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#1
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portable generator question
Hello seeking recommendations for what brand and size generator to get. Would be used for a running a light or two, maybe a PC, TV etc if power goes out, as well as misc workshop tools when working in the yard. Seems like if not used a lot, when needed it would not start (Murphy's law) I suppose adding gasoline stabilizer to the fuel and starting it every month or two is critical. Still, some engine brands seem to start more easily than others, handle old gas better than others, etc. I hesitate to just go and buy whatever home depot or sears has for sale without some 'user feedback" thanks paul oman |
#2
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You aren't very demanding.
How about your refrigerator? Furnace? Those are my first priorities. |
#3
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"Paul Oman" wrote in message
.net... Hello seeking recommendations for what brand and size generator to get. Would be used for a running a light or two, maybe a PC, TV etc if power goes out, as well as misc workshop tools when working in the yard. Seems like if not used a lot, when needed it would not start (Murphy's law) I suppose adding gasoline stabilizer to the fuel and starting it every month or two is critical. Still, some engine brands seem to start more easily than others, handle old gas better than others, etc. I hesitate to just go and buy whatever home depot or sears has for sale without some 'user feedback" I prefer to go with a car battery or two and an inverter. This way, if worse came to worse, I could charge the batteries or run the invert off the car. In my opinion, a couple batteries are much more reliable than a small engine. They're also quieter, can be used (though not charged) inside if need be, and are cheaper. You may not want to try running a fridge or heater with one, but I did manage to run my 52" TV off one with a 300 watt inverter. Pagan |
#4
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Yes, in my opinion, the inverter is
probably more reliable. And, as you stated, you can run the car to charge .... but the average car alternator probably can't keep up with real heavy usage. I designed and us a mobile TV studio. We originally put in a 7KW Onan genset. It was VERY unreliable, noisy and smelly. We finally had to put a large UPS on the video equipment to cover for when the Onan decided to go nuts. After about 5 years of very poor service, we replaced the Onan with an 5KW AuraGen, which is belted off the truck engine and uses an inverter. This thing is unbelievably stable. You can run all the video gear and lights simultaneously, and then start the roof mounted AC ..... hardly any glitch in the power. Two slight problems; it does use more gas than the Onan and while the truck engine is quieter, and cleaner, it does vibrate a bit "differently" to the point that a camera on top the truck, does "see" the vibration. Pagan wrote: "Paul Oman" wrote in message .net... Hello seeking recommendations for what brand and size generator to get. Would be used for a running a light or two, maybe a PC, TV etc if power goes out, as well as misc workshop tools when working in the yard. Seems like if not used a lot, when needed it would not start (Murphy's law) I suppose adding gasoline stabilizer to the fuel and starting it every month or two is critical. Still, some engine brands seem to start more easily than others, handle old gas better than others, etc. I hesitate to just go and buy whatever home depot or sears has for sale without some 'user feedback" I prefer to go with a car battery or two and an inverter. This way, if worse came to worse, I could charge the batteries or run the invert off the car. In my opinion, a couple batteries are much more reliable than a small engine. They're also quieter, can be used (though not charged) inside if need be, and are cheaper. You may not want to try running a fridge or heater with one, but I did manage to run my 52" TV off one with a 300 watt inverter. Pagan |
#5
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Don't forget your refrigerator, DSL or Cable router, etc. No recomendations
except to maybe run the unit dry and have fresh gas on hand to fill if you expect you may need it. Each manufacturer will have recomendations for how to store it. Don't buy Craftsman. Here are some brands that I remember seeing used sucessfully in LA and MS last week. Porter Cable Dewalt Coleman Devilbis Generac Honda Winco The Winco I saw was a tri fuel - I don't know much about it except it can run on LP, natural or regular gasoline!! That is pretty cool if you ask me. "Paul Oman" wrote in message .net... Hello seeking recommendations for what brand and size generator to get. Would be used for a running a light or two, maybe a PC, TV etc if power goes out, as well as misc workshop tools when working in the yard. Seems like if not used a lot, when needed it would not start (Murphy's law) I suppose adding gasoline stabilizer to the fuel and starting it every month or two is critical. Still, some engine brands seem to start more easily than others, handle old gas better than others, etc. I hesitate to just go and buy whatever home depot or sears has for sale without some 'user feedback" thanks paul oman |
#6
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In article , Paul
Oman wrote: Hello seeking recommendations for what brand and size generator to get. Would be used for a running a light or two, maybe a PC, TV etc if power goes out, as well as misc workshop tools when working in the yard. Seems like if not used a lot, when needed it would not start (Murphy's law) I suppose adding gasoline stabilizer to the fuel and starting it every month or two is critical. Still, some engine brands seem to start more easily than others, handle old gas better than others, etc. I hesitate to just go and buy whatever home depot or sears has for sale without some 'user feedback" Hi Paul, I just bought a Generac 5550 "Wheelhouse" portable generator from HD. I did a bunch of research before deciding on this one and the three factors that contributed the most (after wattage) were that the ancestor of this generator was Consumer Report's Top Pick in 2003, availability, and noise level. Noise was a BIG factor for me, and I'd heard that the Generac ran at a confortable 60-70 dB; low enough to hold a normal conversation within a few feet of the running unit. In fact, the noise level is closer to 80-90 dB, meaning you have to yell rather loudly to be heard over the noise of the running unit. It isn't pleasant, and you wouldn't want to use a generator like this on a camping trip. But I bought mine for use during catastrophic emergencies only, not camping, and not even during short brownouts (which are becoming more common). In my area of California, that means a 7.5 earthquake or fire, which may never happen in my lifetime. So I plan to keep the unit. It does everything else as advertised. $.02 deposited. -Frank -- fwarner1-at-franksknives-dot-com Here's some of my work: http://www.franksknives.com/ |
#7
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I have a Honda 2000. Really quiet (55 db) and reliable, puts out a very
clean sine wave without spikes for running a pc. They are expensive however, about $900.00. |
#8
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"Art Todesco" wrote in message
. .. Yes, in my opinion, the inverter is probably more reliable. And, as you stated, you can run the car to charge .... but the average car alternator probably can't keep up with real heavy usage. No, and I wouldn't recommend running an inverter off the alternator for any significant length of time, unless a high output alternator is installed on a diesel engine, and the vehicle is secured against joyriders. I designed and us a mobile TV studio. We originally put in a 7KW Onan genset. It was VERY unreliable, noisy and smelly. We finally had to put a large UPS on the video equipment to cover for when the Onan decided to go nuts. After about 5 years of very poor service, we replaced the Onan with an 5KW AuraGen, which is belted off the truck engine and uses an inverter. This thing is unbelievably stable. You can run all the video gear and lights simultaneously, and then start the roof mounted AC ..... hardly any glitch in the power. Two slight problems; it does use more gas than the Onan and while the truck engine is quieter, and cleaner, it does vibrate a bit "differently" to the point that a camera on top the truck, does "see" the vibration. Sounds like a very good setup. New motor mounts might reduce some of the vibration, and outriggers can reduce it even more. What do news crews use to solve the vibration problem? My guess is very expensive cameras that can compensate, although I think I've seen one or two news vans with outriggers. Pagan |
#9
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