B&B
(bump & bookmark for reference)
For later.
If you can afford it, they are worth it. The generators in this class, like the Honda noted, are widely viewed as bullet proof. Really quiet, reliable and clean power.
Thanks for the reminder — I have been meaning to look into a PTO generator. The price has come *way* down. This one is probably Chinese, but it’s getting decent reviews.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_36914_36914
Those people can sit in the dark then and watch their food go bad in their freezers.
If your home has natural gas, then convert your generator to NG. Also buy an 1800 rpm generator if possible. They last longer when used continuously and are quieter.
I have a friend that uses generators regularly to power some electronic equipment (laptops, radios, and the like) in remote locations. He swears by inverter generators - won’t plug his gear into anything else. (ie. no “construction” generators) He does tend to favor Honda generators. My experience with them and his gear is the Honda’s are amazingly quiet and work even above treeline. (where thin air can make some hard to start)
Here’s the deal on inverter generators...
On a regular generator, the frequency (60hz) is determined by the RPM of the engine. That RPM is either 1800 RPM for a 4 pole generator, or 3600 RPM for a 2 pole generator.
This speed must be maintained regardless of the load, and those speeds are not necessarily the speeds that give you the most fuel economy.
An inverter generator usually has a three phase AC alternator (similar to the one in your car or truck) which is rectified to produce a high DC voltage. This DC voltage feeds an inverter (like the ones you can by at Harbor Freight) and the inverter synthesizes the 60 HZ sine wave on the output.
This not only frees the engine to run at a speed that matches the horsepower to the load, but it also fixes power factor issues you have with generators.
The article doesn’t mention this, but some of the most expensive generators are inverter generators, but also some of the cheapest ones are inverter generators.
All of the (cheap) small, light 2 stroke generators are inverter generators. This is because 2 stroke engines are terribly inefficient at 3600 RPM.
inverter generator ping
Preppers’ PING!!
Bookmarked
I thought it was. I own a Honda Inverter. I paid about $3500 for a 6500 watt. You are not just paying for the inverter technology, but Honda’s engines are much better quality and they are much quieter. They always start. They do not burn oil. Their small power equipment is better than pretty much anything else made. The only product that was not that great was their riding lawn tractors(good engines, cheap everything else). Stihl is the only other small equipment worth buying.
The other difference is if you want to be able to run your big screen TV, especially a plasma.
IF you do not care about any of the above. Buy a Generac for about 1/3 the price.
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.
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.
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.
Thanks for the news on inverter generators. I’ll comment here on something related but different before talking about generators later in this same comment.
Here’s something that I happened to be looking at lately. One of the best things to do for saving energy—disaster or not—is to replace flourescent and other lighting with LED lighting. Products for LED replacement fixtures and lights are very available through the Internet now.
There are also low cost LED replacements for those willing to search enough, even for RVs. Flourescent lighting is a costly choice with short times before failures for extremely cold climates, BTW. LED lighting with luminescence comparable to flourescent lighting will use as little as 1/3 of the wattage (remember ballasts).
For RV Lighting (DC/battery)
http://howtorvgeeks.com/
That said, a little study of products is recommended before buying LED replacement lighting. There are different kinds of LEDs and arrangements of LEDs in various products. Some LED products (dimmer-compatible) work with dimmers (LED compatible) that are made specially for LED lighting.
The news about inverter generators spurred a look at a catalog here. Harbor Freight has a 2200-watt (2500 surge) inverter generator for $500. It would be great for anyone who doesn’t need air conditioning, electric range, electric dryer, forced-air/electric heating or to pump water from a deep well. For those who would object to the brand, China makes Hondas now, too, BTW. ;-)
For a suburban power outage for a few days after a hurricane, a generator is probably the way to go. For a house away from the power grid in a cold climate, PV solar works far better except for welding and some of the appliances mentioned above. Arc welding, for example, requires at least over 8,000 watts from a generator. Flux wire welding, not so much (about 5,000 watts or more).
It’s a toss-up for deep water well pumps between diesel generators and small PV solar power plants with slow pumps and cisterns (instead of batteries). Between a quarter-gallon and half-gallon of diesel fuel for a 1/2 HP pump, give or take, will fill a smaller cistern (smaller being smarter for preventing health problems). Once every few days—not bad. Someone who knows what they’re doing can muffle generator noise very effectively (acoustic insulation and intake, exhaust, engine cooling ventilation).
A PV solar plant with a slow pump and cistern is completely quiet and prevents any need to mess with pumping water at all. The only problem with it would be cost for extra PV modules and larger cisterns (instead of batteries) for those in very cloudy areas. There are also DC chest freezers made for much more efficient use with PV solar plants.
All stuff for off-grid applications or much more elaborate applications for suburban power outages.
But for hurricanes, generators are king. Add some golf cart batteries (good for solar, too), a great, smart battery charger and a good inverter for stored, quiet power—great with very energy-efficient appliances (like LED lighting).
http://www.steven1234.com/#sthash.4LMOFFcD.dpbs
Good source of info on generators and emergency preparedness.