Recommendation for small generator .
- Thread starter nomas
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OK just my opinion ---
If you really need 1,750 watts of continuous power -
And you buy a unit rated for 2,200 surge and 1,800 continuous you will end up being disappointed.
If you really need 1,750 watts continuous power you need a unit rated for AT LEAST 3,000 watts continuous and maybe 4,000 surge.
Long term running you want to be around 50-60% of rated run capacity.
Just because the manufacturer says it is XXXX watts running does not mean that is where you will be able to run it for hours and hours.
Sure maybe for a day - but long term you are not going to be disappointed.
If you really need 1,750 watts of continuous power -
And you buy a unit rated for 2,200 surge and 1,800 continuous you will end up being disappointed.
If you really need 1,750 watts continuous power you need a unit rated for AT LEAST 3,000 watts continuous and maybe 4,000 surge.
Long term running you want to be around 50-60% of rated run capacity.
Just because the manufacturer says it is XXXX watts running does not mean that is where you will be able to run it for hours and hours.
Sure maybe for a day - but long term you are not going to be disappointed.
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I don't have this small Generac. But I do have a big standby Generac for my house. Two major components failed within the first year, and Generac took months to send one part, and then months to send the other part. I had to write a letter to complain to their senior guy in charge of logistics to get the ball rolling. Their customer service stinks, too. Go somewhere else. Seriously. You asked, I answered.
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It was the people inside Generac, the people who dealt with sending out warranty replacement parts to my installer. They are in a special program, called the ROAD program. It means Retired On Active Duty. They would give you lots of lip service, but simply would not do their job and get the parts out. Long before the Chinese virus hit. We are talking 2 mos for one part, and 3 mos for another part. If there was a forum on this site dedicated to Generac owners, you'd hear a lot more.
One should get a Kill-A-Watt or similar to see what their actual loads are.
My fridge for example "should" take 900 watts according to its nameplate but has a variable displacement compressor and often runs at 280 watts. While it's good to take notice of startup loads, that is something more important for an automated, unattended whole-house standby generator.
With myself in attendance I can load-shed by switching in circuits one at a time to help with motor startup loads. Motor restart loads are sufficiently random they don't hurt my system.
I do try to run at no more than 50-60% as you state, because this is the most efficient spot. Running at 10-20% on an oversized machine is a waste of fuel, which is hard to come by in a power outage.
It depends on what you mean by camping. I power a 36’ TT with 2 fridges, water heater, a/c etc with the Wen below. I can hit the limit on the 3800 if she’s running all that at once. Worse case I can switch the water heater and one fridge to propane.
WEN 56380i Super Quiet 3800-Watt RV-Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Fuel Shut-Off and Electric Start
Extremely quiet operation minimizes noise; EPA III and CARB Compliant 212cc 4-stroke OHV engine produces 3800 surge watts and 3400 rated watts with a half-load runtime of up to 8.5 hours Fuel shutoff maximizes the generator’s lifespan by using up the remaining fuel in the carburetor before...
wenproducts.com
I have 580 hours and climbing on mine. Most of which is powering my RV at racing events for multiple days.
Just my $0.02
What oil and OCI you run - if I may ask. I also have a 212cc WEN frame genny I recently bought.It depends on what you mean by camping. I power a 36’ TT with 2 fridges, water heater, a/c etc with the Wen below. I can hit the limit on the 3800 if she’s running all that at once. Worse case I can switch the water heater and one fridge to propane.
WEN 56380i Super Quiet 3800-Watt RV-Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Fuel Shut-Off and Electric Start
Extremely quiet operation minimizes noise; EPA III and CARB Compliant 212cc 4-stroke OHV engine produces 3800 surge watts and 3400 rated watts with a half-load runtime of up to 8.5 hours Fuel shutoff maximizes the generator’s lifespan by using up the remaining fuel in the carburetor before...
I have 580 hours and climbing on mine. Most of which is powering my RV at racing events for multiple days.
Just my $0.02
I target 100 hours. I did one yesterday after ~85. My next trip will be about 40 hours of continuous running so I decided to change it. The manual recommends 25 hours! I think I’m doing fine with my OCI. I change the spark plug at 500 hours and clean the air filter about every 250 hours. I use E0 87 or E0 91 for fuel. I try to avoid ethanol at all costs.
I use Farm & Fleet 5w40 synthetic HDEO.
Just my $0.02
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With a portable, there's something else to consider beside the wattage it needs for continuous and surge. That aspect is durability. A generator that just sits at home is one thing. A generator that gets thrown in the back of a pickup and is handled by a bunch of people who don't own it, and therefore don't care about maintaining it, is something else. Look around and see what contractors use. Check out those Firman models at Costco.
Nomas, where are you located? I’m
in Lafourche Parish, this summer has been brutal, the cool front that passed today is very welcomed.
I bought a Kill-A-Watt cool little device. But it does not capture start up loads.
First thing I did was test my old refrigerator - I have replaced it since / but while running it was only using 160 watts - but that jumped way up when I opened the door - light bulbs were not led so they sucked up a lot of watts.
Things that took lots of power - furnace blower, microwave, refrigerator, garage door opener and coffee maker.
I just turned the refrigerator off when I ran the furnace blower and didn’t use the coffee maker while also using the microwave.
I was getting 6 run hours per gallon out of my Honda EG2800i. - my neighbor has a monster generator he was getting 1.5 hours per gallon.
So he would run for a few hours then turn it off and sit in the dark.
I ran for 3 days straight - TV when cable wasn’t out, internet, grandkids playing video games it wasn’t bad.
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The Wen generator I was recommending just went on sale for $350 - free shipping no sales tax.
wenproducts.com
WEN GN400i RV-Ready 4000-Watt Open Frame Inverter Generator, CARB Compliant
Generate clean power to safely operate sensitive electronics such as phones, tablets, televisions and computers Parallel-ready panel allows you to connect any two WEN inverter generators for increased wattage output 212cc 4-stroke CARB-compliant OHV engine produces 4000 surge watts and 3500...
wenproducts.com
I have a Wen generator with the 212 CC engine that I bought in 2009 - I have only run it a few times and loaned it to a friend once because I have two other generators.
Wen says change it every 25 hours - I would at least follow their recommendation - for oil type / weight and change interval while under warranty.
It takes 17 ounces to fill it - but after the first fill up it will only use 16 ounces or less. How much does 1/2 a quart of oil cost?
SuperTec is about $20 for 5 quarts - so $2
Are you going to skimp on $2 oil changes while running a $$$$ dollar generator?
While I am up on my high horse - I would also run fuel stabilizer like SeaFoam - that adds about $.50 a gallon to the cost but it is worth the extra to not have trouble while running a back up generator -
I bought the little Firman. It's quiet and works great. It could power my gas furnace in winter if needed.
Ive used it to power my fridge and random stuff in the house. No issues. I took it fishing and it could charge my trolling motor battery. Super easy on fuel.
Ive used it to power my fridge and random stuff in the house. No issues. I took it fishing and it could charge my trolling motor battery. Super easy on fuel.
As someone noted all the suitcase ones are knockoffs of the same design, so it more comes down to the company's reputation to honor the warranty and / or provide parts and service later. Or just buy the cheapest one and hope that it doesn't break.
Piggybacking onto a thread here. How is parts availability for Champion? I'm thinking their 2,500W model might be a good fit for my needs, since I could buy two of them and still not touch what a Honda EU2200i would cost me... meaning, I could just buy two and leave one on the shelf as a spare!
Am thinking of a small invertor to run the fridge and the WiFi during the next storm, and maybe at some point pick up a 6,500W conventional generator to run the well pump someday. Invertor could run continuously, the big/noisy one as needed.
I see their manual is online, and gives p/n's, and they appear to have storefront from which you can order parts from.
Am thinking of a small invertor to run the fridge and the WiFi during the next storm, and maybe at some point pick up a 6,500W conventional generator to run the well pump someday. Invertor could run continuously, the big/noisy one as needed.
I see their manual is online, and gives p/n's, and they appear to have storefront from which you can order parts from.
