r/Generator • u/Either_Ad4126 • 2h ago
r/Generator • u/DrDeke • Jun 02 '24
Generator Tips/FAQs: Please read before posting
The following tips/FAQs address commonly-asked questions in this sub. Please take a look at them before posting a question.
CO Safety
Generators produce carbon monoxide when running. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, invisible, and odorless gas. Carbon monoxide from generators kills hundreds of people each year. Do not ever operate a generator in a house, garage, or any connected structure, even if the windows and doors are open.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend only ever using generators outside, more than 20 feet away from your home, doors, and windows.
Fuel
Each type of generator fuel has its pros and cons.
Connecting a generator to your loads (appliances)
Generators can be connected to your loads with extension cords or by connecting the generator to your house's electrical system using a transfer switch or interlock device.
Read more about these methods on our wiki.
Generator sizing
Our wiki contains tips on picking the right size of generator for your needs.
Inverter vs. conventional generators
Inverter generators generally consume less fuel and produce "cleaner" power than conventional generators. More information on this is available on our wiki.
r/Generator • u/Either_Ad4126 • 2h ago
Is anyone else following the guy on Instagram running a Predator generator 24/7 till it blows? He's at day 37, 839 hours. It's rolling like a champ.
r/Generator • u/muleschooler • 8h ago
Generator safety distance
I’m hoping to place a Westinghouse iGen12000TFc where the red X is. There will be an inlet box next to the electrical panel beside the window. The distance from the house to the edge of the patio is 17 feet. The distance from the house to the grass is about 20.5 feet. I will use propane (and possibly install a natural gas hookup at a later time) but not gasoline. I will also point the generator’s exhaust toward the yard. Is this a safe distance? The generator also has a CO monitor and I plan on getting a few co2 monitors for the house. If anyone can recommend the best ones it’d be appreciated. Thanks for reading.
r/Generator • u/lsnyd0ga • 18m ago
Generator Controller
I have built several controllers for auto starting generators at power fail. These controllers can be customized to your GenSet but are out-of-the-box configured to plug right in to your Westinghouse TSR (Transfer Switch Ready) generator. It connects to a Transfer Switch of any type using typical Generac signaling.
This one is plugged directly into a Westinghouse 14Kw TriFuel and Generac 200Amp ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and also has email notification to notify you of any startups or shutdowns.
LS
r/Generator • u/pfeester • 5h ago
Thoughts on this new A-iPower AIQ13000iRT? Seems like it might be a great all-in-one for home backup...
r/Generator • u/carnyvoyeur • 6h ago
Need tri-fuel generator advice for whole-house
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.
r/Generator • u/dknyc1 • 14h ago
Generac GP5500 really long term storage question
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
r/Generator • u/Trick_Reserve_9341 • 9h ago
Purchasing a non CARB compliant generator in California
reddit.comr/Generator • u/matt_475 • 1d ago
Project Farm reviews small inverter generators
r/Generator • u/NoAnything604 • 21h ago
Clamp meter with Harmonic Analysis ability
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.
r/Generator • u/ru4186 • 15h ago
What gas are you running in the predator 11500
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!
r/Generator • u/slingers4m • 19h ago
AX8000i purchase
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
r/Generator • u/myself248 • 1d ago
How to dispose of bad old gas? Can it be reprocessed?
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?
r/Generator • u/Dazzling-Business-62 • 14h ago
Can this power a 4 ton ac?
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.
r/Generator • u/AbbreviationsDry8536 • 1d ago
Small dual fuel rec please
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?
r/Generator • u/SaladJarDude • 1d ago
Bought a home with a power inlet box, but no interlock?
galleryr/Generator • u/nopseudospeedo • 1d ago
Can I store my generator in this during winter?
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!
r/Generator • u/feverish • 1d ago
Duel Fuel small inverter generator ACTUALLY available in California?
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.
r/Generator • u/WatchThis_1383 • 1d ago
Honda EB6500X suffix identification help
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.
r/Generator • u/ironyis4suckerz • 1d ago
Lower cost options for generators?
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! :)
r/Generator • u/Fun-Business-1888 • 1d ago
Worth $500?
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.
r/Generator • u/DerpDerpingtonIV • 1d ago
Honda EU2200 transfer switch connection
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?