After our recent storms, I picked up a generator at Lowe's. Then I saw one I liked better at Sam's. I've used neither. Now I need to return one or both. Help me decide:


Briggs & Stratton StormResponder 6250-Running-Watt Gasoline Portable Generator $800 and pull start.

Black Max 7,500W / 9,375W Honda Powered Electric Start Bluetooth Generator with App $1,000 electric start.

If I keep one, the plan would be to wire in a manual transfer switch to our panel.

Question:
Which to keep?

Choices:
Keep the Honda. More power and electric start is worth it
Keep the B&S. The Honda doesn't have that much more power, and you need the workout.
Return them both and wait for a deal

 

I would keep the Honda. Not sure if it is a commercial honda engine or their lower end unit. Either way I would keep it for what you have going.

The Briggs and Straton has a larger fuel tank and longer run time on a tank. Neither of them state how loud they are (decibles). But I'm guessing that the honda will be quieter and is a better motor. The Honda's warranty is also a year longer than the B+S. I'd go for the Honda.

How long do you forsee having a power outage in your area? What do you plan on running off of the generator when you do have a power outage?

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
The Briggs and Straton has a larger fuel tank and longer run time on a tank. Neither of them state how loud they are (decibles). But I'm guessing that the honda will be quieter and is a better motor. The Honda's warranty is also a year longer than the B+S. I'd go for the Honda.

How long do you forsee having a power outage in your area? What do you plan on running off of the generator when you do have a power outage?

Last month, many in our area were without power for three days. The last time that happened was nine years ago. But one day would not be extraordinary. In the summer, for the house to be livable, I'd need to run othe central a/c and a fridge. Everything else is optional.

What size is your central A/C. You need to see how many running amps and startup amps it needs and buy a generator with enough amps to support that load and the fridge. A fairly modern fridge is around 7amps running 10amps startup at 125 volts...…..850 watts +/- A 3 ton A/C needs about 3 KW once it is running BUT needs 9 KW starting (peak), according to this chart. (Although 9 KW seems excessive, and I would guess around 5-6 KW for startup)

https://www.generatorjoe.net/html/acload.html


But for sure the larger of the 2 at a minimum......7500 Watts is only 30 amps @ 250 volts. You would have to get your central A/C up and running for a few minutes and then plug in the refrigerator and balance it. For most central a/c's the generator won't have enough to start the A/C if the refrigerator is already running.

If one is an inverter, I would keep that one. If not, I would return them both and buy a generator that has one so as to protect electronics.

Based on the prices and wattages Dallas239 provided, neither generator is the inverter type.

A/C is probably your house's largest load; size the generator accordingly. If you have a two speed compressor, you might be able to use the low speed and get away with a generator too small to run the compressor at the higher speed.

If you have both and want to keep one then keep the Honda. My buddy has the B&S and I have the next size down and while they are great generators, it is hard to put them over a Honda.

If you are looking to buy one of these then consider if they can run your A/C. Unless you have window units or a very smalll central A/C neither will probably do.

You probably aren't running central air on either of those. Window unit, yes, but central, no.

Problem for most generators that aren't designed as "whole house" with 15kw or so, is that they don't have the amperage necessary. I have a Generac 7500 running watt gen, but it caps out at 30 amps. Not enough for central air.

You either have to go big, or you have to get a portable unit so you can sleep. That is the path I have taken, as the portable AC unit was more reasonable than a whole house system that I need once every 5 years.

We have a house with a full basement and an 11,000 watt Generac whole house unit. We do have power outages but the basement remains 70 degrees or below without AC. We would just leave the AC off and hang out in the basement for the duration of the outage. A unit big enough to run the AC would use about 2 1/2 gallons of propane an hour which would be over $100 a day. One of the things omitted in the commercials for whole house units is the cost to run. Obviously a big portable unit is going to use a lot of fuel too. Basements are nice for a lot of reasons.

The prices do look a little high. My thoughts are to get one a little bigger than what you calculate your desired full load to be. It doesn’t have to be everything in your house just what you need to get by with some padding for the starting surge. They all suck fuel. As for engines, just maintain them. Odds are unless you have a major natural disaster you will never wear the engine out or even come close.

Go with the Honda EU series.

quote:

Originally posted by kramden:
Go with the Honda EU series.

Oof. These are in the price range of automatic standby generators. Maybe that's just what I need to do.

We have a Honda 3500 watt generator that is almost 20 years old. I've beat the snot out of it. About 2 years ago it started taking 2 pulls to start. I took it in to the Honda shop, they rebuilt the carb and it now starts on the first pull, everytime.

As others have mentioned, if you are going to stay with that class generator get a window unit and make a sleeping room. You can cook and do anything else you need to as long as you have 1 cool room to sleep and cool off in.

Don't forget maintenance supplies. You have to get in to the 15-20 KW range before you get in to something that has a longer run time between servicing. Most portable generators will need a daily oil change if running continuously.

Also, don't forget most of us here already have a fantastic water cooled generator sitting in the driveway. At idle they sip fuel. Add an 800-1200 watt invertor and you can rotate between loads. Your refrigerator and/or freezer don't need to run full time. Keep them closed, wrap some blankets around them and you will only need to run them 30-45 minutes a day a couple of times per day. As much as I like the Honda we've added 2 Champion generators to the mix over the last few years. One is a larger dual fuel unit and the other is propane only. Both have electric start. Important for older folks (which I seem to be sneaking up on) or females.

Propane is easy to store forever. We also have propane for the house so if I run out of main storage I can tap into the big tank. Yes, it is expensive to run but in the south in the summer a/c is pretty close to a critical need.

Dallas - One thing I quickly learned when I had a 8750 watt generator and we lost power due to a major storm several years back.....Large output generators LOVE gas....After burning through over 30 gallons of fuel (had to drive 10 miles one way to get more and it was expensive due to so many local fuel stations not having power to be able to supply) I sold my 8750 watt unit with an electric start and purchased a 4500 watt manual start unit that burns HALF the gas....

Just keep this in mind as you will want to store enough “fresh” fuel to support your unit for at least three to five days and that is a lot of fuel you have to keep “fresh” and you have to keep that battery charged and replaced as needed....

My next unit will be a natural gas system that is a 8000 watt unit that is hooked to the house and runs weekly to keep its systems functioning.....Just my two cents worth...Mark

quote:

Originally posted by sigarmsp226:
Dallas - One thing I quickly learned when I had a 8750 watt generator and we lost power due to a major storm several years back.....Large output generators LOVE gas....After burning through over 20 gallons of fuel (had to drive 10 miles one way to get more and it was expensive due to so many local fuel stations not having power to be able to supply) I sold my 8750 watt unit with an electric start and purchased a 4500 watt unit that burns HALF the gas....

Just keep this in mind as you will want to store enough “fresh” fuel to support your unit for at least three to five days and that is a lot of fuel you have to keep “fresh”.....My next unit will be a natural gas system that is a 8000 watt unit that is hooked to the house and runs weekly to keep its systems functioning.....Just my two cents worth...Mark

This is true. A friend of mine stores his gas in gas cans and then once a month, dumps them into his cars gas tank and refills them to keep them fresh. A pain in the ass, but doesn't need to add stabilizer to the gas. But yeah, these generators burn close to 20 gallons a day most likely.

I would vote for the Honda powered unit simply because of the GX series engine. They are built like a tank, and the electric start is a plus.

I don't understand the idea that surviving requires one to prep for the same lifestyle one had before a disaster. Growing up in Virginia, my folks didn't have any form of air conditioning until after I left home. In the old days we opened windows and used box fans, or simply did without. We had frequent outages, some of them lasting up to two weeks. We managed with a 4.5KW, 8hp flat head Briggs unit. Ran it twice a day, two hours in the morning to pump water, and two hours in the evening. My family's traditional homestead did not even receive electric service until 1955, and yet my folks somehow survived.

I've always felt that if you feel you must prep for outages and keep central air going, you need a diesel unit and a few hundred gallons of fuel on hand. The fuel will store for years without maintenance, and a diesel unit will be engineered for continuous service. A military surplus generator would be ideal. Myself, I've always coveted a Lister (or Listeroid) low RMP unit. A true preppers dream generator, but the EPA is making them hard to get.

I usually leave our whole house generator in the "off" position and manually control it. If we leave the house at 8 am and return at 1 pm and the power goes off at 8:30, there is no reason for the generator to run. Everything will be fine. If the refrigerator and freezer needed to be cooled I go push "automatic" and away it goes. I'm with sigcrazy7. I don't need to maintain our normal standard of living during a power outage. Our basement is a plus.