Choosing a generator...
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Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 24
From: Central Florida
Choosing a generator...
wow! These things are expensive!
In my small amount of research it seems I need about 5000 watts, and I am amazed at the pricing (and price ranges).
I have a rooftop a/c and that's all for now, but I will be adding some lighting soon.
Whatever generator i get; I want it big enough to help support my home in case of a hurricane. A/c is a MUST. And refrigerator for food. Come to think of it: water heater too. Wow: American spoiled baby I am.
I am a a guy who insists on buying top quality; but shnikeys these thing are expensive. Any of you have a recommendation on a lower priced generator? Or good advice in general?
Thanks in advance.
In my small amount of research it seems I need about 5000 watts, and I am amazed at the pricing (and price ranges).
I have a rooftop a/c and that's all for now, but I will be adding some lighting soon.
Whatever generator i get; I want it big enough to help support my home in case of a hurricane. A/c is a MUST. And refrigerator for food. Come to think of it: water heater too. Wow: American spoiled baby I am.
I am a a guy who insists on buying top quality; but shnikeys these thing are expensive. Any of you have a recommendation on a lower priced generator? Or good advice in general?
Thanks in advance.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,475
Likes: 728
From: Calgary Canada
Are you sure you need 5000 watts? That's really big, although maybe that's right if you want to power your whole home from it in case of emergencies.
For RV useage, most folks get by on 2000w. For use in a campground, an inverter generator is MUCH quieter and really the only thing I'd recommend. For emergency use, I don't think that's as much of a problem.
For RV useage, most folks get by on 2000w. For use in a campground, an inverter generator is MUCH quieter and really the only thing I'd recommend. For emergency use, I don't think that's as much of a problem.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 117
Likes: 2
buy a honda
i only buy quality stuff as well, I personally own and ise a honda eu 7000 . It is very quite, inveret type so its safe for electronics and is fuel injectes. Just turn key and push start. Backs my house fine as well. No one makes a comparable unit thats portable and quality.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 466
Likes: 5
If you want a generator to provide backup power for a house also, even a 6500-7000 may not be enough. The inrush of starting current for a home A/C unit can reach 80,90, maybe even 100 amps or more (depending on the size of the unit....rated in Tons). Granted, the starting current only happens for a second or so, but many times a generator of the size mentioned above will not work for that application. I've got a 6300 Watt Yamaha generator and it won't fire up the Heat Pump in my house. The better solution for home backup power is a dedicated generator.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 466
Likes: 5
The Yamaha inverter generators are right there in the same price range as the Hondas....maybe slightly less. The bottom line is that most likely you are not going to find a "portable" generator that will fill the need for backup power at home, especially with you wanting it to be able to power up an A/C unit, a hot water heater, and refrigerator. An electric water heater is generally 4500 watts all by itself.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 4,392
Likes: 22
From: very South Texas
2 different animals...
home unit .. fixed or portable.. for home, I use a 7k generator (portable).. is fine. NO A/C.
trailer a 3k unit is doable. but no microwave with A/C ON....
if you allow your generated power to back feed to street power lines.. you will be charged for injuring or killing electrical workers.
home unit .. fixed or portable.. for home, I use a 7k generator (portable).. is fine. NO A/C.
trailer a 3k unit is doable. but no microwave with A/C ON....
if you allow your generated power to back feed to street power lines.. you will be charged for injuring or killing electrical workers.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,060
Likes: 491
From: Bristol, TN.
2 different animals...
home unit .. fixed or portable.. for home, I use a 7k generator (portable).. is fine. NO A/C.
trailer a 3k unit is doable. but no microwave with A/C ON....
if you allow your generated power to back feed to street power lines.. you will be charged for injuring or killing electrical workers.
home unit .. fixed or portable.. for home, I use a 7k generator (portable).. is fine. NO A/C.
trailer a 3k unit is doable. but no microwave with A/C ON....
if you allow your generated power to back feed to street power lines.. you will be charged for injuring or killing electrical workers.
Agree and will add this thought. Having now been on the road for over two months, if you truly want to meet campground standards (65 decibels at 10 feet I believe it is) Honda and Yamaha inverter models are alone on the list. I am so darn tired of people running contractor model generators in campgrounds! Perhaps the most inconsiderate thing I can think of someone doing. And, a 2000 watt Honda or Yamaha will often run a rooftop air (mine do), if there is no other load on the system, but they get really loud while doing it. I know the Rangers never enforce the standard for noise level, but I haven't seen a Ranger enforce rules on anything!
I have two Yamahas, a 2000 and a 2400 and both have given excellent service, but the Hondas are much easier to have serviced if the need arises. Those are also the only two brands I would repair or have repaired if they tear up. You won't know they are running if you walk by and they are just powering the converter, TV, etc.
I know there are other brands that supposedly meet specs, but walk by them with a decibel meter and see what you get.
And why power the water heater with a generator? That burner is less than 10,000 btu during the time it is running which is only minutes per day and recovery time is much less than running on electric.
Just my opinionated two cents,
Steve
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 466
Likes: 5
Agree and will add this thought. Having now been on the road for over two months, if you truly want to meet campground standards (65 decibels at 10 feet I believe it is) Honda and Yamaha inverter models are alone on the list. I am so darn tired of people running contractor model generators in campgrounds! Perhaps the most inconsiderate thing I can think of someone doing. And, a 2000 watt Honda or Yamaha will often run a rooftop air (mine do), if there is no other load on the system, but they get really loud while doing it. I know the Rangers never enforce the standard for noise level, but I haven't seen a Ranger enforce rules on anything!
I have two Yamahas, a 2000 and a 2400 and both have given excellent service, but the Hondas are much easier to have serviced if the need arises. Those are also the only two brands I would repair or have repaired if they tear up. You won't know they are running if you walk by and they are just powering the converter, TV, etc.
I know there are other brands that supposedly meet specs, but walk by them with a decibel meter and see what you get.
And why power the water heater with a generator? That burner is less than 10,000 btu during the time it is running which is only minutes per day and recovery time is much less than running on electric.
Just my opinionated two cents,
Steve
I have two Yamahas, a 2000 and a 2400 and both have given excellent service, but the Hondas are much easier to have serviced if the need arises. Those are also the only two brands I would repair or have repaired if they tear up. You won't know they are running if you walk by and they are just powering the converter, TV, etc.
I know there are other brands that supposedly meet specs, but walk by them with a decibel meter and see what you get.
And why power the water heater with a generator? That burner is less than 10,000 btu during the time it is running which is only minutes per day and recovery time is much less than running on electric.
Just my opinionated two cents,
Steve
I think he was referencing the house water heater, not the RV water heater....for when he wanted to use or needs standby power during a storm at Home.
I totally agree on the use of contactor style generators being used in a camping spot, it's horrible and terribly inconsiderate. I do 16-18 motorcycle trackdays a year, and it's as you would expect, very noisy all day long....9A - 5P. The very last thing I want to put up with in the evenings while BBQing, having a drink,B.S.ing, and especially while trying to sleep, is listening to some loud-*** generator running all night long. And most of the time, those folks that do that, ALWAYS point the exhaust away from their tent/trailer/whatever, and directly towards someone else. They don't want to hear it, but it's OK???? for me to hear all night long. That makes me kind of crabby....to say the least.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,710
Likes: 12,849
From: Wyoming
My Onan 5500 Marquis Gold on-board generator isn't real quiet. I could hear it from a couple hundred feet away this weekend. I'm going to break out the decibel meter and see what it really is. I have a Gen-Turi stack for mine that I think will lower the sound a bit. The meter should give me a nice objective answer on that.
I haven't pushed my generator very hard by trying to run everything in the trailer at the same time. I have only a single A/C unit. It's possible that I could fire everything up and the generator would just laugh at me.
My hunting buddy has dual Honda generators. They are nice and quiet. But I sure do like the convenience of my on-board generator. When we're hunting I cringe every time he has to fill up the generators with fuel. One little spill on his hands or clothes will make him smell of fuel for a while.
I haven't pushed my generator very hard by trying to run everything in the trailer at the same time. I have only a single A/C unit. It's possible that I could fire everything up and the generator would just laugh at me.
My hunting buddy has dual Honda generators. They are nice and quiet. But I sure do like the convenience of my on-board generator. When we're hunting I cringe every time he has to fill up the generators with fuel. One little spill on his hands or clothes will make him smell of fuel for a while.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,060
Likes: 491
From: Bristol, TN.
The Marquis aren't bad IMHO, but the 4000s are ridiculously loud so even the folks who own them complain about the noise level. Lots of rental class Cs with the gensets running non-stop.
Refueling is an issue, but we don't run our AC on ours so a tank runs a really long time.
In Glacier there was someone in the park with a contractor model with the governor out of adjustment so it was constantly cycling up and down. Had it running every minute during the generator hours. Then there was the guy down from us who obviously felt the generators hours didn't apply to him.
The question I have for all the folks who used these low dollar units is if it is so great why do you park it as far away as humanly possible from your own rig? Do you thing the neighbors need to be serenaded with the sound of your genset?
Not sure how many remembered when it actually hit the wire services but several years ago there was a dispute over a noisy generator and first one guy shot the offending generator, then the generator owner shot him!
Steve
Refueling is an issue, but we don't run our AC on ours so a tank runs a really long time.
In Glacier there was someone in the park with a contractor model with the governor out of adjustment so it was constantly cycling up and down. Had it running every minute during the generator hours. Then there was the guy down from us who obviously felt the generators hours didn't apply to him.
The question I have for all the folks who used these low dollar units is if it is so great why do you park it as far away as humanly possible from your own rig? Do you thing the neighbors need to be serenaded with the sound of your genset?
Not sure how many remembered when it actually hit the wire services but several years ago there was a dispute over a noisy generator and first one guy shot the offending generator, then the generator owner shot him!
Steve
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,893
Likes: 12
From: Ohio
I have a vintage 4K Onan, about 1978 or so was the camper it came from.
Nothing like an inverter for quiet, but for the $500 I have invested in it it works great for my race trailer. It will run the a/c fine, but if I want to run the water heater or micro I typically switch the a/c to fan til I'm done.
I have a load meter on the set so make sure I don't overload it, but I usually opt for keeping it on the safe side.
You can buy them on Craigslist for even less depending on the condition. Some even have a small gas tank attached already.
At the race track, there are PLENTY of those ridiculous contractor specials running all day/night. Makes you wanna fill their tanks with sugar!!! The owners typically aim the exhaust away from themselves so they don't have to hear it. Ya, thanks A-hole.
My Onan is just a mild hum, as I put a new bigger stock muffler on it.
Nothing like an inverter for quiet, but for the $500 I have invested in it it works great for my race trailer. It will run the a/c fine, but if I want to run the water heater or micro I typically switch the a/c to fan til I'm done.
I have a load meter on the set so make sure I don't overload it, but I usually opt for keeping it on the safe side.
You can buy them on Craigslist for even less depending on the condition. Some even have a small gas tank attached already.
At the race track, there are PLENTY of those ridiculous contractor specials running all day/night. Makes you wanna fill their tanks with sugar!!! The owners typically aim the exhaust away from themselves so they don't have to hear it. Ya, thanks A-hole.
My Onan is just a mild hum, as I put a new bigger stock muffler on it.