Quote:
Originally Posted by GenXer
It depends on how easy you want it to be or how often you're facing a blackout.
I'm only a few blocks from the substation and I've never had a power outage in 4 years. However, I do have a 2200 watt Ryobi generator just to run the bare essentials. Heat is not an issue since I also have propane portable heaters, a gas fireplace with battery backup starter. My sump pump will also run for a week on battery power. My sump doesn't fill up that much during summer or winter.
Weigh out all of your necessities before spending a lot of money.
Gasoline generators are convenient but normal gasoline will clog up your carburetor pretty fast if you don't clean it out.
For infrequent use, propane is the next most reliable and second most convenient. Portable tanks are available everywhere.
However if you are plagued with frequent blackout, a permanently mounted natural gas unit like a Generac is your best bet. It does just about everything on its own. But why spend thousands of dollars unless you need to.
For natural gas, your only good option is a Generac
For gasoline, I would highly a Honda EU3000is or EU700is etc. It's super quiet, reliable and durable.
I've never used any propane generator so I can't recommend any.
|
Good points. I learned a lot about generators this week since most of LI was out. Drove past a place that refills propane tanks and the line was about 10-12 people deep. Walking around my neighborhood, I realized how many people had generators. Most were filling up theirs with gas. They are very loud and obviously can't do the AC. Then, my neighbor has a whole house generator he got after Sandy. Not as loud, all lights, appliances, TV, cable, internet, AC working. I put a deposit down on one yesterday. They are more money, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of filling up propane or gas and not have the ability to have AC or heat. I couldn't sleep worth a shit for 3 nights and that's worth it to me right there. Everything here is above ground power and really old trees. It doesn't take more than 30+ mph winds to pull down trees and power lines. Plus, PSEG are useless. I don't want to have to deal with this again.