Generator Reviews and Suggestions - what do you have and what do you want?

So after this storm it got me thinking a little more about generators. I currently have a Honda 2000 that was able to easily run our fridge and chest freezer and a fan and some lights while sipping gas. What it couldn't do is power my well pump. I'm going to pick up a 240v generator to address this concern. There are few on the market that seem to meet my needs and could possibly even run my AC/Heat pump with a soft start kit. The 3 I've considered are:

Honda 7000 Inverter - Gas only



Predator 9500 - Gas only



DuroMax 9000/9500 - Dual Fuel


I'm looking at the Duromax because of the option to run on propane and its built on the same motor and guts as the predator. The Predator and Duromax are right around the $2300 mark, while the Honda will set me back around $4500.

All of these are significantly larger than my little gas sipping honda 2000 so I'll need to consider having fuel on hand for times when I may need the generator.
The 2000 would run on 2 gallons for 24 hours, where as the 9k generators are looking like around 10 gallons for a similar time frame. Thats assuming you aren't running it at the max. I think with many of these I would need to conserve fuel by only running it for certain times of the day and maybe at night.

So what generator do you have, what do you like about it and what would you change if you could?

I'm considering this one, for the same reasons.

https://www.harborfreight.com/13000...start-and-co-secure-technology-epa-71386.html

We will have a generac 24kw soon. Living it up with the in laws for the next week or so with no loss of functionality from there house.

@LBarr2002, any reason other than cost that you are avoiding the inverter style? they are quieter and better for electronics from what I have read.

More bang for the buck, but yes.

We will have a Generac 16 kw installed before Christmas. Rest assured... 8 days with no power and a 2 YO is enough to age you two years I believe.

Is that a whole home, automatic transfer?

My parents just came back on last night. If I was on their circuit I would have had a whole home long ago but I couldn't warrant it for as little as we're down.

why the 16kw instead of the 24 if you are going to do whole house, i don't think the price is much different. Are you on NG? those things burn fuel at an alarming rate when under load.

Thats one of the things i'm trying to understand is the amount of fuel these generators can burn is astonishing really on the larger units.

What's the natural gas situation? I think the ticket would be a dual fuel set up set to run on that if possible. Propane is nice because you can store it pretty much indefinitely if you go that route.

I have a 300 or 350 gal propane tank. No NG available.

When I built our house, I wired one of my 200 A sub panels with the well, refrigerator, microwave, downstairs lights and outlets. I did not include any HVAC. Years later I wired in a 30A generator plug and manual switch to that panel.
I bought a Powerhorse 9000ES from Northern. I carried all of those loads while our power was out. I ran it intermittently to have water and keep the refrigerator cold. I was pleased with how it worked.

This week's HF sales flier has the 5kw inverter for $849 and the 2kw for $499

My house is tiny. All appliances are gas except the dryer which I am not concerned with having. I may do a larger one though, just kicking the tires at the moment. Since I am on the Old Duke Rate, I can't do auto transfer...

If you do propane you still have to deal with filling it. I can tie right into the gas to the house. Our NG rates are pretty cheap around here also.

Yeah, no NG here either. I'm trying to decide between a used Honda 7k and a new Duromax or Predator 9500.

So, Im leaning towards 22kw Briggs on NG. But.... Im worried about the permitting and inspections... two things i dont like in life. It seems im going to have to have my NG meter upgraded for more flow, and i really dont want to pay an electrician for stuff i can do. So im in limbo, but with my job pulling me away from home, specifically during storms, this isn't really an option for us anymore.10 days without power in city limits isnt going to happen again.

At this point, my "in my lifetime bingo card" im betting we have a ice storm to take us out for a couple days too...

I'm with you Tripp on the Bingo card and also having to upsize my meter.

I have not looked at my meter yet but getting it changed is NBD. I'm also not going to tie into the main so I don't see any reason to permit the work. Unless CPW requires it to change the meter.

It's currently double cash back so I'll get $90 in store credit.