The PF ICE (gas engine) generator thread

[rayrevolver]

That champion isn't dual fuel. The dual fuel model is cheaper at $400 but does not output clean/sinewave power.

The dual fuel is $388 at Home Depot, so maybe if you get a coupon or are military with 10% off it's a better deal.

I think dual fuel is my path, just not sure what I want to run on it. The fireplace can keep a small part of the house warm but not the bed rooms. We have space heaters and can all sleep in one room if need be.

Now the question, how much is it going to cost to have a tap off my underground propane tank?

[LittleLebowski]

The dual fuel is $388 at Home Depot, so maybe if you get a coupon or are military with 10% off it's a better deal.

Yes, Home Depot is really good about the military discount, I know from experience (last chainsaw I bought).

I think dual fuel is my path, just not sure what I want to run on it. The fireplace can keep a small part of the house warm but not the bed rooms. We have space heaters and can all sleep in one room if need be.

Now the question, how much is it going to cost to have a tap off my underground propane tank?

No, on the space heaters. That is a horribly inefficient use of your fuel. You’re taking energy in the form of fuel, turning it into electricity, and then to heat using one of the most high-draw electrical devices around. You’d run out of fuel quickly.

Consider a clean kerosene fueled heater or a propane space heater.

[LittleLebowski]

Added link to PF generator spreadsheet in OP.

Also, NewEgg is selling the Pulsar PG2000is (a Yamaha clone as detailed in our spreadsheet) for $369, but you can get an additional $25 off of a NewEgg purchase over $350 at RetailMeNot.com. This is a good deal.

[LittleLebowski]

"Honda generator" at Alibaba

[LittleLebowski]

I honestly wish I'd seen this before ordering my HF 3500w inverter genny, which is on backorder. Maybe if these get back in stock, I'll cancel the HF order and get one of these instead.

Just came close to doing just this, but the wife needs a push button start, sticking with the HF 3500w.

[MSparks909]

Timely thread. I've been looking into a home backup option for my modest sized ranch. No sump or well pump, but all appliances are electric so there's a fairly decent electrical demand at my house. Power outages are fairly infrequent, so I think a complete home backup system is un-necessary. If we have a good hurricane, which is once every 2-3 years, we might lose power for 4-5 days on the high end...a week or more is like once every ~10 years or so.

I thought about going the dual fuel route, but given how infrequently I will actually *need* a generator for home backup, gasoline fits my requirements just fine. I'm also planning on buying a 30-34' travel trailer in the next year or two, so I'll need a generator for that regardless. After a lot of research I *think* I'm gonna pull the plug on 2 Honda EU2000i gennies in the next few months. They will run everything in my house except for my dryer and hot water heater...not a huge deal because my mom's house has a full Generac backup and she lives ~3 minutes away so hot showers won't be a problem.

I like Honda for several reasons:
Aftermarket and spare parts market is huge. These have a cult following. But the biggest reason is they use a diaphragm fuel pump, so I will be able to add an external fuel tank for extended run times. Will probably add a 6-10 gallon marine tank and fuel cap setup for each. That should get me through 2-4 days before having to think about refueling. I'm gonna have an electrician wire in a transfer switch so I can safely wire into the house.

With that said, something like this is still in the back of my mind:
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na...generator.html

Benefits with choosing the above generator vs. the twin Hondas is I could power my hot water heater and my dryer (not at the same time obviously) if necessary. Each draws about 4,500W so that's a pretty stout load and the Q6500 is rated at 5,000W continuous so that's almost a max load.

Is it worth a little bit of convenience to run those two home appliances while I'll be giving up portability, etc.? Also unsure if I can gravity feed fuel into it like I can with the Honda's. That's a big selling point because I don't want to have to top off the tank every 8-10 hours.

No real rush to decide. The Q6500 is obviously a better choice than the twin Hondas for pure home backup. The plan to buy a travel trailer sort of throws a wrench into that though. I'd much rather lug two of those Honda's around than the Briggs but if I end up buying a trailer with twin ACs I'll need something like the Q6500 anyways.

[MSparks909]

Timely thread. I've been looking into a home backup option for my modest sized ranch. No sump or well pump, but all appliances are electric so there's a fairly decent electrical demand at my house. Power outages are fairly infrequent, so I think a complete home backup system is un-necessary. If we have a good hurricane, which is once every 2-3 years, we might lose power for 4-5 days on the high end...a week or more is like once every ~10 years or so.

I thought about going the dual fuel route, but given how infrequently I will actually *need* a generator for home backup, gasoline fits my requirements just fine. I'm also planning on buying a 30-34' travel trailer in the next year or two, so I'll need a generator for that regardless. After a lot of research I *think* I'm gonna pull the plug on 2 Honda EU2000i gennies in the next few months. They will run everything in my house except for my dryer and hot water heater...not a huge deal because my mom's house has a full Generac backup and she lives ~3 minutes away so hot showers won't be a problem.

I like Honda for several reasons:
Aftermarket and spare parts market is huge. These have a cult following. But the biggest reason is they use a diaphragm fuel pump, so I will be able to add an external fuel tank for extended run times. Will probably add a 6-10 gallon marine tank and fuel cap setup for each. That should get me through 2-4 days before having to think about refueling. I'm gonna have an electrician wire in a transfer switch so I can safely wire into the house.

With that said, something like this is still in the back of my mind:
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na...generator.html

Benefits with choosing the above generator vs. the twin Hondas is I could power my hot water heater and my dryer (not at the same time obviously) if necessary. Each draws about 4,500W so that's a pretty stout load and the Q6500 is rated at 5,000W continuous so that's almost a max load.

Is it worth a little bit of convenience to run those two home appliances while I'll be giving up portability, etc.? Also unsure if I can gravity feed fuel into it like I can with the Honda's. That's a big selling point because I don't want to have to top off the tank every 8-10 hours.

No real rush to decide. The Q6500 is obviously a better choice than the twin Hondas for pure home backup. The plan to buy a travel trailer sort of throws a wrench into that though. I'd much rather lug two of those Honda's around than the Briggs but if I end up buying a trailer with twin ACs I'll need something like the Q6500 anyways.

Well, might have answered my own question regarding the Q6500. Apparently when using a RV 30A plug, it will only provide half the rated wattage (2,500W) through the 30A plug. It supplies the rest through the remaining 120V plugs. A number of reviewers on Amazon were disappointed to find out it wouldn't run their RV's AC unit. Since whatever I buy will pull double duty as home backup and (future) RV power, I'll likely go with the Honda's.

[LittleLebowski]

Timely thread. I've been looking into a home backup option for my modest sized ranch. No sump or well pump, but all appliances are electric so there's a fairly decent electrical demand at my house. Power outages are fairly infrequent, so I think a complete home backup system is un-necessary. If we have a good hurricane, which is once every 2-3 years, we might lose power for 4-5 days on the high end...a week or more is like once every ~10 years or so.

I thought about going the dual fuel route, but given how infrequently I will actually *need* a generator for home backup, gasoline fits my requirements just fine. I'm also planning on buying a 30-34' travel trailer in the next year or two, so I'll need a generator for that regardless. After a lot of research I *think* I'm gonna pull the plug on 2 Honda EU2000i gennies in the next few months. They will run everything in my house except for my dryer and hot water heater...not a huge deal because my mom's house has a full Generac backup and she lives ~3 minutes away so hot showers won't be a problem.

I like Honda for several reasons:
Aftermarket and spare parts market is huge. These have a cult following. But the biggest reason is they use a diaphragm fuel pump, so I will be able to add an external fuel tank for extended run times. Will probably add a 6-10 gallon marine tank and fuel cap setup for each. That should get me through 2-4 days before having to think about refueling. I'm gonna have an electrician wire in a transfer switch so I can safely wire into the house.

With that said, something like this is still in the back of my mind:
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na...generator.html

Benefits with choosing the above generator vs. the twin Hondas is I could power my hot water heater and my dryer (not at the same time obviously) if necessary. Each draws about 4,500W so that's a pretty stout load and the Q6500 is rated at 5,000W continuous so that's almost a max load.

Is it worth a little bit of convenience to run those two home appliances while I'll be giving up portability, etc.? Also unsure if I can gravity feed fuel into it like I can with the Honda's. That's a big selling point because I don't want to have to top off the tank every 8-10 hours.

No real rush to decide. The Q6500 is obviously a better choice than the twin Hondas for pure home backup. The plan to buy a travel trailer sort of throws a wrench into that though. I'd much rather lug two of those Honda's around than the Briggs but if I end up buying a trailer with twin ACs I'll need something like the Q6500 anyways.

So, the Honda EU2000i is $900 per. So, roughly $2000 or so out the door. That gets you about 3200w (running, 4000w surge). The B&S Q6500 is $1500 and gives you 5000w running, 6000w surge.

For about $1400 you can get two HF 3500w inverter gennys with parallel cable kit. Add $100 per, $200 total to get the no questions asked warranty. Then check with this eBay seller to see if this dual fuel line kit will work with the HF 3500w. If not, I would bet money that he will make one that does. Following this plan gives you 6000w running and 7000w surge for about $1800, along with flexibility to split up the gennys.

[LittleLebowski]

Well, might have answered my own question regarding the Q6500. Apparently when using a RV 30A plug, it will only provide half the rated wattage (2,500W) through the 30A plug. It supplies the rest through the remaining 120V plugs. A number of reviewers on Amazon were disappointed to find out it wouldn't run their RV's AC unit. Since whatever I buy will pull double duty as home backup and (future) RV power, I'll likely go with the Honda's.

Yeah, that's common. The split of the power output is called "legs".

[LittleLebowski]

Daily woot deal on generators is actually quite good