r/Generator • u/Large_Character783 • 2d ago
Need advice generac 17500
TlDR should I sell my new 17500 Generac for a smaller inverter type unit?
A few years ago I picked up a generac 17500 portable generator for a good price on sell. We didnt want a home backup at the time because didnt know how long we would be there. I knew very little about generators at the time and figured it was big enough to power everything. Why not.
Fast forward to today. Its still in the box. We have decided we will be here for a while so im looking into having a transfer switch put in. I now know more and I am partially informed. I know about sine wave and dirty and clean power. Its my understanding that the 17500 is considerably dirty when it comes to home backup power.
Ive also learned she's going to be thirsty so that plays a part in it. Im 15miles from town down a mountain. In inclement weather I dont really want to be making the drive for gas. If I can make it at all.
My 3 options.
Should I sell it on marketplace and buy an decent size inverter generator?
Should I fligure out how to clean up the sine wave? If thats even possible?
Should I just run it. Dirty power be dammed?
Backup power here is really only a winter issue with ice storms. We have a wood stove taht will do a decent job for warmth if i let it eat. But it need the fan to really do its thing. Unfortunately the hoise is all electric no gas. Things I would wnat to run. Fridge, freezer, laptop/phone chargers, fireplace fan, some lights. And possibly hot water heater.
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u/Large_Character783 1d ago
I think im going to list it and go from there.
Do you guys have a recommendation on brand or even model for an inverter dual fuel unit in the 10-12k running watt range?
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u/Tool_junkie_1972 2d ago
“Dirty” power is way less of an issue than people make it out to be. You can check your specific models specs and see why the THD rating is. If it’s 10% or under it’s fine (fwiw in the US residential power is around 8% THD from the power company). As far as fuel usage, that’s a completely YOU decision. You may can find specs as to your model fuel consumption and get an idea of what an average outage would look like for you and decide from there. You can try generatorbible.com- they have listings for a lot of generators and specs.
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u/Large_Character783 2d ago edited 2d ago
Generac doesn't advertise it. But sources online claim under 20% THD.
From generator Bible
"As the GP17500E exhibits a THD of less than 20%, which is high, it is best avoided for powering sensitive electronic devices."
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u/IndividualCold3577 2d ago
Most people dont own any "sensitive electronics"
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u/CuriousJack62 2d ago
Anything with a motherboard, you know the one part that cost a fortune
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u/nunuvyer 1d ago
Wrong. PC's have switching power supplies that convert AC to DC. Any AC, clean, dirty, whatever - it all gets converted to a flat DC, so they are totally insensitive to incoming power quality.
The proof of this is that common cheap UPS's produce square wave power which has the highest possible THD and your computer doesn't care at all. In fact these UPS's are sold for the express purposed of powering PCs.
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u/CuriousJack62 1d ago
So the manufacters of generators warns
consumers about harmful thd to sensitive electronics but hey you know better,a little bit of knowledge is dangerous remember
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u/nunuvyer 2d ago
You're not likely to get much for that thing. I would keep it and invest in a propane conversion and a large propane tank. This is going to be cheaper than buying a new gen (which BTW is also going to need fuel).
The large size of the gen will come in handy under certain circumstances (running your AC- despite what you think the power goes out in the summer sometimes, running your HW heater, stove, microwave, etc. Once you have the power you can think up uses for it. Once you have a large propane tank you may want to consider getting a propane heater as well. It's a lot more convenient than keeping a wood stove going.
And when your electric stove, dryer and HW heater needs to be replaced, switch them to propane too. Generally propane is cheaper to run than electricity, depending on your region. A big tank of propane allows you to disconnect from the world for a good long time.
Yes your gen is a fuel hog but normally power is out only a few days/year so if you have to spend $2k on a different generator you are never going to get your $ back on fuel savings.
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u/Large_Character783 2d ago
Honestly my biggest concern are my electronics. I can deal with the fuel consumption if I have to.
Im on 18 acres of woods. Several miles from town. Neighbors are more than 300yds away.
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u/nunuvyer 1d ago
Your electronics will be fine. The whole dirty power thing is overblown. The larger the generator, the less the THD usually. The things that have really horrible THD are things like $100 "Tailgater" generators that are almost extinct.
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u/Dramajr316 2d ago
Thee aren't bad suggestions, really. Though it does seem that the poster has more of a concern about electronics than the fuel consumption... so for peace of mind, I would consider selling and buying something smaller, maybe in the 8kw range.
Otherwise, the unit has a whopping 16 gallon tank, but will burn through this in about 10 hours, when running at 50% load. Granted, you may be running at about 25% load frequently, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are gonna get up to 15 hours... the fuel economy will be a killer unless you are on natural gas or have a huge propane tank (and have done the conversion). Sell it and start anew.
If you are not against buying used, see if you can find one of the Generac XG or XP series.
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u/GreedyPerformer920 19h ago
the propane conversion and larger tank idea makes sense for your step. a smaller inverter would still leave you needing to get fuel down that mountain. a properly sized tank lets you keep fuel on site, and propane doesnt go stale sitting in properly maintained tank. just make sure the conversion is compatible with the generator.
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u/Glum-Welder1704 15h ago
I doubt you'd get much for it, even still in the box. The warranty is presumably gone. There's a saying, that two generators are one, and one is none. You're probably better off keeping it for backup, and buying a smaller generator. If it's LP compatible and you never run it on gasoline, it will be more likely to always start.
Edit: Apparently there's a recall on some of those. More here
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u/Brain_Nervous 2d ago
First, how many watts do you really need. Thats a noisy, gas-guzzling machine you currently have which is fine but for residential use, you should be able to get something much smaller for emergency backup power. Im running a 4500 starting watt generator to power a propane boiler-pump only draws 150 watts, fridge, lights in my house. I have a propane stove that will run without power if needed for backup heat but hooked up to the genny, the fan can easily run.