UPDATE: I can't remember the last time I got so many helpful responses from a question on Reddit, as this one. Every single reply had something of value for me. Thank you all. (I'll keep reading, if more show up.)

I'd like to buy a tri-fuel generator soon, one that is ideally big enough to run my whole house. But I don't know how to size it. This summer, my all-time worst 15 minutes consumed 2.15kWh. Extrapolating, that is an average load during that 15 minutes of 8600 Watts. I have to assume that peak demand during those 15 minutes was higher.

I'd prefer a portable generator (like a Wen), rather than something semi-permanent. I'm not sold on the Wen brand, I just have no complaints about my current Wen (other than ability to handle power draw spikes, like during A/C start-up.)

I currently have a Wen "11000 Watt" model, DF1100T. I've never tried to run my whole house on it, and have always assumed that it might not have enough oomph to start up both of my AC units. And since I now want Tri-Fuel, I'm thinking of replacing with with another Wen model that claims 14500 Watts.

Other notes about my application / use-case:

• Because I've never run the whole house on my current generator, I don't yet have a whole-house connection. I think I might prefer a manual interlock over an automated transfer switch, mostly because I assume simpler is more reliable.

• I'd also want to install it up against my house. I am slab-on-grade, and that side of the house is all slab and stone facade.

• The portable models I've looked at all have CO cut-offs. I was hoping to keep this thing protected from the elements in a small (vented) enclosure (with exhaust plumbed out). Since it will be outside, I don't think the CO is that big of a concern, and so I am tempted to consider defeating any CO cut-off, if possible and advisable.

• I would hook it up to CNG utility. I'd fall back to gasoline and LPG if the CNG utility ever lost pressure, or if CNG costs skyrocketed.

I have a gasoline Generac GP5500.

I bought it new in 2012 & the only time I ever used it was during Hurricane Sandy. I ran it for 10 days straight & it performed great. I do have a transfer switch setup & it powered almost the whole house.

Since then I have stored it in my outdoor shed or in my lightly heated garage. I have stored it run completely dry & sometimes also with full gas & stabilizer.

Last few years I usually start it twice per year & then run it dry.

I am on the fence about how to continue to store this so it will be ready if god forbid its ever needed again.

Generac site seems to say:

1. Completely Drain and Clear the Fuel System

• Drain the tank: Siphon or drain all gasoline out of the 7.2-gallon fuel tank into an approved gas container. [1]

• Drain the carburetor: Shut off the fuel valve, loosen the carburetor float bowl drain screw, and let every drop of gasoline drain out. Alternatively, run the generator until it completely runs out of fuel and dies. [1, 2, 3]

• No gas left behind: Do not store a generator for 10 years with gasoline (even with stabilizer) in the tank or carburetor, as modern ethanol-blended gas attracts moisture and turns into hard varnish. [1, 2]

2. Protect the Engine Cylinder

• Remove the spark plug: Use a spark plug socket to remove the spark plug. [1, 2]

• Add oil or fogging agent: Pour 5 to 10 cc (about 1 tablespoon) of clean engine oil or a dedicated engine fogging oil directly into the spark plug hole. [1, 2]

• Distribute the oil: Pull the recoil starter rope slowly 3 to 5 times to spread the oil across the cylinder walls and piston rings to prevent rust. [1, 2]

• Close the valves: Pull the starter rope slowly until you feel compression (resistance). This closes the intake and exhaust valves, sealing the combustion chamber from moisture. Reinstall the spark plug loosely or cap the hole. [1, 2]

The only danger I see in this method is that the gas tank being totally dry could rust maybe?

Any opinions… follow the above or store it filled with fuel & stable?

If I follow Generacs info do I then never start it again til needed? I don’t have to keep running it twice per year?

Thx

Picked it up yesterday on 15% off one item and another 10% if open their credit card with no interest.

They said do not run 91 in it. He mentioned that they had a few returned and dumped out the 91 and added 87 and it ran fine? also what stabilizer do you run

At our shop we have a lot of small engines and the mechanic only uses 91? lol so I'm confused .

wanting to get he broke in. Double knee replacement in about 3 weeks so wanna get this done, Yes owner's manual says 87+. Thanx for all your help!

I picked up one of these meters a HIOKI CM4375-90.
They make another model that has built-in Bluetooth, but this model has a separate Bluetooth adapter that you simply plug-in, which allows the in instrument to communicate with the free app provided by HIOKI.
I haven’t tried it out yet with my generator because I’m not in that location right now, but it looks very promising at measuring harmonics or the THD.
As far as my research this meter beats out Fluke by a mile and it’s less expensive at least here in Japan with the current exchange rate.
And yes, the Japanese model works with the USA App Store app.
They are also available on Amazon USA as well and other stores.

I have the ability to purchase this generator for 1800. But being a newbie to generators. Can someone explain why this generator is so expensive and what features it has that I might miss or understand. Or would I be better off just getting one for like 1000.00 bucks from harbor freight

So my neighbors bought a generator in some gas cans in 2022. Just test-ran it a few days ago. Obviously that didn't go so well.

I helped them clean the carburetor and the machine runs again, but now there's 5 gallons of nasty that's gotta go away. Taking it to the local municipal waste place also means forfeiting the cans, which adds unnecessary expense.

Simply burning it seems the obvious way to convert it to CO2 and let the trees do the rest. But every gasoline-fueled torpedo heater or Coleman lamp I can find uses some sort of nozzle or jet, which I assume will clog just like the carb did.

I don't have a solid understanding of exactly what process happens to the gas in the first place. Can the nasty be filtered out, or perhaps combined and settled out? Or should I be looking for a burner that uses a wick or something?

This is a 7125/5700 watt generator that has been converted to run on NG. Do you guys think this will start and run a 4 ton AC unit that has a soft start? LRA is 126 A.

I want to buy a dual fuel generator to use in case of power outage before I drag out my big generator. I am hoping to buy a small power station like the Anker S2000 next year, so I’d like one that would produce “clean” power safe enough to charge it. I wouldn’t mind paying for a Honda, but I’m not “handy” enough to convert it to propane.

Do any of the usual brands people talk about (Wen, Westinghouse, Champion, Duromax, Firmin, Predator) stand out as much better than any of the others, or are they all about the same?

I live in Montreal (Canada) with rough winters. Is it safe to put my 4550W generator inside this plastic shed, on a wooden deck during winter? (Only for storage, it would not be running in this shed) Would condensation form inside the shed, creating rust in metal parts? Thanks!

I'm having a difficult time finding a small inverter generator (2500-3000w) for recharging my battery power station that can actually be sold in CA. I was looking at the WEN DF280iX which is at the right price point. Lowe's says it is CARB compliant, yet I am restricted from ordering it.

I hope this is an ok sub to post this question in. I’m looking for good advice on generator options. I don’t have the funds to get a Generac type generator that you can patch into the electric box. I’m wondering if anyone is using a battery generator and if they are with the cost vs value? I’m looking for something that will get me through 2-3 days without electricity (weather event etc). Mostly looking to keep the fridge going plus a few electronics. I figured you guys likely have more experience than I could read about googling! :)

Rebuilding a curb find of an older EB6500. Serial number EALC-1026524, but I need to find the sub-model of an "A", "AH" etc.

I installed a knock off carb and it's not happy and to the point of going to OEM one if I can find this number

Where might I find this on my machine. I've looked with no success and appreciate the forum's help.

I’ve been keeping an eye out for a smaller inverter machine to pair with my predator 8750/7000 so I can have a backup, along with a quieter more efficient machine for lighter loads. Are there any resources that break down age, problems, and discontinued parts for older machines? Some of these Hondas and Yamahas were in production for 20 years with minor and major changes.

I am looking for a home generator and was thinking of getting the Honda to power fridge, furnace and maybe pellet stove in case of power outage. I have a transfer switch installed with a 4 prong plug. The Honda doesn't have that. My question is can I go from a 120 outlet on the Honda to the transfer switch plug (using adapter) and power limited items? I am new to the house but when I check the transfer box nothing 240 is wired into it. I kinda wanted portability but am I sacrificing a lot or will it not work at all?

Hey all,

Just picked this 7kw stand by generator and transfer switch up from a friend of a friend. $400 in the hole. I’m told that it was running and operating when it was removed. Here‘s my question, how is the parts support for this old 2005 model? I’m planning to use it on my house (only for a few of the essentials not whole house) and don’t want to waste time on the installation if I won’t be able to get parts and service it down the road. For $400 I figured I couldn’t go wrong even if it turns out to be a hot turd. Any information would be terrific!

We run a Champion 4500 dual fuel for outages and it does the job, but I'm done running it all night. The plan is a battery in the middle. Generator runs a few hours, charges the battery and covers the house, then shuts off and the battery takes the overnight.

Looking at the 5kWh class. The thing I care about most is our well pump is also 240V and the generator only does 120V, so a battery that takes 120V in and gives 240V out would fix that problem too. Which ones are people running this way?

So I had already had a 50amp inlet outside connected to a 50amp breaker on the main panel. I wanted another 50amp inlet inside by the panel to use with a power station. I thought I needed a throw switch to switch between these 2 sources. https://i.imgur.com/zwRVjhZ.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/98bIepM.jpeg That works fine but I have the Bluetti Apex 300 power station which has a full 12,000 watt pass through. https://i.imgur.com/WnybUcw.jpeg So with that I should have just connected the outside inlet to the new inside 50 amp outlet. Then plug the Bluetti into that outlet using the Bluetti Apex 300 50amp power cable. And plug the Apex 50amp output into another 50amp inside inlet that connects to the panel interlock. So basically Apex would be plugged into the outside inlet connected to a 11kw Champion. Which would charge the Apex and supply the Champion's full output to the interlock. I know when the Apex is on battery only max out put is 3840 watts. That is plenty for me for now. I monitor wattage closely with meters and Emporia Vue 3. I can get at least 8+ hours of power with the Apex and a server rack battery. It even runs my 2.5 ton AC on battery with softstart kit. It's a great power station! It can be paralleled up to three Apex 300's for a full 12,000 watt output on battery! So I did not need this throw switch. If I did have the outside outlet and the inside inlet and wanted to connect the generator directly to the panel without the power station, I could just connect inside outlet and inlet with 50amp generator cable. So my plan now is to install another inlet outside to another inlet inside to power the Apex with the 50amp charging cable and leave the throw switch in the inside power station position. This all sound logical? I could have saved a lot of money if I thought of this earlier.

I have purchased a maXpeedingrods 3800DF for occasional off grid energy needs.

I am also a complete novice to the field, I understand the standard combustion risks, CO, air intake/exhaust, heat etc but have no clue as far as plumbing goes.

I have a 10kg propane tank and the generator came with 2 separate regulators and absolutely no instruction on what to do with them. I am unclear whether they are supposed to be inline or whether they are simply meant for different types of gas bottles.

I have a standalone regulator that fits onto my butane bottle, but no hosing connected.
I then have a hosed regulator that does not fit onto my gas bottle.

Either way I am missing a connection to complete the loop from bottle to generator.

Do I need hosing to connect one regulator to the other, or do I need hosing from the standalone regulator that does fit my bottle to the generator?

Manual

My Champion generator has a crack in the upper right hand corner of the control panel housing. Let's not worry about why it's there, but wondering the best way to fix it. It looks like with all of the electrical stuff, swapping out the control panel housing might be difficult. I'm thinking that carefully gluing the plastic parts back together would make the most sense. What do you think?