What kind of generator?

[Aheinz]

my family has a honda gas generator rated for 2200 watts and it basically runs my tank/ reptile tank well, very quiet and very stable in terms of power production

 

[mrjoev]

Not looking for whole house. I'm just looking for something to run the tank and the refrigerator.

any just add your watts up for items you want running and add 25% for the initial surge. and don't forget to add your fuel source. how much are you going to have on hand and how long will it last you. gas, propane, natural gas, etc

 

[W1ngz]

Get yourself a Kill-a-watt device and plug that in to the outlet that feeds your tank. That will tell you how much electricity your tank requires. If you just want to run the return pump and a heater, you don't need much and you can feed a small UPS from a regular generator. The UPS is, by nature, an inverter, so you don't need anything fancy as long is can manage the amperage you need.

I always find these threads interesting in the way people will throw out 'whole home' suggestions that can run into the 5000$+ range, without even asking about someone's budget.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

My plan was to keep the garage door open. Would just be in the garage to keep it out of the elements.

That's still iffy. Air circulation is key I would run a fan. My grand father almost got carbon monoxide poisoning working on his car in a garage with the door open. He had his shop fan off

 

[Brew12]

The key thing to look for in a generator to ensure it is safe for an aquariums electronics is a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of under 5% and the lower the better. Some generators are marked as AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulating) and these are also ok to use since to meet the AVR standard it must have a THD under 5%.

 

[Terry Mattson]

My plan was to keep the garage door open. Would just be in the garage to keep it out of the elements.

Carbon monoxide will eventually get into your home. Roll outside away from vents and open garage.

 

[mfinn]

Not looking for whole house. I'm just looking for something to run the tank and the refrigerator.

Don't need to get a whole house generator.
A 3500 watt to 5000 watt generator would do the tank and have plenty of power to spare for things like the fridge/freezer, lights, something to cook food on and also on those winter nights when darkness comes early, the entertainment center.

My generator even powers the hot water heater.
Hot showers can really be a blessing on some nights.

 

[HuneyBear]

No you don’t have to get a whole house generator. However, you do have to be home when the power goes out with a standard generator. The beauty of the automatic home generator is it starts up in about a minute after loss of power. I have both. I have a generac that will run everything I have. I also have a portable for camping/emergency use. I work 12+hr shifts during inclement weather so if the power where to fail I may not be around for half a day to remedy it. I’ve already lost a whole tank to a long term power outage when away it won’t happen again.

There are many options for generators for any budget. Check out one of the home improvement stores that sell them and have them come give an estimate. You may be able to finance one. Or harbor freight carry’s many sizes of regulars that work pretty good surprisingly. What do you have invested into your tank vs amount of times losing power vs cost of generator. I lost about $8000+ in livestock and live rock. My $4000 generator is pretty cheap insurance.

 

[bdare]

No you don’t have to get a whole house generator. However, you do have to be home when the power goes out with a standard generator. The beauty of the automatic home generator is it starts up in about a minute after loss of power. I have both. I have a generac that will run everything I have. I also have a portable for camping/emergency use. I work 12+hr shifts during inclement weather so if the power where to fail I may not be around for half a day to remedy it. I’ve already lost a whole tank to a long term power outage when away it won’t happen again.

There are many options for generators for any budget. Check out one of the home improvement stores that sell them and have them come give an estimate. You may be able to finance one. Or harbor freight carry’s many sizes of regulars that work pretty good surprisingly. What do you have invested into your tank vs amount of times losing power vs cost of generator. I lost about $8000+ in livestock and live rock. My $4000 generator is pretty cheap insurance.

Yeah... my wife and I both work at home so timing to get the generator started isn't a factor.

 

[FMF0331]

i got the Honda 2000 .. love it

 

[HuneyBear]

Then it’s more of a what do you want to power and what is your budget question then. You can figure out on your own about power needed or Have an estimator do it for you if you so desired.

 

[Terry Mattson]

I got my generators at Amazon. Better value than home depot or Lowe's. Shipping was free and in my case no tax. 4,750 watts. Used it once for a 6 hour power outage when a car took put the pole and wires on the ground. Ran freezer, tank, and refrigerator. Be sure and get a true sine wave/ pure sine wave model.

 

[Terry Mattson]

Oh. It cost less then $400

 

[vangvace]

There are a few options. I prefer the automated option being able to run the kitchen, tank, ac, and living room as a minimum. That way if away for dinner or vacation your tank is covered. If you run a chiller, you can drop the ac off of the list too, but the wife might appreciate the added chill... or not because Texas is weird. ;Hilarious

Because you work from home you might be able to tie it into a business expense.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

The Ryobi Propane Generator can it be converted to natural gas?
PS Costco is selling Yamaha Generators for about 500 dollars.

 

[Sherman]

What about those solar generator?