huge deal but definitely something good to know before you start running one regularly.

mikenestle · Apr 16, 2017

Thanks for the replies everybody. I picked one up that is probably overkill. We will be at work all day so I don't want to have to worry. I kept saying I need to get one in case of a long power outage so this is probably a good thing because now I have that covered.

jdinovo · Mar 12, 2018

I have some general questions about small, portable generators. I don't expect frequent power outages, say once every 12 months.

Do I need to be running the generator once a month or so or can I let it sit indefinitely until I need it?
What do you do with one of these small generators running outdoors if it starts to rain?

Thanks in advance.

Dom274 · Mar 12, 2018

Rick.45cal said:
Becareful what you plug into a generator without an inverter. I wouldn't go plugging your APEX stuff or anything with delicate electronics into a non inverter generator. Especially an inexpensive one. Go the extra mile and find a portable inverter to go with it, if you have electronics that need to be plugged in.

"Sensitive" and "Delicate" are pretty vague terms when describing electronics. What it really refers to are devices that use an AC PFC power supply (Think typical desktop computer). An apex runs off of DC already, just like your cell phone charger, which has no problem working off generator power (Car charging would be the same thing).

http://www.greengearglobal.com/choosing-conventional-silenced-inverter-generator/

https://excessups.com/blog/technical/pfc-power-supply/

Scorpius · Mar 12, 2018

jdinovo said:
I have some general questions about small, portable generators. I don't expect frequent power outages, say once every 12 months.

Do I need to be running the generator once a month or so or can I let it sit indefinitely until I need it?

What do you do with one of these small generators running outdoors if it starts to rain?

Thanks in advance.

I try not to keep gas in my small portable generator, but if I do I make sure to use Sta-bil.
I run my generator once a month so I know it'll start when I need it. I've had power outages in heat waves/blizzards.
I've never had any issue running generators in the rain. Most are made to be outside in the elements.

alton · Mar 12, 2018

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200623983_200623983
Our residential has two of these for 6+ years with no problems, and keep sta-bil additive in the fuel.

Fourstars · Mar 12, 2018

Amazon
WEN 56180 1800-Watt Portable Power Generator

rkpetersen · Mar 12, 2018

jdinovo said:
I have some general questions about small, portable generators. I don't expect frequent power outages, say once every 12 months.

Do I need to be running the generator once a month or so or can I let it sit indefinitely until I need it?

What do you do with one of these small generators running outdoors if it starts to rain?

Thanks in advance.

I had a portable generator, to handle sporadic outages, for about 15 years. It did the the job well and kept us warm, lit, and online more than once. Let me describe the setup and it'll answer your questions.

I kept it in the garage, right near a door that was generally closed and locked. Since it was not of a size to power everything in the house, I had an electrician come and install a transfer box which included just the key circuits that I would want the generator to power. Then plugged the generator into that. Keep a couple of large containers of gasoline nearby, with an additive that keeps it fresh longer. When the power goes out, I would go out to the garage, open the door, push the generator out 6' so that fumes wouldn't backdraft into the house, fire it up, shut the door, and then transfer the circuits. I made a habit of starting it up quarterly (Jan 1, Apr 1, Jul 1, Oct 1) and running it for 5 minutes to make sure it remained functional. I did have it running outside in the rain many times, but it just kept running no problem and continued to work thereafter; our rain here is frequent but usually pretty light, a deluge might be a different story.

Just got a whole house standby generator about 4 months ago. Fantastic. The thing even starts itself up and does a self test every 2 weeks.

jdinovo · Mar 18, 2018

rkpetersen said:
I had a portable generator, to handle sporadic outages, for about 15 years. It did the the job well and kept us warm, lit, and online more than once. Let me describe the setup and it'll answer your questions.

I kept it in the garage, right near a door that was generally closed and locked. Since it was not of a size to power everything in the house, I had an electrician come and install a transfer box which included just the key circuits that I would want the generator to power. Then plugged the generator into that. Keep a couple of large containers of gasoline nearby, with an additive that keeps it fresh longer. When the power goes out, I would go out to the garage, open the door, push the generator out 6' so that fumes wouldn't backdraft into the house, fire it up, shut the door, and then transfer the circuits. I made a habit of starting it up quarterly (Jan 1, Apr 1, Jul 1, Oct 1) and running it for 5 minutes to make sure it remained functional. I did have it running outside in the rain many times, but it just kept running no problem and continued to work thereafter; our rain here is frequent but usually pretty light, a deluge might be a different story.

Just got a whole house standby generator about 4 months ago. Fantastic. The thing even starts itself up and does a self test every 2 weeks.

Thanks for the information, RK. Just bought a small LP powered generator that was inexpensive and got good reviews from Home Depot. Figured the LP cylinders would last indefinitely and wouldn't require emptying the tank on the generator.