Cheap 2-Stroke Generator For Rare Use?

[gathermewool]

My condo lost power for just about a week a couple of years ago during Tropical Storm Irene, and then again last year during Sandy.

During Irene, we lost everything in the fridge and freezer, or ~ $75 worth of food. During Sandy; however, only half of the condo complex lost power, and for some reason my unit's laundry room, which also serves as the breaker room for the entire chain of units, had power the entire time; I was able to run an extension cord to keep the fridge going and other "essentials." I'm actually surprised that I was the only one who thought of this, since mine was the only cord run to the room...

During Irene, I charged my cell and battery-powered lantern at work during the day, and literally spent the entire week reading my Kindle by lantern-light every night until I fell asleep - it wasn't too bad, actually. I was also showering at the gym, but that's besides the point, since the water heater would remain cold regardless of whether I had a small generator.

The reason I'm posting, is because I noticed a 2-stroke 1kW (0.9kw continuous) generator for $170 and was wondering whether it was worth having for times like those.

So, what are your thoughts on keeping a small generator? Would it be worth it to wait and procure a 4-stroke, or would a small, cheaply-made 2-stroke be good enough for occasional use (i.e., once per year)?

 

[Kruse]

I actually picked up a couple of two-stroke generators at my local Menards store on a black Friday type of sale. They were $77 each and were rated at 1100 watts. This was a type of sale where you get there early and quickly decide if you want any because the customers were throwing them in the carts that fast. If I had waited a couple more minutes, they would have all been gone. They work okay, but I'd consider them throwaways, even though they put a 1 year warranty on them. Most people will tell you to buy the generator, replace the spark plug with a name-brand plug, and then just cross your fingers and pray for the best.
I personally think the two-stroke generator that you are looking at is good for a once-a-year type of use.

 

[gathermewool]

Thanks, Kruse!

That seems to summarize my findings on the interwebs pretty well. Even though it's cheap, I'd hope to get a good 4-5 years out of something considered to be "throw-away," ESPECIALLY if only used for 20-30 hrs/year.

 

[fdcg27]

HF will sell you something like that for <$100.00.

 

[Doog]

I was able to get a "returned" 2200 watt generator at Harbor Freight for $150. Took it home and flushed the oil, cleaned the carb and installed a new spark plug. Runs great.

 

[gathermewool]

I guess $170 for an ETQ isn't that great then.

Link, if it helps:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330776840834

 

[Chris142]

I have over 300 hrs on the little 800w genny from harbor freight. Dump the chinese sparkplug and run good oil in itand it seems to be a quality unit. It will run my refrigerator and my moms oxygen generator at the same time!

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I guess $170 for an ETQ isn't that great then.

Link, if it helps:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330776840834


I'm going to guess that the "free shipping" is keeping that specific generator priced artificially high.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
I have over 300 hrs on the little 800w genny from harbor freight. Dump the chinese sparkplug and run good oil in itand it seems to be a quality unit. It will run my refrigerator and my moms oxygen generator at the same time!


That's not bad at all. The reason I'm bringing it up now, is because I'd like to pick something up now, before the possible price-gouging that occurs prior and subsequent to a weather event. Ideally, I should have picked something up just after, when every one was selling theirs, but really didn't think about it too much, since this last storm left me with at least one extensions cord's worth of power.

Again, for light and electronics, I can always run my car's engine for charging, but ~0.3 gph and the security risk of leavign my engine idling for extended periods doesn't make much sense. I would at least be able to lock a small generator down on my back porch, if needed.

More to consider:

My lantern is an LED Coleman that is lead-acid battery-powered, that will last me all weekend and can be charged at work.

Cell-phones and other electronics can also be charged at work or a nearby coffee shop that has power, worst case. The wife and I are not tech whores, and the our simpler entertainment devices (e.g., Kindle) will hold a charge for weeks, so we can "survive" for extended periods without having to really charge more power-hungry devices.

I only lose power for an extended period maybe once/year. This year may be the year that we aren't hit by a tropical storm. In such a case, a generator purchased now will simply sit, unused, for an entire year. I don't tail-gate and wouldn't drag a relatively noisy 2-stroke out camping, so it would really just be for those instances where we lose power due to weather, such as has happened the past two years.

Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I guess $170 for an ETQ isn't that great then.

Link, if it helps:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330776840834


I'm going to guess that the "free shipping" is keeping that specific generator priced artificially high.


That's my guess.

 

[Errtt]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
HF will sell you something like that for

And they sell a lot of them in my area when the coupons kick in. They are noisy. They are easy to carry away (by others), so sink an eyeball on em.

I was able to get a inverter 2kw unit last year at my Costco, and it ran the fridge and a few other top priority important things (TV, Internet, Coffee pot, x-mas lighting) fine.

 

[tig1]

Larger frig take about 1.8KW to 2KW to start and 4-6KW to run. The small gens you are asking about won't power your frig.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Larger frig take about 1.8KW to 2KW to start and 4-6KW to run. The small gens you are asking about won't power your frig.


Are you sure about that? Starting current is usually the highest. I had a watt-meter hooked up during Sandy and the running wattage of my fridge seemed very low, well below 1kw.

 

[fxrider]

Buy a Honda 2000W there $1000 but well worth it. don't waste your money on Chinese junk.

 

[FXjohn]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
Buy a Honda 2000W there $1000 but well worth it. don't waste your money on Chinese junk.


ride out the occasional blackouts. save even more money

 

[eljefino]

My fridge absolutely starts on my HF 900 watt.

My old fridge was a closer shave, to get it past the starting current I had two power strips; the second had a hair dryer on low to load the generator to get it to rev up. I flipped it off while simultaneously flipping the fridge on.

But my new fridge is one of those soft start eco friendly wussy fridges, takes about 200 watts most of the time and maybe 450 to start up. (Kill a watt can't measure that quickly).

Also look on amazon and home depot websites, maybe o.co as well.

Finally, they sound unlike most other 2-strokes. Better muffled and weird at a lower 3600 RPM. They sound a little out of tune at that frequency, IMO.

 

[Errtt]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: tig1
Larger frig take about 1.8KW to 2KW to start and 4-6KW to run. The small gens you are asking about won't power your frig.


Are you sure about that? Starting current is usually the highest. I had a watt-meter hooked up during Sandy and the running wattage of my fridge seemed very low, well below 1kw.


I thought my fridge was going really task my 2kw generator. I was surprised how little of a hit it was starting, and how easy it was running current. Can't recall (don't want to pull the fridge), but mine was easy under 1kw. But when I run the drip coffee maker, I unplugged the fridge for the duration it took to make the coffee. Haven't tried it with the fridge cycled on. Maybe next time I will.

 

[GreeCguy]

Be sure you have an ample supply of fuel.

 

[tig1]

I found this on starting and running watts for a frig. 800 run and 1600 start. Now I'm sure there are differances in frig but starting at under 900 watts seems to be a strech to me for a full size unit.

http://www.rheem.com/documents/seregen400-wattage-worksheet


Here is another site showing frig run and starting watts.

http://www.powermate.com/generators/buying_guide.php

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Larger frig take about 1.8KW to 2KW to start and 4-6KW to run. The small gens you are asking about won't power your frig.


Huh? During one of the storms in 2010 we ran our fridge, freezer and a few other things from a borrowed Honda EU 2000i. It didnt sound taxed and it ran fine all day.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
Buy a Honda 2000W there $1000 but well worth it. don't waste your money on Chinese junk.


The better Chinese units are every bit as good as the (overrated) Honda. The inverter units are almost as quiet, use just as little fuel and are considerably cheaper. The RV guys love them too.

I'd get the 2 stroke from Harbor Freight (heck, get 2), run the [censored] out of them and laugh at the savings over the Honda.