Emergency Preparedness--Generator

[Whale of a Wash]

A couple of weeks ago--was looking for a generator, and thought i would share this as 5million without power this week from storms.
I got a 2000w inverter generator-great with electronics. The yamaha is super quiet and will run a long time on a gallon. I have found alot of uses at wash also. Trimming bushes with 200 feet of extension cord before had too much voltage drop, and also able to run my emergency fuel oil htrs electricity demands if needed in winter. I read where one guy
that was off the grid ran this one steady now for over 3yrs, so exremely dependable. Last night bad storms in our area took out power for many people 100mi from here, so with the summer of storms being prepared is
kind of nice. I found the cheapest price on web for it $900 with their discount, and free 2 day air shipping. While it won't run a wash it has the same power as a regular outlet. With all the storms this summer i
thought someone might be interested in one.
I do not sell these or know anyone at this company!!!!!
Just a super happy customer who is now a little more prepared with a quiet generator, my old one you could hear for blocks.
John




http://www.yamahagenerators.com/Yam...ef2000is.htm?gclid=CPjj8qi5_bACFQK5KgodzTXi3A

 

[bigleo48]

Thanks Whale...those are very nice little units.

I have a smaller genny too at the wash and it has been somewhat helpful. The thing to remember with most generators is that they are gas motors that need maintenance and to be run on a regular basis. You can't just put this thing away for a couple of years and expect it to run again (smoothly anyway) when the next big storm hits.

So ideally, they need to be run once a months and use high test gas and some fuel stabilizer to prevent the carb gumming up.

 

[mac]

Living in Florida gets you intimate with generators. Leo is right about running them regular. I've found the best way to store them is turn off the gas and let it run till it quits. That way there is no gas to gum up in the carburator. You can get a product called Stabil to add to the gas tank. You have to size them to do what you need. To run a refrigerator/freezer, ceiling fans, and a TV you need about 8000 watts of power. You also need to be real careful to turn off your main breaker when you use it for household items, or you can fry your neighbor or the lineman doing the repairs. And best of all, your neighbors will be very thankful when you can offer them a cold beer after the storm.

 

[pitzerwm]

If you can, find gas without ethanol as that ruins engines when it sits.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

I checked some of my items and the GE refrig-5yrs old takes 6.5
amps or 780 watts, so it does run it just fine. The yamaha has a
front panel shutoff for gas to keep carb clean, One reason i picked it
over the Honda and i learned the hard way with weed trimmer
that alcohol gas eats the lines and only buy non-alcohol gas
for small engines now. Not that i need a storm, but at least
slightly prepared.

 

[cantbreak80]

Another option for 2000 watt portable inverter/generators is Champion. I've seen them on sale for less than $500 at Sam's Club or Costco.

These units are highly regarded in the RV world due to their relatively low cost, reliability, and quiet operation...a very big issue for "campers". Like Honda and Yamaha, they can be paralleled, to provide up to 4,000 watts of true sine wave power.

http://www.championpowerequipment.com/generators/73531i/

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I have a 10,000w contractor generator for power outages & construction work around the farm & car wash - we have 2 refrigerator/freezers and 2 chest freezers full of food, so no electricity is not an option. Runs pretty much everything in the house except the water heater, but yeah, its noisy. I'd love to have one of those small quiet 1kw units too.

+1 on running it regularly, otherwise you need to take apart the carb & clean it while sitting in 2' of snow in the dark.

 

[seattleguy]

I have a Honda 2k with inverter like the Yamaha. Totally bulletproof. I use Stabil when storing for more than a few months and ethanol free gas whenever possible.

 

[Greg Pack]

Honda EU fan here. (Although the Yamahas are also excelllent)I have both the EU2000 and EU 6500. They are both amazingly quiet and very fuel efficient.

The 2000 is great for tailgating, camping, jobsites, and to power the essentials during a power outage. The EUs are gas sippers. I can run the little 2K for twelve hours on a gallon of gas under lighter loads. I have a 5 gallon gas tank assembly that hooks to the gas cap of the generator. It will run the 2K unit for 2-3 days straight.

Fuel consumption is often overlooked as a big deal. I had some friends that were using their Miller welder/generator to power their home during an outage last year. They were using so much gas that they could have gotten a hotel room.

Also, the inverter/generators put out a more of a pure sine wave as opposed to many cheaper generators that put out a squarish sine wave. Some things don't like modified sine waves, my microwave sure doesn't.

I have also heard nothing but good things about the champion if you're on a budget.

I use a fuel additive called pri-g. It's expensive but works well. I have also used marine stabil, which I've read is supposed to be a better formula for ethanol blends than regular stabil..

 

[seattleguy]

I also have the 5 gallon fuel assembly. I use the EU 2000 with my Rv up skiing for weekends. It basically runs 12 hours a day non stop.

 

[Kevin James]

All of our standby emergency generators run on natural gas or Propane. We learned years ago that gasoline is almost impossible to find when the power goes out for a long period of time after a big storm. When the power goes off the generator automatically starts. We've run them for almost a week on natural gas.