generator question 3200 v. 6000 watt.....

[mldollins]

I live in southern Illinois and we had some bad storms that went through recently leaving us without power.....okay my point....

I borrowed a generator from my dad that rated at 3000 watts. I hooked only the deep freezer and TV to it along with some small wattage items that needed charging like cell phones etc.....

My question.....I would say that I was pulling no more than 1000 watts. I am looking in the future to add the fridge to that which more than likely would still be under 2000 watts for everything. would a 6000 watt generator use more gas than a 3200 watt generator if both pulled 2000 watts. I would venture to say yes but I'm not an expert here.

Thanks ahead of time........

[ericjeeper]

The 6k genset will use more fuel as it has a larger engine. No you can not run either idled down. They need to run basically 3600rpm to achieve 60 hrtz.
But the 6k will pull more of a load if you ever would need it.

[o&itw]

Portable generators should never be run over about 80% of their rated capacity. Unless one wants to talk some very serious money, they are really only built for short time emergency use. Running one at higher than 80 % will cause a power sag, then surge when anything like an older refridgerator kicks on.. this can damage both the generator and things running off of it. 5k would be about as low as I would want to go if you will have more than a fridge and a few lights... In the winter you will have the blower on your furnace kicking on...and maybe a heat lamp on some stock, etc.

[cfabe]

Eric jeeper is right on for conventional generators. If you want to spend at least 4 times as much you can get an inverter style generator which will idle down when the load is low and still maintain proper power output. The honda EU generators are one example of this type and are excellent machines, quiet and fuel efficient. But I think the 3000 watt one is around $1800. Yamaha also makes inverter machines, might be cheaper than the hondas.

[BTO]

Try a 5.5KW Makita. It will do what you want for around $2000. Check it out here:

http://www.tylertool.com/generator3.html

[ronbre]

ok seeing as how you are giving generator advice..we need a propane type and have to have it automatically kick on if the power goes out or our wood boile will boil over..any suggestions here..you can PM me if you like

[Windy in Kansas]

Check the stats for any generator you are considering. Most give fuel consumption at full load and at 50% load. That should give you some idea as to actual fuel consumption.

ronbre if I were in the market with your needs I would take a look at this unit at Lowes.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...340&lpage=none

[Jolly]

Originally Posted by ronbre

ok seeing as how you are giving generator advice..we need a propane type and have to have it automatically kick on if the power goes out or our wood boile will boil over..any suggestions here..you can PM me if you like

Generac makes about a 7000 watt unit that should do the trick, and is not overly costly.

It's all about load, and what your "necessities" are...

[Jim-mi]

If that gen is rated at 5000watts and it has a 240vac plug, . . . then you will only pull one half that ( 2500watts ) off of one leg.
And if you max out only the one leg, you have created a imbalance that will greatly shorten the life of that gen.
Same goes for the 3000
The best way to get the 5000 max out of that gen, . . and have it live for a while, . .is to tie the two 120v legs together with a transformer (around $600)

are you still with me . . . . .????

[ronbre]

thanks I bookmarked the Lowes site..i think there may be a few other places that also carry it..wonder if it has to be professinoally installed ..prob.

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by ronbre

ok seeing as how you are giving generator advice..we need a propane type and have to have it automatically kick on if the power goes out or our wood boile will boil over..any suggestions here..you can PM me if you like

I bought one from Northern Supply for $8,000 for a Brigs and Striation 20KW and transfer switch. The thing is that 6 seconds after the power out the generator starts up and in 30 seconds it will kick in and run until the power is restored. It automatically starts up every week and runs for 20 minutes to make sure every thing is running right and to care the battery. I really like it. The only thing is to get a 500 gallon tank for it to give more than 50 hours of run time. I have used mine twice and it sure is easy. What I did was to put it in the line before the circuit box and it will run the whole house.

[Jim-mi]

Thanks Old Vet for that post.............

Yes for 8000 you should have a very nice system.

It bothers me that the penny pinchers think/expect to get the same thing when they talk about getting one of those china freight things for 2-300 bucks.

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by Jim-mi

Thanks Old Vet for that post.............

Yes for 8000 you should have a very nice system.

It bothers me that the penny pinchers think/expect to get the same thing when they talk about getting one of those china freight things for 2-300 bucks.

The last ice storm made a believer out of my wife. We started looking around and the Brigs and Striation generator and the biggest transfer switch was what I got for the $8,000 and had it hooked up for that price. We had a 5,000 Watt generator that we used during the last Ice storm and it was noisy and cost a lot of time and money to keep it running and only had some things running. The 20 KW will put out 100 amps and will run most any household with some left over for other things and the engine is quiet so that it won't keep you awake at night. Just a couple of weeks ago a car took out a pole and we were out of power for about 4 hours at dark. It came on and ran until the pour come back on and automatically shut off. I was with out power for 36 seconds.

[hunter63]

Originally Posted by Jim-mi

If that gen is rated at 5000watts and it has a 240vac plug, . . . then you will only pull one half that ( 2500watts ) off of one leg.
And if you max out only the one leg, you have created a imbalance that will greatly shorten the life of that gen.
Same goes for the 3000
The best way to get the 5000 max out of that gen, . . and have it live for a while, . .is to tie the two 120v legs together with a transformer (around $600)

are you still with me . . . . .????

Thanks for bringing this up.
I guess I didn't relalize either, until:

Home Power magazine latest issue dealt with this in a run down of different generators and their uses on different systems, standard, grid tied home power, stand alone home power etc.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for.

[Darren]

I'll add that most of the home units designed to power the house when the electricity goes off are only rated for standby use. A unit designed for continuous use will have a prime rating. If you're going that route get one that runs at 1800 rpm instead of 3600 rpm.

If you're spending anywhere near $10,000 you might as well buy a unit that your grandkids can still use. You won't find those in the big box stores. Talk to a company that sells generators as their main business. Hint, it won't be an electrical contractor either.

[Ross]

Buddy of mine has a china built 6500 watt and it works very well while he built a house. I have a 5000 watt china built diesel genny it tests on my meter very very close to my Honda 5000 watt generator under load and not. My 2 2500 watt Italian built cheapies kill motors and only stick around so they can run some lights. Where its built isn't always a method to certify quality. I'll be looking for a new multi meter (I use a UEI Pheonix meter now) but I want a small Fluke for the tool bag, its gotta do impedance for capacitors continuity and voltage. Pretty basic stuff...... I'll haul out the UEi for amps when needed.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Old Vet

I bought one from Northern Supply for $8,000 for a Brigs and Striation 20KW and transfer switch. The thing is that 6 seconds after the power out the generator starts up and in 30 seconds it will kick in and run until the power is restored. It automatically starts up every week and runs for 20 minutes to make sure every thing is running right and to care the battery. I really like it. The only thing is to get a 500 gallon tank for it to give more than 50 hours of run time. I have used mine twice and it sure is easy. What I did was to put it in the line before the circuit box and it will run the whole house.

............For 8k I can purchase a 13kw , Kubota diesel from Colorado Standby running at 1800 rpm . This is a 3 cylinder kubota diesel engine with a Kubota generator attached to it . , fordy

[fordy]

....................www.coloradostandby.com/

................They sell 3 series of Kubota gensets , the middle series offers a 13kw and a 20kw . The 20kw is priced at $9790 plus freight . Cummins also sells several small , diesel engined(kubota engines , no less!) gensets but they are More expensive than the Kubota units .
.................I would choose a Kubota genset over anything with a B&S engine on it , especially , when , they are the Same price ! , fordy

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Darren

I'll add that most of the home units designed to power the house when the electricity goes off are only rated for standby use. A unit designed for continuous use will have a prime rating. If you're going that route get one that runs at 1800 rpm instead of 3600 rpm.

If you're spending anywhere near $10,000 you might as well buy a unit that your grandkids can still use. You won't find those in the big box stores. Talk to a company that sells generators as their main business. Hint, it won't be an electrical contractor either.

..............You've been paying$$ attention , haven't you , lol !

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Jim-mi

If that gen is rated at 5000watts and it has a 240vac plug, . . . then you will only pull one half that ( 2500watts ) off of one leg.
And if you max out only the one leg, you have created a imbalance that will greatly shorten the life of that gen.
Same goes for the 3000
The best way to get the 5000 max out of that gen, . . and have it live for a while, . .is to tie the two 120v legs together with a transformer (around $600)

are you still with me . . . . .????

..................Champion makes a 3.5 kw unit with a 30 amp RV plug for about $300 than sends the full 3500 watts too one single plug , but , it has a chinese\honda clone engine . I ran my Champion , just this afternoon for about 3 hours due too the power being off . I ran my 15,000 btu air unit , a couple of fans a my TV just fine . , fordy