Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

I'm getting ready to return a cheapy generator I bought at Schuck's Automotive, and I need advice to replace it. I'm thinking of going with a Sears Craftsman, or a Honda.

Any thoughts?

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Hondas are very pricey, but deserved or not they currently have the best reputation. We own a Honda.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

You can't go wrong anything made buy Honda. The Dude was a genius.:applause_

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Honda...
:thumbs up

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

I have a 5.000 Coleman and two others, forgot what they are a 1.250 and a 2.200...... only used the middle one (1,250) when power goes out.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

How about Yamaha?

http://www.yamahagenerators.com/EF24...48152963301536

I am trying to keep it around $1000.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Go HONDA EG-2500 for reliability. It is in your price range:

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/M...delName=eg2500

:wavey:

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

I would prefer one with an inverter on it. I'm using a digital battery charger to charge a deep cycle for the bug-out site.

The problem I was having with the cheap one was too low AC voltage resulting in the charger resetting.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

I was thinking of this one, but don't know if it would run the charger or if the direct 12V would damage the deep cycle.

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/M...elName=eu2000i

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Don't forget the batteries for the generator ...

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

The eu2000i has the inverter technology all right. Click on the Power Output specs on the left-side of that webpage. Then tomorrow do some phoning around to nail it down. Honda is the way to go here...
:rolleyes:

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Is this for that microwave oven you were talking about?

:yippee: :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: :yippee:

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

I own a Honda 1000w for powering laptop and cellphone when appropriate. Has 12v dc hookup for battery charging as well as the 110v ac. Enough to run small power tools. Never saw anything as efficient as well as dependable.

Also have a 8kw Lincoln diesel for heavier field work, an 11kw Winpower diesel to run the house/farm when needed, a Caterpillar 350kw and a Caterpillar 1000kw for the minesite.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

The Honda inverter models are unbelieveably quiet......you're in for a treat if you haven't heard one run....you can actually carry on a conversation near one running.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

I bought the Honda EU2000i model. I recommend it, very quiet, easy on fuel, and puts out good quality 120 vac for electronic computers, TVs, etc. Puts out enough watts to operate the microwave in the fifth wheel.

The 12 v dc output from the Honda generator is very low amperage and you will be a long time charging a discharged battery. Buy a good battery charger with a high output and circuits for charging deep discharge batteries. I bought a Vector battery charger that will start out at 35 amps on two batteries in parallel and charge rate reduces as batteries are charged (keeping the voltage to the batteries correct). The charge rate is down to less than 2 amps when the charger shuts off. Bought my charger at amazon.com, appears they no longer have the specific model I bought.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

This is the charger I have:

http://www.batterychargers.com/detai...D2500A&catid=2

Will this generator power this? Honda says the gen output is rated at 13.3A for AC, but the charger charges at 25A DC on the highest setting.

Getting confused! :banghead:

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

As gasoline gets hard to get, what is the feasibility of running these on ethanol?

Also, are there any compact diesels?

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Yes, the Honda generator is 13.3 amp at 120 volt AC or 1,600 watts (watts = volts x amps). The charger is 25 amp at approximately 14 volt DC or 350 watts.

The Honda generator could operate 4 of the chargers at the same time.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

The yamaha is a very good genny too.

If you want an eu2000I,they're available on ebay,most suppliers are sold out.Some small sellers still have em.

Its one thing to want one,quite another to find one available.Its been in short supply for a couple years,its the RVers best friend,and they have money and buy what is best,and this genny is it.

Love my eu genny,none better for small quiet genny.Use synthetic oil and double or triple its lifespan,so some claim.

Spuds:sheep:

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

You get what you pay for. So far everyone has discussed civilian genny's.

Here ya go:

http://www.colemans.com/generator.htm

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

If a "generator" is required for a bug-out retreat the logic escapes me as to why one would want to be dependent on petrol to charge batteries during a bug-out crisis.

.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Actually 40W solar panels are going to be my primary... the gen is a backup for cloudy days, and the gen only will run for 30-60 min per day on economy mode just to top the battery.

I have crunched the numbers and this way is the best on fuel resources when you consider flouresent/LED lighting vs. propane or gasoline lanterns.

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

A guy I knew had a pretty big Honda genset , 2800 or 3500 watts. Not having a grid tie in, or an inverter system to minimize genset operation, he ran it routinely, every day. The guy was mechanically minded, serviced his stuff well. He burned out these Honda gensets pretty regularly. Like every 6 months. He relied on their warranty and had a few hassles with them over the warranty as well.

Point of this story: No portable genset is "reliable".
Gasoline gensets require perfect fuel, are complex beyond need due to emissions and the other convenience functions they offer, like built in inverter or battery charger. Finally, the killer; they operate way above 1700 RPM; most at 3600 RPM so their motors are not long-lived.

Most people don't need these gensets to "last". They want cheap, portable electric power. For a couple hundred hours, these work just fine.

Gasoline has 2 inherent problems as a long term fuel; high volatility of combustion and evaporation of ingredients. To store a large amount safely requires significant investment in an underground or protected fuel tank, and the fuel must be "maintained".

Any genset that will be used for a "survival" living situation will have a much longer operational life if it is run for only a few hours per day. This requires using a battery to store the power you make with the genset, and likely an inverter to convert DC power to AC. (If you use 12volt appliances and lighting you can save on an inverter.)

If you are willing to spend a couple of thousand on a genset, do not fail to consider your fuel requirements. How much gasoline will you also store? How will you store it? Will this fuel be stored safely so that a stray spark or accident will not cause you to lose everything? Now if you want this genset to last, you need to assemble a "battery". A battery consists of enough heavy-duty 6v cells to store the electricity you need in reserve. We are talking golf cart or floor scrubber batteries which cost $75-$125 ea. You need 2 to make a 12v battery, 4 for 24v, 8 for 48v etc. Auto or marine trolling batteries cannot take the constant deep discharge cycles that these batteries can.

So, Genset, Fuel, Battery; the cash register is ringing. Oh, that's right, they don't ring anymore.

At $3 per gallon for fuel, several hundred for a battery, plus the cost of a Honda or Yamaha genset; you are getting into enough money to put together an Alternative Energy power station.

You had better understand how much load you need to power.
Electric motors and compressors have "starting loads" that greatly exceed their operating current requirements. It takes 2-3 times more current to start a 1/2 hp or larger electric motor, compared to what it needs to operate once it is going. This is what surge capacity is for. How much surge capacity will you need? Only one way to know, and that is to look at your motor's id plate.

For about what you will pay for a generator system, you can assemble a small solar array. These have the advantage of requiring no fuel to generate power. All you need is good, direct sunlight. If you live where there is regular wind in excess of 7 or 8 mph, you can likely benefit from a wind generator.

For about $2,000 you can buy 5 or 6 solar panels producing about 400-600 watts per hour at about 16-17 volts in strong sunlight. Factor in what fuel and storage will cost and you can buy another batch of panels. If you are making about 1000 watts per hour, you have a very nice sustainable situation for yourself.

You were going to need a battery anyway, but figure you want as much storage as you can use. 4 floor scrubber batteries (Trojan L-16 size) will yield about 650-700 amp hours of storage at 12v.

If you want to power your whole house from your AE system, you will need an inverter. You will also need various wiring intertie boxes to integrate with your home's breaker box. If you would locate your panels more than 20 feet from your battery, you will need some pretty heavy guage wire, or plan on using a 24v installation.


Gensets are a poor choice for a "survival" oriented homestead unless you go diesel and can store a couple thousand gallons of fuel.

Solar panels are superior because they have no moving parts to break, and require only sunlight. Wind generators are very robust and simple to repair. I also think that solar and wind gear could appreciate much higher than gold or silver. These items and their ancillary gear like charge controllers, could be the ultimate barter items.

How much is it worth to be able to see in the dark?

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

Rmcdonald... that's the one i just bought. Every single camper and rv forum recommended it. And believe me i researched it for days. Everyone said the 3000 is too heavy. The 1000 is not enough power. Plus you can bond two EU2oooi's and run your entire RV no worries. These things are super quiet. Boaters love them because they can dock at night and run the genny with no complaints. Check out your local farmers market. You'll always see the 2000i running the small vendors who sell concessions. Bottom line: the RV and camper crowd seems to unanimously stand behind this particular generator.

Wise sales will deliver to the door and throw in set of cables for free. Plus they double pack it. Just got mine a couple months ago. I still have a Generac sitting in box in the garage. The Honda EU2000i is for camping trips, boating, and short term power outages. I'll only break out the big boy if we get pounded by another hurricane .. or something worse.

Here's a great forum link:

http://www.casitaclub.com/forums/ind...showtopic=2231

Re: Need advice on a good, RELIABLE portable generator
 

If battery charging is your only concern then a very simple genny can be built in about two hours without welding, machining or other expensive OEM parts.

Take any good 5 hp horizontal shaft engine, Honda, Briggs etc .... and mount up a direct drive auto alternator to it, I use a 80 amp Delco with built-in voltage regulator. I use a 5 hp pump coupling from Epicenter.com.

This gives me a direct drive (no v-belts to wear out), 80 amp charger that will top off a large battery bank quickly, saving fuel. There is no expensive OEM parts or electronics to worry about either.

My power inverter does the 120 vac work.

A lot cheaper and just as reliable as OEM generators.