Hey everyone! Thanks for watching this video. Since making it I've made some major upgrades. Here is my latest video comparing solar generators and power stations to gasoline generators. th-cam.com/video/rUDHVbHQo-Q/w-d-xo.html
I gave away my 6500 watt generator and replaced it with a much quieter 4000 watt 240 volt and an ultra quiet 2400 watt 120 volt inverter type. Both handle massive surges. I ran a new curcuit in the house to run critical need items and painted these outlet covers blue. The critical curcuit runs on the small generator. I converted both generaters to run on natural gas, propane or gasoline and I am installing a 12KW battery back up to reduce the need to run a generator full time for power. I am concidering solar as my last backup but only because it will pay for itself in a few years in lower electric bills.
@@jessihawkins9116if you can predict the time of power recovery , you definitely can have anything you need or want But we’re talking about emergency, and Gasoline is limited
I have chosen it go with a small inverter generator and two 1000 watt solar battery power banks. Honda 2000 will run 4 hours at 50% load on a half gallon on gas. I use generator to charge battery power stations when solar is unable to keep up. I do not plan to power the whole house, only furnace fan, chest freezer, recharge phones/tablets, & recharge portable lights. Excellent advice in this video!
Hey Thanks Utah_Mike! The next day after I made this video I bought the 2000 Predator inverter generator to replace that Sportsman Tan generator. We have newer appliances now and I was worried about using a regular generator for them. Best part is it so much quieter and more fuel efficient.
Also rocking a hybrid setup with a small 1900W inverter generator to top up a solar+battery+inverter setup. Handful of panels will pass-through to run window unit and fridge/freezer, and the batteries can get charged by the generator during the afternoon so that there is enough power to keep everything running overnight.
That's the way to go. Some amazing efficiency too. I'm going to be piecing together a setup just like that. Any recommendations for power stations with LiFePo4 batteries?
@@Shade_Tree_Mechanic past summer I diy a large battery power station. Lifepo4 batteries are very affordable these days, added a battery charger, a charge controller for solar input, and a pure sine inverter and I ended up with a large battery power station. Lots of YT videos on the set up.
So I shut the fuel valve off and then listen for the engine to start starving for fuel and surging. Just before the engine dies, throw the Choke Lever to on and your engine will begin running smoothly again. It will run for a short period and then begin surging and finally quit. This way you make sure that you get nearly all of your fuel out of the carburetor. I've done this for years and I have not had any issues with my equipment not starting again when I needed it. Thanks for sharing this information!
I use a propane generator. When there was a power outage due to a snowstorm in Texas, gasoline was unavailable. There was no electricity to pump gasoline. I have a dual fuel generator and I have two weeks worth of propane. It doesn't go bad, doesn't gum up carburetors and it will run everything in my house.
Been considering this same idea. Duel fuel and having propane tanks on hand since they just hang out til you need them. How many tanks do you have for two weeks supply? What size generator? Thanks!
@stephencabrera8785 12000w pulsar g12kbn, and I have 4 100 lb tanks and six 20 lb tanks. The generator will run for 7.5-8.5 hours on a 20lb cylinder. I'm not sure exactly what that adds up to with my supply, but it is enough, in my opinion. My brother has a 500 gallon tank with the exact same generator.
@@leodanryan9664 -100 gallon tanks? No access to NG? Heck of an expensive burn for a week or 10 days. Not many people want 4 -100 gallon tanks lying around
Propane and natural gas both require electric at some point along the line Eventually that will fail too. Also ,when filling your propane, whats the first thing they do? Turn on an electric pump .
I wrote an article for a power company many years ago about using smaller generators. Since then there are a number of cheaper inverters and solar systems which are available. I would like to add some advice to this article. First, get two heavy gauge 50 foot extension cords to cut power loss. Since the generator must be outdoors, it will allow you to power two indoor appliances at once or if connected together they will reach farther to one item. Second, get a couple indoor/outdoor wireless thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer so you only run the generator when needed. For long term outages conservation is critical. Get two or three oil lamps and a few quarts of lamp oil for lighting instead of expensive battery power lights. (an exception would be several solar yard lights that will charge up during the day and provide several hours of light for $3 or less a piece.) Next record how much power each item will use so that you can efficiently connect several items at once without overloading the generator or running it unnecessarily. Some people may require a dual voltage generator if they have 220 volt items like well pumps. Have an alternate propane appliance to replace a power hungry electric stove or water heater. A small generator will power a 10,000 btu or less window air conditioner or microwave but not at the same time. You can buy a small generator, two heavy extension cords, a couple indoor/outdoor thermometers and four 5 gallon gas cans with stabilized gas for $600 or less. Or you can buy a large automatic system for $10-12,000 that will drain a 500 gallon propane tank in a week. Whatever your needs, remember that in an emergency, conserving fuel is always the wisest choice.
Just bought power smart 4400 open frame 4 gallons running it 24 hrs 2 fridge ac coffee mic tv and more no problem ordered it from power smart new 2 yr warranty delivered to my home 310 dollars all in half as noise inverter half the gas to run running it a month strait it's a beast byt this generator not used
@@sambsialia I have a small generator that is both 110 and 220 volts. My well pump runs on 220v and needs a special 220v extension cord that connects directly to the pressure switch box.
I agree totally that you need various sizes to fit the load. I have a dozen generators from a Yamaha EF-1000 all the way up to a 30,000 watt diesel generator set. The same goes for tractors. So many people try to do everything with a tractor that is too small. I have a 25 HP, 43 HP and a 110 HP loader to fit the need. It was difficult to convince my wife that I needed all these but both of my girlfriends agreed that they were good ideas.
Good video and I totally agree. We lost power here in KY last year for 5 days. I ran a small inverter generator for 5 days straight and burned less than 20 gallons of gas. You would have needed a 55 gallon drum (or more) of gas to run a larger generator.
Excellent presentation. Extremely important information for many people who THINK they need a big, honking generator for emergencies. During emergencies, using a larger generator can be problematic for several reasons, as you discuss.
Great video. We have the 9000/7250 watts Predator generator. It has an 8-gallon tank. At 50% load, 3,625 continuous running watts, it can run for 13 hrs. I installed a Tri-fuel kit to run it off of our Natural Gas line in our house. NG is the primary fuel source and with gasoline as a backup. (I store 35 gallons in Jerry cans) We have a Delta Pro Power Station that is always ready in case of a power outage. It's all set up and connected to a six and ten circuit manual transfer switch. We can get four to six hrs. of use, depending on the power load. We use our generator to recharge the Power Station, then switch to the Power Station while the generator rest. This saves on fuel and keeping things quite at night. Both can run our entire house. The power station can't run our Central Air though.
Great video! Your video is very informational for folks who are just starting to get into back up generator power. However I’m in a different league almost onto itself. I’m a power lineman for a living so I’m very aware of back up generators. I have the best of the best because I don’t want my neighbors to know we have power. My neighbors are very close by & to have an obnoxious generator running all the time will make quick enemies of my neighbors. I have the flag ship model of the Honda inverter line. The EU 7000is. It’s fuel injected & burns way less fuel than even your smaller generator at half load. It’s comparable in size to your larger Champion. When the Honda is on it is super quiet at 58 decibels on regular & 54 decibels on economy mode. It’s rated at 5500 watts with a surge to 7000 watts. I have personally tested mine to 9200 watts surge & it runs fine. With everything on including the 2-1/2 ton central air I’m using 3750 watts. I have a soft start kit for my A/C. I keep 111 gallons of gasoline at my house incase of a power outage. That’s enough gasoline for twenty days. The Honda burns 11 gallons in 42 hours at half load. That’s almost two full days between fill ups. I bought an auxiliary fuel tank that holds 6 gallons. I refill my auxiliary without shutting my generator off. I have 15 of the 5 gallon No Spill fuel jugs. Not 4 or 5. The longest I’ve been out of power was after storm Isais a few years ago. I was busy working storm work getting everyone else’s power back on. I knew my family was safe at home. Maybe you can do a review on inverter generators? Most people are unaware. You almost need an inverter to power your home. Every appliance today has a micro-processor in it. Without clean 60 cycle power they may not power up? Or if they do? They might damage it with dirty power off a conventional generator. The same adage exists. Save money on a generator & replace all your appliances after a long duration outage. OR buy an inverter generator & keep your appliances. The choice is yours?
I use gas then go to propane. I have cook stove ,hot water tank and a 460 tank that I have to fill up once a year. The propane will not produce as much watts as gas .
@@condor5635 Propane is far safer to store, can be stored way longer than gasoline, and in a power outage is doesn't sell out as fast as gasoline. After a hurricane in Fla, I found several 20 lb propane tanks in store debris.
@@BearClawAK47 - i get 50 gal of gas the week before a storm so gas going bad is not an issue and I don't store it long term (never had Stabil). If I don't use it then it goes in my cars. After 5-7 days of run time gas can typically be found after disaster. 7 or so propane tanks will last no longer than that too. So yes you can store it permanently but you are in the same predicament that you can't run for more than 5-7 days. If you are relying on propane only then trying to find it after the storm will be just as hard or harder imho than finding gasoline. Ideally we would run NG and have the propane or gas as a backup :)
This is very true!! It’s cheaper and more reliable to run Multiple smaller generators ,the efficiency is 5x better and you always always have spare parts
Great information you give. If I may add from personal experience, we were out of power and water for 10 days during the freeze we had in Texas. I own 2 Honda generators with one being the companion having the 30amp plug. I converted both of them to propane because I had experienced where one of them would not turn on even after frequent maintenance and using non-ethanol gas. When I could not start it I just switched to propane and it ran flawlessly. I also bought a couple of solar generators (power banks)that would run my essentials like fridge and freezer for about 13 to 16 hours. Great thing about this is that I only ran the generator to charge them for a couple of hours when we had no sun for several days. Other wise a couple of 200W solar panels would keep them charged while running my essential items. Redundancy is key. Thank you for sharing your video.
I found this to be very helpful in a power outage. AMIR wireless refrigerator/ freezer thermometer..About $19 on Amazon. Only run generator when necessary to maintain cold temperature, without opening the door. Also, I agree with the one that recommended a small power station for small electrical loads such as lights, fans, entertainment.
I have a 3400 watt peak generator that i use mostly in the summer when we get bad storms and it knocks out the power. But it really came in handy last week when we lost power for 3 hours and i was able to run the Furnace and lights. Everyone that can should have some kind of small emergency generator just in case.
I know it's hard as many building codes require electric everything these days but honestly if you live in an area that loses power on a regular basis it's really important to diversify your energy needs. Aka have gas stoves or heating, even just having a fire place so you can actually heat and cook your house without electricity helps a ton. Generators are nice but if they end up being a regular thing you need it is useful to invest in not needing so much electricity in your house.
Good points. My little honda 2000 burns 1 gallon in 8 hours under load and runs fridge, freezer and small window a.c. simultaneously. And is quiet. I Back feed half of the panel.
Thanks! Both of my current ones are very loud. I'm going to try to keep flipping mowers and generators for more video topics. I want to see if I can upgrade my way up to a small 2000 watt inverter style and also a 5500 watt inverter style.
That honda is not running 1 gallon for 8 hours under full load. That stuff may be plugged in, but it's not "running" or cycling at the same time. It's rated at 1 gallon for 8 hours at a 25% load. Anyway, yes, I use the Champion version with great success.
@@MrRChitty That quite possible but the main must be off for those that don't know and you also must have all the 220 breakers off so you're not sending 120V to one leg of 220V well or water heater.
Agree with your comment about having a large enough supply of gas. We keep 5 5-gallon gas cans of stabilized gas on hand. We have a 7,000 watt Harbor Freight Predator gas generator connected using a generator interlock. Our game plan is to run a genie a few hours in the morning and several in the evening. Gas supply should last a week. To keep our home network alive when the genie is not running we have UPS that is able to power the LAN when the generator is not running and recharge quickly. Something else is run your generator every few months to make sure it will work when you need it.
Good video. We lose power fairly often, and I'll pass along two more items: 1) Consider an inverter generator. Does not have to be a Honda. These vary the engine speed, all the way down to idle, as the load changes. They use much less fuel, are quiet, and are easier on your electronics (baked into all appliances these days) since the power is "cleaner" with fewer spikes, etc. 2) Also, consider dual-fuel/propane. Unlike gasoline, propane will last indefinitely. You can even run your generator off of your home propane tank if you have one. Also, no risk of spilling fuel on a hot engine. AND, you can store it safely in your house if you want since the propane dissipates quickly after it is disconnected.
Good points Thomas. After reading so many of the comments I sold that little tan generator and got a small Predator 2000 inverter to replace it. Next I want to upgrade the larger generator to a dual fuel inverter style. Eventually I also want a battery and solar system
Dissipates safety? Are you kidding? - that’s bad advice for sure. Nothing about propane being store in a house because it dissipates is safe. If it leaks it’s a time bomb. Do not follow that advice anyone
Just went thru Milton here in center Florida. Only had 2005 Coleman Powermate sport 1850. Found in storage unit and repaired it thanks to Mr. James Condon on utube 😁👍👍. It ran fridge & coffeemaker, TV & charged cellphones. I would add gasoline every 2-3 hrs & shutdown same. Running 750watts. Power was out 2.75 days and only went through about 7gals. Agree smaller will do fine but wishing I had a way to hook up a 5- gallon tank to generator’s tank. Thanks for the video- New Sub
I have a kind of unusual situation and this was very helpful to me. I’m an American living in Ecuador and we are having droughts and are in a state of emergency now so we have mandatory rolling blackouts everyday for 4 hours a day. I’ve never owned a generator and although I speak Spanish, I’m susceptible to being “gringo’d” by salespeople as an American and sold more than I need. It’s just me and my dogs and for 4 hours a day, I realized from your video that I don’t need a huge high-wattage generator. Just enough to run a TV or a coffee maker, a couple lamps or the water heater but not all at once. The fridge is fine for that short duration. I’m really grateful for this information. I’m collecting the wattage information from the appliances I will need to use. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have saved me a lot of money and confusion in a foreign country!!
For predictable short outages, a properly sized battery backup station would be a good option. I recently bought a Pecron E1500LFP, and it helps by giving me time to cook, make coffee, and keep internet on while I setup my generator. Last outage, I made my coffee & was about to go setup generator, and then the power came back on.
Awesome video. Back in 2009 where i live in Kentucky we had a massive ice storm. Everyone lost power for 15 days. My neighborhors had to either get hotel rooms or had to stay with family members. I have 2 generators one is a 2000 wat and my biggest is a 9400 watt duel fuel. My family had light on we was eating hot food and we was all in our PJs. During the day. At night i would bring my big generator inside. At night i would use my smaller one just to run a couple lights and the freezer while we're sleeping. It all worked fine. Actually we had a good time 😂
Dual fuel generator with a few propane tanks. Propane burns cleaner(extends generator life) and is able to be stored much longer than gasoline. You can also cook on a gas grill with it.
If you take care of your generator, propane does not matter. I have a Generac XL5500 which runs on gas. After each severe power outage, I put it back into long term storage mode which was outlined in the product manual. That includes, running the gas out of it, changing the oil and filter, and putting a squirt of oil in the cylinder and closing the valve. This unit still starts up with one pull. If you need a generator, it should be the best maintained motor on your property.
We just finished a 10 day power outage from hurricane Beryl and our Honda EU3000is inverter generator ran great at only 5 gallons per day. We unplugged the fridge and ran it in eco mode at night. Very quiet and fuel efficient. Sometimes less is more.
We live in SE PA. Earlier this Spring I bought a 9000W portable generator. We are on a well. Almost all the time, power here goes out from a Summertime storm. Which usually strikes 5:00-6:00 PM. Usually an outage from a Summer storm will last 6-8 hours. I had an interlock kit installed with a 50 amp cord hook up. I did research, I concluded the amount of instances the grid is down, and the severity of the outages, the gas guzzler would be fine. Really I'm still breaking it in 4 months later. The power here doesn't go out too much. We had an ice storm in 2014 where we lost power for 3 days, that was about the longest outage we ever experienced. I also have a 2000W Honda inverter I bought that year. Even during that 3 day outage, it was a short drive to get gas. The local convenience store was open from their own generator power. And power in the next County 5 miles away was mostly on.
I built our house and wired it. I put a sub panel with its own transfer switch that runs the furnace, fridge, freezer, lights and internet. We can run our house over 10 hours on a 1 gallon tank of gas in our Honda 2000. We also have a Champion a little bigger than yours I hook to the whole house transfer switch. It has a FOB remote start and we only run it for an hour or so at a time to run heavy loads like our well pump. Our total gas consumption is about 3 gallons a day to keep the power one. With ATVs and snowmobiles we always have 20-30 gallons of fresh gas around and I have a way to get gas out of any of our 3 pickup trucks. We live in a fairly rural place but have a fuel distributor a mile away that has plenty of available fuel with backup generators. I can even take the UTV or snowmobile to get it. I drain and put fresh gas in it every fall when I change the oil. Then I run them on a load for few hours just to verify they are ready to go for the winter.
I have two generators as well.... a big 9000 and a small 3500. I am installing a transfer switch for the 9000 to run almost everything except for the central AC and water heater. At night I can power that down and run the small generator to only run a portable window unit and refrigerator and save a bunch of gas. You are dead on with this video!
Hi thanks for this. i've got 5 of them ; two 3500 watters, 2 - 1100 watters...one 1983 Yamaha 2800 watter = EF2800 model. Starts, just as good as all the newer ones....better built. !
On sale for around $1100 I picked up one of the HF Predator 5000 Dual Fuel's. It's relatively quiet, will run a 1500-watt heater, the refrigerator, the freezer, plus microwave and induction burner as needed, all for 8-ish hours on a 20 lb propane bottle, and over 12 on a tank of gas (a little over 3.5 gallons). We're on the third power outage this fall, very windy island with lots of very large trees. Really like this generator hope it lasts.
Be sure to change oil frequently. These have very minimal oil capacity, and no oil filter. I recommend changing the oil once every 10 gallons of fuel consumed, per quart of crankcase capacity. Because the smaller one at best , holds ~20 Oz of oil, 7 1/2 gallons is probably about right for that one, The bigger one probably holds closer to 1 1/2 quarts, so, 2 full tanks of gas is probably about right for that one. You said it right at the very end, Never turn off the generator by the ignition switch. Its better to remove all loads, and turn off the fuel valve. Stay there with it, and when the engine starts to sputter, ride the choke, to maintain mixture. That extra vacuum helps clear the emulsion tube as well as the idle circuit, as well as the float bowl. That will ensure that no liquid is left behind, that can leave behind varnish, from fuel evaporation. There's nothing more satisfying, than having a generator start on the first pull, when you really need it!
Exactly. In fact, riding the choke as the float bowl runs out of fuel will provide extra vacuum, to clear the emulsion tube, and idle circuit, as well as draining the float bowl. You want to leave as little liquid fuel as possible to evaporate, causing varnish that can throw off fuel/air mixture.@@donbrloks3959
Have you ever had to use a generator for an extended duration? That oil change interval is crazy. That could easily be every other day or so. Sure, it won't hurt. But totally unnecessary.
I bought an A-iPower 2000w quite a few years ago just to have something. I ended up liking it so much I bought one or their 3800w from Sams club 2 years ago. It burns 2 gallons of gas in around 8 hours. Runs all the lights, fridge, TV, and the gas furnace. I've never had issues with leaving the gas in them like I did with the old style. I believe it has to do with the sealed vent system. I also keep them in the garage where it's semi conditioned so that may play a part as well. It's also crazy how quiet it is. I can run it on the deck and full load and not even hear it in the house.
I have the same A-i Power 2,000 inverter generator. With long term power outages, I use it to recharge my off-grid solar battery bank. It goes through 1 gallon of gas in 3 hours with a continuous power draw of 1,300 watts. I have the generator in my barn with the exhaust system plumbed outside through a car muffler. It's very quiet, I can no longer hear it run when 50 feet are more away from the barn.
I bought a Multiquip 25kw whisperwatt diesel generator, it's towable and has a 45 gallon belly tank and a 18 gallon internal fuel tank which are connected together and runs the whole house on 7 gallons of fuel every 24hrs, the neighbors can't hear it and it will run continuously for 8 or 9 days and when it's time to fuel it up tow it to the gas station, also have a small generator like your talking about to prolonged run time ❤your educational content as always and keep it up!!!
Thanks SO MUCH for this video! I've been watching what's going on in Carolina since the hurricane and I wanted to add a duel fuel generator to my current generator line up. I have a complete solar line up, but I wanted to back that up with a duel fuel generator. One is none after all! It's good to know that I don't need a huge 15,000 KW generator. I am sold on the 9, 500 KW surge with 7,000 KW running watts. This matches my current solar set up and I think it will be enough to run what I need. Thanks for focusing me on the real issue in a grid down situation, the lack of fuel in long term situations!
I used to believe in using the smallest generator for the job. Since putting in 18500 watts of battery back up I bought a large 10500 watt trifuel inverter generator to charge my batteries once a day in two hours. It is less expensive and more convienient to run a large generator for much less time. My other two trifuel generators are now backups
Great Video! I downsized from a big Generac that was great…but I “underutilized” it. It was way more than I needed. I bought a small Champion dual fuel inverter generator and used it when I lost power during Milton for four days. It ran my small portable AC unit and I was also able to charge my Champion indoor battery backup unit because it’s an inverter. I used 2.5 gallons in four days. Big Boy Generac burned through 10,gallon's per day. Being an older woman alone it was far easier to maneuver the smaller Champion as well.
great video and so true. I bought the biggest baddest generator I could afford at the time. Its like 9800w on Gas 8800 on propane. It goes through some damn fuel. i'm looking for a second of that is like 2000ish watts.
I ran off of generators for about 7 years. Mainly the 3500-4000 watt units, and the cheap Chinese lasted just a long as the Briggs or Tecumseh engines. About 1 year each running 20-30 hours a week. One thing I can add that helped me, is using a coffee filter and filtering the gas as you pour it in the tank. There is all kinds of debris you will catch.
Just went through hurricane Beryl with a 1500 W (1800 W peak) rating. I was able to keep a fridge and freezer running along with a fan, chargers for phones and power tools, internet modem etc. It has a 1.5 gallon tank that lasted about 6 hours per tank. Our neighbors with the larger generators were needing gas often and gas was hard to find. Although the neighbors with the large generators were sharing with those without.
I have both small and large generators. When I purchased my large 9000 watt generator, I made sure it was dual fuel. If gasoline is not available, you can run it on propane. Very versatile in an emergency.
I recently bought a dual fuel Predator 5000 inverter generator. My plan is to primarily run it on propane so I don’t have to even be concerned with the carburetor becoming clogged by stale gasoline, which would then be my secondary source
Fuel consumption is the reason I have an EU7000 Honda and a EU2000 for backup power. The 7000 at 25% load or less uses about a litre (quart) an hour which is the majority of its running time. Also both super quiet and EU7000 is fuel injected. Plus I have a couple EcoFlow solar generators (battery packs lol) that are really nice at the off grid camp. Only have to run the EU2000 a hour and a half every 2-3 days to charge them. Win win.
Great video! Another good reason for having a smaller generator is that it's just a lot easier and safer to move around and also protect after storm. A lot of times it's still slightly raining after a storm and you need power mainly for your food and a few lights and the small one would be really easy to hook up quickly with some long extension cords as opposed to handling a large 30 amp cord connecting it to a power inverter during the rain.
We run two generators. The small one for “all day use” and the larger one for when we need to cook, shower or do laundry. It was a good routine for about 4weeks until we got power back on during hurricane Helene.
Hey sounds good but if you purchase a smaller KW gas generator it will only sometimes have 15-20 Amp outlets not a 30-50 amp outlet for multiple circuits. You will need to separate isolate only circuit you need like furnace most important then possibly some lights , outlets and tv If you go larger it will have 30 amp breaker and you can run one cord to inlet box and a interlock kit
Last week after a storm I had a power outage for about 40hours, usually they are less then 6 hours, 2 to 5 times a year. I bought 2000W nominal/4000W peak 12V DC to 220V AC pure sine inverter from Aliexpress. It was 90EUR and free shipping in 3 days. I attached it directly to car's battery using supplied leads. So far I tested that I can use 1500W hairdryer for prolonged periods of time >15 minutes, while car is on idle. Simultaneously to 500W resistive load (hair dryer on low setting) inverter can easily start 1KW water well pump, so there is water in the house. When I tried 2000W water boiling kettle, battery voltage quickly dropped below 10.5V and inverter turned itself off. It was because of older car battery or lieds to the battery(that where supplied with inverter), inverter would be able to deliver more. During future outages I plan to use inverter only for essentials - computers, phones, lights, fridge and water well pump. No electrical space heating, cooking, hot water boiler, dishwasher or washing machine, these extras will have to wait until grid power is restored. Car idles quieter than generator and consumes about 1 liter per hour while on idle (average 2liter diesel or petrol engine car). Since I use that car daily - fuel in the tank is always fresh and there is no need to store extra fuel for generators. If there are 20 liters of fuel in car, I can idle it for 10 hours before going to fill up the tank until it is full. Full tank of gas is enough to idle for almost a week. If the 2000W inverter is turned on without any load it consumes about 10W of energy. If you have light load attached - a laptop, few phones charging, led lights in the house (some 100W in total) then you can turn cars engine off, and use those loads for 2 to 3 hours from the battery. After 3 hours you need to start the car to idle for 30 to 45 minutes, and again engine can be turned off. While the car is idling you can use about 1000W on average, and 2000W or more for a very short periods of time, alternator should be able to keep up with demand and recharge the battery. And if you continiuesly use over 500W of power, just keep the car idling, battery will last less than one hour if car is turned off. My fridge on the sticker seas that in consumes 250KWh per year, so it is less than 1KWh per 24 hours. Maybe 40W/h on average. It might have high initial power, or consume 200W while running, but the compressor is running maybe 25% of the time, 75% of the time refrigerator does not consume any electricity. If refrigerator is the only load during the night, car battery should be able to deliver electricity without being on idle for those 8 to 9 hours. Almost all inverters also have few safety features, one of witch is to turn itself off if the battery voltage drops below 10.5V. You will notice it because of an inverter power outage and there should be enough juice in the battery to start the car and charge the battery. In my opinion batteries + inverter is the most convenient and fuel efficient way for loads below 200W, and it is plenty for electronics and lights. But you need to have a way to charge those batteries without. Running smaller 1KW or 2KW generator non stop - to run one refrigerator or charge a phone is very loud and waste of fuel you have to store lots of extra fuel for those special occasions - power outages.
On the farm I have always had a gen such as Lincoln arc welder 10 hp Kohler and Kubota 5,000 and safely back feed after turning Main Breaker off. Nice but darn noisy and gas guzzlers like 12-15 gal per day. Now I just use them for the well or water heater when needed. July 2020 I bought a Predator 3500 and so impressed I bought a second one. Very quiet, reliable and uses very little gas. I back feed to an outside outlet that goes direct to my gas furnace, also to living room for T.V. and to the fridge. I have double plugs at T.V. and fridge for gen and an off switch between furnace and breaker box to isolate that gen curcuit. No extension cords, just switch from regular plug to Gen plug. Anyway it easily runs furnace or window unit, fridge, chest freezer, T.V. all at the same time with power to spare using about 2,400 watts. It has a display that tells the watts, amps, total hours. I bought an Inverter cause many regular gens don't produce "clean " energy and micro switches on new furnaces or fridge won't work or may burn out. Always totally drain gens and you know it will start when you really need it. Easy to forget when you last used it. I'm 69,, on the farm with lots of gas engines and never once wasted money on useless Sta-Bil. Drain what I can but lawn mowers sit from late Oct. till April with Reg gas in them and they always start. Usually run Sea Foam on the first tank of the season and I can't even remember the last time I did anything to a carb. Yup, another great video and really appreciate you taking time for us. Glad we survived the below zero temps.
When I lived in TN, I would store regual gas for a year without any stabilizer at all. The gas was always still good with no issue. When I moved to Florida, I learned quickly, and the hard way, that regular down here goes bad in about 3 months or less. I don't know if it's the heat, humidity, the refineries, or what. I like to keep a full tank of gas in the generators simply to have more gas on hand. The bad part of that is needing to rotate that gas also. I had two predator 3500s that I used for work every day for years to do mobile install jobs. They never gave an issue
@@Mechanical_Mind No stickers on pumps anymore and I learned last summer that 98% of all except Aviation gas has 10% or more ethanol. Gov. doesn't want us to store gas long term like 2-3 years as the past. I do keep fresh only 2 stroke mix and dump tanks out for the season. Always drain gens and I keep about 100 gals for 6 mo. then burn in cars and refill with fresh. Never had any problem at all,, but maybe heat, humidity or different blend in Florida cause it to spoil faster. Still, just have gas in cans for 3 mo. then fuel cars and buy fresh. Don't store in equipment.
I agree. We also have a 7000watt and a 3800 watt. Fuel consumption was an after thought. I had a generator that had carb problems when we needed it most. The smaller one is great to give the big one a break. We change out working each one every 4 hours and change the oil every 36-40 hours.
Even better is no generator. After Hurricane Irma, I got tired of the generator's noise and constant need for fuel and oil, so I resolved to find a better way. The answer was a 1 kilowatt solar array, with a 12 kWh LiFePO4 battery and 6 kW inverter. It powered everything in my house (except the HVAC) during the long outages after Helene and Milton plus it pays me a 75¢ dividend every sunny day in Florida. No noise, no deadly fumes and operates indefinitely without attention.
I highly recommend a Sol Gen as well. I still use my Pecron P3000. Operating at 2000 watts. Great for smaller draws and charge via their 200 W suitcase panels.
I recently got a Pecron E600 and a 200w suitcase panel. It's a game changer! I've been using and testing them both for months now. For backup power, now all I want to invest in is more battery and solar capacity
Have a smaller one as a backup, my main runs primarily on natural gas so I can power everything as long as I want. I can connect the small one to my panel was well and might use it in the winter for shorter outages. Less noise and can get it out quickly.
Living in Northwest Florida a backup power source is a must if you want to keep your food in ref.and freezers from going bad. Iv'e added a couple champion duel fuel inverter generators to my preps. Run time on them is up to 22 hours per tank, you just have to run critical loads. Also added a Midea u-shaped inverter a.c. to stick in a window to keep from burning up in the Florida heat. It takes less than 6 amps to start, and runs on 3 to 5 amps. Great video and good advice.
I just picked up a Champion 100520 open inverted generator, 8750/7000 from Northern Tool last week $585.00, Northern wanted to move out all the Champions.They only had one I would have purchased two. Will add a natural gas kit to it. Have installed these kits on over a dozen generators with no issues. You will lose about 20% of your watts on natural gas. @@Mechanical_Mind
I also live in north central Florida. A portable generator, a can of gas, and a small window air conditioner is worth its weight in gold after a hurricane goes through and wipes out power for several days.
I was hip to this when i designed my settup. Got a big solar generator and a small compact invertor to recharge. I used a few gallons to stay powered for a whole week. I dont have a 240v solar gen. So i do have a large gas one too. But i only run it to pressue the well back up. Key thing is to buy a FAST charging solar generator.
I use a DuroMax XP13000HX with a 50amp interlock. I want the ability to use propane without compromise in case I can’t find gas during a mass power outage. I need to be able to use my 4 ton HVAC (with soft start), my lights, refrigerator and chest freezer at the bare minimum. I need 35 amps to start the compressor not counting the 5 amps from the air handler. Since it’ll be cycling on and off and I don’t have much control of when the freezer and refrigerator cycle I want to make sure I have enough starting amps in the event they all come on together, that’s close to 11,000 watts to start and about 4300 to run. So using propane I’m at 86% peak starting watts and 43% running. Having a good buffer helps prevent bad voltage and frequency drops. I could do the XP12000HX but I’ll be getting too close to the max starting amps than I’m willing to go.
Great video thanks - just one thing from here in the UK - I use 20ltr metal 'jerry' cans that are enamel lined so the petrol (gas) keeps basically forever. I do add stabiliser as an insurance policy but metal cans keep the fuel way longer than plastic ones. I do NOT want to be trying to get fuel when I need it the most, but also don't want cans of useless fuel.
Good video right on topic I have 3 only the only reason I have the 9K one is to start up our deep welll pump , a amedium size on to run a number of our fridges and the little one for idle current, items lights tz computer and radio gear, etc, Amazing savings on Fuel
Got me a 3500 watt champion inverter for $100 not running. I only swappped the gas out and it runs perfect. Its nice to have a spare generator for a loaner. Last time a neighbor needed to keep baby milk frozen during an outage so the loaner went out and I wasnt worried about it coming back or not.
Absolutely correct on the gas consumption and the noise level. Why in the world would one heat water with electricity?? A gas water heater, a gas stove and a gas dryer makes enduring the frequent power outages one gets in areas plagued by tropical cyclones much easier.
I use solar ones teamed up with my champion gas/propane generator. If no sun I can charge my solar ones fairly quick which extends my fuel consumption drastically. As you know living down in Florida its a must to have alternative energy. I have been running my fridge and deep freezer 24/7 for a year now using this combo. I lost to much food and then had a hard time buying it back because of shortages after the last hurricane.
I agree Mike. There are tons of great comments on this video. So much so that I made a follow-up video today. Yes I always recommend running non-ethanol gas in small engines. Thanks for watching
I have a mid sized 2500 watt gasoline inverter generator. My back up is a 1000 watt propane generator. It will run 30 to 60 hrs on 20 lbs of propane depending on the load. I will eventually upgrade my gas model for a duel fuel. It is definitely safer to transport propane tanks and safer to store. I also like the idea that I won't need to compete with others for the limited amount of gas available in an emergency. Adding a "solar generator" gave me the ability to charge up off the generators and keep the fridge and window air conditioner running when not running the generators. This has worked out great for night time use.
I use a 3600 watt dual fuel 120v inverter generator for home back up and camping. Runs everthing in the house except for A/C, oven, and dryer. Runs my camper's 15k btu A/C. A good combination of power, weight, and efficiency.
love when people say "everything" .... then say EXCEPT this this this and that. what do you want on your sub sir ..?? EVERYTHING except this this this and that. WELL THATS NOT EVERYTHING so why even use that word ??
I have been doing home backup power since the 1980's when it occurred to me that most everything is dependent upon electricity. Portable and the low cost Generac whole house standby generators use a lawn mower engine. These need an oil change every 50 - 100 hours (1 hour for the first oil change). You absolutely can't use ethanol blended fuels, these breakdown very quickly and start damaging the carburetor in as little as 2 weeks. I only use non-ethanol fuel with Sta-Bil and 1 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil per gallon, which I have tested out to 4 years so far in gas tanks, gas cans, and carburetors, without any problems. Your standard kitchen refrigerator uses a surprisingly high amount of starting power. You need a generator with 2,500 watts minimum of continuous output (not surge power) to cleanly start a kitchen refrigerator. Note that generators have wattage listed in surge power, the actual output power is only about 75% of the surge rating (multiply the surge rating by 0.75 to obtain the continuous rating). If you can only afford 1 generator, buy an inverter type enclosed in the plastic case, with a surge wattage of 3,000 watts or more. These cost more than the basic open frame 3,600 rpm generator but, are quieter, generate clean power, lighter weight, and get better gas mileage. Ideally, you should have at least 2 sources of backup power for long term power outages. A gas generator and a rechargeable 2,000 watt power station.
I’d have to disagree. I ran my full size fridge and a deep freeze on a 1,600 watt (continuous). They weren’t even the only load. I ran my home internet/network, 4 fans, a 50” TV, and charging my Battery backup. Ran for 3 days with no issues.
@@victorc777 My recommendations are a worst-case scenario, so someone trying to buy the average generator to power their selected items will end up with a working setup. My information is based upon testing numerous refrigerators since the 1980's. Also, generators like the Honda for instance, have excellent surge performance compared to the average Chinese knockoff. Additionally, the newer kitchen refrigerators with a DC Inverter compressor, have a lower starting current. So, when taking everything mentioned into account, I like to err on the side of extra capacity, which also extends the life of the generator since it is not running at near maximum capacity.
@@billharris6886 fair enough…. I realize that older inefficient fridges can pull much more than my newer Samsung fridge. I just don’t know how much more TBH. My generator is the (Chinese) Predator inverter generator from harbor freight. Worth every penny!
@@billharris6886 - I used zero Stabil and zero ethanol free fuel and zero mystery oil over 20 years with my Gen set. It all comes down to storing it completely dry in my opinion and getting large amounts of fuel prior to known coming events then you don’t have to store it. Store 5 gal or so but rotate it in your car every 2 months so no need for stabilizers.
@@victorc777 I agree with you too. Refrig might max out starting at 1000-1500 watts. I measured mine it was at 110 watts almost continuously for 24 hr. One small defrost max out at 500 watts. I run 2 on my 6000 running watt along with a microwave and lights and have zero issues.
Power was out in my area for thirteen days due to damage from Hurricane Helene. I used a predator 2000 inverter generator to power a refrigerator, freezer, three fans, tv, DVD player, led lights and two phone chargers. It ran 24 hours a day minus time for refueling and four oil changes. It used about 2.5 gallons of gas every 24 hours. At first we had to travel over 60 miles one way to get gas. It took about a week before stations closer to where I live to start getting power back. There was a few stations that had generator power but the waiting lines were literally a mile long. That predator 2000 really saved us. I just had to start with the highest electrical loads first and then slowly adding the additional loads until everything was running. We were lucky the temperature was in the 80s during the day and cooler at night so no heat or ac was needed. A small generator running is better than a big generator that is out of gas for sure.
First time we lost power after moving into our current home, we realized we were the only ones without a generator We got a larger dual fuel generator because we need to be able to power a well & septic pump, and have a large LPG tank. In an extended outage, the plan was to run the generator for about an hour 3 - 5 times a day. Still plan an getting a second generator for back-up. An inverter and deep-cycle RV battery is also great for small loads such as an internet router/modem or CPAP.
As you have done. I suggest buying INVERTOR type generators. These have pure sine wave output power which is a must for electronics. The less costly modified sine wave generators are OK for incadescent light bulbs, motors, power tools etc.
Get yourself a nice inverter generator. You can backfeed your whole house on 120 V if you knock down all the 240 legs in common out the hot lead on the L4 back-feed plug. That would make a great video. How to backfeed your house on 120 V only good video. Thanks.
I agree, I have a 9000 watt for emergency 1-2 day outages, with a back feed to my house, and I have a 1200 watt for the bare essentials, and I have batteries with a trickle charger and solar panels stored away, with a 1500 watt inverter for really long emergencies. I can also hook up my big battery charger to the generator to charge the batteries for a couple of hours it the is no sun.
I purchased a Honda 2k inverter. It is capable of running our refrigerator and freezer. Also a few lights with management of loading. The larger generator I own will run all of those at same time, but likes the fuel.
I've got an inverter 2200 surge/ 1800 running genie with economy mode. It was $350 on sale in 2019. After a tune up (ngk plug, cleaned air filter, spark arrestor) since their Chinese spark plug wasn't even gapped correctly and got more than what the book said. 1 gallon went 9 hours overnight running fridge and small deep freezer. Crank it once per month for 20mins. Turn fuel off and let it run dry. Had it since 2019. Log the time and follow maintenance! I always use e10 87 gas but always add a little Lucas fuel stabilizer. By the gallon, it's cheaper at $27
I somewhat agree. I have a large portable and it runs whole house. However, during winter etc a small one would run 2 fridges and heat during day. I may pick up a small one one day. Gas appliances besides stove here. I cant run it. Small would sip fuel and could get by. I hardly ever run my whole house just to keep my gen head happy and save fuel.
For me the holy grail has been an open frame inverter generator. I can power what I need, but it's quieter, more efficient and puts out better power than a conventional gen. Also, despite my more rural setting we've never passed 48 hours without power being restored, and you could buy gas well before that. That said, I do stockpile like 27 gallons so I feel like there is no reason to go out and pick up a small inverter generator. In a severe situation I could easily ration my generator usage and extend for days and days. For example, my WEN is rated at 7,000W continuous and the spec is 10% less fuel consumption than your Champion 5500W while carrying over 20% more load. And it really shines overnight where the engine can idle down a bit.
Solid and informative video, appreciate your taking the time to make this and share it with us! I think that for indoor overnight powering of a fridge, that a fully charged power station of sufficient wattage should do the job safely and quietly. As with anything like this, having a range of the proper tools and devices is best, provided that it's affordable.
Hey, thanks for the kind words. I fully agree. Days after making this video, I upgraded that small generator to a 2000w Inverter generator (Predator brand) Then shortly after that I got my first power station and solar panel. The powerstations are not only impressive, but they are becoming more and more affordable. Powerstations are a game changer and that will be the topic of my next video. Thanks for watching!
Yes fuel is an issue that’s why you should get a trifuel and hook up to NG. Use gasoline as backup option. If you don’t need it after the storm put it in your car. VP jugs are the best 5.5 gal each. Solid
There are a lot of areas where NG isn’t available for homes. Fortunately I do have it for my furnace, hot water, and stove, but even then it’s not easy to plumb a supply line for a generator. I’ve chosen to use propane as a primary fuel source with gasoline as my backup. I can go portable with either one of those. Also with noting that a generator’s maximum power output will be highest on gasoline, then propane, and lowest on NG.
@@dguiley - totally agree I’m glad I have a natural gas. I’m gonna plumb mine right at the meter so I don’t have to run any long lines. Then it’s very easy to make a connection for a generator.
I just went through Helene, and I didn't have a generator when it hit. I managed to order a small inverter generator on the day it hit. I like the idea of a big generator that can run everything, but that small inverter gen will run all night on it's 1 gallon tank, and we were running a full size fridge, a smaller drink fridge, an office (2 computers, a tablet, & other equipment), and a bunch of chargers. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd one, and use it only when I have higher demand, but use just one at most times.
Something to add, if your running gas generator like myself. I fill up both vehicles before a storm and my 2 - 5 gallon gas cans. The cars are great for gas storage, with a sphon hose it gives me 26 gallons in the truck and about 12 gallons in the car. Thats about 72 hours of run time for my generator at 1/2 load.
I have that same model of Sportsman generator. Haven't seen anyone else that has that particular 3.5hp one. Usually it's the bigger 7hp or the smaller 2hp that you see on TH-cam videos. I think I got it for $100 or something like that on clearance at Walmart. My mom loves it because I put a wheel kit on it. So now she has a little baby generator that's light enough she can wheel it around by herself. She has osteoporosis so even a small invertor generator is too heavy for her to lift.
Inverter generators are quieter because they throttle down when loads decrease (also saving fuel), while standard generators run at a constant 3600 RPM. But inverter generators are usually smaller, and rarely output 240 volts.
I have a small, economical & quiet 50cc 1000/800 watt Inverter generator to run my Sump Pump while my 2500/1850 watt 80cc Inverter Generator runs my Fridge, Freezer, Internet, TV & Fan,... I installed a Generator Inlet to the exterior of the Kitchen Wall then fed a wire to a 20amp Outlet in the Kitchen which is NOT hooked to the House Mains Power and this only cost me about $60 :)
Agreed.12 generators,Honeywell,Hondas (5)Energizer(2) yamaha ,generac Aipower,Predator.Always looking for another,Ja Ja. There is always room for another.
I've got a medium predator that works very well. I'm beginning to store gas in 50 gal portable tanks because I just went through ice storm lasting 2 weeks-yep its freaking cold without heat. I freeze dry and can food but also freeze to store foods...
I sold that little tan generator in the video and got a little predator 2000w inverter generator. It so much quieter than the one in the video. Plus with the throttle control I'm sure it will do better on fuel
With newer appliances, I would get a GOOD true rms frequency meter and check the frequency and voltage of these smaller generators. I've seen a ton of newer smart ups battery backups that will not switch over to portable generators output. Lots of refrigerators are now using single phase to 3 phase convertors with a frequency drive to control the compressor.... not something you want to hit with dirty voltage. Washing machines are using technology very similar on direct drive units with no transmission. If you have older appliances it may not cause problems, but with modern appliances it could end up costing a lot more than the generator did.
That's a great point! I actually picked up a inverter generator yesterday because we have recently gotten a new house with new appliances and I was worried about running them with a regular generator. I've been getting so many good comments like yours that I'm editing a part 2 to this video to cover these points. Thanks for watching and commenting!
You're exactly right about " Clean " power needed for many new appliances including the furnace which is why I bought an Inverter. Old oil furnace or fridge could care less but the new gas furnace won't run with a regular generator. Nothing like burning up the circuit board on the furnace when ice storm takes out power for days. Love my gas sipping, quiet Inverter.
I have a small 2-cycle 1000w ultra quiet camp generator that runs 8 hours on a gallon of gas. I paid $149 for it years ago. Never leave fuel in a 2-cycle engine and it will be very reliable. Outages here are winter, so a couple coolers on the deck (to keep food from freezing and frustrate wild animals) replace the refrigerator. I have a 8500w propane generator that will run the well pump or water heater for showers.
pure sine wave generator is the way to go. very quite, you can have a conversation right beside it. also great for not letting your neighbourhood that you have power
Yup, most people just buy the biggest one they can get and don't think about gas consumption. I bought one with just enough watts to run the necessities and it burns less than 5 gallons a day running 24 hours. All my neighbors have big ones and are searching for gas after the first day.
Lived in florida all my life….. during a hurricane sound lever don’t mean jack. Sheriffs departments have said they will not respond to generator noise complaints.
Hurricane Helene knocked my power out for 4 days, of those 4, I ran my old Predator 7250w for roughly 2.5 days and guzzled up 20 gallons of gasoline. My dad had an old 3000w generator and used maybe 5 gallons of gas for the whole outage at his home. I needed the big generator for the old well pump, so for the next time I'll run the big generator just to run the well and fill up water containers, then shut it off. Making a battery bank and got an inverter charger for the fridges, I can use a much smaller generator to charge the batteries up.
Have a craftsman 3650 watt generator I've used for 3 hurricanes. I run it from 8am to 8pm and found it would use around 5 gallons. I tried to only run a window AC, refrigerator, box fan, and 2 drill batteries
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Hey everyone! Thanks for watching this video. Since making it I've made some major upgrades. Here is my latest video comparing solar generators and power stations to gasoline generators. th-cam.com/video/rUDHVbHQo-Q/w-d-xo.html
Use what you actually need
Cut off unnecessary power consumption is the key for emergency
True, but even at 25% power usage the big generator will burn 4x of fuel ⛽ that the smaller one would.
I gave away my 6500 watt generator and replaced it with a much quieter 4000 watt 240 volt and an ultra quiet 2400 watt 120 volt inverter type. Both handle massive surges. I ran a new curcuit in the house to run critical need items and painted these outlet covers blue. The critical curcuit runs on the small generator. I converted both generaters to run on natural gas, propane or gasoline and I am installing a 12KW battery back up to reduce the need to run a generator full time for power. I am concidering solar as my last backup but only because it will pay for itself in a few years in lower electric bills.
Just because your in an emergency doesn’t mean you should sacrifice comfort 🤨
@@kevinm234 That’s doing it right! Nice job 😊👍👍
@@jessihawkins9116if you can predict the time of power recovery , you definitely can have anything you need or want
But we’re talking about emergency, and Gasoline is limited
I have chosen it go with a small inverter generator and two 1000 watt solar battery power banks. Honda 2000 will run 4 hours at 50% load on a half gallon on gas. I use generator to charge battery power stations when solar is unable to keep up. I do not plan to power the whole house, only furnace fan, chest freezer, recharge phones/tablets, & recharge portable lights.
Excellent advice in this video!
Hey Thanks Utah_Mike! The next day after I made this video I bought the 2000 Predator inverter generator to replace that Sportsman Tan generator. We have newer appliances now and I was worried about using a regular generator for them. Best part is it so much quieter and more fuel efficient.
Also rocking a hybrid setup with a small 1900W inverter generator to top up a solar+battery+inverter setup. Handful of panels will pass-through to run window unit and fridge/freezer, and the batteries can get charged by the generator during the afternoon so that there is enough power to keep everything running overnight.
I was going to say that, but you beat me to it
That's the way to go. Some amazing efficiency too. I'm going to be piecing together a setup just like that. Any recommendations for power stations with LiFePo4 batteries?
@@Shade_Tree_Mechanic past summer I diy a large battery power station. Lifepo4 batteries are very affordable these days, added a battery charger, a charge controller for solar input, and a pure sine inverter and I ended up with a large battery power station. Lots of YT videos on the set up.
So I shut the fuel valve off and then listen for the engine to start starving for fuel and surging. Just before the engine dies, throw the Choke Lever to on and your engine will begin running smoothly again. It will run for a short period and then begin surging and finally quit. This way you make sure that you get nearly all of your fuel out of the carburetor. I've done this for years and I have not had any issues with my equipment not starting again when I needed it. Thanks for sharing this information!
👍👍 riding lawnmower too.
I use a propane generator. When there was a power outage due to a snowstorm in Texas, gasoline was unavailable. There was no electricity to pump gasoline. I have a dual fuel generator and I have two weeks worth of propane. It doesn't go bad, doesn't gum up carburetors and it will run everything in my house.
Me too propane is only way to go or natural gas as back up
Been considering this same idea. Duel fuel and having propane tanks on hand since they just hang out til you need them. How many tanks do you have for two weeks supply? What size generator? Thanks!
@stephencabrera8785 12000w pulsar g12kbn, and I have 4 100 lb tanks and six 20 lb tanks. The generator will run for 7.5-8.5 hours on a 20lb cylinder. I'm not sure exactly what that adds up to with my supply, but it is enough, in my opinion. My brother has a 500 gallon tank with the exact same generator.
@@leodanryan9664 -100 gallon tanks? No access to NG? Heck of an expensive burn for a week or 10 days. Not many people want 4 -100 gallon tanks lying around
Propane and natural gas both require electric at some point along the line
Eventually that will fail too. Also ,when filling your propane, whats the first thing they do? Turn on an electric pump .
I wrote an article for a power company many years ago about using smaller generators. Since then there are a number of cheaper inverters and solar systems which are available. I would like to add some advice to this article. First, get two heavy gauge 50 foot extension cords to cut power loss. Since the generator must be outdoors, it will allow you to power two indoor appliances at once or if connected together they will reach farther to one item. Second, get a couple indoor/outdoor wireless thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer so you only run the generator when needed. For long term outages conservation is critical. Get two or three oil lamps and a few quarts of lamp oil for lighting instead of expensive battery power lights. (an exception would be several solar yard lights that will charge up during the day and provide several hours of light for $3 or less a piece.) Next record how much power each item will use so that you can efficiently connect several items at once without overloading the generator or running it unnecessarily. Some people may require a dual voltage generator if they have 220 volt items like well pumps. Have an alternate propane appliance to replace a power hungry electric stove or water heater. A small generator will power a 10,000 btu or less window air conditioner or microwave but not at the same time. You can buy a small generator, two heavy extension cords, a couple indoor/outdoor thermometers and four 5 gallon gas cans with stabilized gas for $600 or less. Or you can buy a large automatic system for $10-12,000 that will drain a 500 gallon propane tank in a week. Whatever your needs, remember that in an emergency, conserving fuel is always the wisest choice.
Love your contribution to the topic Philip
@@Mechanical_Mind Could you please talk through the solution to a deep well pump scenario?
Just bought power smart 4400 open frame 4 gallons running it 24 hrs 2 fridge ac coffee mic tv and more no problem ordered it from power smart new 2 yr warranty delivered to my home 310 dollars all in half as noise inverter half the gas to run running it a month strait it's a beast byt this generator not used
Ps warranty and price against other companies there like 500 same thing or more plus delivery
@@sambsialia I have a small generator that is both 110 and 220 volts. My well pump runs on 220v and needs a special 220v extension cord that connects directly to the pressure switch box.
I agree totally that you need various sizes to fit the load. I have a dozen generators from a Yamaha EF-1000 all the way up to a 30,000 watt diesel generator set. The same goes for tractors. So many people try to do everything with a tractor that is too small. I have a 25 HP, 43 HP and a 110 HP loader to fit the need. It was difficult to convince my wife that I needed all these but both of my girlfriends agreed that they were good ideas.
? wetmore ?.....= gladsome more...
The funny jokes have the most truth😂
How many women do you date besides your wife?
You need more likes buddy.
Good video and I totally agree. We lost power here in KY last year for 5 days. I ran a small inverter generator for 5 days straight and burned less than 20 gallons of gas. You would have needed a 55 gallon drum (or more) of gas to run a larger generator.
Excellent presentation. Extremely important information for many people who THINK they need a big, honking generator for emergencies. During emergencies, using a larger generator can be problematic for several reasons, as you discuss.
Thanks John!
Great video. We have the 9000/7250 watts Predator generator. It has an 8-gallon tank. At 50% load, 3,625 continuous running watts, it can run for 13 hrs. I installed a Tri-fuel kit to run it off of our Natural Gas line in our house. NG is the primary fuel source and with gasoline as a backup. (I store 35 gallons in Jerry cans)
We have a Delta Pro Power Station that is always ready in case of a power outage. It's all set up and connected to a six and ten circuit manual transfer switch. We can get four to six hrs. of use, depending on the power load.
We use our generator to recharge the Power Station, then switch to the Power Station while the generator rest. This saves on fuel and keeping things quite at night.
Both can run our entire house. The power station can't run our Central Air though.
Where do you get a tri-fuel kit for the Predator and is it difficult to install?
Great video! Your video is very informational for folks who are just starting to get into back up generator power.
However I’m in a different league almost onto itself. I’m a power lineman for a living so I’m very aware of back up generators. I have the best of the best because I don’t want my neighbors to know we have power. My neighbors are very close by & to have an obnoxious generator running all the time will make quick enemies of my neighbors.
I have the flag ship model of the Honda inverter line. The EU 7000is. It’s fuel injected & burns way less fuel than even your smaller generator at half load. It’s comparable in size to your larger Champion. When the Honda is on it is super quiet at 58 decibels on regular & 54 decibels on economy mode. It’s rated at 5500 watts with a surge to 7000 watts. I have personally tested mine to 9200 watts surge & it runs fine. With everything on including the 2-1/2 ton central air I’m using 3750 watts. I have a soft start kit for my A/C. I keep 111 gallons of gasoline at my house incase of a power outage. That’s enough gasoline for twenty days. The Honda burns 11 gallons in 42 hours at half load. That’s almost two full days between fill ups. I bought an auxiliary fuel tank that holds 6 gallons. I refill my auxiliary without shutting my generator off. I have 15 of the 5 gallon No Spill fuel jugs. Not 4 or 5. The longest I’ve been out of power was after storm Isais a few years ago. I was busy working storm work getting everyone else’s power back on. I knew my family was safe at home.
Maybe you can do a review on inverter generators? Most people are unaware. You almost need an inverter to power your home. Every appliance today has a micro-processor in it. Without clean 60 cycle power they may not power up? Or if they do? They might damage it with dirty power off a conventional generator. The same adage exists. Save money on a generator & replace all your appliances after a long duration outage. OR buy an inverter generator & keep your appliances. The choice is yours?
Propane is the best way to go folks and have a 100 gallon tank is just smart since the fuel never goes bad 😊😊😊
Do you rent the tank or own it and how does it feed a generator?
100 gal won’t be any different than his situation have 5-6 five gallon fuel jugs. Go with trifuel and go with NG
I use gas then go to propane. I have cook stove ,hot water tank and a 460 tank that I have to fill up once a year. The propane will not produce as much watts as gas .
@@condor5635 Propane is far safer to store, can be stored way longer than gasoline, and in a power outage is doesn't sell out as fast as gasoline. After a hurricane in Fla, I found several 20 lb propane tanks in store debris.
@@BearClawAK47 - i get 50 gal of gas the week before a storm so gas going bad is not an issue and I don't store it long term (never had Stabil). If I don't use it then it goes in my cars. After 5-7 days of run time gas can typically be found after disaster. 7 or so propane tanks will last no longer than that too. So yes you can store it permanently but you are in the same predicament that you can't run for more than 5-7 days. If you are relying on propane only then trying to find it after the storm will be just as hard or harder imho than finding gasoline. Ideally we would run NG and have the propane or gas as a backup :)
This is very true!! It’s cheaper and more reliable to run Multiple smaller generators ,the efficiency is 5x better and you always always have spare parts
And a god visual of that is Will Smith's home in "I Am Legend" with a bank of small ones.
Great information you give. If I may add from personal experience, we were out of power and water for 10 days during the freeze we had in Texas. I own 2 Honda generators with one being the companion having the 30amp plug. I converted both of them to propane because I had experienced where one of them would not turn on even after frequent maintenance and using non-ethanol gas. When I could not start it I just switched to propane and it ran flawlessly. I also bought a couple of solar generators (power banks)that would run my essentials like fridge and freezer for about 13 to 16 hours. Great thing about this is that I only ran the generator to charge them for a couple of hours when we had no sun for several days. Other wise a couple of 200W solar panels would keep them charged while running my essential items. Redundancy is key. Thank you for sharing your video.
I found this to be very helpful in a power outage. AMIR wireless refrigerator/ freezer thermometer..About $19 on Amazon. Only run generator when necessary to maintain cold temperature, without opening the door. Also, I agree with the one that recommended a small power station for small electrical loads such as lights, fans, entertainment.
Thanks for sharing!
I have a 3400 watt peak generator that i use mostly in the summer when we get bad storms and it knocks out the power. But it really came in handy last week when we lost power for 3 hours and i was able to run the Furnace and lights. Everyone that can should have some kind of small emergency generator just in case.
I know it's hard as many building codes require electric everything these days but honestly if you live in an area that loses power on a regular basis it's really important to diversify your energy needs. Aka have gas stoves or heating, even just having a fire place so you can actually heat and cook your house without electricity helps a ton. Generators are nice but if they end up being a regular thing you need it is useful to invest in not needing so much electricity in your house.
Good points. My little honda 2000 burns 1 gallon in 8 hours under load and runs fridge, freezer and small window a.c. simultaneously. And is quiet. I Back feed half of the panel.
Thanks! Both of my current ones are very loud. I'm going to try to keep flipping mowers and generators for more video topics. I want to see if I can upgrade my way up to a small 2000 watt inverter style and also a 5500 watt inverter style.
That honda is not running 1 gallon for 8 hours under full load. That stuff may be plugged in, but it's not "running" or cycling at the same time. It's rated at 1 gallon for 8 hours at a 25% load. Anyway, yes, I use the Champion version with great success.
There is a way to run both sides of the panel, I have a generator hook up and jump inside the 240 plug from 1 leg to the other.
@@MrRChitty That quite possible but the main must be off for those that don't know and you also must have all the 220 breakers off so you're not sending 120V to one leg of 220V well or water heater.
Your Honda 2000 gets better fuel economy than mine. I get 8 hours at 1/4 load with 1 gallon.
Agree with your comment about having a large enough supply of gas. We keep 5 5-gallon gas cans of stabilized gas on hand. We have a 7,000 watt Harbor Freight Predator gas generator connected using a generator interlock. Our game plan is to run a genie a few hours in the morning and several in the evening. Gas supply should last a week. To keep our home network alive when the genie is not running we have UPS that is able to power the LAN when the generator is not running and recharge quickly.
Something else is run your generator every few months to make sure it will work when you need it.
You’re the best guy at welcoming questions and explaining your ideas.
I appreciate that!
Good video. We lose power fairly often, and I'll pass along two more items: 1) Consider an inverter generator. Does not have to be a Honda. These vary the engine speed, all the way down to idle, as the load changes. They use much less fuel, are quiet, and are easier on your electronics (baked into all appliances these days) since the power is "cleaner" with fewer spikes, etc. 2) Also, consider dual-fuel/propane. Unlike gasoline, propane will last indefinitely. You can even run your generator off of your home propane tank if you have one. Also, no risk of spilling fuel on a hot engine. AND, you can store it safely in your house if you want since the propane dissipates quickly after it is disconnected.
Good points Thomas. After reading so many of the comments I sold that little tan generator and got a small Predator 2000 inverter to replace it. Next I want to upgrade the larger generator to a dual fuel inverter style. Eventually I also want a battery and solar system
@@Mechanical_Mind I did start watching you follow-up video that covers these topics... Thanks!
Dissipates safety? Are you kidding? - that’s bad advice for sure. Nothing about propane being store in a house because it dissipates is safe. If it leaks it’s a time bomb. Do not follow that advice anyone
Excellent video. You are SO correct on fuel burn being a big issue during a long duration event. Nicely done.
Thank you. I appreciate it
Just went thru Milton here in center Florida. Only had 2005 Coleman Powermate sport 1850. Found in storage unit and repaired it thanks to Mr. James Condon on utube 😁👍👍. It ran fridge & coffeemaker, TV & charged cellphones. I would add gasoline every 2-3 hrs & shutdown same. Running 750watts. Power was out 2.75 days and only went through about 7gals. Agree smaller will do fine but wishing I had a way to hook up a 5- gallon tank to generator’s tank.
Thanks for the video- New Sub
I have a kind of unusual situation and this was very helpful to me. I’m an American living in Ecuador and we are having droughts and are in a state of emergency now so we have mandatory rolling blackouts everyday for 4 hours a day. I’ve never owned a generator and although I speak Spanish, I’m susceptible to being “gringo’d” by salespeople as an American and sold more than I need. It’s just me and my dogs and for 4 hours a day, I realized from your video that I don’t need a huge high-wattage generator. Just enough to run a TV or a coffee maker, a couple lamps or the water heater but not all at once. The fridge is fine for that short duration. I’m really grateful for this information. I’m collecting the wattage information from the appliances I will need to use. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have saved me a lot of money and confusion in a foreign country!!
Glad it helped. If your water heater is electric that might be your biggest wattage need. Good luck and thanks for watching
@@Mechanical_Mind Good to know! Thank you again!
For predictable short outages, a properly sized battery backup station would be a good option. I recently bought a Pecron E1500LFP, and it helps by giving me time to cook, make coffee, and keep internet on while I setup my generator. Last outage, I made my coffee & was about to go setup generator, and then the power came back on.
Awesome video. Back in 2009 where i live in Kentucky we had a massive ice storm. Everyone lost power for 15 days. My neighborhors had to either get hotel rooms or had to stay with family members. I have 2 generators one is a 2000 wat and my biggest is a 9400 watt duel fuel. My family had light on we was eating hot food and we was all in our PJs. During the day. At night i would bring my big generator inside. At night i would use my smaller one just to run a couple lights and the freezer while we're sleeping. It all worked fine. Actually we had a good time 😂
Dual fuel generator with a few propane tanks. Propane burns cleaner(extends generator life) and is able to be stored much longer than gasoline. You can also cook on a gas grill with it.
If you take care of your generator, propane does not matter. I have a Generac XL5500 which runs on gas. After each severe power outage, I put it back into long term storage mode which was outlined in the product manual. That includes, running the gas out of it, changing the oil and filter, and putting a squirt of oil in the cylinder and closing the valve. This unit still starts up with one pull. If you need a generator, it should be the best maintained motor on your property.
@@gibblespascack1418 You are the exception to the majority. Most folks don't take care of 50k cars, much less a 1k generator.
We just finished a 10 day power outage from hurricane Beryl and our Honda EU3000is inverter generator ran great at only 5 gallons per day. We unplugged the fridge and ran it in eco mode at night. Very quiet and fuel efficient. Sometimes less is more.
We live in SE PA. Earlier this Spring I bought a 9000W portable generator. We are on a well. Almost all the time, power here goes out from a Summertime storm. Which usually strikes 5:00-6:00 PM. Usually an outage from a Summer storm will last 6-8 hours. I had an interlock kit installed with a 50 amp cord hook up. I did research, I concluded the amount of instances the grid is down, and the severity of the outages, the gas guzzler would be fine. Really I'm still breaking it in 4 months later. The power here doesn't go out too much.
We had an ice storm in 2014 where we lost power for 3 days, that was about the longest outage we ever experienced. I also have a 2000W Honda inverter I bought that year.
Even during that 3 day outage, it was a short drive to get gas. The local convenience store was open from their own generator power. And power in the next County 5 miles away was mostly on.
I built our house and wired it. I put a sub panel with its own transfer switch that runs the furnace, fridge, freezer, lights and internet. We can run our house over 10 hours on a 1 gallon tank of gas in our Honda 2000. We also have a Champion a little bigger than yours I hook to the whole house transfer switch. It has a FOB remote start and we only run it for an hour or so at a time to run heavy loads like our well pump. Our total gas consumption is about 3 gallons a day to keep the power one. With ATVs and snowmobiles we always have 20-30 gallons of fresh gas around and I have a way to get gas out of any of our 3 pickup trucks. We live in a fairly rural place but have a fuel distributor a mile away that has plenty of available fuel with backup generators. I can even take the UTV or snowmobile to get it.
I drain and put fresh gas in it every fall when I change the oil. Then I run them on a load for few hours just to verify they are ready to go for the winter.
Thanks for not having an annoying time consuming introduction
Or muzak.
I have two generators as well.... a big 9000 and a small 3500. I am installing a transfer switch for the 9000 to run almost everything except for the central AC and water heater. At night I can power that down and run the small generator to only run a portable window unit and refrigerator and save a bunch of gas. You are dead on with this video!
Hi thanks for this. i've got 5 of them ; two 3500 watters, 2 - 1100 watters...one 1983 Yamaha 2800 watter = EF2800 model. Starts, just as good as all the newer ones....better built. !
On sale for around $1100 I picked up one of the HF Predator 5000 Dual Fuel's. It's relatively quiet, will run a 1500-watt heater, the refrigerator, the freezer, plus microwave and induction burner as needed, all for 8-ish hours on a 20 lb propane bottle, and over 12 on a tank of gas (a little over 3.5 gallons). We're on the third power outage this fall, very windy island with lots of very large trees. Really like this generator hope it lasts.
Be sure to change oil frequently. These have very minimal oil capacity, and no oil filter. I recommend changing the oil once every 10 gallons of fuel consumed, per quart of crankcase capacity. Because the smaller one at best , holds ~20 Oz of oil, 7 1/2 gallons is probably about right for that one, The bigger one probably holds closer to 1 1/2 quarts, so, 2 full tanks of gas is probably about right for that one.
You said it right at the very end, Never turn off the generator by the ignition switch. Its better to remove all loads, and turn off the fuel valve. Stay there with it, and when the engine starts to sputter, ride the choke, to maintain mixture. That extra vacuum helps clear the emulsion tube as well as the idle circuit, as well as the float bowl. That will ensure that no liquid is left behind, that can leave behind varnish, from fuel evaporation. There's nothing more satisfying, than having a generator start on the first pull, when you really need it!
This Info is Correct!!!
And then, drain the carb. Running out of gas still leaves a small amount of fuel in the bowl.
Exactly. In fact, riding the choke as the float bowl runs out of fuel will provide extra vacuum, to clear the emulsion tube, and idle circuit, as well as draining the float bowl. You want to leave as little liquid fuel as possible to evaporate, causing varnish that can throw off fuel/air mixture.@@donbrloks3959
Have you ever had to use a generator for an extended duration? That oil change interval is crazy. That could easily be every other day or so. Sure, it won't hurt. But totally unnecessary.
I change oil every 24 hours and keep several cases of gallons plus a jar marked with correct amount required to fill it 😊
I bought an A-iPower 2000w quite a few years ago just to have something. I ended up liking it so much I bought one or their 3800w from Sams club 2 years ago. It burns 2 gallons of gas in around 8 hours. Runs all the lights, fridge, TV, and the gas furnace. I've never had issues with leaving the gas in them like I did with the old style. I believe it has to do with the sealed vent system. I also keep them in the garage where it's semi conditioned so that may play a part as well. It's also crazy how quiet it is. I can run it on the deck and full load and not even hear it in the house.
You said 2 gallons of gas
8 hours ???
@@josephpuchel6497 Yes, running nearly 1/2 the house.
I have the same A-i Power 2,000 inverter generator. With long term power outages, I use it to recharge my off-grid solar battery bank. It goes through 1 gallon of gas in 3 hours with a continuous power draw of 1,300 watts. I have the generator in my barn with the exhaust system plumbed outside through a car muffler. It's very quiet, I can no longer hear it run when 50 feet are more away from the barn.
I bought a Multiquip 25kw whisperwatt diesel generator, it's towable and has a 45 gallon belly tank and a 18 gallon internal fuel tank which are connected together and runs the whole house on 7 gallons of fuel every 24hrs, the neighbors can't hear it and it will run continuously for 8 or 9 days and when it's time to fuel it up tow it to the gas station, also have a small generator like your talking about to prolonged run time ❤your educational content as always and keep it up!!!
Exactly. I would never go gas. Gas is terrible these days.
@Rusty1972 Right ✅️!! Plus I drive big truck and in a pinch and not any fuel around my house i carry 300 gallon in my truck tanks, life goes on!
Thanks SO MUCH for this video! I've been watching what's going on in Carolina since the hurricane and I wanted to add a duel fuel generator to my current generator line up. I have a complete solar line up, but I wanted to back that up with a duel fuel generator. One is none after all! It's good to know that I don't need a huge 15,000 KW generator. I am sold on the 9, 500 KW surge with 7,000 KW running watts. This matches my current solar set up and I think it will be enough to run what I need. Thanks for focusing me on the real issue in a grid down situation, the lack of fuel in long term situations!
I used to believe in using the smallest generator for the job. Since putting in 18500 watts of battery back up I bought a large 10500 watt trifuel inverter generator to charge my batteries once a day in two hours. It is less expensive and more convienient to run a large generator for much less time. My other two trifuel generators are now backups
Great Video! I downsized from a big Generac that was great…but I “underutilized” it. It was way more than I needed. I bought a small Champion dual fuel inverter generator and used it when I lost power during Milton for four days. It ran my small portable AC unit and I was also able to charge my Champion indoor battery backup unit because it’s an inverter. I used 2.5 gallons in four days. Big Boy Generac burned through 10,gallon's per day. Being an older woman alone it was far easier to maneuver the smaller Champion as well.
great video and so true. I bought the biggest baddest generator I could afford at the time. Its like 9800w on Gas 8800 on propane. It goes through some damn fuel. i'm looking for a second of that is like 2000ish watts.
I ran off of generators for about 7 years. Mainly the 3500-4000 watt units, and the cheap Chinese lasted just a long as the Briggs or Tecumseh engines. About 1 year each running 20-30 hours a week.
One thing I can add that helped me, is using a coffee filter and filtering the gas as you pour it in the tank. There is all kinds of debris you will catch.
So you are saying Chinese models lasted 1 year continuously? Is that a good or bad thing vs a Honda
Just went through hurricane Beryl with a 1500 W (1800 W peak) rating. I was able to keep a fridge and freezer running along with a fan, chargers for phones and power tools, internet modem etc. It has a 1.5 gallon tank that lasted about 6 hours per tank. Our neighbors with the larger generators were needing gas often and gas was hard to find. Although the neighbors with the large generators were sharing with those without.
Thanks for sharing Scott. How many days did your area go before power was restored? How much gas did you end up using?
I have both small and large generators. When I purchased my large 9000 watt generator, I made sure it was dual fuel. If gasoline is not available, you can run it on propane. Very versatile in an emergency.
I recently bought a dual fuel Predator 5000 inverter generator. My plan is to primarily run it on propane so I don’t have to even be concerned with the carburetor becoming clogged by stale gasoline, which would then be my secondary source
Fuel consumption is the reason I have an EU7000 Honda and a EU2000 for backup power. The 7000 at 25% load or less uses about a litre (quart) an hour which is the majority of its running time. Also both super quiet and EU7000 is fuel injected. Plus I have a couple EcoFlow solar generators (battery packs lol) that are really nice at the off grid camp. Only have to run the EU2000 a hour and a half every 2-3 days to charge them. Win win.
Great video! Another good reason for having a smaller generator is that it's just a lot easier and safer to move around and also protect after storm. A lot of times it's still slightly raining after a storm and you need power mainly for your food and a few lights and the small one would be really easy to hook up quickly with some long extension cords as opposed to handling a large 30 amp cord connecting it to a power inverter during the rain.
We run two generators. The small one for “all day use” and the larger one for when we need to cook, shower or do laundry. It was a good routine for about 4weeks until we got power back on during hurricane Helene.
Hey sounds good but if you purchase a smaller KW gas generator it will only sometimes have 15-20 Amp outlets not a 30-50 amp outlet for multiple circuits. You will need to separate isolate only circuit you need like furnace most important then possibly some lights , outlets and tv
If you go larger it will have 30 amp breaker and you can run one cord to inlet box and a interlock kit
Last week after a storm I had a power outage for about 40hours, usually they are less then 6 hours, 2 to 5 times a year. I bought 2000W nominal/4000W peak 12V DC to 220V AC pure sine inverter from Aliexpress. It was 90EUR and free shipping in 3 days.
I attached it directly to car's battery using supplied leads. So far I tested that I can use 1500W hairdryer for prolonged periods of time >15 minutes, while car is on idle. Simultaneously to 500W resistive load (hair dryer on low setting) inverter can easily start 1KW water well pump, so there is water in the house. When I tried 2000W water boiling kettle, battery voltage quickly dropped below 10.5V and inverter turned itself off. It was because of older car battery or lieds to the battery(that where supplied with inverter), inverter would be able to deliver more.
During future outages I plan to use inverter only for essentials - computers, phones, lights, fridge and water well pump. No electrical space heating, cooking, hot water boiler, dishwasher or washing machine, these extras will have to wait until grid power is restored.
Car idles quieter than generator and consumes about 1 liter per hour while on idle (average 2liter diesel or petrol engine car). Since I use that car daily - fuel in the tank is always fresh and there is no need to store extra fuel for generators. If there are 20 liters of fuel in car, I can idle it for 10 hours before going to fill up the tank until it is full. Full tank of gas is enough to idle for almost a week. If the 2000W inverter is turned on without any load it consumes about 10W of energy. If you have light load attached - a laptop, few phones charging, led lights in the house (some 100W in total) then you can turn cars engine off, and use those loads for 2 to 3 hours from the battery. After 3 hours you need to start the car to idle for 30 to 45 minutes, and again engine can be turned off. While the car is idling you can use about 1000W on average, and 2000W or more for a very short periods of time, alternator should be able to keep up with demand and recharge the battery. And if you continiuesly use over 500W of power, just keep the car idling, battery will last less than one hour if car is turned off. My fridge on the sticker seas that in consumes 250KWh per year, so it is less than 1KWh per 24 hours. Maybe 40W/h on average. It might have high initial power, or consume 200W while running, but the compressor is running maybe 25% of the time, 75% of the time refrigerator does not consume any electricity. If refrigerator is the only load during the night, car battery should be able to deliver electricity without being on idle for those 8 to 9 hours.
Almost all inverters also have few safety features, one of witch is to turn itself off if the battery voltage drops below 10.5V. You will notice it because of an inverter power outage and there should be enough juice in the battery to start the car and charge the battery.
In my opinion batteries + inverter is the most convenient and fuel efficient way for loads below 200W, and it is plenty for electronics and lights. But you need to have a way to charge those batteries without. Running smaller 1KW or 2KW generator non stop - to run one refrigerator or charge a phone is very loud and waste of fuel you have to store lots of extra fuel for those special occasions - power outages.
Nice video and goes to my point, bigger is not better in an emergency.
On the farm I have always had a gen such as Lincoln arc welder 10 hp Kohler and Kubota 5,000 and safely back feed after turning Main Breaker off. Nice but darn noisy and gas guzzlers like 12-15 gal per day. Now I just use them for the well or water heater when needed. July 2020 I bought a Predator 3500 and so impressed I bought a second one. Very quiet, reliable and uses very little gas. I back feed to an outside outlet that goes direct to my gas furnace, also to living room for T.V. and to the fridge. I have double plugs at T.V. and fridge for gen and an off switch between furnace and breaker box to isolate that gen curcuit. No extension cords, just switch from regular plug to Gen plug. Anyway it easily runs furnace or window unit, fridge, chest freezer, T.V. all at the same time with power to spare using about 2,400 watts. It has a display that tells the watts, amps, total hours. I bought an Inverter cause many regular gens don't produce "clean " energy and micro switches on new furnaces or fridge won't work or may burn out. Always totally drain gens and you know it will start when you really need it. Easy to forget when you last used it. I'm 69,, on the farm with lots of gas engines and never once wasted money on useless Sta-Bil. Drain what I can but lawn mowers sit from late Oct. till April with Reg gas in them and they always start. Usually run Sea Foam on the first tank of the season and I can't even remember the last time I did anything to a carb.
Yup, another great video and really appreciate you taking time for us. Glad we survived the below zero temps.
When I lived in TN, I would store regual gas for a year without any stabilizer at all. The gas was always still good with no issue. When I moved to Florida, I learned quickly, and the hard way, that regular down here goes bad in about 3 months or less. I don't know if it's the heat, humidity, the refineries, or what.
I like to keep a full tank of gas in the generators simply to have more gas on hand. The bad part of that is needing to rotate that gas also.
I had two predator 3500s that I used for work every day for years to do mobile install jobs. They never gave an issue
@@Mechanical_Mind No stickers on pumps anymore and I learned last summer that 98% of all except Aviation gas has 10% or more ethanol. Gov. doesn't want us to store gas long term like 2-3 years as the past. I do keep fresh only 2 stroke mix and dump tanks out for the season. Always drain gens and I keep about 100 gals for 6 mo. then burn in cars and refill with fresh. Never had any problem at all,, but maybe heat, humidity or different blend in Florida cause it to spoil faster. Still, just have gas in cans for 3 mo. then fuel cars and buy fresh. Don't store in equipment.
I agree. We also have a 7000watt and a 3800 watt. Fuel consumption was an after thought. I had a generator that had carb problems when we needed it most. The smaller one is great to give the big one a break. We change out working each one every 4 hours and change the oil every 36-40 hours.
Even better is no generator. After Hurricane Irma, I got tired of the generator's noise and constant need for fuel and oil, so I resolved to find a better way. The answer was a 1 kilowatt solar array, with a 12 kWh LiFePO4 battery and 6 kW inverter. It powered everything in my house (except the HVAC) during the long outages after Helene and Milton plus it pays me a 75¢ dividend every sunny day in Florida. No noise, no deadly fumes and operates indefinitely without attention.
I highly recommend a Sol Gen as well. I still use my Pecron P3000. Operating at 2000 watts. Great for smaller draws and charge via their 200 W suitcase panels.
I recently got a Pecron E600 and a 200w suitcase panel. It's a game changer! I've been using and testing them both for months now. For backup power, now all I want to invest in is more battery and solar capacity
Have a smaller one as a backup, my main runs primarily on natural gas so I can power everything as long as I want. I can connect the small one to my panel was well and might use it in the winter for shorter outages. Less noise and can get it out quickly.
Living in Northwest Florida a backup power source is a must if you want to keep your food in ref.and freezers from going bad. Iv'e added a couple champion duel fuel inverter generators to my preps. Run time on them is up to 22 hours per tank, you just have to run critical loads. Also added a Midea u-shaped inverter a.c. to stick in a window to keep from burning up in the Florida heat. It takes less than 6 amps to start, and runs on 3 to 5 amps. Great video and good advice.
I'm going to sell both of mine and upgrade them both to inverter style. And the bigger one a dual fuel type like you have. Thanks for watching!
I just picked up a Champion 100520 open inverted generator, 8750/7000 from Northern Tool last week $585.00, Northern wanted to move out all the Champions.They only had one I would have purchased two. Will add a natural gas kit to it. Have installed these kits on over a dozen generators with no issues. You will lose about 20% of your watts on natural gas. @@Mechanical_Mind
I also live in north central Florida. A portable generator, a can of gas, and a small window air conditioner is worth its weight in gold after a hurricane goes through and wipes out power for several days.
I was hip to this when i designed my settup. Got a big solar generator and a small compact invertor to recharge. I used a few gallons to stay powered for a whole week.
I dont have a 240v solar gen. So i do have a large gas one too. But i only run it to pressue the well back up.
Key thing is to buy a FAST charging solar generator.
I use a DuroMax XP13000HX with a 50amp interlock. I want the ability to use propane without compromise in case I can’t find gas during a mass power outage. I need to be able to use my 4 ton HVAC (with soft start), my lights, refrigerator and chest freezer at the bare minimum. I need 35 amps to start the compressor not counting the 5 amps from the air handler. Since it’ll be cycling on and off and I don’t have much control of when the freezer and refrigerator cycle I want to make sure I have enough starting amps in the event they all come on together, that’s close to 11,000 watts to start and about 4300 to run. So using propane I’m at 86% peak starting watts and 43% running. Having a good buffer helps prevent bad voltage and frequency drops. I could do the XP12000HX but I’ll be getting too close to the max starting amps than I’m willing to go.
That’s a really good point on fuel consumption 🫡
Great video thanks - just one thing from here in the UK - I use 20ltr metal 'jerry' cans that are enamel lined so the petrol (gas) keeps basically forever. I do add stabiliser as an insurance policy but metal cans keep the fuel way longer than plastic ones. I do NOT want to be trying to get fuel when I need it the most, but also don't want cans of useless fuel.
That's a great point on the gas cans. Is there a specific brand you recommend? I'd like to check them out
Good video right on topic I have 3 only the only reason I have the 9K one is to start up our deep welll pump , a amedium size on to run a number of our fridges and the little one for idle current, items lights tz computer and radio gear, etc, Amazing savings on Fuel
Got me a 3500 watt champion inverter for $100 not running. I only swappped the gas out and it runs perfect. Its nice to have a spare generator for a loaner. Last time a neighbor needed to keep baby milk frozen during an outage so the loaner went out and I wasnt worried about it coming back or not.
Absolutely correct on the gas consumption and the noise level. Why in the world would one heat water with electricity?? A gas water heater, a gas stove and a gas dryer makes enduring the frequent power outages one gets in areas plagued by tropical cyclones much easier.
I use solar ones teamed up with my champion gas/propane generator. If no sun I can charge my solar ones fairly quick which extends my fuel consumption drastically. As you know living down in Florida its a must to have alternative energy. I have been running my fridge and deep freezer 24/7 for a year now using this combo. I lost to much food and then had a hard time buying it back because of shortages after the last hurricane.
Redundancy is good. Main unit is a 22kw Generac whole house. Back up is an 8kw Generac . Both fueled by natural gas.
Lots of good comments. Don't forget to spend a little more on NON-ETHANOL fuel too!
I agree Mike. There are tons of great comments on this video. So much so that I made a follow-up video today. Yes I always recommend running non-ethanol gas in small engines. Thanks for watching
I have a mid sized 2500 watt gasoline inverter generator. My back up is a 1000 watt propane generator. It will run 30 to 60 hrs on 20 lbs of propane depending on the load. I will eventually upgrade my gas model for a duel fuel. It is definitely safer to transport propane tanks and safer to store. I also like the idea that I won't need to compete with others for the limited amount of gas available in an emergency. Adding a "solar generator" gave me the ability to charge up off the generators and keep the fridge and window air conditioner running when not running the generators. This has worked out great for night time use.
I use a 3600 watt dual fuel 120v inverter generator for home back up and camping. Runs everthing in the house except for A/C, oven, and dryer. Runs my camper's 15k btu A/C. A good combination of power, weight, and efficiency.
love when people say "everything" .... then say EXCEPT this this this and that.
what do you want on your sub sir ..??
EVERYTHING except this this this and that.
WELL THATS NOT EVERYTHING so why even use that word ??
I have been doing home backup power since the 1980's when it occurred to me that most everything is dependent upon electricity.
Portable and the low cost Generac whole house standby generators use a lawn mower engine. These need an oil change every 50 - 100 hours (1 hour for the first oil change). You absolutely can't use ethanol blended fuels, these breakdown very quickly and start damaging the carburetor in as little as 2 weeks. I only use non-ethanol fuel with Sta-Bil and 1 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil per gallon, which I have tested out to 4 years so far in gas tanks, gas cans, and carburetors, without any problems.
Your standard kitchen refrigerator uses a surprisingly high amount of starting power. You need a generator with 2,500 watts minimum of continuous output (not surge power) to cleanly start a kitchen refrigerator. Note that generators have wattage listed in surge power, the actual output power is only about 75% of the surge rating (multiply the surge rating by 0.75 to obtain the continuous rating).
If you can only afford 1 generator, buy an inverter type enclosed in the plastic case, with a surge wattage of 3,000 watts or more. These cost more than the basic open frame 3,600 rpm generator but, are quieter, generate clean power, lighter weight, and get better gas mileage.
Ideally, you should have at least 2 sources of backup power for long term power outages. A gas generator and a rechargeable 2,000 watt power station.
I’d have to disagree. I ran my full size fridge and a deep freeze on a 1,600 watt (continuous). They weren’t even the only load. I ran my home internet/network, 4 fans, a 50” TV, and charging my Battery backup. Ran for 3 days with no issues.
@@victorc777 My recommendations are a worst-case scenario, so someone trying to buy the average generator to power their selected items will end up with a working setup. My information is based upon testing numerous refrigerators since the 1980's. Also, generators like the Honda for instance, have excellent surge performance compared to the average Chinese knockoff. Additionally, the newer kitchen refrigerators with a DC Inverter compressor, have a lower starting current. So, when taking everything mentioned into account, I like to err on the side of extra capacity, which also extends the life of the generator since it is not running at near maximum capacity.
@@billharris6886 fair enough…. I realize that older inefficient fridges can pull much more than my newer Samsung fridge. I just don’t know how much more TBH. My generator is the (Chinese) Predator inverter generator from harbor freight. Worth every penny!
@@billharris6886 - I used zero Stabil and zero ethanol free fuel and zero mystery oil over 20 years with my Gen set. It all comes down to storing it completely dry in my opinion and getting large amounts of fuel prior to known coming events then you don’t have to store it. Store 5 gal or so but rotate it in your car every 2 months so no need for stabilizers.
@@victorc777 I agree with you too. Refrig might max out starting at 1000-1500 watts. I measured mine it was at 110 watts almost continuously for 24 hr. One small defrost max out at 500 watts. I run 2 on my 6000 running watt along with a microwave and lights and have zero issues.
Power was out in my area for thirteen days due to damage from Hurricane Helene. I used a predator 2000 inverter generator to power a refrigerator, freezer, three fans, tv, DVD player, led lights and two phone chargers. It ran 24 hours a day minus time for refueling and four oil changes. It used about 2.5 gallons of gas every 24 hours. At first we had to travel over 60 miles one way to get gas. It took about a week before stations closer to where I live to start getting power back. There was a few stations that had generator power but the waiting lines were literally a mile long. That predator 2000 really saved us. I just had to start with the highest electrical loads first and then slowly adding the additional loads until everything was running. We were lucky the temperature was in the 80s during the day and cooler at night so no heat or ac was needed. A small generator running is better than a big generator that is out of gas for sure.
First time we lost power after moving into our current home, we realized we were the only ones without a generator
We got a larger dual fuel generator because we need to be able to power a well & septic pump, and have a large LPG tank. In an extended outage, the plan was to run the generator for about an hour 3 - 5 times a day.
Still plan an getting a second generator for back-up. An inverter and deep-cycle RV battery is also great for small loads such as an internet router/modem or CPAP.
Excellent source of information. Thank you very much.
As you have done. I suggest buying INVERTOR type generators. These have pure sine wave output power which is a must for electronics. The less costly modified sine wave generators are OK for incadescent light bulbs, motors, power tools etc.
Get yourself a nice inverter generator. You can backfeed your whole house on 120 V if you knock down all the 240 legs in common out the hot lead on the L4 back-feed plug. That would make a great video. How to backfeed your house on 120 V only good video. Thanks.
I agree, I have a 9000 watt for emergency 1-2 day outages, with a back feed to my house, and I have a 1200 watt for the bare essentials, and I have batteries with a trickle charger and solar panels stored away, with a 1500 watt inverter for really long emergencies. I can also hook up my big battery charger to the generator to charge the batteries for a couple of hours it the is no sun.
I purchased a Honda 2k inverter. It is capable of running our refrigerator and freezer. Also a few lights with management of loading. The larger generator I own will run all of those at same time, but likes the fuel.
I like the simple, quiet, clean, and reliable option of a EcoFLow battery with a small solar panel. No fuel or carb headaches and no noise.
I've got an inverter 2200 surge/ 1800 running genie with economy mode. It was $350 on sale in 2019. After a tune up (ngk plug, cleaned air filter, spark arrestor)
since their Chinese spark plug wasn't even gapped correctly and got more than what the book said. 1 gallon went 9 hours overnight running fridge and small deep freezer.
Crank it once per month for 20mins. Turn fuel off and let it run dry. Had it since 2019.
Log the time and follow maintenance!
I always use e10 87 gas but always add a little Lucas fuel stabilizer. By the gallon, it's cheaper at $27
I somewhat agree. I have a large portable and it runs whole house. However, during winter etc a small one would run 2 fridges and heat during day. I may pick up a small one one day. Gas appliances besides stove here. I cant run it. Small would sip fuel and could get by. I hardly ever run my whole house just to keep my gen head happy and save fuel.
For me the holy grail has been an open frame inverter generator. I can power what I need, but it's quieter, more efficient and puts out better power than a conventional gen. Also, despite my more rural setting we've never passed 48 hours without power being restored, and you could buy gas well before that. That said, I do stockpile like 27 gallons so I feel like there is no reason to go out and pick up a small inverter generator. In a severe situation I could easily ration my generator usage and extend for days and days. For example, my WEN is rated at 7,000W continuous and the spec is 10% less fuel consumption than your Champion 5500W while carrying over 20% more load. And it really shines overnight where the engine can idle down a bit.
Solid and informative video, appreciate your taking the time to make this and share it with us! I think that for indoor overnight powering of a fridge, that a fully charged power station of sufficient wattage should do the job safely and quietly. As with anything like this, having a range of the proper tools and devices is best, provided that it's affordable.
Hey, thanks for the kind words. I fully agree. Days after making this video, I upgraded that small generator to a 2000w Inverter generator (Predator brand) Then shortly after that I got my first power station and solar panel. The powerstations are not only impressive, but they are becoming more and more affordable. Powerstations are a game changer and that will be the topic of my next video. Thanks for watching!
Yes fuel is an issue that’s why you should get a trifuel and hook up to NG. Use gasoline as backup option. If you don’t need it after the storm put it in your car. VP jugs are the best 5.5 gal each. Solid
There are a lot of areas where NG isn’t available for homes. Fortunately I do have it for my furnace, hot water, and stove, but even then it’s not easy to plumb a supply line for a generator. I’ve chosen to use propane as a primary fuel source with gasoline as my backup. I can go portable with either one of those. Also with noting that a generator’s maximum power output will be highest on gasoline, then propane, and lowest on NG.
@@dguiley - totally agree I’m glad I have a natural gas. I’m gonna plumb mine right at the meter so I don’t have to run any long lines. Then it’s very easy to make a connection for a generator.
Excellent idea. I never even considered this before. Awesome video.
I just went through Helene, and I didn't have a generator when it hit. I managed to order a small inverter generator on the day it hit. I like the idea of a big generator that can run everything, but that small inverter gen will run all night on it's 1 gallon tank, and we were running a full size fridge, a smaller drink fridge, an office (2 computers, a tablet, & other equipment), and a bunch of chargers. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd one, and use it only when I have higher demand, but use just one at most times.
Something to add, if your running gas generator like myself. I fill up both vehicles before a storm and my 2 - 5 gallon gas cans. The cars are great for gas storage, with a sphon hose it gives me 26 gallons in the truck and about 12 gallons in the car. Thats about 72 hours of run time for my generator at 1/2 load.
I have that same model of Sportsman generator. Haven't seen anyone else that has that particular 3.5hp one. Usually it's the bigger 7hp or the smaller 2hp that you see on TH-cam videos. I think I got it for $100 or something like that on clearance at Walmart. My mom loves it because I put a wheel kit on it. So now she has a little baby generator that's light enough she can wheel it around by herself. She has osteoporosis so even a small invertor generator is too heavy for her to lift.
Inverter generators are quieter because they throttle down when loads decrease (also saving fuel), while standard generators run at a constant 3600 RPM. But inverter generators are usually smaller, and rarely output 240 volts.
We just went through Milton. 6 days without power. Long lines at the gas stations if they had power
I have a small, economical & quiet 50cc 1000/800 watt Inverter generator to run my Sump Pump while my 2500/1850 watt 80cc Inverter Generator runs my Fridge, Freezer, Internet, TV & Fan,... I installed a Generator Inlet to the exterior of the Kitchen Wall then fed a wire to a 20amp Outlet in the Kitchen which is NOT hooked to the House Mains Power and this only cost me about $60 :)
Agreed.12 generators,Honeywell,Hondas (5)Energizer(2) yamaha ,generac Aipower,Predator.Always looking for another,Ja Ja. There is always room for another.
2 is one and one is none.... I think you're good though 🤣
I've got a medium predator that works very well. I'm beginning to store gas in 50 gal portable tanks because I just went through ice storm lasting 2 weeks-yep its freaking cold without heat. I freeze dry and can food but also freeze to store foods...
I sold that little tan generator in the video and got a little predator 2000w inverter generator. It so much quieter than the one in the video. Plus with the throttle control I'm sure it will do better on fuel
What is your 50 gallon portable tank? How do you haul around over 400 lbs of gasoline? I guess you mean multiple 5 gallon jugs.
With newer appliances, I would get a GOOD true rms frequency meter and check the frequency and voltage of these smaller generators. I've seen a ton of newer smart ups battery backups that will not switch over to portable generators output. Lots of refrigerators are now using single phase to 3 phase convertors with a frequency drive to control the compressor.... not something you want to hit with dirty voltage. Washing machines are using technology very similar on direct drive units with no transmission. If you have older appliances it may not cause problems, but with modern appliances it could end up costing a lot more than the generator did.
That's a great point! I actually picked up a inverter generator yesterday because we have recently gotten a new house with new appliances and I was worried about running them with a regular generator.
I've been getting so many good comments like yours that I'm editing a part 2 to this video to cover these points.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
You're exactly right about " Clean " power needed for many new appliances including the furnace which is why I bought an Inverter. Old oil furnace or fridge could care less but the new gas furnace won't run with a regular generator. Nothing like burning up the circuit board on the furnace when ice storm takes out power for days. Love my gas sipping, quiet Inverter.
I have a small 2-cycle 1000w ultra quiet camp generator that runs 8 hours on a gallon of gas. I paid $149 for it years ago. Never leave fuel in a 2-cycle engine and it will be very reliable. Outages here are winter, so a couple coolers on the deck (to keep food from freezing and frustrate wild animals) replace the refrigerator. I have a 8500w propane generator that will run the well pump or water heater for showers.
pure sine wave generator is the way to go.
very quite, you can have a conversation right beside it.
also great for not letting your neighbourhood that you have power
The loud music and disco ball might give you away...
Yup, most people just buy the biggest one they can get and don't think about gas consumption. I bought one with just enough watts to run the necessities and it burns less than 5 gallons a day running 24 hours. All my neighbors have big ones and are searching for gas after the first day.
Yes, on our recent event, there was no gas available and cash was hard to come by too. 😊
Lived in florida all my life….. during a hurricane sound lever don’t mean jack. Sheriffs departments have said they will not respond to generator noise complaints.
Hurricane Helene knocked my power out for 4 days, of those 4, I ran my old Predator 7250w for roughly 2.5 days and guzzled up 20 gallons of gasoline. My dad had an old 3000w generator and used maybe 5 gallons of gas for the whole outage at his home.
I needed the big generator for the old well pump, so for the next time I'll run the big generator just to run the well and fill up water containers, then shut it off. Making a battery bank and got an inverter charger for the fridges, I can use a much smaller generator to charge the batteries up.
Good point on fuel consumption.
I have that same little sportsman generator. It's been good. I've even run a 110v welder on it.
Have a craftsman 3650 watt generator I've used for 3 hurricanes. I run it from 8am to 8pm and found it would use around 5 gallons. I tried to only run a window AC, refrigerator, box fan, and 2 drill batteries