Posted on 07/03/2014 5:39:13 AM PDT by TurboZamboni
There’s nothing like the approach of a possible hurricane, such as this season's first named storm, Tropical Storm Arthur, to get everyone in its expected path thinking about generators. But for some prospective buyers, the noise and the quality of power that a portable generator supplies is a turn-off. That’s where an inverter model comes in. Using new technology, inverter generators deliver cleaner power and are typically quieter, lighter, and more energy efficient. But as Consumer Reports is learning in its ongoing generator tests, not every inverter generator is worth the 100-to-200-percent premium you’ll pay over the usual cost of a conventional portable.
We haven’t yet completed testing of the Honda EU7000is, Kipor Sinemaster IG6000h, and Yamaha EF6300iSDE. But limited testing has shown us that sometimes it’s features other than wattage and connection options that make a generator worth having.
Honda EU7000is. At $4,000, this is the most expensive of the three inverter generators we’re testing. But for usability, so far this one comes out on top.
(Excerpt) Read more at homes.yahoo.com ...
LOL SOOOOOO true ;-)
But if you are the only one around with light and power...
the Zombies will gitcha....yikes!
Also, figure out what exactly you need to run, in the event of a power outage. IF you have natural gas or Propane already at your house spend the extra money and install one of those.
If you do not have a water well, you can probably get by with a 4500 watt gas generator.
The problem with gasoline generators is you need 10+ gallons of fuel to run it per day. Therefore, you need to have containers to HOLD 20+ gallons. The last time we had a major power outage here in NH there were only TWO gas stations that had power to run their pumps. The lines were a mile long at each.
If you have a propane or natural gas standby generator you do not have to worry about getting fuel to run it.
If you use oil to heat your home - buy a diesel generator.
You’ll have a 250 gallon tank of fuel in the basement ;)
I’m thinking if the grid goes down, natural gas in our house won’t work either?
Best motorcyle and mower I’ve ever owned were Hondas(as is my current 10 year old car)
If the grid goes down. The gas stations will not be able to run their pumps.
I am not sure about natural gas. However, if you have a full propane in a tank in your yard, it would take a couple weeks at least to run it dry.
I have owned:
Ariens self propelled walk behind mower (good quality)
John Deere LX 255 tractor (good quality)
John Deere RX75 rear engine rider (good quality)
Echo hedge gas hedge trimmer (cheap)
Echo weed wacker (good quality)not a HD model
Stihl chainsaw (very good)
Stihl straight shaft trimmer (very good)
Honda 20” snowblower (very good)
Simplicty by Allias Chambers 1972 28” snowblower (the beast)
Yamaha 125 motorcycle (my first bike)
Kawasaki KDX 175 motorcycle (very good)
Kawasaki KZ650 motorcycle (very good)
Yamaha Phazer 500 snowmobile(very reliable)
Honda 6500 inverter generator (very good)
3 Toyota Tacomas(1988,1999,2012) all very good
2 Volvo 240DLs(1976,1982) great motors, parts too expensive
Honda Odessey Minnivan(2008) great van wife’s ride
Honda Civic great little car, fun to drive, wife’s first ride
1996 Ford Explorer good truck, like driving a school bus, wife’s 2nd ride
1999 Lexus SC400 (only car I ever sold for the same as I paid for it) my midlife crisis car bought for $12.5K, sold for $12.3K a year later, great quality car
1975 GMC Pickup (my first vehicle) great motor, the rest rusted out.
quite a list. you must be my age.
the SC400 is a nice car. even today the styling is modern.
Thanks for that information.
you must be my age.
51
SC400 1998-2000, they added another intake and exhaust valve to each cylinder and increased the horsepower of the same V8 engine. They were overpriced to start with @ $60K.
You could have bought a 911 turbo for the same. I bought and sold mine on EBAY. It was a fun car to drive, but I found out that I am not really a fancy car guy. Someone ran into it in a parking lot 2 months after I bought it. After that I was always worried about where I parked it. Then the recession hit and I could not justify having something sitting around that I could only drive in the summer.
My next purchase will be a Kubota B series or L series loader/tractor with a finish mower and brush hog. The trouble is even 10 year old used they are still $10-17K. Some of them actually are selling for more than their original price from 10 years ago. It is all about how many hours they have and how they were maintained.
“quite a list”
I forgot two leaf blowers
1 Huscavarna (junk)I found out after I bought it, it was made by Poulan for Huscavarna . The ONLY thing they actually make are chainsaws. All the rest of their equipment they have the maker put their name on.
1 Stihl (very good)
This is a timely topic - I have been intensely researching inverter generators in particular for the past few days. I have been comparing brands, models and buyer reviews.
Here is my rationale: I live on the Gulf Coast and am always seeking improvements for hurricane readiness. The last Hurricane, Ike, knocked out power in my neighborhood for two weeks. That time, we used Coleman LED camping lanterns to see at night, cooked outside on a propane stove and sweltered in the heat. I vowed to be more comfortable next time and have already completed a number of improvements.
1) I installed a completely independent and parallel lighting system in my house that uses Cree LED bulbs powered by a cheap Harbor Freight 400 watt power inverter supplied by some deep-cycle golf cart batteries. The rooms are bright enough to read in comfortably. That system will run a week before the batteries have to be recharged.
2) I already have a conventional 2,000 watt camping generator that can charge the golf cart batteries and also run a freezer or a small A/C window unit (probably not at the same time). However, it is loud and consumes gas faster than I would like. After a hurricane, gas will be scare. I can only stockpile so much gas.
The inverter generators run at lower speeds under light loads, thus less wear and consuming less gas. They are quieter and generate pure sine-wave power at regulated voltage and perfect 60 Hz frequency.
I want to buy a very small inverter generator that would at least run the lights, fans and small appliances for extended periods after the 1st week without frequent refueling, particularly at night. External fuel tank kits are sold for the Honda EU1000i and EU2000i models that allow continuous running at for at least 24 hours (which is the oil-change interval anyway).
The only brands that I would consider buying are Honda or Yamaha, due to their reputation for reliability. Yes, they are darned expensive, but I’ll have no regrets.
Bookmark.
Not sure I understand how a toaster, hand iron and a coffee maker use more wattage than a fridge.
I would buy this product though. I would think fuel injection makes it more efficient.
The caveat is the cost. Why would I want something with a built in inverter for that kind of money.
I’m thinking redundancy and costs.
Inverters don’t cost $50 bucks. I have one I installed in my car. Rather, I plugged it in to my cigarette lighter socket (I can direct wire it if I ever need to but, with with 4 sockets to plug into I got lazeeeee).
I also have a couple more I’ve picked up over the years for various reasons, besides my habit of buying two or more of things I find kewel.
So I’m thinking buy one of these or two, if you got .oney but, probably a better and more cost effective to buy the older versions for other reasons I’d discuss later.
Don't be so sure. There is a reason most fire marshals will not accept natural gas for the only fuel on a life safety generator. The supply system is very easy to shut off.
No hurricans here in MN, but power outages due to cable cuts,winter snows, and tornadoes .
Not sure I’d ever recoup my investment.
Wattage Estimation Guide
http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/generator-wattage-estimation-guide
Given I live in N.E. Illinois and we just had some NASTY storms earlier this week, my 20 yo generator has gotten quite the workout. Sure it's LOUD AS HELL but it feeds the entire house with exception of furnace and AC. Have to keep those off.
Yeah, no. I’ve seen these before. I just don’t understand how something that uses a compressor and types of fans uses less energy than a hair dryer.
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