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Power outage!!!

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John:

--- Quote ---Generac
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I\'ve had a couple and they worked when I needed them, but they were only 4,000 and 3,500 watt units.  I still have the smaller one and use probably use a couple times each year.
My folks had a big one with electric start and it ran on gas or LP.  The problem was they didn\'t start it often and the battery seemed to always be dead when needed.  

Tailfeathers:

--- Quote from: Sharon Yorks ---We are looking into a generator. Can\'t decide between the Generac GP6500 or Briggs & Stratton 6000 Watt. Anyone had any good or bad luck with any of these?
--- End quote ---


Sharon, I researched generators for like six months before buying my Generac GP15000.  Here is a link to a site where you can make side-by-side comparisons for item by item.

http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/quick_search.php

This is where I bought mine and it\'s the best site I found online.  You can put like 5 or more generators side by side and make a comparison feature for feature.  I found this to be the most helpful tool online.  Oh, and if you have questions, I also found them to be the most knowledgeable of all the places I talked with.  As a matter of fact, I bought a Generac (which is supposedly one of, if not the, best) and the folks at Generac were so lacking in their ability to answer any questions that I almost decided I didn’t want to buy a Generac.  But the guy at EGD was tremendously helpful  - Chris if I remember right – and he knew a LOT more about their generators than Generac seemed to.  

I bought the GP15000E but I would imagine you could get by with a 6500-8000 watt unit.  When I was doing my research, everybody was telling me “You can probably get by with an 8000…”  Well, it was the “probably” that bothered me.  Everybody said a 10,000 watt unit would be plenty but at the time I bought mine the 8000 unit ran about $1200 I think and the 10,000 unit was just under $2000.  The 15,000 unit I bought was only $200 more than the 10,000 and I could only get the XG10000 which requires a special circuit box and GFI switches/plug-ins to be used in the house and outside everywhere.  That would have cost me more to do than the GP15000E which is why I bought it.  

Oh, and here’s another great thing about them.  Not only were they all that I described above but they were actually cheaper than anywhere else (including going directly to the factory which some won’t even do) AND they have FREE shipping!

Hope that helps!

God Bless,

Sharon Yorks:
Thanks for the info. I will be sure to check them out. I was trying to weigh the benefits and disadvantages of smaller and larger units, and I guess it all depends on why you are looking for a generator in the first place. I am more of a \"survival\" type of girl. I am more concerned with necessities than conveniences. I want to make sure we can keep our refrigerator, sump pump, heat, and a few other necessities going in case of a major lengthy outage. I\'m concerned with how much gas the larger units require and how much gas a person would have to have on hand. If something major happened, I don\'t think anyone would be able to get near a gas pump. My son borrowed a Honda 3000is when this last outage occurred. What a GREAT little unit. It runs something like 20 hours on 3 gallons of gas and is REAL quiet...but real expensive, too. I think it ran near $2000. My husband insisted that wasn\'t large enough. He\'s probably right, but I don\'t want a gas hog either, just so he won\'t miss a TV show or friends on Facebook. It kind of defeats the purpose of surviving if you don\'t have gas. Just my thoughts anyway. I may have to sit on them eggs myself, next time :-) ...can a person do that???

FLFAmeraucanas:
I used to sell generators and power units.  I believe the Honda 3000is is actually an inverter which is why it is so quiet, feul efficent and expensive.  A normal generator gives you  (in this example) 3000 watts all the time, and can handle peaks of a few hundred watts higher egnerally.  An inverter only outputs however much you actually need (up to whatever it is rated, again 3000 watts in this example).  They are great but expensive!  We use a Pramac 7500 watt generator as standby here. It can run our sump pump, well, fridge, barn lights, some house lights, and Microwave.  The big drain are when your appliances with an electric motor kick on (fridge, freezer, air conditioner, heat pump, ect.)  If I had an unlimited budget, I\'d go for a 15 KW, Natural Gas unit with an automatic transfer switch :) Of course that only works if you have access to natural gas...  Our actual unit is gas, but it has saved our tails a time or two!  If you want something dependable (and long lived)stay away from B&S, Generac or any chinese made engine (which alot of them are).  Stick with a Kohler, Honda, or (hard to find) Wisconsin engine. No matter what generator you get, be sure to run it every few months and keep fresh gas with feul stabilizer in it at all times.  Nothing more frustrating then being in an emergency and finding your carb all gummed up!

Did you see the BYC thread on \"the Bra Incubator\" ? LOL.

Edited because I can\'t spell quiet...

Jess:
Morning,
Just thought I would put in my two bits.
I have a Coleman Powermate 6250 that I use. It run for two weeks after hurricane Katrina. It has a 10 HP OHV Briggs on it and it is real easy to crank. I use it when the power is off for over an hour for my incubators and hatcher.
I crank and run it for about 15-20 minutes at least every month. After I run it a while I cut the gas off and let it run until it quits, so there is no gas in the carburetor or fuel lines.
I used and old Army surplus generator to pump water for the whole community. I would run it at 8 o-clock AM and 5 o-clock PM every day, and folks would line up for about an hour to get water.
We drained gas out of everything we could find. Some folks would bring a little gas, if they had it, so we could pump them water.
How you take care of and service your generator will have a lot to do with how well it will work when you need it.
We are defiantly spoiled to the modern way of life.
Jess

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