Monday, March 14, 2022

Generate your own power

 



Westinghouse Generator.

21 comments:

  1. 3600 Watts....WTF won't power much.

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    1. Says somebody that doesn't know much. My 3550 Troybilt can power our furnace, freezer, and all the lights on the first floor. But it should rightly be called a convertor rather than a generator. It converts gasoline into electricity.

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    2. That probably comes from the spiel the Generac salesman gave them. My girlfriend got a Generac 9K, she found out that during a power outage not only could she light up the house and have heat and hot water, but cook a turkey in the electric oven. $12K. Not including the Propane tank installation.

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    3. ghostsniperMarch 14, 2022 at 1:24 PM
      Says somebody that doesn't know much.

      Typical liberal democrat biden voter Reply....LOL

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    4. Somebody needs to change their heavily soiled thong.

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  2. That's not a bad price at all. I paid $500 for my Troybilt 16 years ago. Can't comment on the WH quality except to say they gypped me off bad on a TV a few years ago. And, generators are amazingly heavy and the one in the ad doesn't have wheels or a pulling handle. Speaking of pulling. On these things you typically have to pull the rope vertical to start it. For me (I'm 6' tall) that means a full pull means I have to go all the way up on my toes at the top of the pull. Kinda hard to explain. If you're short, old, or out of shape it might not be doable. Consider an electric start version. Typically when you need a generator the surrounding conditions are already rough, so why make it rougher than need be? If I had it to do over again I'd get the electric start version. And propane powered as propane stays good longer.

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  3. Ethanol free gas keeps longer.

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    1. As loud as being in the same room with a Hoover. As loud as making you a target of roving bands of hoodlums.

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    2. I was hoping for the dB numbers.

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  5. Went with the WH 4500 duel fuel inverter w electric start for the seasonal PSPS outages in NorCal. Most distributors wouldn't even ship to this commie state but we found one in the northern Midwest that did. That little son of a gun ran for eleven days straight following the late December storm that clobbered us, running off our propane tank and later on gasoline when the service stations got power. Powered all of our essentials including coffee pot and satellite dish. Never been sorry for that purchase.

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    1. That's the type I've been thinking of getting too, so I'm grateful for your feedback. I've got a 500 gal propane tank and that could power a small gennie for nearly a week, allowing me to keep the fridge & freezer going, and maybe an AC too.

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  6. Should be on everybody's list or already installed imo.
    The input the the breaker panel is a vital piece, and big yes on the electric start.
    Anyone compare the diesel versions to gas and propane? I also see the value in a solar power pack for small items but that's down on the list.

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    1. I have a 10,000 running watt, dual fuel gen with manual transfer panel and 50W inout plug and 50 ft cable from plug to gen - total cost $1,200. If we get a big outage it will power most of the house, everything we need, and 1200 will seem like nothing. We had an ice storm years ago that knocked out all the local power and it took 3 days for us to get powered back up again. In winter of course. Not going through that again.
      I never looked at a diesel option.

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  7. Dual fuel is the way to go. Ethanol even with stabilizer won't last until you need it and if big outage the gas stations don't pump either, and ehthanol free gas is wicked expensive.

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  8. The only generators I would own are 1800 RPM (or lower, if you can find one) diesels. Any generator requiring 3600 RPM to operate are to be considered "short term" providers.

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  9. The one question I have on any of the 'name brand' generators I see lately is where are these made?
    I would not mind paying a premium for a good generator made in the USA.
    I could not find out where most of them are made, which screams China to me.

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  10. I have two Honda 2000s....bought them in the early 2000s for our fifth wheel. I have run our freezer, fridge and lights, TV, etc when needed. NO problems with them at all. Not cheap, but incredibly portable and fuel efficient for gas powered generators

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  11. Look at the Wen dual fuel if you must buy new. Almost all made in China.

    3600 watts will run a gas furnace blower, a fridge or two, computers/internet, and any number of LED lights. Will not run AC or electric HW. 1800 rpm is indeed better, but much harder to find, and anyway these are short term solutions- NOT replacements for the power company for weeks and weeks. An emergency solution until the grid is on again. If you want total replacement, you need around 25-40KW, huge buried tanks of propane/diesel, etc. Ditto, if you have electric heat, heat pumps for winter, these little ones just can't hack it. If you have gas/oil for heating/HW though- you're set.

    Yeah, Generac (etc) all push 'whole house'. A grand per kw installed. And maintenance nightmares for the homeowner- regular pro service required.

    Inverter style are better. And more expensive. Much quieter. Electric start is worth paying for IF you'll put a maintainer on the battery.

    These tend to be easy to find for cheap at garage sales, about 2-4 years after purchase just before/after a storm, when the first buyer decides it's just not worth having around. They tend to have low hours and bad carburettors due to gasohol, and won't start, so bid accordingly. Easy to convert to propane/nat gas if gasoline only.

    Don't forget extension cords. These need to run 25 to 50 feet away from the house.

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