Originally Posted by webfors
Howdy all,
we had a multi day outage in Ottawa this past weekend due to tornado winds that took out a good chunk of power infrastructure. I currently have a Champion generator that worked well through the whole outage. I've wired it into our main fuse panel via a transfer switch for 6 main circuits. It's a great budget setup.
I'm considering getting a pair of portable inverters that can pair up via a parallel cable. This allows flexibility and portability. Something that would have come in handy for family and friends.
There are the expected options, like Honda's EU2200i and Yamaha's offerings. However, they aren't cheap. I was browsing Amazon last night and came across the Westinghouse iGen2500 which has a larger 98cc engine (the 80cc engines never seemed to actually offer 2k watts) and looks about right. It's going for $759 CDN. The Honda is about $1700 CDN on this side of the border.
Thoughts, suggestions and experienced wanted
People around here go for overkill on generators, especially portable generators.
If you are willing to use heavy duty extension cords and are willing to not run more than 1 heavy load at a time (no microwave and heater at the same time), 3000+ watts is plenty of power for what you described.
Get 2 50-100' 12 gauge extension cords. Also get a 12 gauge "triple tap". Use one of the cords for your heater and then the other can be split 3 ways.
Now here is where things get tricky ! Most generators over 300 watts have a 240V outlet. The question is, do the 120V outlets each use one half of that 240V. If there are 2 120V circuit breaker, then the answer is yes. Plug one cord into one outlet and the other into the other outlet.
If you only have 1 circuit breaker, your 3000+ watt generator likely has a "RV" outlet. Skip the 2 12 gauge extension cords and get 1 10 gauge extension cord. You will also need an adapter from the RV style to regular 120V outlet.
Another one to consider -
Champion 3500/4000 watt generator. Like most portable generators it is made in China, but the company is based in the US and stocks all of the parts "on shore".