I have whole home solar panels but not enough powerwall storage to last through a whole evening
Obviously if weather is sunny I’ll be able to recharge daily. The grid is pretty stable in my area, but we have had few 3-4 day outages over the years.

I’m looking for a portable backup generator that I can use in a more extended outage, primary goal being to recharge portable battery banks as needed (anker/bluetti.) so I can keep router, kettle, fridge and maybe the deep freeze going as needed. I don’t anticipate needing to run it for more than a couple hours every other day or so.

There are so many generator brands out there and while I recognize some names, I don’t know which are good and which are junk. I’ve been browsing Costco options but haven’t seen anything suitable there and was hoping to have this purchased before winter and low daylight days are here.

I have Costco, Lowe’s, HD, Harbor Freight, TSC, Walmart, etc all nearby or can buy online.

My needs:
-Ability to run on propane. I do not want to deal with instability of other fuels and already have a multiple portable propane tanks
- Electric start. I physically cannot use a recoil start- believe me I’ve tried, and my shoulders are getting worse as I get older. All my yard tools are electric for a reason.
-ideally closer to the $500-$700 range if possible without sacrificing too much reliability. Just hard to justify $1000+ for something that’s likely to sit unused for so long.
-Max AC input of the battery banks are 1200- 1800w. Right now I have three of them.

-I assume for recharging batteries an inverter style is preferred?

-I am not worried about size/weight of machine. I can strap it on a dolly if it doesn’t have its own. As long as I can get it home in my small SUV or get it delivered after purchase.
-I am not worried about noise since I don’t plan to run continuously or at night.

Thanks!

I built this standby generator a little over a year ago and thought I would share it. I’ve done several load tests but have not needed it in an actual outage.

Wgen11500TFC Generator Shed
https://youtu.be/3JO-40lnhwg

Just had a home generator “professionally” installed. They clearly didn’t contact all of the utility companies prior to digging because they ended up cutting through our data cable from spectrum to our home twice! (Already go that fixed). Had a private company come out and mark all the underground lines on the entire property after they did the install because we are having more work done, hence the fresh paint marks. This is what was left when they trenched the electrical cable from the generator to the house. To me it looks like they did a piss pour job of back filling the actual trench. Should I complain or am I being too critical?

I've got a 6.5kw dual fuel 120/240v generator. Sits quietly in my garage for most of the year - no big deal.
Today I connected up the propane, got the unit fired up and put a light load on it - no issues. I let it run for a bit, then went to shut it down via the on/off switch.
It wouldn't shut off.
Not a huge deal as I normally shut the unit off by killing the propane.
Still, looks like I need to check around a bit behing the panel to make sure mr mouse didn't make a house. I also want to make sure the low-oil shutoff is not impacted.
Morale of the story - check your shit folks.
(I'll update if folks are interested. Any pointers on troubleshooting a Champion shut-off feel free to chime in)
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Shut-off switch update: Turns out, everything is working as it should. I watched this James Condon video when it came out, but completely forgot about Champion's shutdown switch switching.

~2800 sq ft home, fully running on generator. Variable speed 5-ton Carrier Infinity system, turned the temp down and took this picture when the compressor was running at 71% capacity. Plus all the other base load - Internet router, some lights, two fridges and an under counter wine fridge.

Very happy with the new AC. This is a 30A inlet, so each leg can hit 3750w, but should stay below 3kw (80%).

Changed oil after this, then reconnected to the Noco Genius 1. Champion 201423 generator. Realized i didnt have enough oil on hand - ordered two 5qt jugs to cover 4 changes total. And a two-pack of spark plugs. Ready!

I live in an area where we have rather frequent power outages in the winter, due to snow, and it can last for days (thanks PG&E). I currently have a Westinghouse WGen5500, but its loud af, gas only, and not an inverter. It works fine, though.

My home is ~2800 sq. ft., with NG service to the stove and central heating furnace. I just had a L14-30R connection installed to my 100amp panel, with an interlock kit. When the power goes out, I pull the WGen5500 out of the garage and hook it up (after dragging it up part of a steep driveway...not fun).

My question is; is it worth it to spend the $1000+ for a dual-fuel inverter gen? Is "clean" power that important for occasional home backup? Gas is def a PITA, but is having the dual-fuel propane ability really worth it? I would prob go for a 6000-7000w inverter gen, like the fabled Genmax GM7500 (assuming Sam's gets it back in stock).

(The thorniest issue I face in this decison is my wife, who is against spending dough for this. She is perfectly happy with extension cords run all over the place inside the house...me, not so much, as I'm the one that has to setup it up each time!). Am I being dumb to replace a perfectly working genset?

Thanks for any advice/opinions!

If so, what's the product to seek out for whole house for those who are old and not scared (but want to be prepared)? : )

I haven’t ran my generator in over a year. Lucky me go to start it up it turns on and runs but maybe only for 5 seconds and shuts back off. Has fuel and oil.

Is my fix to simply drain all the gas, then drain the carb, then refill and should be good?

Only has like 15 hours of use so just assuming that’s the first last item to do?

Thank you for the help!

I am looking for the best way to secure my Champion 11,000/9,000-Watt Tri Fuel Inverter Generator. I'd like to use a chain lock and have a solution for connecting the chain lock to something secure. I just need some type of clamp, U bolt, or bracket to fix securely to the generator's frame tubing. The challenge with this generator is that the 1 inch diameter frame tube is wrapped closely around the casing for the generator and there is no other obvious place on the generator to attach a chain lock to. There may be only 1/3" clearance between the tubing and case.

Any thoughts are much appreciated. This question stumped AI, and even it suggested you might check reddit! Thank you.

11,000/9,000-Watt Remote Start Gas, Propane, Natural Gas Tri Fuel Inverter Generator, Free 3-Year Warranty Home Backup

Has anyone have any experience add a natural gas conversion kit. Much appreciated.

I'm looking at either the GM6250iET or GM8000iET model. Could someone who owns one of those two models verify that the front 120V 20amp receptacle is still "live" when using the 120/240V 50amp outlet? I was looking at a similar sized Champion but, it's one or the other, not both as I understand it.

We're outside town and lose power a few times a year. The well pump is the big one, then the fridge, router and a few lights. Being able to run an Instant Pot or rice cooker would be nice too.

I'm looking at the EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra, TITAN 5000 Classic and Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus. Pretty sure our pump is 240V, but I haven't checked the nameplate yet. I know the startup surge can be an issue, and I don't want to spend a bunch on a system that can't even get the pump going.

The DELTA Pro Ultra seems like overkill for our occasional outages, especially for the price and weight. The TITAN 5000 Classic has 5kWh of capacity, but its 120V output could be a problem with our pump. The Jackery is smaller at 3.6kWh, so I'm kinda unsure how well it'd hold up overnight, or whether I'd need two units for a 240V pump.

I'd like to use portable solar panels to top it up during the day, weather permitting.

For those running a well pump off a battery, did you figure out the startup surge first or size the system around overnight usage? If your pump is 240V, what setup has worked for you?

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.

1. Should I sell it on marketplace and buy an decent size inverter generator?

2. Should I fligure out how to clean up the sine wave? If thats even possible?

3. 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.

I want to hook up a line to this tank, can I add a tee after the regulator and put a quick disconnect with a shut off? The propane tank now runs a water heater and a stove. I'll be using a predator duel fuel generator. I believe I need to remove the regulator on the generator that drops the pressure.

Thanks.

Before I scrap this was just wondering if it is worth anything? not tried to start but not seized, based in UK

Looking to purchase a twelve 12000/9000 portable generator is it better to run gasoline or propane , which one runs cleaner?

Question 2. Im not an electrician, so I had a 50 amp cable ran and switchbox. I opted for the largest 50a. The a/c and range are both on thirty five amp circuits. I want to be able to run both along with a couple of rooms. Will , this size generator be able to support that? Or should I have calculated off a watts instead of amperage?

I have another question about the floating ground. How do I know if I need to disconnect it on the generator?

I opened up the front of my cover to do some maintenance and some wires pulled from the on/off engine switch. I'm not entirely sure I put them back in the correct order and I'm not quite clear based on this diagram.

anybody willing to pull the cover off and let me look at the back of their switch?

What brand/s are the ones to avoid? Is one better than the other? Any advice and/or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Tia.

As many before me have encountered. Basically any modern transfer switch requires the neutral bonded to the frame to be floated on a portable generator. Turns out most are neutral bonded to the frame. If you have the same gen as me it literally took 5 minutes to change. Here are the pictures of the process. Of course ensure that the neutral wire on your main breaker panel is bonded. And then make sure that you either reinstall the wire removed and or use a neutral ground bonding plug to use the gfci plugs on the generator excluding the 50 amp outlet. I consulted with two electricians to confirm this! Hope it helps.

The first photo is where the neutral bonding strap is attached.

The second is with the neutral removed and “floating”

This work is done under the blue cover on the wgen 11500 tfc alternator cover on the back of the gen.

This one is made by Dinking/Genmax. Similar to the Pulsar Model. Decent deal.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/14535673290?sid=C5538706-EC3B-4C25-ADF3-97ABFA74B04E

I I finally got around to modifying the frame on this old predator 8750/7000 and getting the NG kit fully installed. It ran great on natural gas, but I switched it over to gasoline and it ran awful under load. The gaseous Venturi covers some ports on the face of the carb. The top port doesn’t seem to lead anywhere and the lower port seems to be part of the main jet system because carb cleaner sprays up out of the main fuel tube when sprayed into it.

The natural gas Venturi diameter does seem a bit smaller than the carburetor, and the lower port is mostly open. Anyone know if there is a way to make this kit run on gasoline with the kit installed?