Home Depot Husky Generator?

[Rock_Hudstone]

Wow, threads die quick around here lately.

Anyway, how about this Husky generator, Briggs engine and USA assembled I believe?

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Alte...p;storeId=10051

 

[gman2304]

It looks just like my 10 year old Troy Built. Mine has done a great job for me but it's pretty loud.

 

[JimPghPA]

Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone
Wow, threads die quick around here lately.




Have you noticed Recent Topics just recently went from 8 to 12 to help keep threads alive longer with the recent new record number of viewers also representing a corresponding increase in people making new topics.

 

[The motor guy]

I would choose a generac generator. They make a 5500watt one for about the same price. They make huge commercial generators. Husky doesn't make generators in the industrial market. So yeah the husky one has a decent engine but who knows about the actual generator part.

 

[JTK]

Yeah, I'm not sure Generac is quite what it used to be in the small portable gen realm.

IMO, all conventional portable gens in the 1000-5000 watt range are good. They all have generator ends that could die in an instant and be more costly to repair then replace. The engines are all good and again can fail in an instant and be just like the above.

If you're talking a high dollar digital, automatic idle controlled portable, you want a name-brand unit. Honda or the likes.

Joel

 

[eljefino]

Specs say 0 hp and 0 dB operational noise? Someone is in a hurry to ship these out post-hurricane.

 

[demarpaint]

Here's what I learned about generators. When I buy one it will run on natural gas, which is what heats my house. I will not be an owner of a generator and have no gas to run it, like soooooooo many people in my neighborhood did. Or wait hours or even days on a line to get gas.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Here's what I learned about generators. When I buy one it will run on natural gas, which is what heats my house. I will not be an owner of a generator and have no gas to run it, like soooooooo many people in my neighborhood did. Or wait hours or even days on a line to get gas.


Except when they shut gas off like they did in many flooded areas. Or you get the bill to upsize your gas supply as generators need a LOT of NG to run. Or get a $2k gas bill the next month.

NG is a good fuel but not the "Holy Grail" of fuels. Nor is it infallible.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Here's what I learned about generators. When I buy one it will run on natural gas, which is what heats my house. I will not be an owner of a generator and have no gas to run it, like soooooooo many people in my neighborhood did. Or wait hours or even days on a line to get gas.


Except when they shut gas off like they did in many flooded areas. Or you get the bill to upsize your gas supply as generators need a LOT of NG to run. Or get a $2k gas bill the next month.

NG is a good fuel but not the "Holy Grail" of fuels. Nor is it infallible.


True but seeing what happened here, I'd be willing to take my chances. There is no holy grail of anything in a crisis. Unless you had a gas tank sitting in your yard you'd have been SOL with a generator running on gasoline. My neighbor was burning 5 gallons a day, by the second day after the storm he was cold and sitting in the dark. IMO there are better choices of fuel for generators than gasoline. In over 30 years of home ownership I was never w/o NG. I also thought I'd never wait on line for gas and not get it, but that did happen, and it happened to a lot more people than the few that had NG turned off.

 

[Donald]

You can get a tri-fuel generator as opposed to one designed for natural gas/propane.

There are two type of large scale power failures. A grid problem where a large area has no power and there was no warning. Typically not down for more than a day or two. Storm related where you have some warning to buy gasoline.

Propane or diesel are the only real options to be self sufficient and not require a lot of maint.

 

[Donald]

The Husky generator is probably a MTD. Generac sells several series of generators. The best series is not cheap.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Donald
You can get a tri-fuel generator as opposed to one designed for natural gas/propane.

There are two type of large scale power failures. A grid problem where a large area has no power and there was no warning. Typically not down for more than a day or two. Storm related where you have some warning to buy gasoline.

Propane or diesel are the only real options to be self sufficient and not require a lot of maint.


We had plenty of warning to buy gasoline. I still have 12 gallons on hand. That would last less than 3 days, and people were unable to buy gas for longer than that. Today is the second day there are no gas lines. A few days after the storm people were still sleeping in their cars online waiting for gas. My point is gas is certainly not a good option for a situation like the one we just had. Diesel was shut down along with the gas, and propane dried up real fast too.

 

[JTK]

Yeah, but you have to keep in mind, the portable generator in question is designed as a low cost, short term solution. NG or propane units are a whole'nother animal and several times the cost.

What I don't get is, if you know you've got a limited supply of gasoline on hand and the disaster is huge, why would you allow yourself to burn 5gal/day?

You have to switch to disaster mode and only power what's absolutely needed. For instance, get a tiny digital gen to power a sump pump, etc.

Joel

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Yeah, but you have to keep in mind, the portable generator in question is designed as a low cost, short term solution. NG or propane units are a whole'nother animal and several times the cost.

What I don't get is, if you know you've got a limited supply of gasoline on hand and the disaster is huge, why would you allow yourself to burn 5gal/day?

You have to switch to disaster mode and only power what's absolutely needed. For instance, get a tiny digital gen to power a sump pump, etc.

Joel


I didn't burn any of it, I'm talking about what went down. I made due with what I had, and no generator. Natural gas for the stove was uninterrupted, plenty of batteries, Coleman lanterns, fuel for them, food, water, and a wood stove with 5+ cords of wood. People didn't realize until it was too late that the gas supply was shut down. Considering what went down I was very well prepared. A generator would have been nice, and if I get one I want a good one that can run for weeks if need be, even if the gas stations shut down again.

 

[tdpark]

Tri-fuel kits are not that expensive and give you flexibility- they do void the warranties. I am in upstate in NY and the only time they would shut the NG down is if there was massive flooding or an earthquake where there would be gas leaks. Up here the danger is downed power lines by trees due to wind. I am thinking of getting a generator and then getting a tri fuel kit for it. I have NG . I am thinking with gasand NG i would be good until power gets back on.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint

I didn't burn any of it, I'm talking about what went down...


Oh I realize that! I was just expressing a point of view on the topic.

People's take on the fuel thing cracks me up. I keep a ~3500 watt generator at my Mom's house. She's got a real nice legit tie-in w/ transfer switch, etc. due to the basement being prone to flooding. Mom's in her 70's. I called her at one point during "the storm" and she said she's all set for gasoline. "I filled up the can" she said. The fuel can she filled up is just over a gallon. LOL.

Joel

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: demarpaint

I didn't burn any of it, I'm talking about what went down...


Oh I realize that! I was just expressing a point of view on the topic.

People's take on the fuel thing cracks me up. I keep a ~3500 watt generator at my Mom's house. She's got a real nice legit tie-in w/ transfer switch, etc. due to the basement being prone to flooding. Mom's in her 70's. I called her at one point during "the storm" and she said she's all set for gasoline. "I filled up the can" she said. The fuel can she filled up is just over a gallon. LOL.

Joel


Any generator would have been good, along with some common sense on fuel conservation. I just think with what I know now NG would be the best option for me, or even better the tri-fuel unit you mentioned. Trust me, a lot of people got caught with their pants down, and no one expected the gas situation that followed the storm. In all the years I've owned houses and had NG I was never w/o it, ever. I'm not in a flood zone, and the few earth quakes we had did no damage to my property. The good news is there are no more gas lines!!!!!!! Just inflated prices at some greedy stations.

 

[itguy08]

I still don't get why people waited on those crazy lines in N. Jersey. Grew up there and I'd rather have driven the 60 something miles to the PA border to get gas. Or into upstate NY too. Or down to South Central NJ.

Yes, I would have used some gas in the process but I figure I get between 300-400 miles per tank in the car so it would not be too bad. Where I am now we're a major distribution center/hub for the East Coast so there should be plenty of fuel available at almost all times.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: JTK
What I don't get is, if you know you've got a limited supply of gasoline on hand and the disaster is huge, why would you allow yourself to burn 5gal/day?
You have to switch to disaster mode and only power what's absolutely needed.

Right, 5 gallons a day could yield an average of 10 hrs run time, not bad considering one may sleep 8 hrs of the 24 hr day and the gen could be shut down in the afternoon and before going to bed, that is what most people in my neighborhood did.

With the generator tank topped off prior to the storm, three 5 gallon jugs and full tanks in the cars to be siphoned if needed one could go many days before needing to hunt for gas, if you stock up beforehand. This is all 20/20 hindsight of course.

I think a lot of people on the gas lines got caught off guard and unprepared, then they're in a jam, little gas in the car to travel, not enough fuel cans on hand, rationing, etc.

Personally we went 5 days at my house with no power, no water pressure and no generator. With a generator and a little gas we could have gone a few weeks without power, I think..

A lot of lessons to be learned here.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone


A lot of lessons to be learned here.


Amen. Hindsight is 20/20. A neighbor a few doors down has a large generator, it used about 4 gallons of gas a day. He ran it 24 hours a day because of his elderly sick mother in law living in the house. Poor choice of generators considering the circumstances, but hindsight........... He had half a tank of gas in the his car, and 17 gallons of gas in jugs, thinking he was set. He told me today he was wrong in a big way. Once again, no one thought they'd be w/o power and gas as long as we were. Many gas stations that had gas and power refused to pump gas unless the police were present, making a bad situation worse. Long Island was never hit this hard in the 5 decades I lived here. For every person that was 100% prepared there were probably 10,000 people who weren't, maybe more.