Generator Suggestions

[boehm742]

Looking to get a generator this winter in case of outages. Im looking to power a 250w heater and a korilla 4 powerhead minimum. Would also like to have a couple additional outlets for other equipment and or household appliances/a small portable room heater. Does anyone have any suggestions on some good units?

 

[power boat jim]

I have a craftsman generator that puts out 3500w that powers a reeflow pump a couple heaters metal halide lights and a freezer with power to spare. It has been a very dependable unit

 

[jeff@zina.com]

You'll want a 5,000 KW generator if you're serious about providing power for a period of time that includes heating/air conditioning (small units, not whole house) and refrigeration. Most generators are very similar, but look for a Honda engine if possible, easy to repair and get parts for and probably the most reliable small engines. Have gasoline on hand, run the generator outdoors, chain it down to prevent theft and test it before you need it.

Jeff

 

[lordofthereef]

5k KW? That seems a little overkill depending on the system you have running. Everything running at the same time for me doesn't even total 1K!

EDIT: I guess you weren't referring to a tank specific unit per se.

 

[Porcupinepuffer]

5k KW? That seems a little overkill depending on the system you have running. Everything running at the same time for me doesn't even total 1K!

EDIT: I guess you weren't referring to a tank specific unit per se.

The system also includes some items around the house. When electric motors and compressors "call" to run. They can sometimes require a good amount of juice to get them going. Also, running a generator near its almost max power is very hard on the stator and other components. You'll have a lot less life out of it. It's good to be over sized on the generator by a k-watt or so. 5000 watts is about an average sized/medium 240watt generator.

 

[TampaReefer79]

So the 5,500 watt generator I just bought is big enough? LOL I know NOTHING about them, but it was the biggest one the store had. I had a choice between 3,500 watt and 5,500 watt and I chose the bigger. I figured bigger is better. I'm just not sure HOW big 5,500 watts is in generator terms. There's a notation on the box about 'start up watts' vs 'running watts'. No clue what this means.

 

[Deep Thief]

Most things require more juice to start up than to just run. With this in mind, most generators will produce more power than what it is rated for in running watts. Your 5500 watt unit probably will do like 6250-6500 in start up wattage but it won't run that way for long. You did fine with the 5500 unit.

To put a little perspective to it though. A house hold electric water heater requires 4500 watts to run. So, take your water heater off the grid, and you could pretty much run your whole house on that 5500. If you turn the water heater on, make sure you have most everything else off when you do.

 

[TampaReefer79]

Thanks for the info!

 

[chilwil84]

a thing that surprisingly uses a lot of electricity is your coffee maker. mine uses over a 1,000 watts

 

[Rancherlee]

If you shut off the Water heater and don't use other 220v appliances like an electric oven or electric dryer a 5500/4500 should be plenty, that size is usually 2 20amp circuits. I have a 8000/6600 watt unit and It powers the whole house + 1 220v appliance if I need to use hot water or cook something in the oven. Also make sure to have enough gas, a 5500/8hp generator can go through ~18-20 gallons a day if run at full load. I know last time the power was out for 3 days my 8000watt unit burned around 12 gallons a day but it was only running at about 1/2 capacity or less.

 

[holdendaniel]

I have just been wrking on a couple kubota generater that would be awesme for you to bad you were not closer........I. belive that if your gonna put so much time and money into a tank you have to have backup power

 

[mscarpena]

I bought a honda 4300 watt generator and love it. I spent almost 2 grand on it, but should last me a lifetime. I ran anything I could throw at it. Also if your heat is off you'll need more than 1 250 watt heater. Your better off getting one large enough to run your furnace and fridge. Make yourself comfortable, but also makes your family happier to put the money out to get one.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

5k KW?

Crap! I can't type. 5,000 WATT, not Kilowatt. :hmm6:

That's for sustainability of the household, it'll run a tank, fridge, small heater/air conditioner, some lights and a TV.

Jeff

 

[auburngrad]

i havefound charts like this to help figure generator wattage needs



http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/generators/content.aspx?asset=gg_wattage

 

[justisathomesea]

I prefer a whole house generator if your looking to spend that kind of money, No need to set it or try and start it in the middle of a storm its automatic. You could get a 20 or 25 kw and that would be enough to run most anything including a heat pump, but would have to disable the heat strips if it was on the generator. But for the most part its the way to go more exspensive the a small generator but well worth the money and ease of mind.

 

[Chris27]

I have a 3500W generator that I picked up at northern tool for around $300, it runs my 180 reef, the fridge, the TV/Cable, and a few fans. While it's not a whole house unit, it takes care of what I need to take care of and still leaves me some juice to keep the beer cold in the fridge and run the TV so my kids don't drive me nuts.

 

[ducatimikep]

I bought a honda 4300 watt generator and love it. I spent almost 2 grand on it, but should last me a lifetime.

That is absolutely crazy!
I have just upgraded to a Generac portable that is 4X as powerful
as that honda at less then 70% the cost....and its electric start.
I can easily run my whole house off it and still have power to send to
the neighbors.

 

[potterjon]

Last year when we had our power outage, I used my portable generator to run power heads and the heater. We were without power for about two days and everything was fine. It won't run a fridge or anything but it is portable and affordable. We could at least watch tv in the freezing cold and I was happy knowing that my tank would make it. It was only a few hundred bucks and I can take it with me. I am talking about the models with a handle that you can just pick up. It was fine for my tank.

 

[auburngrad]

ducatimikep where did u get a 16000 watt generator for $1400? i would love to have one

 

[ducatimikep]

16,500 watts actually
Northern Equipment
scratch & dent sale.
Had to put in a battery & replace the LCD hour meter.