Buying a portable generator

[Alan Rutherford]

I forget what brand mine is, but it gets used so rarely that I keep an extra carburetor in case it goes too many years in between uses. ....

Ridgid 6800 running watts, 8500 starting watts, manual start Yamaha engine, Lowe's, about $850 6 years ago. It's rarely used and keeping the fuel-system components happy is a challenge but not the fault of the generator. That would be the biggest argument for propane. I can't find a carb for anything like $20 for this.

Other than that I like this one. It's not hard to start. 4 120v outlets, the hour meter and the kill switch are in a removable box which can be extended with a custom 30' cord. There are 2 240v fixed outlets.

If I bought another I'd consider noise, portability (re-position it because of fumes, noise, whatever), reliability and might buy the same one again. I'd sure think about propane, though. We might not need this much power. I don't expect to run the central AC on it, we can cook on propane or charcoal. But lights, refrigeration, power tools and charging batteries would be important and I'm happy with what I have at the price.

[Tom M King]

A friend of a friend of mine is an electrician working for a company that installs the full house, automatic generators. He told me that what they do more than anything else is replace motors on those generators. Even though the generator is rarely needed, the motor is started every so often to keep it operating. The problem is that all that starting and running for nothing wears the motors out that they have to replace. I decided I didn't want one of those.

I think the motor on my generator is a Kohler. The carb for that I expect costs more than 20 bucks too, but I still keep a spare, and have needed it. I also empty the gas tank after our power is back on. We're out in the country with a lot of trees near lines between here and the power plant.

[Keith Outten]

Without knowing about your specific requirements I might suggest that you consider a welder/generator. If you have no need for a welder then my suggestion has no merit, if you do then the welder will provide a reason to use the machine more often than power outages. If a low price is the number one concern adding welding capability would kick this option to the curb.
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[Allan Speers]

A friend of a friend of mine is an electrician working for a company that installs the full house, automatic generators. He told me that what they do more than anything else is replace motors on those generators. Even though the generator is rarely needed, the motor is started every so often to keep it operating. The problem is that all that starting and running for nothing wears the motors out that they have to replace. I decided I didn't want one of those.

Hmmm. I suspect that those owners aren't doing the required maintenance. I have a 20K Generac that's about 5 years old now and still seems like new, but I'm festidious about changing the oil, plug, and even doing a valve (timing) alignment once a year, which is really important. (and a royal PITA)

The self test is only once a week, and for maybe 5 minutes. I can't see how that, alone, would wear out a solid B&S motor.

[Tom M King]

I was just repeating what I had been told. I don't know how old those motors were, but I don't think he was making it up.

[Wade Lippman]

The carb for that I expect costs more than 20 bucks too, but I still keep a spare, and have needed it.

How hard is it to replace a carb? It is going to be obvious how to do it, even for someone as ignorant as me?

My snowblower wouldn't run properly the second year. My wife "foolishly" bought a service contract on it. The repairman came out and replaced the carb without even looking at it. He said they were junk and I could count on it having to be replaced regularly. The last two years it has run fine, but I presume I am on borrowed time.

On ebay they sell from $17 to $37, and have 0, 2, or 3 gaskets with them. (I see 3 gaskets on the part list)
Is there likely to be any difference in quality between the $17 and $37 ones?
Will I need new gaskets?

Thanks. (sorry for getting off topic...)

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On whole house generators... my Generac is supposed to be good for 100 days of operation. I don't believe that, but even if it is only 20 days, 250 minutes of self test every year won't make much a dent in that. I also presume they didn't bother with maintenance.

[Tom M King]

Two small nuts, a fuel line probably with a quick clamp only requiring pliers, a throttle linkage that will be obvious and easy, and maybe a plastic switch that slides over the choke rod that turns the choke butterfly at the large opening of the throat of the carb where it sucks air in. Look at it for a minute, and it should be pretty easy to figure out. I don't think I've had to replace a gasket, but don't really remember.

The cheap ones my be directly from China, but usually with free, but slow, shipping. They're probably all made in the same factory. I always buy the cheapest, and had to replace several on small equipment some years back when a local gas station, who had been selling non-ethanol, started only selling ethanol gas without any kind of notice on the pump. They all worked fine.

edited to add: Put the thinnest of possible films of grease on both sides of any gasket before assembly, and you will never have to buy another gasket.

[Tom M King]

Allan, the people who own the house on a point two points over from ours have a giant automatic propane generator with two exhausts coming out of it, with two large mufflers. I remember they built that house in 1994. I'll ask him when I see him if they are still using the original generator, and if any work has needed to be done with it. I have no idea when I will see them though. It's just a vacation house, and they are rarely there.

edited to add: I knew I had not seen that guy in years. He told me he had an import/export business. I called another neighbor to ask about him, and he said he was being furnished a room with three meals a day by the state. I guess I might not see him again to ask him.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Generators can be a crap shoot. Bought a Coleman (3500 watt) thirty years ago. Never had one problem. Bought identical (except for paint color) for work. It threw a rod in less than sixty hours of use. Had new short block installed, under warranty. Used for couple years, then both brushes and diode went out. Remember these were the same model of generator, one flawless, and the other, well? Bought a couple of the DeVilbliss Power Backs (4000 watt) , with leaking tanks for less than $100 each. Had tanks replaced for FREE under recall. Even on wheels, they are big and heavy, plus are thirsty. Bought a Coleman Powermate 2250 (CL). Used it last week during 11 hour outage. We ran both fridges, and either water pump (120 V booster pump from 1500 gal storage tank) or 5000 BTU window AC and small TV. Just finished up rebuilding a Powermate 3250 watt that I picked up for $50 (CL.) Had to replace motor (cracked block,) and get rust out of tank. Check CL for some true bargins, Less than 1/3 of new, and most with low hours. Be sure and change oil over to synthetic. Buy nonethanol gas!!! Have my neighbors 7K in shop now waiting for two parts for carburator, which should be in tomorrow. For parts, Jack's Small Engines is my go to source. Order today, and UPS drops it of tomorrow, which is quicker, plus cheaper than my local dealer. Here (central NC), on CL you can find 4000 - 5000 watt generators for less than $250, FYI

[Pat Barry]

I have no direct knowledge on this but have heard that not all generator output is the same even though they may be rated for the same voltage. Some of them have cleaner power sources that work better than do other simpler types. For example, using the generator to run electronic devices and even motors might be a problem due to noisy power and or non-sine-wave sources whereas running lights and simple applicances is doable with just about any generator. You might not get a decent picture on your TV for example, or your wifi modems and routers might not work, or your compressor motor might not start in your refrigerator. Anyone have an experiences like that

[Rod Sheridan]

There are two methods of using a portable generator for powering loads during an outage, each requires a different type of generator.

1) Portable generator running a couple of items via an extension cord.

For this application you need a generator with the neutral bonded to ground (the generator will indicate that via a sticker on the unit normally), and you need to connect the generator frame ground to a ground rod or your building ground

2) Portable generator with a transfer panel, you need a generator that does not have the neutral bonded to ground (normally indicated by a sticker on the unit). Grounding is taken care of by the wiring between the generator and the transfer panel.

Regards, Rod.

[Eric DeSilva]

Amen. I'm a big believer in full house generators. Got a similar Generac installed years ago because we kept losing power in storms and had some close calls with the battery backup on the sump pump during long storms. It is piped into the house's natural gas supply and wired in with an automatic transfer switch. Saved my bacon during the DC derecho, where we lost power for 10 days during 95F summer days. The generator ran continuously, but kept the heat pumps, fridge, freezer, lights and entertainment running nicely. Even though our power seems more reliable these days, I'm still glad I've got it. Thing has run like a champ.

[Roger Feeley]

Any gas engine that you only run once or twice a year is going to be problematic. People don't take care of them and then when you really need it, it doesn't start because the fuel system is all gummed up. I live in a house where the previous owner abandoned two generators in the basement. I don't know if either of them runs.

That engine dilemma is why, instead of a snow blower, I bought a snow blower attachment for the riding lawn mower. This thing is a win-win. My mower gets run in the winter (a win) and my snow-blower gets run in the summer. If only I could build a generator attachment for the mower....hmmmmm.

We are actually living with my daughter and son-in-law and building in-law quarters. Our panel will be slaved off of the main house. My master plan includes a natural gas generator on the main house which would include both structures.

[Brian Elfert]

Amen. I'm a big believer in full house generators. Got a similar Generac installed years ago because we kept losing power in storms and had some close calls with the battery backup on the sump pump during long storms. It is piped into the house's natural gas supply and wired in with an automatic transfer switch. Saved my bacon during the DC derecho, where we lost power for 10 days during 95F summer days. The generator ran continuously, but kept the heat pumps, fridge, freezer, lights and entertainment running nicely. Even though our power seems more reliable these days, I'm still glad I've got it. Thing has run like a champ.

I just put in a natural gas standby generator and hope to never use it. No power outages in 18 months, but I have well water so no power means no water. I bought a used generator from a generator installation company that was demonstrated to work properly. All told it was about $3000 for the generator install including generator, transfer switch, pad, gas piping install, and electrical parts. I would spent at least $1,700 more for a new generator. I did all the electrical work with the help of my father.

[Alan Rutherford]

I posted earlier in this thread that I liked my gas generator but would consider propane if I was doing it again. I just looked into converting this one to propane but it's not practical. It costs $150-200 unless you DIY and cut some safety corners and I'd need a large propane tank. We just have a couple for a grill. We also have no access to natural gas. The gasoline has to work.

The good news is that I was mistaken about not being able to find an inexpensive replacement carburetor for the Yamaha MZ360 which powers my generator. I found several for less than $25 on Amazon. I must not have looked hard enough before. With fresh gas in the cans and a spare carburetor and filters we'll be in good shape, and I'll go out and fire it up more often.