Emergency Generator

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
As I look at my 21 Cubic Foot freezer packed to the gills with meat it is dawning on me that having a Generator would be a good idea. We currently rarely lose power and when we do we get it back within 12 hours. but with the recent events i think it would be good to be prepared for a longer outage.

I really have no need for a generator outside of using it for power outages and I mostly want it to keep my frig and freezer running.

Amazon has tons of cheap options like this

I guess my big question is how do I select a generator and how big of a deal is "Dirty Power" when it comes to appliances, laptops and phones?
 

Parrie

Active member
Mar 26, 2019
25
1
Maine
For your needs I'd stick w/ an inverter generator in the 2,000 range. You should be able to find a new Generac 2,000 for under $500.
 

Parrie

Active member
Mar 26, 2019
25
1
Maine
Hmmm, that's a good question. I don't see anything specific mentioned about elevation...probably best to contact tech support for confirmation.
 

Parrie

Active member
Mar 26, 2019
25
1
Maine
What about the WEN 56203i generator in the comparison chart in your link? It's only $3 more and specs appear to be a better deal (quieter, lighter, a bit more power at 1,700 continuos)

Also, if you are going to go with an off-name brand check out Harbor Freight.
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
What about the WEN 56203i generator in the comparison chart in your link? It's only $3 more and specs appear to be a better deal (quieter, lighter, a bit more power at 1,700 continuos)

Also, if you are going to go with an off-name brand check out Harbor Freight.

I was turned off by the fact that unit required an external ground.

But they have a high altitude kit in stock. Im on hold with them now
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
Good call on Wen.

I called them and they have this unit in stock with free shipping as well as the high altitude kit

 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I've got one of these, and it's been a very pleasant ownership experience:

EF2000iSv2-3.jpg

It works perfectly whenever it's supposed to, and stores easily anywhere with no leaks or smells.

That's really all you need to ask out of a generator. Will it run your A/C? Of course not, but it'll run a refrigerator and a theater system if you back off the juice, or a gaming computer with all your routers and stuff. It's also surprisingly fuel efficient and resistant to poor fuel qualities. Maintenance is idiot-proof.

It's a damned fine machine.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
Well, my brother and I who live 15 mins apart decided it would be best to pool resources and got this


Its still reasonably quite, portable but much more powerful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Parrie

mjbrox

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2008
1,812
48
Golden CO
I bought a generator in 2007 during the last San Diego large brush fire... Haven't even unpacked it since.
Time to put it on C-list.

we have never had a power outage for more than 13 hours here but we figure $400 split between us and cheap insurance.

But you bring up a good point. Do we even open/test it? or just shove it in a closest ?
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
Not sure. At the time, we had much larger house, with a lot of halogen lighting, and without solar. Now I have 4.5kW solar system (need to disconnect it from the grid in case of a blackout), so my max conceivable power draw is about 1.5kW.
I'd go with a smaller and quieter Honda generator.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
we have never had a power outage for more than 13 hours here but we figure $400 split between us and cheap insurance.

But you bring up a good point. Do we even open/test it? or just shove it in a closest ?

I would open, test and use for a while. Make sure to either drain or add stabil. I run mine at least once a year, about the same altitude as you. Definitely have a altitude kit. Also you can adapt to propane.

I have 2 of the EU2000i that can be jumpered.

You should be able to get an electrician to jump them to your house so that you don't have to run extensions, etc. They will actually run my house if I am careful. Exception is the elec clothes drier.

They are pricey, but I have had mine for 15 years. Only mistake was not firing up for a year and not putting stabil in gas. Simple carb clean though.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
I would like a generator that kicks on automatically and powers up a separate panel with critical circuits. I used to loose power a lot more than I do now. But sometimes I can lose it for a long time.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
When my son raced MX I bought a cheap Walmart generator to power our enclosed trailer. Did use it to power the frig during a couple of outages. Never tried to run the TV, computer, etc off of it.

I guess it goes without saying that if you do use one then trip the mains, don't want to kill some poor lineman down the road.
 
Last edited: