Portable Generator For Sale

what kind of emergency generator should I buy?

live in Milton fla. in a new 1700 sq. ft. home I was wondering what kind of emergency gen. would be the best to buy also how do I know how big of a gen. do I need I have a 200 amp panel in my garage the house is situated on a slab

Public Comments

1. John: Here's what I would do if I were you. Check out www.northerntool.com. They have a huge selection of generators, and I'll bet if you call them, they will help you decide. Good luck.
2. Generac has some package units that are made specifically for homeowners. You can look into them at Home Depot. Without knowing too much about your house it is difficult to spec a size. There is a worksheet you can fill out regarding your house at Generac's website.
3. The most common mistake people make is not buying a generator designed for extended use. A great many of those you see in those do-it-yourself home improvement centers/lumberyards are meant for intermittent use - that is, run for three or four hours and then not be run again for days or even weeks. Well-made, durable generator sets that can be depended upon to provide power for weeks, if needed, are harder to find. And you'll pay more for them. The other mistake is not buying one rated highly enough. We tend to try to pinch pennies by telling ourselves "hey, I'll only run the bare essentials" so I prolly don't need more than, say 2200 Watts... Wrong! First of all, even one major appliance draws heavy current - like your fridge. Experts in the field tell us that the average home - which it sounds as if yours is - requires a 7500-watt generator. Yeah, I admit, my home gen-set isn't that big. That means there'll be major compromises if I have to depend on the thing for more than a couple days. But I'm in the market for a bigger, commercially-rated rig - and I expect to have to pay around eight to ten thousand dollars - it'll be a self-start model, as well, and that adds to the price tag.
4. I used to buy and sell these things...more as a hobby for pocket money than for a living. So here's a brain dump..... Much of your choice will come down to budget. While planning you have to consider what will be used while there is a power outage. Critical circuits only or what you'd typically use with utility power. Start-up load is very important. A well pump may only consume 4kw of power when running but may require 8kw to start. There goes the 5000kw (Surge, not continuous) rated Home Depot generator. IMO the best choice is to go with NG if it's available. Diesel units can tap into a home heating oil tank for fuel...there a bit louder and smelly but live a very long time. Gasoline is messy, can go bad and may not be available and you have to transport in small quantities. Propane is expensive and requires tank refills. Output from a NG unit will be less that the same running on propane or gasoline. However it's a bit quieter and you'll likely never have a shortage of the fuel. You want the lowest RPM machine you can afford. For home back-up I would not buy above 1800RM. Lower RPM ranges are from 1100-1800. Other units are considered by many to be "Lawn Mower" engines. They're louder and comparitively short lived. These units are typically sold at Costco, Home Depot etc and run at 3600rpm. Do they work? Yes. Will they suit your needs? Maybe. Will it last as long as an Onan, Winco or higher end Generac? Not close. Hmmm, how is it that the discount store 15KW units are 20-30HP and the "commercial" level ones are 50-70HP????? Transfer switches are what isolate power sources. Manual units look like big Frankenstein switches. Automatic switches are great but as you go up in Amperage the amount of the check you're writing gets much larger. Again a choice you make. Is it critical that power be continued if you aren't present? Do you mind throwing a switch, starting the generator and vice versa when the utility is restored? Traditionally 200-300 amp manual transfer switches were in the thousands of $$$. My Square D lists for about $1800 (a good price). However, I've seen equally rated units at Harbor Freight for $200-$400. Remember if looking at used generators for a home you want 1 phase / 60 Hz. PS: I'm selling my 20KW Winco with built-in auto transfer switch :) Good luck!
5. The type depends on how much you want to use. If you want to run every thing in your home you will need a large unit with an automatic transfer switching system. Many of these units run using natural gas. Having a fuel supply on hand is a critical factor during a wide spread power outage. Many times gasoline is not available as it requires electric to pump it. You can spend a lot of money on these systems or just buy a small generator to power the basic essentials and keep enough gas stored with fuel stabilizer to last for 3 to 4 days. I bought a 5500 watt unit and keep it stored with the fuel and extension cords in a small storage building. My total cost was apx $500.00 with the cords I needed.
6. It all depends on how much you want to spend and if you want a stationary or portable unit.. You can get a good portable for under $1000 that runs on gasoline. Con on portable unit 1. Noisier... 2. Need gasoline. If your electric is out, most likely gas station's is out as well. Therefore you can't get any more gas if you are out. Also gasoline can't be store for too long before it turn bad. Adding fuel stablilizer helps but you will still go bad after 1 year. 3. You will need to run extension cable from generator to your appliance etc. The best and expensive solution will be a stationary unit. If you have natural gas, then that would be the best fuel for the generator. Propane is a good alternative too since that can be stored for awhile. You can have a automatic transfer switch put in so that in the event electric is out, it will automatically start the generator, switch from util power to gen power and power up your house. No need to do it manually. Pros: 1. Natural gas will still be available if electric is out, so you don't have to worry about running out of fuel. 2. Quieter compare to gas. 3. no extensions to run. Clean setup. 4. More wattage than portable unit Con... 1. expensive to install... Electrician needed to do wiring and plumber for the gas. 2. Not portable... you can't bring it over and share with relatives or neighbors.. As to the size, figures you need at least your fridge, some lights, radio, etc... So add the wattages. all most all generator are over rated (higher wattage claim than actual) so you will need a genertor who's 80% (practical max) output are higher than your actual need. Bigger is always better...
7. At least a 10k watt propane with a auto transfer switch should do it
8. One issue not covered by other answers is this: If you have a tractor with a PTO, consider a generator that hooks up to it. You'll get more generator for your dollars!
9. As it happens I have been in the generator business for 30 years. There are a lot of good answers to your questions already. As far as a home stand by system goes I would recommend anything from a 8 to a 20 KW (KW=1000 watts) for your home. Generac, Kohler, Winco all sell packaged units with the automatic transfer switches included. Onan has generators and transfer switches sold separately. I have serviced them all. For packaged units I would rate them Kohler first then Generac You can call the distributors in your area or the major hardware store chains are selling them. Lowes has Kohlers and Home Depot has Generac's. The fuel source for the units would be Natural gas if available or Propain. NEVER GASOLINE it does not store well.