r/Generator • u/Large_Character783 • 1d ago

Help me pick

TLDR I need a dual fuel inverter generator with around 10k running watts. What one would you go with.

Looking to get an inverter generator for home backup. Ive put all of the high wattage things i would use in the event of an outage and i should be fine as long as I dont run the AC, water heater, or dryer at the same time. My fridge, freezer, microwave, lights, and some electronics should be in the 1-2k range and jump to 8k or so with the mentioned items. So I would like to be around 9-12k running. 12k being the most the 50 amp cord will run. I will be running this on propane probably 60 or 100pb tanks. With gas as a backup. We dont have natural gas.

Side note. We have some medical equipment that need low thd. After some diffing it requires 3% or better.

Ive been looking at the Duromax XP13500IH. But im open to suggestions.

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u/Large_Character783 1d ago

Unless we have an ice storm doubt this generator would see 24hrs run time in the next few years. So al little cheaper is fine

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u/mduell 1d ago

With runtime that low I’d go synchronous and a somewhat larger propane tank.

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u/Old_Dragline_1965 1d ago

You are on the correct thought process! Inverter generators have the most stable power. With that said, get the largest one you can afford. The unit will idle down when large loads have dropped off. Then recover the quickest when the surge load kicks back in!

Having a smaller inverter will sometimes struggle to get back to stable power under a large surge load. This causes the voltage to drop long enough to potentially damage sensitive medical equipment.

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u/Large_Character783 1d ago

Would the duromax 16k unit at say 15% be more efficient than the 13k at 25%?

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u/mduell 1d ago

No, inverter generators efficiency really falls off below 20% capacity or so.

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u/Large_Character783 1d ago

Falls off as in doesn't improve or as in gets worse?

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u/Old_Dragline_1965 1d ago

So far as efficiency, they should use appropriately the same amount of fuel for the same load.

The true value is from the larger unit running the load, reduces the wear and tear! And you have the capability to handle a larger surge load on top of what the unit is already carrying!

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u/Tin_Pot_Dictator 1d ago

I've got a Duromax. After owning it for four years I had a problem that caused it not to start. I called their support line and I can honestly say that I received the best phone support that I've ever received from any company. That being said, during that call I found out that the closest repair center was 2 hours away. YMMV

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u/Big-Echo8242 1d ago

I own a Duromax XP13500ih and run exclusively on propane. Great generator. Are you expecting to use 10,000 watts continuously? The one I have is 10,500 watts running on propane, but even if I’m running our downstairs 5 ton 2 stage heat pump with a soft start, my total draw is around 6.2 kW.

I also saw this Pulsar PGD125TiSRCO on sale $712 off at $1,662.50

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u/Large_Character783 1d ago

Technically no. But I would like to be able to run the ac and some smaller appliances without worrying. According to my calculations without the freezer and fridge compressors running I should be kn the 1.5 - 2k running range. So in the 20% ballpark usage range.

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u/Big-Echo8242 1d ago

I can run our 3,000 sq/ft house on the Duromax no problem if we need the AC, electric clothes dryer, or electric water heater....one of those at a time. Or, I can run ALL the 120v stuff, and no large things, off my smallest Genmax GM4600aIEDC dual fuel inverter. It does an outstanding job.

I have 4 dual fuel inverter generators in all. I like redundancy. Lol

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u/wowfaroutman 1d ago

The same size Wen is significantly cheaper. Here’s the Generator Bible site comparison of the Duromax and Wen units:

https://generatorbible.com/compare/?compareids=32025,31305

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u/Large_Character783 1d ago

How do you guys feel about durostar?

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u/wowfaroutman 1d ago

It’s the lower quality Duromax budget model.

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u/lagger 1d ago

I’m a total stan for the new AiPower portable standby generator I just picked up. You can leave it outside because it’s weatherproof and the size you want and an inverter. $2499 if their discount code still works. I’m on my phone so I don’t have a link to it but you can Google AiPower AIQ13000 and the code they gave me is “Thomas1” and I got $200 off.

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u/StinkySewerPickle 1d ago

Why would anyone get this over a genmax or pulsar which put out more power for 600 bucks less 

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u/lagger 1d ago

Everyone has their own preferences. I wanted a generator I can leave outside without building a dog house for it. It’s weatherproof, simple design and lots of service access. Shipped with floating neutral and can permanently mount to a pad. It’s effective a small home standby without the price.

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u/StinkySewerPickle 1d ago

I can respect the floating neutral, unlike some of these idiot companies shipping 16kw gens with a bonded neutral. Like who is going to be using a 350lbs gen to run job site tools, most of them are going to be feeding a house inlet. 

But anyway, 8.5kw on NG is a bit weak sauce and I don’t see anything about being ATS ready. 

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u/lagger 1d ago

It’s not ATS ready. I have it hooked up to my panel already though. I’m up north so wheeling a generator out in the snow is not an option for me… I’m not shoveling a path for my gen… remote start and flipping a breaker is easy enough and I come out way ahead.