Let't talk portable generators

[RedJeepster1]

Harbor freight makes a clone of the ultra quiet Honda generators. They make a 2k and a 3500 Watt. They are much cheaper than their Honda counterparts.


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[bigdaddymack51]

Its soooo bad to back feed your house . One mistake and a worker may pay with his/her life. A throw switch wired into your panel is the safest and easiest way to do it.  My hook up is beside our rear deck . With a 30' extension the genny sits behind the garage for some quiet. We can run most anything in the house with a 9100 watt generator. Yes you can use the stovetop but not the oven . The main items Heat , fridge , lights , shower, TV are all covered.  Best part is a throw switch removes those circuits from the line so there is no chance of back feeding the line and hurting someone.  They dont always have to work , they sit around mostly , its a big expense done right . When my brother came over to shower and my Christmas lights were on ,  he got one too !  FjR68

 

[redjeep]

I've got a Generac 5000 watt, 6250 surge.  It works fine, my only complaint is that it is loud to run.  It's just like having your lawn mower running under your window.  It has plenty of balls.  I used my stick welder to break it in and it worked like a champ.

I also have a 2500 watt inverter from Harbor Freight that I paid about $125 for with a coupon.  If I don't need to run any 220V stuff I usually grab the inverter first, before digging out the generator.  We have a live sump pump that runs 45 seconds every 45 minutes(when it is pumping) so I need power or I've got a pool in the basement.  I've always wondered how long my car or truck would idle with a full tank of gas.  I can get 600 miles on a tank in the beetle, I'm  thinking the diesel would idle for a while.  Would ildeing a diesel like that for days cause any issues with the engine? 

I could always pump out some home heating oil to refill the tank if we were long term isolated.  It like having an extra 250 gallons of fuel on site at all times.

 

[massxj]

big generator gets run inside the garage back feeding the garage panel that back feeds the house panel.

 

[JeepinMaxx]

big generator gets run inside the garage back feeding the garage panel that back feeds the house panel.

  I assume a detached garage for the CO output!

 

[massxj]

big generator gets run inside the garage back feeding the garage panel that back feeds the house panel.

  I assume a detached garage for the CO output!

:wink:

 

[mudpit]

They make something called a panel interlock kit. I have one on my panel. It’s 100% legal, and it uses a breaker to back feed into the panel. The interlock doesn’t allow both the main and generator breakers to be on at the same time. 100% recommend. The kit was like $50 for the interlock. I don’t run everything in my panel, but my 6250 running watt will run everything but my central air compressor. It’s so much nicer to have one plug than to run extension cords.  https://www.geninterlock.com


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[JeepinMaxx]

They make something called a panel interlock kit. I have one on my panel. It’s 100% legal, and it uses a breaker to back feed into the panel. The interlock doesn’t allow both the main and generator breakers to be on at the same time. 100% recommend. The kit was like $50 for the interlock. I don’t run everything in my panel, but my 6250 running watt will run everything but my central air compressor. It’s so much nicer to have one plug than to run extension cords.  https://www.geninterlock.com

I saw that set-up here:  great way to do it on a budget

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y26CBqpS2M0

Unfortunately that set up won't work with my box since my breaker box is in the basement and my shut off breaker is next to the meter on my deck. 

Here's another video of a few options for connecting a portable to a house

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKwBBesUKA8

 

[HankD]

My setup, simple idea, works great!

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[Paul]

Really this is the way it should be done. Anything else that works might work but this is the safest.

 

[RobTJ]

They make something called a panel interlock kit. I have one on my panel. It’s 100% legal, and it uses a breaker to back feed into the panel. The interlock doesn’t allow both the main and generator breakers to be on at the same time. 100% recommend. The kit was like $50 for the interlock. I don’t run everything in my panel, but my 6250 running watt will run everything but my central air compressor. It’s so much nicer to have one plug than to run extension cords.  https://www.geninterlock.com


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I have the same setup on mine.

 

[MattG]

I’m thinking about picking up a 5000watt inverter style genny. I will most likely buy a duel fuel kit, although I’m not impressed with the power and run times on propane, I do like the availability of it tho.

Want something simple, panel interlock and outdoor plug, easy cheesy

 

[Horn]

Today I picked up an old Genrac 4000XL.  It’s old enough to have a metal tank rather than the plastic tanks it looks like the newer ones have.  It’s pretty rough looking and during the time the seller and I started talking about it on marketplace it stopped running for more than a few seconds with the choke off according to him so I picked it up expecting to do some carb work and at a lower price than I was expecting to start for an offer.  When I got it home I changed the oil and it started and ran without stalling so who knows.  I doubt its speed control is working correctly, it’s supposed to have an idle control system but the switch doesn’t do anything.  However it sounds like it’s running at a reasonable RPM and I was able to get it to run our downstairs freezer and separately one of our 5000 BTU AC units upstairs so it seems like it will do what we need it to do for now if we lose power again this season.  I ran it for a good hour this afternoon and seems to do what it needs to consistently.  Threw some stable into the tank and I’ll put it behind the garage and run it from time to time. Ended up being an inexpensive way to get in the door and now I can gradually look at upgrading it.

 

[A new level]

Does it have a low oil kill switch?

 

[Horn]

Does it have a low oil kill switch?

Yes, according to the seller it’s been replaced recently.

 

[A new level]

Was probably low on oil or too thin

 

[Horn]

Was probably low on oil or too thin

Probably low then.  There wasn’t much in it when I drained it out.

 

[A new level]

Was probably low on oil or too thin

Probably low then.  There wasn’t much in it when I drained it out.

Hopefully it was that easy of a fix!

 

[kakirubi]

Turn off fuel for storage and run carb dry. 

 

[A new level]

Don’t need to do that around here loose power all the time