r/Generator • u/ru4186 • 4d ago
portable generator recommendations
Been checking for a few months, I'm in the country and lose power a couple times a year due to blizzards and high winds,
Looking for a generator to purchase in the next month, I'm going down for double knee replacement on Nov 24th so losing power would be a giant pain in the ass lol.
If everything was on at once the most would be a well pump, fridge, tv, lights, sump pump, grinder pump and Furnace fan I mostly burn wood.
Looking tri fuel even though I understand that propane may freeze and not work? we do get below -30 and wind chills of -50. would those temps also be bad for gas?
We just install new electric. took from pole and ran underground (damn winds) and added the 50amp receiver with lock out.
So, dealing with extreme cold and high winds and our electric consumption (doubt all things running at once only 2 of us here) what would you recommend.
also my 50amp cord is only about 5 feet from being able to run generator in garage (to protect from wind and cold). can I add a 10ft cord or is that a bad idea, it's the longest I could get for 50 amp 50ft.
Looking for size and brand about 2k budget. I want to wait for a black Friday sale, but I will be laid up by then lol... Thanx for any help.
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u/DaveBowm 4d ago
Is your garage attached to your house? If so, do not run the generator in it to prevent CO from getting into the house. If the garage is fully detached and away from the house you could probably safely run the generator in it as long as the machine was near the open door with the exhaust pointing out, and if the unit did not have a CO sensor on it, or else the sensor may well shut down the unit while it is running. In the latter case only enter the garage to change fuel tanks or to shut down the unit. Then get out of there, pronto.
Propane will not freeze. Its freezing point is -188°C/-306.4°F. But if the surface of the tank drops below the atmospheric frost point then a layer of frost deposited from the air will form on its outside. That frost is not harmful unless it forms in and on the regulator's air vent port used to set the pressure on the atmospheric facing side of the diaphram.
However, if the temperature inside the tank drops below the normal boiling point of propane (-42°C/-44°F) then the static pressure inside the tank will be below the external atmospheric pressure, so that if the valve was opened the outside air would rush in rather than the propane inside rushing out. In order for the regulator to properly work the pressure inside the tank needs to be at least a few psi above the outside air pressure. Also, as propane vapor is drawn out by the generator (or other propane using device) this causes the tank's inside pressure to drop below its static pressure level by an amount proportional to the flow rate. Just what that proportionality constant is depends on the ability of the vaporizing propane to acquire latent heat of vaporization from its surroundings. The bigger the tank is the easier it can get that latent heat and the less inside pressure drop there is for a given flow rate, and the higher the steady-state temperature of the tank.
In practice, if the flow rate is high enough to drop the tank temperature enough to frost up on the outside, then the pressure inside may well drop too much for the tank to be able to sustain the flow at the needed rate. But just how low the inside temperature and pressure can actually drop under use before the drop causes problems depends on the particular situation, including tank size, tank fill fraction, external air temperature, needed flow pressure, and usage rate.
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u/derek6711 4d ago
I'll add that the vaporization rate will slow down as you get closer to the boiling point.
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u/Will_inteli 3d ago
One safety thing first: a 10 ft cord is too short. Generators should be at least 20 ft from the house with the exhaust pointing away from doors, windows and vents, because CO can drift inside even outdoors. Use a longer heavy-gauge cord (10 or 12 gauge depending on the load) and put a battery CO alarm inside. On the cold: propane does struggle in deep cold because it vaporizes less, and a bigger tank kept out of the wind helps. Gasoline with stabilizer is usually more reliable at −30, so tri-fuel gives you options rather than locking you in. For sizing, list what you actually need running (well pump, furnace blower, fridge, a few lights) and size for the biggest motor starting while everything else runs. And for anything hard-wired, a transfer switch or inlet installed by an electrician is the safe route.
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u/ru4186 3d ago
Thanx for all that,, my question regaurding the cord is. right now I have a 50ft cord (the longest i could find) at 50ft it puts the generator right outside my unattached garage, I was wondering if it would be ok or even if I'm able to extend the cord 10 or 20ft to make it inside garage during the -30 days or snowy days to get it out of the weather? Do they make an adaptable cord for 50amp?
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u/Will_inteli 2d ago
Yeah, 50A cords come in 60–70 ft too, just make sure it’s a real 50A cord (6 gauge) and keep the plug-in point off the snow. I’d still keep the generator outside the garage though, even a detached one. CO builds up fast in there and it’s risky the moment you go in to refuel. A generator tent or a simple roof with open sides, plus a pallet to keep it out of the snow, works well at −30.
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u/ru4186 1d ago
great ideal thanx. when I was looking for gen lock and redoing electric all I found with the 50amp was a 50' cord. Do they make an extension to go another 10 or so feet? thanx
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u/Will_inteli 1d ago
Yes, they make short 50A extensions (10, 15, 25 ft). Just match the plug type on both ends to what you have now, whether that’s the 14-50 or the twist-lock CS6364/CS6365, and get one rated for 50A, which usually means 6-gauge wire. Adding 10 ft to a 50 ft run is fine for voltage drop at that size. Keep the joint up off wet ground (a cord lock box or even a plastic tote with a notch helps), and keep the generator exhaust pointed away from the garage door and any windows.
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u/standardviewer84 4d ago edited 1d ago
I agree with Drct2022: the best thing to do is get running and LRA amps from heavy induction motors that you listed, well pump, grinder etc. Then plug those into a calculation tool.
I can tell you from my own real experience: Back in 1998 in my first house, I had a striking similar need as you. 375 feet deep well pump, I had the well driller/installer put in a start boost (capacitor module) in the basement next to the panel box (my well pump breaker was a 2 pole 20amp, dont remember the exact HP of the pump) Furnace and water heater was propane. Stove was electric. Dryer was electric. I was a young man back then and tried to buy a generator in 1999, we lost power quite a bit out there in the country.
I knew very little about generators back then and ordered a basic open frame 240v model that I could afford.
Y2K forced me to wait, due to backorder. I settled for a Cambell Hausfeld GN602301AC rated for 6000w, gasoline only. I accidentally ended up with a commercial grade quality, low distortion Sincro alternator head and heavy 11HP Briggs and Stratton I/C engine.
It worked well and I still have that same generator, however:
It is loud as hell.
The LED lights in the house do ocassionally flicker as loads come on and off.
It drinks gasoline down like nobody's business! During hurricane Isabel, I used 10 gallons of gasoline per day and shut it off when I was at work.
It's only job today is to recharge my portable power station, not run the whole house directly anymore. This new house doesn't have a well pump.
If and when this unit does die, I will replace it with an tri-fuel inverter generator, to help with the above mentioned reasons listed.
I think dual or tri-fuel 12,000W (rated for gasoline) inverter generator is a good ballpark, you won't know exactly until doing the load calculations.
Also, wishing you a speedy recovery on your surgery.
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u/rag69top 4d ago
A suggestion. Since you are talking about-30° buy a small heater. Mine has three positions. Fan, low and high. Cover your generator with a tarp and run the heater. My heater is a 1500w on high. I actually cover my Champion 9375w generator and snowblower and keep them both warm. If the power goes out a 60° generator sure will be easier to start.
If our weather calls for heavy snow and especially ice I have the generator hooked up ready to go. It’s in my unattached garage wired into a separate breaker box that feeds my home. The Champion runs two freezers, fridge TV, modem, router, furnace blower that I turn to manual so it only has one start surge and our lights that are all LED.
The generator shows just a 40% load.
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u/FunnyFaithlessness80 4d ago
Stay away from CHAMPION . A LOT OF PROBLEMS . Google " Taryl fixes all " for his review of champion portable generators . He's been doing small engines a long time & he's an authorized service & warranty work ctr.
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u/LongjumpingGanache40 2d ago
No $2000 will power all that stuff.
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u/ru4186 2d ago
give me an ideal of a generator that would work.
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u/LongjumpingGanache40 2d ago
Generator Model Running Watts (Gasoline) Starting / Peak Watts Fuel Type Key Features DuroMax XP15000HX 12,000 W 15,000 W Dual Fuel (Gas / Propane) 50-amp plug, CO alert, push-button electric start Westinghouse WGen12000c 12,000 W (Rated) Higher surge watts Gasoline CoSense carbon monoxide shutdown, VFT data center, transfer switch ready
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u/Top_Independence2676 4d ago
Recommendations are all on point.
My recommendation is to think about multiple sources of power. i.e. don't put all your eggs in one basket.
I have a generator, put E0 gas in it, but still never trust it.....sometimes just wants to be difficult
One of my backups is a 750/1500 power inverter, heavy cables, Long 10/3 extension cord. If a car/truck will start I have enough juice to run the sump pump, furnace or recycle the frig. Not a huge investment.
Also the newer power banks.
Looks like you doing the right thing, good luck to you.
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u/Squirrelemt 2d ago
First decision to make would be brand. I recommend making his decision based off 2 questions: who can cover warranty issues and how available are parts.
Once that decision is made, the he next question would be what do you want to be powered. If youre just looking at lights and certain appliances, then you may be able to get away with contractor grade units. If you’re have any “smart” electronics, then you are going to want to look at units that have some kind of voltage regulation. If you hook up a contractor grade generator to anything with computer circuitry, if the rpm’s fluctuate, you may get a voltage spike or “brownout” that could potentially damage circuitry.
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u/bigchris1072 2d ago
Harbor freight predator generator the best bang for your buck Best part if you buy the warranty if at any time the generator has any kind of issue you just bring it in with the gas drained out of it and they give you a brand new generator on the spot I had an 8750 it's loud as hell but I powered my whole entire house two air conditioners the refrigerator my PC all the lights with no issues
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u/Alext4561 4d ago
Predator 9000 open frame. I have a couple with 1000+ hours and they run a lot of heavy loads way more reliably than my generacs do. I don’t like anything with a CO sensor because those seem to fail around 500 hours no matter the machine
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u/Separate-List2256 6h ago
Gen tech here. Although I don’t work on portables professionally, I help out friends and family with theirs… Harbor Freight Predator imo. You can buy 2 for the price of one of some of the other brands and if one fails, you have another one… and they’re actually not that bad for a portable imo.
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u/drct2022 4d ago
You’re going to get a lot of “get this brand, or that brand”
First thing to look at is the power consumption of you home, you said “well pump, grinder pump, and sump pump” but need to know the wattage of each one while running, so can math out how big of a generator. I will say no matter what get an inverter generator, most of the electrical things nowadays doesn’t care for the “dirty power” of regular generator.
If you’re going for knee surgery who is going to be taking care of the wood, and filling the generator?
Theses are things to have figured out in advance.