[Mildot]

Hello. I need some assistance please. I have a cabin and frequently lose power in the winter so I want to buy a generator to have standby power for a few items I want to run in case of a power outage. Here are the items in order or importance:

-Well Pump system (Grundfos 10S10-15 pump, 1HP 230volt)
-Refrigerator/Freezer
-Lights (LED bulbs)
-Gas furnace fan (I have a fireplace that heats the place so this is an option I can do without).
-A few outlets for TV, etc

I am unable to find the startup watts required for the well pump and the running watts, I want to ensure the Kubota GL7000 will be enough or do I need to go to the GL11000?


Thanks.

 

[flewism]

Watts = Amps x Volts, you should have started up and run amps in the paperwork. if you want to run the fridge/freezer and well simultaneously you will need the 1100.

 

[moeh1]

GL 7000 is rated for 27 amps 220v output. Your pump is likely about 6-7 amps running, but probably 2-3 times that surge when starting. As stated above, if you don't try to start the well and both refrig compressors at the same time, you can proably run everything you want to run. A manual transfer switch allows you to turn individual things on and off to keep the total load below your maximum. The 7000 will burn less fuel/hr too.

 

[||Downhome||]

Something to consider is the power curve on the generator.

I know a good few folks that installed standby generators 10,000 and better.

Problem with two large a generator if fuel consumption at no load is a good portion of fuel consumption at full load.

I suppose if you have the money to waste and like the convenience of having everything running same as when grid powered , your good to go.

If your breaker box is set up right you don't need to hassle with a separate load center.

Your only going to be running the pump intermittently and fridge and freezer only to to be charged up ever so often, as long as you keep the doors shut.

You have buckets and jugs you fill for the days water, a cooler for the needs of the day. I store food outside in the winter during a outage. as well as making Ice for the cooler.

I have yet to do it but all our lighting circuits will be isolated so I can use a inverter and batteries (kept charged off grid when connected and charged off the gen when not) I would prefer to run the gen 6 hours in the morning 6 off and then 6 again. so having it set up like that we could have electric lighting with out running the gen and IMO wasting fuel.

So if you go with that sort of game plan and balance the loads manually a 5500 watt generator should suffice and give you the best use of fuel.

We have a generac wheel house and the surge watts its rated at is close to 9000 and its 5500 continuous. Works well for us and we power the well,fridge,freezer,lights,
computers,etc.

The key is not to run all the big loads at once.

 

[chronic66]

I agree with the reasoning of the above poster, but, we bought a coleman powermate about 2008. It was 10,000 surge, 8500 constant power. It ran our whole house without any problem, but, it burns a lot of gas if you run it constantly.

 

[Ozarks Tom]

We run our pump, 2 fridges, 3 freezers, funace fan, lights and television with no problem off our Generac 8.5kw. I wouldn't try running the AC too, but that's not a necessity.

 

[ET1 SS]

It is common among our neighbors for homes to have two generators.

A large gennie that can operate everything like 'normal', but consumes a gallon of fuel per hour [or more]. They run the big one for an hour every day, to pump water, flush toilets, that bring the chest freezers down to temp.

The other unit is a small generator that will run for 8-hours on a gallon of fuel. It does not produce enough to power their well. But it does power lighting and allows them to be online.

In winter, we unplug our chest freezer. Do not need it trying to kick-on obviously.

 

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

always first determine the load then size your gen set so that your total load is 2/3 to 3/4 of the available running

no piece of equipment runs it's best at 100%

I helped my brother install a manual transfer switch and would definitely recommend it , it has load meters built right in , and makes switch over very easy and switch back easier

remember to run your gen set 15 minutes a month under a load like running a few box fans or halogen light tree then turn off the fuel and let it run dry when you shut it down

keep fuel stabilizer in it and if at all possible buy ethanol free gas to feed it , ethanol free gas keeps a year with ethanol has a 2-3 month shelf life


my grand parents are on city water and have wood heat , they have a much smaller gen set and use an extension cord into the house , they plug in the refrigerators and freezer only

running A/C much more than a small window unit is going to take a lot of your gen set up if you can manage with fans they use much less power , especially if you wire in one room of your house with a ceiling fan to the manual switch over box

 

[Jim-mi]

Really agree on the two generator idea. The last you need is to have a 7000 watt gen running all night so as to have lights to go potty.
Yes the Kobata 7000 rates up there with the good stuff.
However you could get away with a good smaller unit to power that well. My Yamaha 4600E will power my 240vac well. . . You just have to be selective as to what to power at the same time.
Then the 2000I Yamaha will run/charge the batteries for many many hours on one gallon of fuel . . . . .
And this new breed of inverter generators are very quiet---for running at night if need be. The Kobata 7000-1100 would not be nice to your sleeping habits.

One thing I certainly respect you for is that you came on here talking from the git go about a very decent quality generator, and not the super cheap $200 crapola so called "generators"

 

[Jolly]

I have a Generac 5500/6500 surge that does well. IMO, the 5500 size is the sweet spot for generators - enough to do what you need (with some planning), without being a fuel hog.

 

[Mildot]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I have what I need to go forward. I will keep my honda 3000 for small loads as it is fuel efficient and get the diesel Kubota 7000 for larger loads.

 

[Nimrod]

Most generators produce modified sine wave electricity. They are cheaper to build this way and run most things alright. This guy is a bit of a doofus and, for those of you with delicate sensibilities, he uses one bad word, but what he says is right. He happens to be talking about inverters but what he says is true of generators too.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koc9rR4ad4Q[/ame]

Modified sine wave power will cause motors to run hotter, shortening their life. It is hard on electronics and may damage most computer printers.

True sine wave generators put out very very clean power, identical, if not better than, grid power. I would have a generator that puts out true sine wave power hooked up to the circuits that power my sensitive stuff.

The good news is that, if your Honda is a 3000i model, it puts out true sine wave power. Use it for the sensitive stuff and the big one for everything else.

I agree with the advice to have a small, fuel efficient, true sine wave, generator for everyday use and a bigger one for the heavy stuff.

It's hard to tell what the Kubota puts out. It says "Clean power" but doesn't claim true sine wave.

http://www.unitedgenerator.com/proddetail.php?prod=GL7000-USA

The Kubota seems pricy to me but should be a heavy duty genset suitable for running 24/7. The only thing I noticed is that it runs at 3600 RPM. Most folks recommend one that runs at 1800 RPM because it will last longer. The military surplus MEP 002 or MEP 003 are good values but can be hard to get parts for. Onan makes some durable small generators for RVs and you may be able to scrounge one.

Have fun.

 

[pgnash13]

A usb connection is 5volts and either 1amp to 2amps typically.

Some solar products produce lower current levels but are still effective with direct sunlight

 

[michael ark]

This is what i'm looking at.http://http://www.samsclub.com/sams/gentron-174-3500-watt-propane-generator/191300.ip?navAction=push

 

[Jim-mi]

I have never ever heard of a rotary generating device---alternator---producing a "modified sine wave" . . . . . . .no such animal......

The mod sine evolved from the square wave inverters of yester year. All in the electronic circuitry ....

"clean power" refers to the voltage 'regulation' . . . . . . something which is sorely lacking in the cheapy generators.........to the point of nasty over voltage spikes which will do great harm to equipment.

Good equipment does not come for cheap...................

 

[Nimrod]

I didn't just pull this out of thin air.

http://www.gunssavelife.com/?p=1925

There does seem to be some controversy over why the power from cheap generators is bad for sensitive electronics. Whether it's modified sine wave electricity or voltage spikes or a combination of the two, The bottom line is that you want a generator that proclaims true sine wave power for sensitive stuff.

 

[Jim-mi]

Which just goes to show ya that not all stuff that you read on the internet is true. That guy is very wrong.
Do some research on how a generator generates ............passing in and out of the field of the magnet causes the "wave" too rise and fall in a perfect "sine" wave.
I certainly am not a teacher, but that is about as simple as I can explain it.

The huge difference in generators is in the voltage regulation circuits-----and of course the cheap and the good motors.
They have cut corners to arrive at the cheap price . .

I had a off grid customer with a big expensive wind turbine and solar panels, a big $3000 Trace/Xantrex inverter. . . . good system. But He bought two (backup) Coleman 5000 watt cheapy generators.
Those cheap--pee poorly regulated voltage units -twice- wiped out circuit boards on the big inverter.
Each time it cost him over $500 bucks to replace the circuit boards.
He was so bull headed he Never would admit that the problem stemmed from the CHEAP generators..........


Ya get what ya pay for................

 

[AZHomesteader]

I bought a used onan 7KW rv genset for $250.00, it runs at 1800 rpm and is very quiet, it puts out 120v at 56 amps, i use a 5000 watt step up transformer to run my well. I am totally off grid and only use the gen to run the well or to recharge my battery bank if i have several cloudy days in a row. It uses .7 gph at full load which i can live with, i have never pulled more then 5000 watts on it to date at one time.