I bought the Predator 9500. Living on the farm thirty years. Every time the power was lost I swore to get one. Had some remodeling going and had the electrician set up an outside receptacle. Now, when power is out, I wheel the generator out and set it on the end of the house. Can’t even hear it . I have a wood furnace so no big draw to keep house toasty. Two furnace blowers, and other than electric range I can operate the house in comfort. Bought the Predator on sale and been happy with it.
I purchased the Preditor 9500 and we just love it. The neighbors generators are LOUD all night long. They are just crying for a meth head to carry them away in the night. The Preditor just purrrrrs along quiet as can be. We have had it for 1 1/2 years and never had a problem. On the break in period I installed a magnetic oil plug (A must in ALL new low end budget generators) It was full of metal pretty quick so I changed the oil at 1 hrs. run time and again at 10 hrs. And then again at 30 hrs. Never ever have had a single problem at all with it. Just let the battery run down once and it started up on the 2nd. pull. If you get it you won't be sorry!
Just used my Predator 9500 for the first extended power outage due to TS Debby and I’m wondering why I ever went without one of these. Going through a prolonged outage while still having AC, internet, fridge and lights all working at the same time is a game changer. It takes a lot of the dread away from hurricane season in FL.
I opted for two EU2000 that I can run parallel. With an external extended fuel tank. A use kryptonite motorcycle chains and locks to lock them up while running them after hurricanes in Florida.
I have the Pulsar G12KBN, which is a 9500/12000KW generator (not inverter). We ran on this for 4 days during the Texas winter storm. I have a subpanel that I have moved 10 circuits of 120v breakers. During the storm, we ran space heaters, lights, refrigerator, freezer, computers, Xbox, internet, 55' TVs. I would shutdown a space heater and ran a toaster oven for pizza's and a keureg for hot water. The surprising thing about this genset was it's fuel efficiency - we used about 45 to 50 gal of gasoline during that time, running about 5 to 6kw loads the whole time. I've used it many times since then and before. It's good, it's loud, it's heavy. Side note - I bought a little 12v cigarette lighter plug pump to pump fuel from my cars. The fuel there is always fresh and I can ferry larger amounts than a bunch of gas cans. I'm currently in the process of making this thing run the whole house. I just replaced my 200amp panel with one with 200 amp breakers so I can install an interlock kit. I also bought a soft-start capacitor for my AC (4ton) so hopefully it can do that. Tomorrow I'm cabling it up. Although this generator makes pretty clean power - the THD is like 8% or less at 50% loads, whereas a Westinghouse non-inverter type is rated at 5% or less. My big complaint is UPS batteries don't like the power, and it being a non-inverter generator always scares me a little. I'm considering upgrading, but right now, very large inverter generators are pretty expensive. Anyway, thought I'd give you a report on the Pulsar brand and my experience.
Amzn has Champ 8500W Dual Fuel Inverter, Elec start for $1378. Home Depot and Lowes will price match with on-line chat. Lowes will give 5% off with lowes my rewards card. 10% off the month of your birthday and 20% off when first signing up.
I’ve had a Honda EU 3000I for about four years I run it in the back of a open pick up truck, and I found the CO sensor to be nothing but trouble it shuts the generator off constantly I finally found a way to bypass it. My next generator will not have one of these. I’m sure I’m not alone in this problem. The CO sensor is designed to last 10 years and there still is no replacement for them. I have a feeling that 10 years is going to be a life of a new generator.
I've had a Pulsar PG4000iSR for 4 years. It powers my food truck with no problems at all. I will definitely buy Pulsar again when mine goes out. Great video.
The quietest generator is the Honda EU7000. Expensive, yes. but worth every penny. Reliable, high quality, and quiet. Everything you want in a generator when you need it!
I have the Westinghouse Wgen9500df. When the electrician wired up the 50 amp equipment, we turned on EVERYTHING in my 1400sf house. Electric dryer, water heater, stove, central AC, microwave, oven, fridge, 2 freezers, etc. No issues. In real life...i only run propane. Only used it 3 times in 3 years. The longest was 6 days. Well worth the effort. I really think we could get by with 5,000 watts since we are in "basic necessity" mode when the power is out. I'm just running what we have to be comfortable and only use 2 small propane tanks per 24 hours.
That's the gen I have my eye on! My old no name 6500 generator is 15 years old and won't give up the ghost though. It's like an old car that you wonder if it will get you where you're going!
That makes 0 sense. Dryers, water heater, etc etc over 10amp each, freezers, frigdes, etc Hell central AC uses a capacitor to make up for its huge start up draw. math does not add up. ;)
i picked up a predator 9500 inverter generator on a whim. Bad winter storm with a 6 month old baby. it was the last generator in stock. 3 years later and I've only used it once to finish up some welding.
@Dakingsnake it does what it's supposed to, and it's pretty quiet, which is nice. I get it out once every 6 months or so to run it for a bit, I've yet to really need it... I do wish it had a larger 50amp plug.
@@smallish_mk3733 There's a guy running the 9500 /w a 5 ton A/C on YT. The key is getting a soft start module for the AC unit to keep the current inrush down.
Good stuff. Texas here so the 2021 ice storm was no joke. I picked up a 13k watt Duromax dual fuel shortly after that. For those with central AC I highly recommend installing an EZ start. These definitely are a must in terms of helping with the peak load needed to fire up a multi ton unit.
You’re right about that. We froze for 2 days before draining all the pipes and fleeing to Oklahoma. Is there a way these can plug into your main electrical panel or do you just run extensions cords? Not sure how it works running the blowers for the main gas furnace.
@@williamhicks2763 Yeah It was nothing I would have expected in Texas. Power outages due to storms and high heat yes, but we were without power for 5 days straight. The inside of our house dropped to about 37 degrees so luckily enough we had friends who still had power as they were on a feed line supplying power to the fire station. Anyhow, in terms of rigging up your generator to the whole house, I did this. I installed an interlock and dedicated breaker in the main panel. This is a safety measure that allows you to supply power to your house without backfeeding into the main grid. In short it forces you to cut the main breaker from the grid in order to flip the dedicated breaker which allows flow from the geni. The I ran EMT conduit to a power inlet plug and box which allows me to run a 50A line from the generator. In the event of an outage I shut off all the breakers in the sub panel, flip the interlock, hookup the generator and start feeding power. Then go back to the sub breaker and flip on the circuits that I want power supplied to. This gives me options to what I want running off off of the geni. You can do essentially all this with a transfer switch system but I decided against it as they would have kept me on 6 or 8 selected breakers. I wanted the ability to choose what and whenever I wanted to have powered if that makes sense. Plus the transfer switch would have been installed at the sub breaker and my two AC units are running loads directly from the main. For good measure I had my buddy who is a master electrician look over my work to make sure everything was up to code. You can hire an electrician to do essentially what I did for a few hundred bucks.
@williamhicks2763 you mean the generator? How to connect it to your house? Can always install or have an electrician create a transfer switch and install a 30-50 amp inlet
@@2000meganExactly. For mine, however, I added a separate 50 amp breaker and an interlock with the inlet feeding the added breaker. This allows me to power directly into my sub panel safely without backfeeding into the grid which is dangerous and illegal in many places. Since I am comfortable doing electrical work, it was an easy job for me, but any electrician can do it for a few hundred bucks or so. I chose the interlock route over a transfer switch as I wanted more flexibility to control which lines I want hot on backup vs the preset lines on a TS. I.e in summer months AC, winter furnace, upstairs lines, downstairs lines, etc. Either way though, both are great options.
went with a predator 3500 and 5000 inverter for campers etc as backups to the installed 5k that is in the fifth wheel. Have a 5k inverter and a 12500 duromax for the house. We are running the 5000 predator into a separate box that will only run the computers and tv's etc with the rest of the house on the duromax 125000 tri fuel system. Ended up paying under 800 for that one at amazon on a very great sale day. Traded in a 3500 predator and paid a hundred extra at harbor freight for a second 5000 inverter to tandem these together. Have not bee able yet to set them up to see what kind of power they actually put out when tandem. IF it comes within specs needed to run our home then we may change minds and run everything through these but that 50 amp outlet in the duromax matters a great deal. Anyway, as always you have great informative videos and I am on a steep learning curve on generators. as a last ditch SHTF and everything else is stolen or destroyed we have a craftsman 8500 hidden and locked away in the shop. as well as a 2300 inverter for emergency computer and online backup along with freezers. lol (and maybe a solar 5k setup but not admittin nuthin lol....
If you have a traditional generator run your electronics through an APC or equivalent surge protector. I've lost more then one television by not doing this. Recently I upgraded to a champion 4500 watt inverter duel fuel, works well for my needs. Had to use it a couple months ago when a summer storm took out the power.
Harbor freight has a gas pump for about $10 that I slip into the gas tank and pump it directly into the generator tank. It runs on a "D" battery (which last months)
Great job Jeff!!..You know what might be interesting...to see how an average homeowner can use one of these generators to get them through a power outage for 4 or 5 days in winter.What its actually capable of doing and how to go about doing it.Thanks as always..
I was skeptical at first, but I got a Champion 4250 electric start inverter gen at a stupid price on amazon (I think it was an error, $302). So far, so good with a break-in period done, 2 power outages and 1 kids party.
I thought I got a good deal on the 4250 with electric start for around $410, I had seen them priced low every now and then, I missed out on a sale for $390 once, but jump on it the next time, around $20 more, but I really like it.
Offhand, I think the national safety guidelines say to keep generators 25' away from your building. Which means you should probably buy a 30-50' extension cord, of the heaviest wire size they have, to minimize voltage loss.
I have a Pulsar 6850 duel fuel generator. It works like a champ and all I have done is changed the oil. It runs most things no a problem. Not my central AC, Dryer, or Hot Water Heater, but I have not tried those items. I do have window ac units as backup just in case and this runs them well with everything else. 2 refrigs, 4 freezer chests, lites, tvs, cable etc etc. It's loud yes. I built a sound box for it to quiet it a lot. It does help. I also use Propane as my first choice of fuel because I know that it will help keep the generator to last longer. Overall happy with generator. Just my 2 cent Good luck
I have a duel fuel pulsar 12k unit. It's fantastic! Have used it 4 times over the past 18 months. Once I had it running 24 hrs a day for 4 days straight. Flawless. I've done several oil changes and it looks great, no particles or issues. Would strongly recommend.
Good that you showed the power output for the different fuels. I doubt that very many people know or even care but it is important. Back in the 60s I worked for a Ford dealer and we had a customer who operated a propane/butane service. They ran their trucks on propane and it reduced the power, but the engines looked like new inside especially the spark plugs. I have a Storm Responder I bought from Home Depot probably in about 2008. I've used it during numerous hurricane and tropical storm outages also the polar vortex. It has never let me down except for me letting it set with stale gas in the carb. Recently I bought the Predator 8750 the next to the largest and feel better about it having the inverter power for all the new appliances. Very good review and to the point.
I have an I power 10,000 start 8,000 I have used it on off grid jobs. Runs job site table saw and miter saw and a compressor just fine. I also have a box that ties it into my house panel. My well pump is 220 so I needed a larger generator. It’s gasoline only , electric start. I have just shy of 100 hours on it. I use only non ethanol fuel, speaking of fuel it has a 10.5 gallon tank. I have it using full synthetic oil and it starts easily even in northern Maines coldest weather. I bought it from SAMs club for $799. So far so good. I keep it inside and looks like new though its I believe 4 years old now.
I bought a Troy Built 5500w generator in 2004 and had an electrician wire an outside outlet for attaching the generator to the household circuit. (yes We disconnect from the grid prior to using) Here in central Florida I have used it for a total of 26 hours in the past 20 years mostly just for test runs. If needed we can't run everything but we can run enough with power management to make things comfortable.
The Honda is fuel injected. No more carb issues. The other brands are disposable units. If they break, you throw them away. I tried a Westinghouse and the “service center” was 100 miles away and after 3 attempts they said they couldn’t fix my dual fuel issue. So it’s a hunk of junk. They will work for a while but be prepared to replace them every 3 years. I’ve now had a Honda for 8 years. Zero issues. Use it frequently.
@@kerplunk38880 Sorry to hear you’ve been swindled by the other generator companies. That sucks! Your hard earned money flushed down the drain. That would bother me. Atleast you knew who made the best & sucked it up & bought it. I’ve had mine 5 years & zero complaints. Mine only had 175 hours on it though. I change the oil once a year with Mobil One. I swapped out the battery just because it was three years old. I’ve only had to need it once for storm Isais. We were out for 2-1/2 days. The Honda performed flawlessly. I used 11 gallons & was getting ready to refill it when the lights came back on. You’re a wise man & you’ll never have the same issues of the others. I told my neighbors which generator to buy & they must have got sticker shock when they priced mine out? Only one bought a genny. He told me he got a really good deal on his. I knew he didn’t buy a Honda. Sure enough when he needed it to start it wouldn’t. The carb had stale gas in it & it was gummed up. He lost everything in his freezer & refrigerator.
We have over a hundred Honda generators in our fleet from EB3000 to the 6500 units they are the most unreliable equipment we use. Constantly having start issues AVR burnouts, dropping valves,and hard starting. They are overpriced, and 1 part normally condemns the unit due to cost. We have 6 of the little EI2200 units with fried inverters that Honda wants $500 for. If they were in stock, we would have to buy them . Then, the 2200-watt generator would have cost us $2000 and only 1 year old in most cases. We will be looking at another brand starting next year to replace our fleet.
@@sgtbrown4273 I would contact Honda directly. I don't blame you with your frustration. There are several other brands coming to market that are equal competitors. One such is the Gen Max brand. Gavin's Garage on UA-cam just featured several models. Perhaps that's where you should start your search? We have a very old Honda 2000 is at work. It had to be all of 20 years old. It rarely gets any maintenance & often has stake fuel in it. It starts on the first pull. I only have one model. The EU 7000 is. I've had mine 5 years with zero issues. It has exceeded all my expectations. Until I have an issue? I'll continue to extol its virtues.
Champion also has a new Tri-Fuel open frame inverter generator that is in the $1500 range. It is 9000 watts on gas. It would be louder but I believe you said all inverters are closed frame and there are several open frame models that are significantly cheaper.
South Florida here, looking at the same Champion myself. it is the 201176. Will run it on Propane only. Just had a soft start installed on my HVAC and it dropped the start amps down from 63 to 23 so I will be able to run the AC system on this Champion which is a big plus.
I have several generators, a powerboss idk maybe 5800w, a predador 3500 (very quiet) and a Honda eu2000i. Can't beat that Honda, bought it in 2013, 11 years ago, has 10's of thousands of hours on it, I've never had to do anything to it except frequent oil changes. Not even changed the sparkplug or pull cord. Nothing. It's been starting with no more than 2-3 pulls for 11 years. The harbor freight 3500 predador is about 4-5 years old I just had to take the carburetor off and clean out the jets. I don't put ethanol gas in my generators but it didn't matter, the predador and powerboss both needed carburetor cleaning this year and I always let the powerboss run out of gas by shutting the tank off. From now on if I need a new generator it'll be a Honda only. Can't beat them
What about the quality of carburetors from the Chinese manufactured generators? I have found they break easier. How easy is it to replace the carburetor in the models you mentioned and the approximate cost compared to an American made generator?
A 9000W generator only produces 38 Amps on 240VAC. Putting a 50A outlet on either the DuroMax or the Predator could be misleading. By the way, you were looking right at the picture of the Predator 9500, and stated that it shows a 50A receptacle, which it does not.
Actually it's 31.6A , 7600W for the Predator 9500. The way they label these generators ins misleading. I think anyone researching generators gets a taste of this misleading info. It is all you see and you have to mentally filter the advertising BS.. Bear said they got together and added a CO sensor. What about a wattage labeling agreement?
I've got a 6500 watt honda generator that I purchased back in 1999 and it has bailed us out many times over the years. Now we have more stuff that runs on electric and I have been thinking about getting a larger generator so I can run our essentials and things like the well punp, septic, pump, and maybe enough to run and make hot water even if if I need to turn off a few other things at the time. My biggest concern is where can I buy replacement parts down the road. Many of the less expensive generators don't have places to get parts from.
The only reason why I would use anything other than a Honda for serious home backup is the availability of connecting to the natural gas supply of my home. Being as it is not practical to convert my Honda EU6500 to natural gas, I would probably opt for the Genmax generator that comes set up for natural gas. As far as price goes, I would gladly pay the premium for the Honda unit as I know it wont normally let me down and parts are available if I need them. I look at this whole issue as "insurance" and the only difference being at least at the end of the day, I have something left over...the equipment. Same reason why I opted for the expensive whole house backup...the Generlink. But to each his own....
When you get to 6KW, look up used rental equipment auctions. I bought a water cooled 3 cylinder diesel generator. It runs at 1/2 the speed of the cheap generators, and will never have a gunked up carborator or stuck propane diaphragm from sitting too long. I put a small solar pannel on it to keep the battery up. Yes it is a constuction light tower. They are fully enclosed, electric start, and as rental places refresh inventory, very cheap at auction. Spent less than $1000 for mine, fully fueled and ready to run. Added a 30A twist lock outlet and breaker to mine. With some solar generators, it becomes hybrid, so it can be shut down overnight and keep the fridge and freezer on overnight. Run it a couple of hours each day to bring up the batteries and the unit survives an extended outage on one tank of fuel.
I'd like some info on what's involved on making it where you can hook these up to you main circuit to run your whole house. I assume all of the bigger generators have that ability.
Champion has a larger, dual fuel 11k inverter in the same format for less money than the Champion featured here. I bought mine from Home Depot for $1900. Super quiet and more fuel efficient than my older Ryobi 5.5k non-inverter. Champion model 201417.
I can confirm the sound comes from the engine. The exhaust side of my generator is actually quieter than the engine side. At least for my westinghouse generator. The exhaust is massive on the darn thing.
I have had fat too many plastic gas cans blow a seam and crack from expansion on really hot days here in Texas and will now only use Steel Jerry can Style of Gas Cans.
Since your post the HF 9500 Inverter is 2200.00 but I'm lo0king at the Champion 8500 Inverter for 1600.00 with a 3 year warranty. I wished HF had more than 90 day warranty
Amzn has Champ 8500W Dual Fuel Inverter, Elec start for $1378. Home Depot and Lowes will price match with on-line chat. Lowes will give 5% off with lowes my rewards card. 10% off the month of your birthday and 20% off when first signing up.
I bought a pulsar 5500 few years ago. It was about gizzar's due fuel the propane or gasoline.. It will power my small little sparkbox welder.. And I have never put gasoline in at. It is Now. at my mom's house as her backup generator. It's easy enough to start and the propane doesn't go bad. It is big enough to run the blower on the furnace and the refrigerator TV all at the same time.. I'm impressed with it but for six hundred fifty dollars the better of been good.
I found in long power outages,smaller is better , gas is hard to get and store. if youre not hooked to nautral gas or have a large propane tank for heating, id go small as possible look for 10hrs a gal. I run on necessary items and look to the past, backup heat use wood, have an outdoor area to keep food in the winter. Im even thinking of installing a water tank and use an ag pump for low power backup . 90 of my outages are in the winter. In the summer i have a small window ac for one room and will run my fridge and lights. Maybe a tv and dvd player .
Yes, I've seen the same thing, my friend was running his whole house and using 5+ gallons for a single fill on his big generator and I think my little Honda 2000i takes maybe a gallon and can run about 8-12 hours depending on what I had running. He spent a lot of time driving around searching for stations that had power, had fuel, and then in long lines to get it. I'm now searching for duel fuel options, thus why I'm here. Granted, when build my place in the country, I'm going to set it up for whole house with an outside connect with the lockout that prevents the back feed so the linemen aren't put in danger. (Company I am with has a division that does power transmission & distribution)
@@modsquad8u- that’s why I bought 8 VP cans giving me 45 gallons which will last several days. Then I use the excess in the cars after the fact. Gas is usually available after 4-5 days. You can’t expect to have 2- 5 gallon cans and be prepared.
That's why I have 4 ecoflow solar generator and gas generator. I will be sipping gas while people will be running their gas generator 24/7 to charge a phone.
@@HorseRadish403 forgot 2 refrigerators microwave and other appliances. Last time I checked each Anker solar panel cost over $200 bucks for like 200 watts output. Plus those battery stations are expensive. I’ll wait till prices go down
Thanks for the review! I don't own a Pulsar; but looking at reviews while shopping online...not very promising.... Hondas look to be rated high, but they are definitely expensive by comparison. Some of the Westinghouse models--particularly the bigger ones (surprisingly) seem to be rated pretty high; but other models, not so much. Odd that there is so much inconsistency. Champion seems to be middle of the road in both ratings and cost. I have a Champion--I believe its 7500W that I'm looking to upgrade. It has been very reliable for about 7 years; but the load in the house is way too much for it. Moreover, I haven't installed a transfer switch or interlock, and I'm tired of dragging extension cords just to power a handful of things. I'm definitely intrigued by the Predator. It also seems to have pretty good reviews and the cost isn't outrageous.
You should filter you fuel from those metal cans. That's the good thing about the plastic, you don't get any rust because moisture DOES build up in cans over time if you store it. If you are diligent about rotating your stored fuel or only fill them as needed it's less of an issue. I was going to go the Jerry can route myself but had flashbacks from when I was in the Army Signal Corps and was constantly filling up my diesel generator I towed with my Hummer for the comm equipment, lol. Also, I did read a few articles on how over time they will develop rust and can introduce contaminants into your carb. These things are already finicky enough with the darn ethanol. I need to find some stations that sell the ethanol free fuel. I do totally agree those safety nozzles are a pain. But I did just buy some extra plastic ones and one of the two I picked up at harbor freight I actually like, it's the Garage Boss 5 gallon cans. It actually pours nice, and the shape of the can keep smore weight at the bottom so it seems to pour with more control than the squarish cans.
I have a pulsar. Was hard to start. I used It 4 times. Worked great. Now it leaks gas. The gasket around the carb leaked. I have no clue where to take it to get repaired. Comparing price and the number of plugs? That’s not enough. A real comparison includes a lot more factors. Honda is the best! In every comparison I have watched.that is very detailed. Buy once cry once.
You can convert most generator to run on propane, using a US carb conversion, converted a A power gen from Sams club , runs great. Had a 30 amp docking station installed so it can power whole house, limiting to freeze er, ref, lighting, ceiling fan , ran 6 hrs on gen. 85 % most of the time.
If your going to compare the Honda to the Champion? Does the Champion have fuel injection. That's a major selling factor for me. It has a fuel pump in it for my auxiliary fuel tank. It doesn't need to be primed to use it. I get 42 hours of run time on 11 gallons of gas at half load. Also it might be rated at 7000 watts surge? I found with mine I get 9200 watts surge out of it. In my house you can't put a price on safety. We need ours to start when the power goes out. My wife is disabilled & can't be without power. I'm a lineman for the local power company. I'm usually already at work when she starts this. The last thing I need to hear is my wife's voice on the other end of the phone saying the generator won't start? I have to have the best in the business. Your comparisons are fair but I don't think the other generators are fuel injected?
I recently gotten a 5000, partly because it comes propane ready. It will give a little less power but you never have to worry about the fuel going stale or gumming up the carb. Still have to option of using gasoline after you've used all you propane. I wish I had a 240 plug, but I could always add a parallel kit and another generator for that. Gives the best of both worlds then having poser when you need it and efficiency when you dont.
I just got my first generator after my family went through Helene. 1 week with no power. So i bought a Westinghouse WGen20000c 28000 peak and 20000 running. Has 2 50a plugs and all the other ones. Will do a 50a inlet box and interlock and 50a breaker in my breaker box. Building an enclosed shed with venting and sound deadening and and all that good stuff to run it in to keep it quiet. I think i will use about 40 to 50% load and that will get me 12 to 14 hours on a 17 gal tank. It hope it all goes well for me. Im not from texas but damn i do have the bigger is better mentally lol. Also my family has been all Honda everything since day one. We have a 3000 psi honda pressure washer that is over 25 years old and starts first pull. And Honda dirt grinder 35 years old and honda lawn mowers that are also 35 years old i mean my dad is a honda fan. I grew up taking the same liking like him. But like you said now these companies are uping their game. They have to to make it. Same with the car industry. Japan came in with the most fuel efficient cars and reliable and took the market by storm. If Ford and GM and DODGE didnt start building reliable cars where would they be today? Now they are building amazing cars. So competition is good! But i also believe that Hondas has that reputation and they lean on it very very hard. So their quality is not like it use to be. Just like Toyota of the 90s and Toyota now. Big big difference.
that having (2) seperate 50 amp plugs is a waste of $$$ .... Each plug can only do 12kW .... what about the other 8kW ???? You cant wire (2) different plugs onto your home, it only takes 1. The only way this is good is (1) plug to the house and the other 50 amp plug to a shed. Any generator power over 12kW running is a waste because the plugs are only rated at 50 amp .. 240V at 50 amps is 12kW ... If they made an 83 amp plug, then you can wire that to the house and GET all 20kW ....
Great info on various generators..fantastic video bro. I do have a 7200 Pulsar duel fuel inverter generator that has ran perfect and really quiet. I highly recommend.
Always a pleasure watching your vids Sir. Since i live alone my needs are few, so i'm looking at the HF predator 5000w....i think 3600 run watts. That should do to power a modest size gaming pc, one lectric space heater, a lamp and then maybe run a long cord to the kitchen frig if it starts warming up. The 5000 be perfect in my case? Say yes - they're on sale right now :) Thanks!
A bit late for your needs, but you should have ample power to power the appliances that you name. Myself I have a Firman 3 650 running Watts generator and it has ample power to power a gas furnace, my refrigerator, my computer, router, tv and a couple of lights. Mind you, I have a transfer switch (Reliance Co.) providing the power to my electrical circuits.
I bought a 2000W (continuous) 12VDC to 120VAC pure sine wave inverter off amazon for approx $170 and connect it to my car battery (engine running at idle). It powered the furnace and some small things just fine. Ain't nothing quieter and easier than a car at idle. I do have an old open frame generator that I can connect a 1000W 12VDC power supply to in case I need to charge a car battery with it or run a couple radiant heaters that will keep the house toasty. I've been thinking about getting a small harbor freight inverter generator but can't seem to justify it with the stuff I currently have. According to my inverter, the furnace pulls about 650 watts so that leaves plenty of overhead for other things.
I know this video is a few months old, but Pulsar/Genmax are basically same company or rather same exact build just different label. I have the Genmax 10500 tri-fuel and so far it's been fine. Definitely better running wattage over these in the video, but also roughly same price ($2500).
I have 2 generators one is a Dura Max 10,ooo watt and it does have the 30 & 50 amp outlet which the 50 is what I use. I don't know but maybe it is worth going up 1 size so you can get the 50 amp.
When you have a class A rv that already has an on board inverter is there a danger of using an inverter generator to supply power when you are boondocking or just need generator power for whatever you need at the time. I was told that an inverter generator could be harmful to the electric system in the rv. Your input greatly appreciated
I saw a video yesterday that said if a Predator needs parts, you are simply OUT OF LUCK and now own a huge paperweight ! I was thinking about buying one until I saw that.
just in case someone thinks you need a huge 9500 watt generator from harbor freight to run your whole house, you dont. we have a 3500 watt harbor freight inverter generator that we mainly use to take to the track to power an air compressor and fridge in the trailer. however we put a gen hook up on the house as a just in case. we have the generator, might as well be prepared. we got to test that out during a bad rain storm for about 4 hours when a pole was down. that little generator ran everything in the house (except the dryer) without a problem around 2700 watt. all the lights, fans and TVs and computers/game consoles, 2 house refrigerators plus a deep freezer, and the AC running full tilt. the water heater and stove is gas so bare that in mind as well and obviously we didnt run the dryer but i was pleasantly happy to see it run everything including the AC. it worked so well i think i will splurge and get the 5000 watt duel fuel generator and convert it to natural gas (since we have natural gas here) as a permanent whole house gen
It depends on your circumstances. We live in a rural, all electric house. There are no gas lines here. We have a well pump that requires 4,800 watts, 240 volts AC to start. We have a Harbor Freight 8750/9000 watt generator to run the well pump, pellet stove, septic sand mound dosing pump and alarm, radon exhaust blower, and a refrigerator. When the well pump is running, the generator is pretty much maxed out. You need to calculate your critical loads and size accordingly. Our power was out for 3 days over last Christmas. The generator kept us from having to evacuate our house. Without it, we had no running water or heat. Since then, we've added 10,000 watts of hybrid solar inverters and 7.2 KW of solar panels, along with 20.48 kWh of Lithium Iron Phosphate rack mounted batteries. It's a work in progress. The generator is now a backup to recharge the batteries during low/no sunlight days during an outage.
yes, obviously circumstances is different for everyone. i thought it would be safe to assume my house being on natural gas also had water hook up as well as i pointed out most of our appliances run on natural gas. my point i was trying to make is most people dont need to go out and spend $15,000+ on a whole house generator, especially to just get by for a few hours to a few days. will it run everything, especially in a whole electric house? of course not. but it will get you by@@Solar2go
I agree with your comment as every single person's circumstances are going to be different. My electric hot water heater when it's running drawers 5,500 Watts just for one Appliance. I also have a triple safe sump pump system the those pumps to draw a ton of power when in use. So already...I need a 7000+ unit and that's not including any lights, my pellet stove, fridge or anything else. @Solar2go
You're right about different circumstances. I also believe in sacrificing space. If you have a 2 story then I would recommend going downstairs in the summer and upstairs in the winter. That way you use your fuel wisely if that's something your area is in need of.
I'm happy with our Pulsar 12KW peak that runs at 9500 watts on gas and 8500 watts on propane. Has several 120v 20amp, one 30amp RV and a 50amp 4 wire that runs our house with well when the power goes out. They cost about $960 on Amazon. Cheers
I have no problem paying a premium for Honda, but the trouble is that they don't keep up with the features that the Chinese brands are offering. For $5k I want dual-fuel (preferably tri-fuel), remote start, and a little more capacity. Probably will buy that Champion 8500. I've had two Champions, one is 8 years old. Both still working fine for occasional backup power. But I want to go 240V now.
I've been saying for years, "with a little warm water and Dawn you can do anything ". We were finishing up a house we built recently and 1 of the guys tracked red mud all over the concrete driveway that had been poured 2 days ago. Boss man flipped out, I ran to a nearby DG and grabbed a medium sized thing of Dawn and couple small scrub brushes. It worked like a charm. The boss had gone to Lowe's and got actual concrete cleaner that didn't work as well. Thanks for the tip, I never knew this and now I wonder if it would work on those awful Asian hornets
i have the 4000 3200 predator bought it 13 years ago runs my whole house even when ac is on i do have solar panels with the program enphase so i can track my house useage
just fyi the ryobi generator you showd is a inverter generator that does produce the clean power. these generators are basically a hybrid between the standard open frame and the super quite inverters. basically toy get the clean poert and fuel economy but not nesar as quiet. with that said they are far cheaper then the quiet inverters. i have the one you showed and has been amazing the last several hurricanes.
After Beryl I have installed a 26kW Generac running on NG. All professionally installed and inspected by the city for electric and natural gas plumbing code. In reality it can do about 22kW due to the lower energy density of NG versus gasoline. I assume it can run comfortably non stop at 20kW. I have a 5 ton central AC plus a 16,000 BTU AC. We live just north of Houston in a heavily wooded area and Beryl took a lot of trees down on power lines. We were out for 5 days and got off lightly compared to others who were out longer. It has a Total Harmonic Distortion below 5 so electronic stuff will be fine. We are old and can afford to do this but up to now we have got by with an older Honda 5500 which I converted to NG. Of course that thing can really do about 3500 W running which means no AC. I only Rand some 120 volt circuits. People forget that generators often show starting watts. Then reduce that by 10% for running watts then reduce by another 15% for NG fuel. We will get the Generac cost back one day when we sell up. Climate change is a fact so we can expect weather issues in both summer and winter. Yes, in the Gulf Coast area we had a prolonged freeze a couple of years ago (I had some ice on my pool surface!) and power went out for a few days. The Generac unit will be under a maintenance contract and I can monitor it on my cell phone with Bluetooth link. It has a V twin engine made in US and I keep enough oil in stock in case I need to change it in a prolonged run period plus a couple of spark plugs. I noticed how people even had a hard time finding oil during Beryl. Being prepared for the next one is the game.
One other thing to consider with a dual fuel generator, right now gasoline is cheaper than propane. Another tip for dual fuel generators, never run gasoline with ethanol in it. I have a 4500 W champion that sat for 4 1/2 years with a full tank of non-ethanol gasoline in it. I pulled it out to check it before this hurricane came by and one pool it started.
It's always best to drain the tank and put these away "dry". I follow that procedure with a 100% success rate. Especially if they only get occasional use. If you use it regularly, I'd still kill the fuel switch and let it drain the carb bowl and die out.
Been trying to figure this out, want to get a Generator with solar and batt back up but want it auto switching. Batt to carry load as the Gen auto kicks over. Any solutions you recommend? .
once you get to a medium size system with ..... battery backup .... and maybe solar (solar is optional for this scheme BTW) that will run your critical loads (the minimum you need) you start looking for a generator that will charge your battery, not run your house. Some of the You Tube 'solar' channels have shown you can get by with a smaller generator than you would need to run your house critical circuits so have to store / acquire less fuel - or fuel yoiu have lasts longer. And generators are maintained by watching the 'hours used' and you can cut that chore/ wear a LOT with the generator 240V output feeding the house and use the battery charger built into the invertor that now powers those critical circuits to fill up the batteries. It is more complicated --- but if you are going for a battery backup anyway, check for the best way to keep it charged as a viable solution. When I went thru TX ice capades I noticed I had SOME power each day - decided I could charge a battery during that time and run the house off the (big enough by design) 'whole house' battery. And I use a generator as a backup if power is NEVER coming on (never saw that yet) to fill in for grid power. Also got the tri fuel generator but only plan for natural gas - primary - and propane tanks for secondary fuel. More expensive but a solution between the whole house fixed to ground Generac at start of this video and what is found here. If I keep batteries 'topped up' when bad times are expected I get the first part of the crisis without any drama and if switches to 2 hours on 2 hours off my hope is I can still almost never use the generator. If power is out for days it is still easier to run the generator for a few hours to charge battery a few times a day. But if you are going for a battery backup, think of a generator to just service that system. BUT battery's at critical circuits for house or better scale are expensive. I mention this as you are leaning to looking at a solution with batteries in the mix. auto switchover is expensive when you want the generator mixed in. But if your battery system switches on / off grid all the time as part of it's design, then the generator can be a manual step as it is just to charge the batteries a few times a day (maybe - depends on the situation you find yourself in)
Well, before Honda (known for high reliability engines) came along in the US there was a company called Generac ( not Genmax) Now there are so many chinese made with fake names or store branded made at the lowest price possible. 15_yrs ago Lowes and TSC carried Generac in the stores and I used to see Hondas around. As an alternative to inverter generators there is the Generac XT8500EFI ( actually a whole series of "True Power" 5% or less THD generators) and the Westinghouse WGen11500TFc ( I believe this is just produced under license). These are low THD generators producing less than5%THD safe for electronics without needing the inverter stage making them cost much less.
Good honest video. Honda is top tier no debate Japanese made and engineered but likely overkill for a backup....I would say Champion is the 2nd best and all around winner (their customer service is legendary) plus they offer dual fuel and 100% copper windings... the rest are basically made in the same factory in China they are just different colors. Predators are just overhyped exact same components and design as the GenMax and Pulsar.
However, you still need an electrician to hook these up, correct? Isn't there something that needs installed to prevent back feed into the power lines? And how much should I expect to pay for all of that? I'd love to have a generator but it's probably out of my price range being only on social security. Thanks Jeff.😊
You need an electrician to install a manual disconnect/plug so the grid can be disconnected safely and a generator can be plugged in. Manual disconnect should be a more reasonable cost than automated disconnects with a permanent generator.
Yes, if you want to hook to the house circuits you need a transfer switch which is generally an electrician job. I don't know the going rate which varies with your area anyway but for switch and work figure more than $150 and under $600, I would guess. If all you want to do is run one or two things at a time, a smaller generator and long extension cords would allow you to just plug in the refrigerator and maybe the furnace and water heater.
The thing with Honda is their perceived quality and especially longevity.With a little maintenance it is expected to last 20 years or more,with limited power outage use.I highly doubt any Amazon generator is going to last as long.....BUT,with limited use you may still get your moneys worth with the lower priced options..
Just talked to a generator tech who works for a major repair company and he said Hondas actually one of the worst these days. Something about plastic internal parts.
Always use a NEC approved transfer method, if connected to house. Had electrical contractor install new house power panel with lock out kit and docking station. 30 amp or 50amp.
Predator 9000 is the better deal. If you're looking to do whole house coverage, it comes with the 50 amp plug so you have some better coverage to handle a fridge compressor and indoor blower furnace motor coming on at the same time. People (even full time electricians) don't take time to balance the load. Also, with so many folks utilizing LED lighting, power loads are drastically reduced. Also, there are 5 items that will draw down power more than a few outlets. Water heaters if they are electric. Best to check your tag info to see the BTU output to determine wattage need for operation. Next is a Stove. These are typically ona 40 or 50 amp circuit depending how old it is. This is a direct short style device...draws a lot. If you have a situation where it is common to lose power for more than a few days at a time, a higher wattage is best. Next is a Heat Pump and furnace. Heat Pumps are extremely power hungry and if you are in a part of the country where you can justify needing AC, the pump uses a reversing valve in the pump to help with the heat load. Also if you have baseboard or what we refer to as strip heat on a furnace. An all electric furnace is again, power hungry. last is split between older appliances like toaster ovens and a vacuume cleaner. Both really can be power abusive...I'm talking to you Kirby owners. Best to let the floor care wait till power is restored. Sorry for the novel, but some of the comments I hae seen here and across the tubeverse, just scream I have my head up a dark hole and I'm playing a game of craps. Lastly, it is ALWAYS best to assess what you feel you absolutely need when power is out. rule of thumb...if you have a multi-story home, make sure to include at least a single lighting circuit on each floor that will make it easier to move around the house in the dark. Next, consider ay circuits that have refer or fridges. This is important especially if Like myself you hunt or have larger quantities of frozen food items for reheat or meat etc. Consider using the outdoor grill for cooking if you can or getting a hot plate for water boiling or soup making etc. Lastly, for those on prpane or gas heat, even with an HP, yo can run the furnace with little to no real impact on you load ecause the indoor blowers on every furnace since the 7's has a soll fan and direct drive or belt drive motor that draws generally les than 5 amps on startup. Microwaves, stoves, furnaces and every appliance you own has a sticker on them from the manufacturer stating the FLA (Full Load Amperage) and amperage or wattage draw. Add up the ones you feel you cant live without and you have your load requirement. The formula is simple AMP x Volts = watts. Remember full load amperage is the amp draw when unit is under full load. Startup amperage is generally 1 1/2 times FLA. Rough rule of thumb. Hope this helps, I can't do the tube so I won't make a vid, but I do have 40 years in the business as an Electrical/ Mechanical engineer and contractor. Sorry for any mis-spelling and typos, my fingers and the keyboard aren't as friendly as they once were.
I don't know about consumer reports but Dan Bongino the national talkshow host just had a Generac install and the first time they went to use it it failed
From what I understand Pulsar is a manufacturer that either makes or used to make mowers etc for other brands but decided to start manufacturing under their own brand name
the predator 9500 does NOT have a 50 amp plug
You're totally right it has 2 30 amp plugs.
@@denoftoolsc😮m
Really wish it did
Easy fix. Just use an adapter; 30amp to 50amp.
That is not a fix , it's still a 30amp
I bought the Predator 9500. Living on the farm thirty years. Every time the power was lost I swore to get one. Had some remodeling going and had the electrician set up an outside receptacle. Now, when power is out, I wheel the generator out and set it on the end of the house. Can’t even hear it .
I have a wood furnace so no big draw to keep house toasty. Two furnace blowers, and other than electric range I can operate the house in comfort.
Bought the Predator on sale and been happy with it.
I purchased the Preditor 9500 and we just love it. The neighbors generators are LOUD all night long. They are just crying for a meth head to carry them away in the night. The Preditor just purrrrrs along quiet as can be. We have had it for 1 1/2 years and never had a problem. On the break in period I installed a magnetic oil plug
(A must in ALL new low end budget generators) It was full of metal pretty quick so I changed the oil at 1 hrs. run time and again at 10 hrs. And then again at 30 hrs. Never ever have had a single problem at all with it. Just let the battery run down once and it started up on the 2nd. pull. If you get it you won't be sorry!
Thanks for the caution about exhaust entering through soffits.
Yes, people have died from this
We use an open frame Predator 4550 quiet inverter for camping and my wife’s trailer rental business. We have been very happy with it.
Just used my Predator 9500 for the first extended power outage due to TS Debby and I’m wondering why I ever went without one of these. Going through a prolonged outage while still having AC, internet, fridge and lights all working at the same time is a game changer. It takes a lot of the dread away from hurricane season in FL.
I opted for two EU2000 that I can run parallel. With an external extended fuel tank.
A use kryptonite motorcycle chains and locks to lock them up while running them after hurricanes in Florida.
You could have used a cheap chain, anybody with a half a brain would cut the plastic handle, much faster than trying to cut metal.
@@Michael-Joseph123
I did install the theft deterrent handle to help slow that process down.
I know a lock only stops an honest person
I have the Pulsar G12KBN, which is a 9500/12000KW generator (not inverter). We ran on this for 4 days during the Texas winter storm. I have a subpanel that I have moved 10 circuits of 120v breakers. During the storm, we ran space heaters, lights, refrigerator, freezer, computers, Xbox, internet, 55' TVs. I would shutdown a space heater and ran a toaster oven for pizza's and a keureg for hot water. The surprising thing about this genset was it's fuel efficiency - we used about 45 to 50 gal of gasoline during that time, running about 5 to 6kw loads the whole time. I've used it many times since then and before. It's good, it's loud, it's heavy. Side note - I bought a little 12v cigarette lighter plug pump to pump fuel from my cars. The fuel there is always fresh and I can ferry larger amounts than a bunch of gas cans.
I'm currently in the process of making this thing run the whole house. I just replaced my 200amp panel with one with 200 amp breakers so I can install an interlock kit. I also bought a soft-start capacitor for my AC (4ton) so hopefully it can do that. Tomorrow I'm cabling it up.
Although this generator makes pretty clean power - the THD is like 8% or less at 50% loads, whereas a Westinghouse non-inverter type is rated at 5% or less.
My big complaint is UPS batteries don't like the power, and it being a non-inverter generator always scares me a little. I'm considering upgrading, but right now, very large inverter generators are pretty expensive.
Anyway, thought I'd give you a report on the Pulsar brand and my experience.
How has it been working since? Did you use it following Beryl?
Amzn has Champ 8500W Dual Fuel Inverter, Elec start for $1378. Home Depot and Lowes will price match with on-line chat. Lowes will give 5% off with lowes my rewards card. 10% off the month of your birthday and 20% off when first signing up.
Four days? BFD. Get back to me in four years.
@@ThomasMackay-i8h I have owned the unit since 2019. We've used it for dozens of outages, and recently to power some construction for 2 weeks.
@@utmichael2008 I have owned the unit since 2019. We've used it for dozens of outages, and recently to power some construction for 2 weeks.
I’ve had a Honda EU 3000I for about four years I run it in the back of a open pick up truck, and I found the CO sensor to be nothing but trouble it shuts the generator off constantly I finally found a way to bypass it. My next generator will not have one of these. I’m sure I’m not alone in this problem. The CO sensor is designed to last 10 years and there still is no replacement for them. I have a feeling that 10 years is going to be a life of a new generator.
You said you found a way to bypass it, so 10 years does not make sense, it's a honda.
keep it disconnected silly,no biggy.
If the exhaust is facing the wind that will blow back in and trigger that sensor
I've had a Pulsar PG4000iSR for 4 years. It powers my food truck with no problems at all. I will definitely buy Pulsar again when mine goes out. Great video.
The quietest generator is the Honda EU7000. Expensive, yes. but worth every penny. Reliable, high quality, and quiet. Everything you want in a generator when you need it!
I'm with you buddy! I've wrestled with the cheapo generators and from here on out I'm sticking with Honda!
Honda's are also made in China. If there is a dedicated Honda maker outside of China I would pay extra also!
Best Generator and also parts and service is available everywhere. Try finding parts or service for these cheap Chinese gen sets
@@I-95_Estates EU7000is is made in India actually
Honda's gone to sh*t, same as most manufacturers.
I have the Westinghouse Wgen9500df. When the electrician wired up the 50 amp equipment, we turned on EVERYTHING in my 1400sf house. Electric dryer, water heater, stove, central AC, microwave, oven, fridge, 2 freezers, etc. No issues. In real life...i only run propane. Only used it 3 times in 3 years. The longest was 6 days. Well worth the effort. I really think we could get by with 5,000 watts since we are in "basic necessity" mode when the power is out. I'm just running what we have to be comfortable and only use 2 small propane tanks per 24 hours.
That's the gen I have my eye on! My old no name 6500 generator is 15 years old and won't give up the ghost though. It's like an old car that you wonder if it will get you where you're going!
That makes 0 sense. Dryers, water heater, etc etc over 10amp each, freezers, frigdes, etc Hell central AC uses a capacitor to make up for its huge start up draw. math does not add up. ;)
i picked up a predator 9500 inverter generator on a whim. Bad winter storm with a 6 month old baby. it was the last generator in stock. 3 years later and I've only used it once to finish up some welding.
….. so what’s the point. Was it good or not
@Dakingsnake it does what it's supposed to, and it's pretty quiet, which is nice. I get it out once every 6 months or so to run it for a bit, I've yet to really need it... I do wish it had a larger 50amp plug.
@@smallish_mk3733 thanks for the response. Im an obvious newbie but i still need back up power for the house.
@Dakingsnake it works for all the essentials. But I doubt if it could run ac in the summer aside from a window unit
@@smallish_mk3733 There's a guy running the 9500 /w a 5 ton A/C on YT. The key is getting a soft start module for the AC unit to keep the current inrush down.
Good stuff. Texas here so the 2021 ice storm was no joke. I picked up a 13k watt Duromax dual fuel shortly after that. For those with central AC I highly recommend installing an EZ start. These definitely are a must in terms of helping with the peak load needed to fire up a multi ton unit.
You’re right about that. We froze for 2 days before draining all the pipes and fleeing to Oklahoma. Is there a way these can plug into your main electrical panel or do you just run extensions cords? Not sure how it works running the blowers for the main gas furnace.
@@williamhicks2763 Yeah It was nothing I would have expected in Texas. Power outages due to storms and high heat yes, but we were without power for 5 days straight. The inside of our house dropped to about 37 degrees so luckily enough we had friends who still had power as they were on a feed line supplying power to the fire station. Anyhow, in terms of rigging up your generator to the whole house, I did this. I installed an interlock and dedicated breaker in the main panel. This is a safety measure that allows you to supply power to your house without backfeeding into the main grid. In short it forces you to cut the main breaker from the grid in order to flip the dedicated breaker which allows flow from the geni. The I ran EMT conduit to a power inlet plug and box which allows me to run a 50A line from the generator. In the event of an outage I shut off all the breakers in the sub panel, flip the interlock, hookup the generator and start feeding power. Then go back to the sub breaker and flip on the circuits that I want power supplied to. This gives me options to what I want running off off of the geni. You can do essentially all this with a transfer switch system but I decided against it as they would have kept me on 6 or 8 selected breakers. I wanted the ability to choose what and whenever I wanted to have powered if that makes sense. Plus the transfer switch would have been installed at the sub breaker and my two AC units are running loads directly from the main. For good measure I had my buddy who is a master electrician look over my work to make sure everything was up to code. You can hire an electrician to do essentially what I did for a few hundred bucks.
@williamhicks2763 you mean the generator? How to connect it to your house? Can always install or have an electrician create a transfer switch and install a 30-50 amp inlet
@@2000meganExactly. For mine, however, I added a separate 50 amp breaker and an interlock with the inlet feeding the added breaker. This allows me to power directly into my sub panel safely without backfeeding into the grid which is dangerous and illegal in many places. Since I am comfortable doing electrical work, it was an easy job for me, but any electrician can do it for a few hundred bucks or so. I chose the interlock route over a transfer switch as I wanted more flexibility to control which lines I want hot on backup vs the preset lines on a TS. I.e in summer months AC, winter furnace, upstairs lines, downstairs lines, etc. Either way though, both are great options.
We are in Clearwater Florida and just bought the Champion 8500 at Home Depot after Helene before Milton for under $800! Love it
went with a predator 3500 and 5000 inverter for campers etc as backups to the installed 5k that is in the fifth wheel. Have a 5k inverter and a 12500 duromax for the house. We are running the 5000 predator into a separate box that will only run the computers and tv's etc with the rest of the house on the duromax 125000 tri fuel system. Ended up paying under 800 for that one at amazon on a very great sale day. Traded in a 3500 predator and paid a hundred extra at harbor freight for a second 5000 inverter to tandem these together. Have not bee able yet to set them up to see what kind of power they actually put out when tandem. IF it comes within specs needed to run our home then we may change minds and run everything through these but that 50 amp outlet in the duromax matters a great deal. Anyway, as always you have great informative videos and I am on a steep learning curve on generators. as a last ditch SHTF and everything else is stolen or destroyed we have a craftsman 8500 hidden and locked away in the shop. as well as a 2300 inverter for emergency computer and online backup along with freezers. lol (and maybe a solar 5k setup but not admittin nuthin lol....
I used the HF 9500 this last week after Helena came thru. Ran the whole house to include AC. Love it.
If you have a traditional generator run your electronics through an APC or equivalent surge protector. I've lost more then one television by not doing this. Recently I upgraded to a champion 4500 watt inverter duel fuel, works well for my needs. Had to use it a couple months ago when a summer storm took out the power.
I live in the D.C. area, and our worst power outages(5+ days) happened in summer.
Harbor freight has a gas pump for about $10 that I slip into the gas tank and pump it directly into the generator tank. It runs on a "D" battery (which last months)
Great job Jeff!!..You know what might be interesting...to see how an average homeowner can use one of these generators to get them through a power outage for 4 or 5 days in winter.What its actually capable of doing and how to go about doing it.Thanks as always..
Agreed!
Stock up on gasoline. The big generators suck it like a big guy on a milkshake.
I was skeptical at first, but I got a Champion 4250 electric start inverter gen at a stupid price on amazon (I think it was an error, $302). So far, so good with a break-in period done, 2 power outages and 1 kids party.
I thought I got a good deal on the 4250 with electric start for around $410, I had seen them priced low every now and then, I missed out on a sale for $390 once, but jump on it the next time, around $20 more, but I really like it.
Offhand, I think the national safety guidelines say to keep generators 25' away from your building. Which means you should probably buy a 30-50' extension cord, of the heaviest wire size they have, to minimize voltage loss.
Great review here! I feel like i became an expert on generators overnight! Much appreciated!
I have a Pulsar 6850 duel fuel generator. It works like a champ and all I have done is changed the oil.
It runs most things no a problem. Not my central AC, Dryer, or Hot Water Heater, but I have not tried those items. I do have window ac units as backup just in case and this runs them well with everything else.
2 refrigs, 4 freezer chests, lites, tvs, cable etc etc.
It's loud yes. I built a sound box for it to quiet it a lot. It does help.
I also use Propane as my first choice of fuel because I know that it will help keep the generator to last longer.
Overall happy with generator.
Just my 2 cent
Good luck
I have a duel fuel pulsar 12k unit. It's fantastic! Have used it 4 times over the past 18 months. Once I had it running 24 hrs a day for 4 days straight. Flawless. I've done several oil changes and it looks great, no particles or issues. Would strongly recommend.
Damn, you must have a really big external tank if you went 96 hours straight without shutting it off. How many gallons did it consume?
Good that you showed the power output for the different fuels. I doubt that very many people know or even care but it is important. Back in the 60s I worked for a Ford dealer and we had a customer who operated a propane/butane service. They ran their trucks on propane and it reduced the power, but the engines looked like new inside especially the spark plugs. I have a Storm Responder I bought from Home Depot probably in about 2008. I've used it during numerous hurricane and tropical storm outages also the polar vortex. It has never let me down except for me letting it set with stale gas in the carb. Recently I bought the Predator 8750 the next to the largest and feel better about it having the inverter power for all the new appliances. Very good review and to the point.
I have an I power 10,000 start 8,000 I have used it on off grid jobs. Runs job site table saw and miter saw and a compressor just fine. I also have a box that ties it into my house panel. My well pump is 220 so I needed a larger generator. It’s gasoline only , electric start. I have just shy of 100 hours on it. I use only non ethanol fuel, speaking of fuel it has a 10.5 gallon tank. I have it using full synthetic oil and it starts easily even in northern Maines coldest weather. I bought it from SAMs club for $799. So far so good. I keep it inside and looks like new though its I believe 4 years old now.
I bought a Troy Built 5500w generator in 2004 and had an electrician wire an outside outlet for attaching the generator to the household circuit. (yes We disconnect from the grid prior to using) Here in central Florida I have used it for a total of 26 hours in the past 20 years mostly just for test runs. If needed we can't run everything but we can run enough with power management to make things comfortable.
The Honda is fuel injected. No more carb issues. The other brands are disposable units. If they break, you throw them away. I tried a Westinghouse and the “service center” was 100 miles away and after 3 attempts they said they couldn’t fix my dual fuel issue. So it’s a hunk of junk. They will work for a while but be prepared to replace them every 3 years. I’ve now had a Honda for 8 years. Zero issues. Use it frequently.
@@kerplunk38880 Sorry to hear you’ve been swindled by the other generator companies. That sucks! Your hard earned money flushed down the drain. That would bother me. Atleast you knew who made the best & sucked it up & bought it. I’ve had mine 5 years & zero complaints. Mine only had 175 hours on it though. I change the oil once a year with Mobil One. I swapped out the battery just because it was three years old.
I’ve only had to need it once for storm Isais. We were out for 2-1/2 days. The Honda performed flawlessly. I used 11 gallons & was getting ready to refill it when the lights came back on.
You’re a wise man & you’ll never have the same issues of the others. I told my neighbors which generator to buy & they must have got sticker shock when they priced mine out? Only one bought a genny. He told me he got a really good deal on his. I knew he didn’t buy a Honda. Sure enough when he needed it to start it wouldn’t. The carb had stale gas in it & it was gummed up. He lost everything in his freezer & refrigerator.
We have over a hundred Honda generators in our fleet from EB3000 to the 6500 units they are the most unreliable equipment we use. Constantly having start issues AVR burnouts, dropping valves,and hard starting. They are overpriced, and 1 part normally condemns the unit due to cost. We have 6 of the little EI2200 units with fried inverters that Honda wants $500 for. If they were in stock, we would have to buy them . Then, the 2200-watt generator would have cost us $2000 and only 1 year old in most cases. We will be looking at another brand starting next year to replace our fleet.
@@sgtbrown4273
I would contact Honda directly.
I don't blame you with your frustration. There are several other brands coming to market that are equal competitors. One such is the Gen Max brand. Gavin's Garage on UA-cam just featured several models. Perhaps that's where you should start your search?
We have a very old Honda 2000 is at work. It had to be all of 20 years old. It rarely gets any maintenance & often has stake fuel in it. It starts on the first pull. I only have one model. The EU 7000 is. I've had mine 5 years with zero issues. It has exceeded all my expectations. Until I have an issue? I'll continue to extol its virtues.
@@sgtbrown4273 stop lying or share your company name.
I don't have a company. I am sorry you're overly sensitive to people disagreeing with you. Have an incredible day.
Champion also has a new Tri-Fuel open frame inverter generator that is in the $1500 range. It is 9000 watts on gas. It would be louder but I believe you said all inverters are closed frame and there are several open frame models that are significantly cheaper.
South Florida here, looking at the same Champion myself. it is the 201176. Will run it on Propane only. Just had a soft start installed on my HVAC and it dropped the start amps down from 63 to 23 so I will be able to run the AC system on this Champion which is a big plus.
Generator season here in Florida is coming to an end with hurricane season
Exactly what I was thinking.
Don't you still have at least a month and a half left in Hurricane season?
@El_Diablo_LI yes but it starts slacking up in about 3 weeks normally get very little after mid October
Good for Florida. For the rest of us, winter is coming
This past summer storm power went out here in east texas spent 900 on 3 2500 champion generator inverter one for my sister and 2 for out house
I have several generators, a powerboss idk maybe 5800w, a predador 3500 (very quiet) and a Honda eu2000i. Can't beat that Honda, bought it in 2013, 11 years ago, has 10's of thousands of hours on it, I've never had to do anything to it except frequent oil changes. Not even changed the sparkplug or pull cord. Nothing. It's been starting with no more than 2-3 pulls for 11 years. The harbor freight 3500 predador is about 4-5 years old I just had to take the carburetor off and clean out the jets. I don't put ethanol gas in my generators but it didn't matter, the predador and powerboss both needed carburetor cleaning this year and I always let the powerboss run out of gas by shutting the tank off. From now on if I need a new generator it'll be a Honda only. Can't beat them
What about the quality of carburetors from the Chinese manufactured generators? I have found they break easier. How easy is it to replace the carburetor in the models you mentioned and the approximate cost compared to an American made generator?
Good choices for backup power. Are there any diesel generators that are good 👍.
A 9000W generator only produces 38 Amps on 240VAC. Putting a 50A outlet on either the DuroMax or the Predator could be misleading. By the way, you were looking right at the picture of the Predator 9500, and stated that it shows a 50A receptacle, which it does not.
Actually it's 31.6A , 7600W for the Predator 9500. The way they label these generators ins misleading. I think anyone researching generators gets a taste of this misleading info. It is all you see and you have to mentally filter the advertising BS..
Bear said they got together and added a CO sensor. What about a wattage labeling agreement?
I've got a 6500 watt honda generator that I purchased back in 1999 and it has bailed us out many times over the years. Now we have more stuff that runs on electric and I have been thinking about getting a larger generator so I can run our essentials and things like the well punp, septic, pump, and maybe enough to run and make hot water even if if I need to turn off a few other things at the time. My biggest concern is where can I buy replacement parts down the road. Many of the less expensive generators don't have places to get parts from.
My thoughts exactly. Will any part at all be available for these no name generators 5 years down the track. I'm willing to bet not a chance.
The only reason why I would use anything other than a Honda for serious home backup is the availability of connecting to the natural gas supply of my home. Being as it is not practical to convert my Honda EU6500 to natural gas, I would probably opt for the Genmax generator that comes set up for natural gas. As far as price goes, I would gladly pay the premium for the Honda unit as I know it wont normally let me down and parts are available if I need them. I look at this whole issue as "insurance" and the only difference being at least at the end of the day, I have something left over...the equipment. Same reason why I opted for the expensive whole house backup...the Generlink.
But to each his own....
I converted my Predator 9500 to run on natural gas and it’s an absolute rockstar!
What kit did you use for the NG conversion?
@@vyper6163 PNGTec
Would like to know more please
It just powered my house for 4 days straight after hurricane Beryl rolled through.
Search pngtec, UA-cam won’t allow me to post a link.
When you get to 6KW, look up used rental equipment auctions. I bought a water cooled 3 cylinder diesel generator. It runs at 1/2 the speed of the cheap generators, and will never have a gunked up carborator or stuck propane diaphragm from sitting too long. I put a small solar pannel on it to keep the battery up. Yes it is a constuction light tower. They are fully enclosed, electric start, and as rental places refresh inventory, very cheap at auction. Spent less than $1000 for mine, fully fueled and ready to run. Added a 30A twist lock outlet and breaker to mine. With some solar generators, it becomes hybrid, so it can be shut down overnight and keep the fridge and freezer on overnight. Run it a couple of hours each day to bring up the batteries and the unit survives an extended outage on one tank of fuel.
I'd like some info on what's involved on making it where you can hook these up to you main circuit to run your whole house. I assume all of the bigger generators have that ability.
YOU NEED A INTERLOCK SWITCH INSTALLED TO YOUR BREAKER BOX.
@@sharontrgovich2807 or a transfer switch
What's your opinion about the solar panel ones?
Champion has a larger, dual fuel 11k inverter in the same format for less money than the Champion featured here. I bought mine from Home Depot for $1900. Super quiet and more fuel efficient than my older Ryobi 5.5k non-inverter. Champion model 201417.
I can confirm the sound comes from the engine. The exhaust side of my generator is actually quieter than the engine side. At least for my westinghouse generator. The exhaust is massive on the darn thing.
I have had fat too many plastic gas cans blow a seam and crack from expansion on really hot days here in Texas and will now only use Steel Jerry can Style of Gas Cans.
Since your post the HF 9500 Inverter is 2200.00 but I'm lo0king at the Champion 8500 Inverter for 1600.00 with a 3 year warranty. I wished HF had more than 90 day warranty
With harbor freight after you pay for the extended warranty you might as well just buy a better generator!!
Amzn has Champ 8500W Dual Fuel Inverter, Elec start for $1378. Home Depot and Lowes will price match with on-line chat. Lowes will give 5% off with lowes my rewards card. 10% off the month of your birthday and 20% off when first signing up.
Did you buy the Champion 8500 ? How did it turn out?
@@javitswenderlich1010 I don't see it for $1378 ?
I bought a pulsar 5500 few years ago. It was about gizzar's due fuel the propane or gasoline.. It will power my small little sparkbox welder.. And I have never put gasoline in at. It is Now. at my mom's house as her backup generator. It's easy enough to start and the propane doesn't go bad. It is big enough to run the blower on the furnace and the refrigerator TV all at the same time.. I'm impressed with it but for six hundred fifty dollars the better of been good.
I found in long power outages,smaller is better , gas is hard to get and store. if youre not hooked to nautral gas or have a large propane tank for heating, id go small as possible look for 10hrs a gal.
I run on necessary items and look to the past, backup heat use wood, have an outdoor area to keep food in the winter. Im even thinking of installing a water tank and use an ag pump for low power backup .
90 of my outages are in the winter. In the summer i have a small window ac for one room and will run my fridge and lights. Maybe a tv and dvd player .
Yes, I've seen the same thing, my friend was running his whole house and using 5+ gallons for a single fill on his big generator and I think my little Honda 2000i takes maybe a gallon and can run about 8-12 hours depending on what I had running. He spent a lot of time driving around searching for stations that had power, had fuel, and then in long lines to get it. I'm now searching for duel fuel options, thus why I'm here. Granted, when build my place in the country, I'm going to set it up for whole house with an outside connect with the lockout that prevents the back feed so the linemen aren't put in danger. (Company I am with has a division that does power transmission & distribution)
@@modsquad8u- that’s why I bought 8 VP cans giving me 45 gallons which will last several days. Then I use the excess in the cars after the fact. Gas is usually available after 4-5 days. You can’t expect to have 2- 5 gallon cans and be prepared.
That's why I have 4 ecoflow solar generator and gas generator. I will be sipping gas while people will be running their gas generator 24/7 to charge a phone.
@@HorseRadish403 forgot 2 refrigerators microwave and other appliances. Last time I checked each Anker solar panel cost over $200 bucks for like 200 watts output. Plus those battery stations are expensive. I’ll wait till prices go down
Thanks for the review! I don't own a Pulsar; but looking at reviews while shopping online...not very promising.... Hondas look to be rated high, but they are definitely expensive by comparison. Some of the Westinghouse models--particularly the bigger ones (surprisingly) seem to be rated pretty high; but other models, not so much. Odd that there is so much inconsistency. Champion seems to be middle of the road in both ratings and cost. I have a Champion--I believe its 7500W that I'm looking to upgrade. It has been very reliable for about 7 years; but the load in the house is way too much for it. Moreover, I haven't installed a transfer switch or interlock, and I'm tired of dragging extension cords just to power a handful of things. I'm definitely intrigued by the Predator. It also seems to have pretty good reviews and the cost isn't outrageous.
I gave up on plastic gas cans and the "safety" nozzles that broke on me in less than 2 seasons. I use the old style 5 gal metal gas cans.
You should filter you fuel from those metal cans. That's the good thing about the plastic, you don't get any rust because moisture DOES build up in cans over time if you store it. If you are diligent about rotating your stored fuel or only fill them as needed it's less of an issue. I was going to go the Jerry can route myself but had flashbacks from when I was in the Army Signal Corps and was constantly filling up my diesel generator I towed with my Hummer for the comm equipment, lol. Also, I did read a few articles on how over time they will develop rust and can introduce contaminants into your carb. These things are already finicky enough with the darn ethanol. I need to find some stations that sell the ethanol free fuel.
I do totally agree those safety nozzles are a pain. But I did just buy some extra plastic ones and one of the two I picked up at harbor freight I actually like, it's the Garage Boss 5 gallon cans. It actually pours nice, and the shape of the can keep smore weight at the bottom so it seems to pour with more control than the squarish cans.
Safety nozzles are great…at leaking gas all over your hands and everything else in sight.
I have a pulsar. Was hard to start. I used It 4 times. Worked great. Now it leaks gas. The gasket around the carb leaked. I have no clue where to take it to get repaired. Comparing price and the number of plugs? That’s not enough. A real comparison includes a lot more factors. Honda is the best! In every comparison I have watched.that is very detailed. Buy once cry once.
You can convert most generator to run on propane, using a US carb conversion, converted a A power gen from Sams club , runs great. Had a 30 amp docking station installed so it can power whole house, limiting to freeze er, ref, lighting, ceiling fan , ran 6 hrs on gen. 85 % most of the time.
If your going to compare the Honda to the Champion? Does the Champion have fuel injection. That's a major selling factor for me. It has a fuel pump in it for my auxiliary fuel tank. It doesn't need to be primed to use it. I get 42 hours of run time on 11 gallons of gas at half load.
Also it might be rated at 7000 watts surge? I found with mine I get 9200 watts surge out of it.
In my house you can't put a price on safety. We need ours to start when the power goes out. My wife is disabilled & can't be without power. I'm a lineman for the local power company. I'm usually already at work when she starts this. The last thing I need to hear is my wife's voice on the other end of the phone saying the generator won't start? I have to have the best in the business.
Your comparisons are fair but I don't think the other generators are fuel injected?
The predator 9500 is overkill for most people. I like the 5000 with duel fuel and the remote start.
the 5000 is gone now
@@joey24698what happened to it do you know, I looked for it today
@@joey24698
It’s still for sale. Looking at one now
I recently gotten a 5000, partly because it comes propane ready. It will give a little less power but you never have to worry about the fuel going stale or gumming up the carb. Still have to option of using gasoline after you've used all you propane. I wish I had a 240 plug, but I could always add a parallel kit and another generator for that. Gives the best of both worlds then having poser when you need it and efficiency when you dont.
I just got my first generator after my family went through Helene.
1 week with no power.
So i bought a Westinghouse WGen20000c 28000 peak and 20000 running. Has 2 50a plugs and all the other ones.
Will do a 50a inlet box and interlock and 50a breaker in my breaker box.
Building an enclosed shed with venting and sound deadening and and all that good stuff to run it in to keep it quiet.
I think i will use about 40 to 50% load and that will get me 12 to 14 hours on a 17 gal tank.
It hope it all goes well for me. Im not from texas but damn i do have the bigger is better mentally lol.
Also my family has been all Honda everything since day one. We have a 3000 psi honda pressure washer that is over 25 years old and starts first pull. And Honda dirt grinder 35 years old and honda lawn mowers that are also 35 years old i mean my dad is a honda fan. I grew up taking the same liking like him.
But like you said now these companies are uping their game. They have to to make it. Same with the car industry. Japan came in with the most fuel efficient cars and reliable and took the market by storm.
If Ford and GM and DODGE didnt start building reliable cars where would they be today? Now they are building amazing cars.
So competition is good!
But i also believe that Hondas has that reputation and they lean on it very very hard. So their quality is not like it use to be. Just like Toyota of the 90s and Toyota now. Big big difference.
that having (2) seperate 50 amp plugs is a waste of $$$ .... Each plug can only do 12kW .... what about the other 8kW ????
You cant wire (2) different plugs onto your home, it only takes 1.
The only way this is good is (1) plug to the house and the other 50 amp plug to a shed.
Any generator power over 12kW running is a waste because the plugs are only rated at 50 amp .. 240V at 50 amps is 12kW ...
If they made an 83 amp plug, then you can wire that to the house and GET all 20kW ....
Great info on various generators..fantastic video bro. I do have a 7200 Pulsar duel fuel inverter generator that has ran perfect and really quiet. I highly recommend.
Have dual fuel pulsar non inverter generator. Have never had an issue with it in the two years I have owned it.
Always a pleasure watching your vids Sir. Since i live alone my needs are few, so i'm looking at the HF predator 5000w....i think 3600 run watts. That should do to power a modest size gaming pc, one lectric space heater, a lamp and then maybe run a long cord to the kitchen frig if it starts warming up. The 5000 be perfect in my case? Say yes - they're on sale right now :) Thanks!
A bit late for your needs, but you should have ample power to power the appliances that you name. Myself I have a Firman 3 650 running Watts generator and it has ample power to power a gas furnace, my refrigerator, my computer, router, tv and a couple of lights. Mind you, I have a transfer switch (Reliance Co.) providing the power to my electrical circuits.
I bought a 2000W (continuous) 12VDC to 120VAC pure sine wave inverter off amazon for approx $170 and connect it to my car battery (engine running at idle). It powered the furnace and some small things just fine. Ain't nothing quieter and easier than a car at idle. I do have an old open frame generator that I can connect a 1000W 12VDC power supply to in case I need to charge a car battery with it or run a couple radiant heaters that will keep the house toasty. I've been thinking about getting a small harbor freight inverter generator but can't seem to justify it with the stuff I currently have. According to my inverter, the furnace pulls about 650 watts so that leaves plenty of overhead for other things.
i have a 13500 watt harber freight 22 hp 670 motor do you have a test its new have not used much do you have a review on it
I love my Honda generator for the fuel injection alone, but I will say, this thing is heavy to push around.
I know this video is a few months old, but Pulsar/Genmax are basically same company or rather same exact build just different label. I have the Genmax 10500 tri-fuel and so far it's been fine. Definitely better running wattage over these in the video, but also roughly same price ($2500).
Are any of these EFI or will I have to use a jet kit for high altitude?
I beleive only some of the hondas are and a big reason why they are so expensive
I recently bought a Predator 5000 inverter style and it comes with the necessary jets. Just an FYI
I have 2 generators one is a Dura Max 10,ooo watt and it does have the 30 & 50 amp outlet which the 50 is what I use. I don't know but maybe it is worth going up 1 size so you can get the 50 amp.
When you have a class A rv that already has an on board inverter is there a danger of using an inverter generator to supply power when you are boondocking or just need generator power for whatever you need at the time. I was told that an inverter generator could be harmful to the electric system in the rv. Your input greatly appreciated
I saw a video yesterday that said if a Predator needs parts, you are simply OUT OF LUCK and now own a huge paperweight ! I was thinking about buying one until I saw that.
Just got the 5000 W predator, with remote start inverter / generator for 799 on sale this weekend, I thought that was a smoking deal
Any idea why the predator 5000 is not on there website anymore?
just in case someone thinks you need a huge 9500 watt generator from harbor freight to run your whole house, you dont. we have a 3500 watt harbor freight inverter generator that we mainly use to take to the track to power an air compressor and fridge in the trailer. however we put a gen hook up on the house as a just in case. we have the generator, might as well be prepared. we got to test that out during a bad rain storm for about 4 hours when a pole was down. that little generator ran everything in the house (except the dryer) without a problem around 2700 watt. all the lights, fans and TVs and computers/game consoles, 2 house refrigerators plus a deep freezer, and the AC running full tilt. the water heater and stove is gas so bare that in mind as well and obviously we didnt run the dryer but i was pleasantly happy to see it run everything including the AC. it worked so well i think i will splurge and get the 5000 watt duel fuel generator and convert it to natural gas (since we have natural gas here) as a permanent whole house gen
It depends on your circumstances. We live in a rural, all electric house. There are no gas lines here. We have a well pump that requires 4,800 watts, 240 volts AC to start. We have a Harbor Freight 8750/9000 watt generator to run the well pump, pellet stove, septic sand mound dosing pump and alarm, radon exhaust blower, and a refrigerator. When the well pump is running, the generator is pretty much maxed out.
You need to calculate your critical loads and size accordingly.
Our power was out for 3 days over last Christmas. The generator kept us from having to evacuate our house. Without it, we had no running water or heat.
Since then, we've added 10,000 watts of hybrid solar inverters and 7.2 KW of solar panels, along with 20.48 kWh of Lithium Iron Phosphate rack mounted batteries. It's a work in progress. The generator is now a backup to recharge the batteries during low/no sunlight days during an outage.
yes, obviously circumstances is different for everyone. i thought it would be safe to assume my house being on natural gas also had water hook up as well as i pointed out most of our appliances run on natural gas. my point i was trying to make is most people dont need to go out and spend $15,000+ on a whole house generator, especially to just get by for a few hours to a few days. will it run everything, especially in a whole electric house? of course not. but it will get you by@@Solar2go
I agree with your comment as every single person's circumstances are going to be different. My electric hot water heater when it's running drawers 5,500 Watts just for one Appliance. I also have a triple safe sump pump system the those pumps to draw a ton of power when in use. So already...I need a 7000+ unit and that's not including any lights, my pellet stove, fridge or anything else. @Solar2go
Shut up
You're right about different circumstances. I also believe in sacrificing space. If you have a 2 story then I would recommend going downstairs in the summer and upstairs in the winter. That way you use your fuel wisely if that's something your area is in need of.
I'm happy with our Pulsar 12KW peak that runs at 9500 watts on gas and 8500 watts on propane. Has several 120v 20amp, one 30amp RV and a 50amp 4 wire that runs our house with well when the power goes out. They cost about $960 on Amazon. Cheers
I have no problem paying a premium for Honda, but the trouble is that they don't keep up with the features that the Chinese brands are offering. For $5k I want dual-fuel (preferably tri-fuel), remote start, and a little more capacity. Probably will buy that Champion 8500. I've had two Champions, one is 8 years old. Both still working fine for occasional backup power. But I want to go 240V now.
What is the difference in between regular generator and RV generator
Nothing. But there are certain sizes and features that work best for RV users.
I have China Freight 9500 inverter
It seems to work fine. I have two others, Duromax 15000 and a honda EB5000. You really can't have to many.
Honda is the best period.
I've been saying for years, "with a little warm water and Dawn you can do anything ". We were finishing up a house we built recently and 1 of the guys tracked red mud all over the concrete driveway that had been poured 2 days ago. Boss man flipped out, I ran to a nearby DG and grabbed a medium sized thing of Dawn and couple small scrub brushes. It worked like a charm. The boss had gone to Lowe's and got actual concrete cleaner that didn't work as well. Thanks for the tip, I never knew this and now I wonder if it would work on those awful Asian hornets
One thing to note even if it has a 50 amp plug, it’s only outputting 30-31 amps only way to get 50 amps is to parallel two of them together.
You can get 50 amps on one 120v leg.
i have the 4000 3200 predator bought it 13 years ago runs my whole house even when ac is on i do have solar panels with the program enphase so i can track my house useage
Thanks for this. Subscribed!
just fyi the ryobi generator you showd is a inverter generator that does produce the clean power. these generators are basically a hybrid between the standard open frame and the super quite inverters. basically toy get the clean poert and fuel economy but not nesar as quiet. with that said they are far cheaper then the quiet inverters. i have the one you showed and has been amazing the last several hurricanes.
We are thinking about - the inverter generator- you have - the predator. We have 4+ folk with beds - so - we may need the 9500 a right?
Doesn't matter how many people you have. It all comes down to what you want to run at the same time.
After Beryl I have installed a 26kW Generac running on NG. All professionally installed and inspected by the city for electric and natural gas plumbing code. In reality it can do about 22kW due to the lower energy density of NG versus gasoline. I assume it can run comfortably non stop at 20kW. I have a 5 ton central AC plus a 16,000 BTU AC. We live just north of Houston in a heavily wooded area and Beryl took a lot of trees down on power lines. We were out for 5 days and got off lightly compared to others who were out longer. It has a Total Harmonic Distortion below 5 so electronic stuff will be fine. We are old and can afford to do this but up to now we have got by with an older Honda 5500 which I converted to NG. Of course that thing can really do about 3500 W running which means no AC. I only Rand some 120 volt circuits. People forget that generators often show starting watts. Then reduce that by 10% for running watts then reduce by another 15% for NG fuel.
We will get the Generac cost back one day when we sell up. Climate change is a fact so we can expect weather issues in both summer and winter. Yes, in the Gulf Coast area we had a prolonged freeze a couple of years ago (I had some ice on my pool surface!) and power went out for a few days.
The Generac unit will be under a maintenance contract and I can monitor it on my cell phone with Bluetooth link. It has a V twin engine made in US and I keep enough oil in stock in case I need to change it in a prolonged run period plus a couple of spark plugs. I noticed how people even had a hard time finding oil during Beryl. Being prepared for the next one is the game.
One other thing to consider with a dual fuel generator, right now gasoline is cheaper than propane. Another tip for dual fuel generators, never run gasoline with ethanol in it. I have a 4500 W champion that sat for 4 1/2 years with a full tank of non-ethanol gasoline in it. I pulled it out to check it before this hurricane came by and one pool it started.
It's always best to drain the tank and put these away "dry". I follow that procedure with a 100% success rate. Especially if they only get occasional use. If you use it regularly, I'd still kill the fuel switch and let it drain the carb bowl and die out.
I would love for you to do a review on the Powerhorse 27000 watt generator from Northern Tool.
Appreciated this overview.
Been trying to figure this out, want to get a Generator with solar and batt back up but want it auto switching. Batt to carry load as the Gen auto kicks over. Any solutions you recommend? .
once you get to a medium size system with ..... battery backup .... and maybe solar (solar is optional for this scheme BTW) that will run your critical loads (the minimum you need) you start looking for a generator that will charge your battery, not run your house.
Some of the You Tube 'solar' channels have shown you can get by with a smaller generator than you would need to run your house critical circuits so have to store / acquire less fuel - or fuel yoiu have lasts longer.
And generators are maintained by watching the 'hours used' and you can cut that chore/ wear a LOT with the generator 240V output feeding the house and use the battery charger built into the invertor that now powers those critical circuits to fill up the batteries. It is more complicated --- but if you are going for a battery backup anyway, check for the best way to keep it charged as a viable solution.
When I went thru TX ice capades I noticed I had SOME power each day - decided I could charge a battery during that time and run the house off the (big enough by design) 'whole house' battery. And I use a generator as a backup if power is NEVER coming on (never saw that yet) to fill in for grid power.
Also got the tri fuel generator but only plan for natural gas - primary - and propane tanks for secondary fuel.
More expensive but a solution between the whole house fixed to ground Generac at start of this video and what is found here.
If I keep batteries 'topped up' when bad times are expected I get the first part of the crisis without any drama and if switches to 2 hours on 2 hours off my hope is I can still almost never use the generator. If power is out for days it is still easier to run the generator for a few hours to charge battery a few times a day.
But if you are going for a battery backup, think of a generator to just service that system.
BUT battery's at critical circuits for house or better scale are expensive.
I mention this as you are leaning to looking at a solution with batteries in the mix.
auto switchover is expensive when you want the generator mixed in. But if your battery system switches on / off grid all the time as part of it's design, then the generator can be a manual step as it is just to charge the batteries a few times a day (maybe - depends on the situation you find yourself in)
Well, before Honda (known for high reliability engines) came along in the US there was a company called Generac ( not Genmax) Now there are so many chinese made with fake names or store branded made at the lowest price possible. 15_yrs ago Lowes and TSC carried Generac in the stores and I used to see Hondas around.
As an alternative to inverter generators there is the Generac XT8500EFI ( actually a whole series of "True Power" 5% or less THD generators) and the Westinghouse WGen11500TFc ( I believe this is just produced under license). These are low THD generators producing less than5%THD safe for electronics without needing the inverter stage making them cost much less.
Good honest video. Honda is top tier no debate Japanese made and engineered but likely overkill for a backup....I would say Champion is the 2nd best and all around winner (their customer service is legendary) plus they offer dual fuel and 100% copper windings... the rest are basically made in the same factory in China they are just different colors. Predators are just overhyped exact same components and design as the GenMax and Pulsar.
Off brand generators sound great until you need warranty service. Make sure you research where your local warranty service center is located.
Ya new companies here for the quick money
However, you still need an electrician to hook these up, correct? Isn't there something that needs installed to prevent back feed into the power lines? And how much should I expect to pay for all of that? I'd love to have a generator but it's probably out of my price range being only on social security. Thanks Jeff.😊
You need an electrician to install a manual disconnect/plug so the grid can be disconnected safely and a generator can be plugged in. Manual disconnect should be a more reasonable cost than automated disconnects with a permanent generator.
Yes, if you want to hook to the house circuits you need a transfer switch which is generally an electrician job. I don't know the going rate which varies with your area anyway but for switch and work figure more than $150 and under $600, I would guess. If all you want to do is run one or two things at a time, a smaller generator and long extension cords would allow you to just plug in the refrigerator and maybe the furnace and water heater.
@@pault151 False. You can do a manual circuit transfer switch yourself.
Emmanuel transfer switch from Home Depot with a 10 slot breaker is 466 bucks that comes with a 10-ft generator cord and the box to plug it into
The thing with Honda is their perceived quality and especially longevity.With a little maintenance it is expected to last 20 years or more,with limited power outage use.I highly doubt any Amazon generator is going to last as long.....BUT,with limited use you may still get your moneys worth with the lower priced options..
Just talked to a generator tech who works for a major repair company and he said Hondas actually one of the worst these days. Something about plastic internal parts.
Westinghouse wasn’t evaluated - it seems to be more capable and less expensive. Did it not exist at the time?
Always use a NEC approved transfer method, if connected to house. Had electrical contractor install new house power panel with lock out kit and docking station. 30 amp or 50amp.
Predator 9000 is the better deal. If you're looking to do whole house coverage, it comes with the 50 amp plug so you have some better coverage to handle a fridge compressor and indoor blower furnace motor coming on at the same time. People (even full time electricians) don't take time to balance the load. Also, with so many folks utilizing LED lighting, power loads are drastically reduced. Also, there are 5 items that will draw down power more than a few outlets. Water heaters if they are electric. Best to check your tag info to see the BTU output to determine wattage need for operation. Next is a Stove. These are typically ona 40 or 50 amp circuit depending how old it is. This is a direct short style device...draws a lot. If you have a situation where it is common to lose power for more than a few days at a time, a higher wattage is best. Next is a Heat Pump and furnace. Heat Pumps are extremely power hungry and if you are in a part of the country where you can justify needing AC, the pump uses a reversing valve in the pump to help with the heat load. Also if you have baseboard or what we refer to as strip heat on a furnace. An all electric furnace is again, power hungry. last is split between older appliances like toaster ovens and a vacuume cleaner. Both really can be power abusive...I'm talking to you Kirby owners. Best to let the floor care wait till power is restored. Sorry for the novel, but some of the comments I hae seen here and across the tubeverse, just scream I have my head up a dark hole and I'm playing a game of craps. Lastly, it is ALWAYS best to assess what you feel you absolutely need when power is out. rule of thumb...if you have a multi-story home, make sure to include at least a single lighting circuit on each floor that will make it easier to move around the house in the dark. Next, consider ay circuits that have refer or fridges. This is important especially if Like myself you hunt or have larger quantities of frozen food items for reheat or meat etc. Consider using the outdoor grill for cooking if you can or getting a hot plate for water boiling or soup making etc. Lastly, for those on prpane or gas heat, even with an HP, yo can run the furnace with little to no real impact on you load ecause the indoor blowers on every furnace since the 7's has a soll fan and direct drive or belt drive motor that draws generally les than 5 amps on startup. Microwaves, stoves, furnaces and every appliance you own has a sticker on them from the manufacturer stating the FLA (Full Load Amperage) and amperage or wattage draw. Add up the ones you feel you cant live without and you have your load requirement. The formula is simple AMP x Volts = watts. Remember full load amperage is the amp draw when unit is under full load. Startup amperage is generally 1 1/2 times FLA. Rough rule of thumb. Hope this helps, I can't do the tube so I won't make a vid, but I do have 40 years in the business as an Electrical/ Mechanical engineer and contractor. Sorry for any mis-spelling and typos, my fingers and the keyboard aren't as friendly as they once were.
What foes consumer reports say is the best top 3 whole house gas and gasoline powered generator?
Thanks
Dale
I don't know about consumer reports but Dan Bongino the national talkshow host just had a Generac install and the first time they went to use it it failed
Can you review the Westinghouse 11000 inveter generator
I would love to see someone test the new 3500-4000 in the 2000 form factor sizes
It’s that time of year? We’ve already had two outages. A warmup drill for winter, I guess.
From what I understand Pulsar is a manufacturer that either makes or used to make mowers etc for other brands but decided to start manufacturing under their own brand name
I got a Pulsar 4,500-Watt/3,700-Watt Dual Fuel with Recoil, Remote and Push Button Start Portable Inverter Generator with CO Alert
Curious why you call DuroMax a budget brand. The xp11000ih inverter is $700 more than the Champion equivalent.