Small Generator Recommendations

[HenryFan]

clovishound -

I will look. Thanks.

[BigAl52]

If noise is a concern those generators are going to be alot louder than an inverter generator.

[markiver54]

If you are going to spend $500 on a generator, look at the Champion that Tractor Supply has for roughly the same price. It has more wattage, and the added advantage of a 30W locking outlet that will allow you to run a high amperage extension to either a cutout box, or into your home with multiple outlets on the end of the cord. The HF unit has a 15 amp three prong outlet.


[urlhttps://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/champ ... ld-2456975][/url]


If you don't have a Tractor Supply near you, Home Depot has a similar model available for $50 more, and it's dual fuel, if that is a plus for you, and has slightly more power.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Po ... /323716928

My HF 5000 has a 30 amp outlet on it, however it is more than the $500.00 you mentioned.

[Ernie]

A 4000 watt generator will produce 30 amps max. I don't know if you have figured out how many watts you need to do what you are wanting to do. Also that will be a LOUD unit.

[clovishound]

OK, I got the genset outlet between the HF and the 5300W Champion mixed up. The 5300W Champion is 120V only, and thus has a 3 prong cordset outlet. However, the outlet on the HF generator is 15A. You could power 4 120V outlets on a standard L14-30P to Four 5-20R genset cord and deliver the full running capacity through that cord, barely. 3600A for the 15A outlet, with a 3500W continuous rating for the generator. The 5000W Champion has an outlet rated at 30A which is far more than the 4000 running watts capacity of the generator.

I still say the 5000W Champion is the better buy. The same price as the HF with a better reputation (IMO), and higher output. It also has readouts that let you know what is happening with the generator when it is running. It will display, voltage, frequency, and running hours.

[Mags]

A 4000 watt generator will produce 30 amps max. I don't know if you have figured out how many watts you need to do what you are wanting to do. Also that will be a LOUD unit.

Ummm, that is going to be generator specific. A generator has to be able to handle a spike up to 6600watts in demand to handle a 30A max surge. I don't think many 4000watt generators can do that.

[Mags]

OK, I got the genset outlet between the HF and the 5300W Champion mixed up. The 5300W Champion is 120V only, and thus has a 3 prong cordset outlet. However, the outlet on the HF generator is 15A. You could power 4 120V outlets on a standard L14-30P to Four 5-20R genset cord and deliver the full running capacity through that cord, barely. 3600A for the 15A outlet, with a 3500W continuous rating for the generator. The 5000W Champion has an outlet rated at 30A which is far more than the 4000 running watts capacity of the generator.

I still say the 5000W Champion is the better buy. The same price as the HF with a better reputation (IMO), and higher output. It also has readouts that let you know what is happening with the generator when it is running. It will display, voltage, frequency, and running hours.

Just because the plastics and pin arrangement give the outlet a 30A rating doesn't mean the generator itself can deliver 30A to the outlet. A 5000w continuous rated generator is only going to deliver 22.7A (220VAC) continuous.

[HenryFan]

I ended up purchasing a Champion 5000W single fuel (gas) generator at the Newberry, SC Tractor Supply (TS) store. I got a few more watts for an extra $20 and the 2-yr TS extended warranty was about $50 less than the HF 2-yr extended warranty.

All in all, there was very little difference between TS and HF but TS beat HF by a bit.

Thanks to clovishound for the helpful tip.

[markiver54]

Also that will be a LOUD unit.

Hope you got some ear plugs..
JK. congrats on the new generator. I hope it serves you well.

[HenryFan]

Hope you got some ear plugs..

Too late for any help there. I have terrible hearing now.

[clovishound]

Just because the plastics and pin arrangement give the outlet a 30A rating doesn't mean the generator itself can deliver 30A to the outlet. A 5000w continuous rated generator is only going to deliver 22.7A (220VAC) continuous.

Yes, a 30A outlet will not produce anything more than the generator will produce. Given the choice between the two, for the same price, I would rather have the higher rated outlet, especially if the lower rated was just barely enough for the rated output of the generator.

Henry Fan:

I hope this generator works out for you. I did a lot of research a few years ago when my wife insisted on us buying a generator. At the time Champion looked like the best bang for the buck. Outside of running a circular saw as a test when it was brand new, I have used it only once in the last several years, and the electricity came back on about 20 minutes after firing it up. I do kind of wish mine would supply 240V, but I got a really good deal on mine, and have had no real need for running 240V. It did run two refrigerators just fine for the 20 minutes I used it.

[HenryFan]

clovishound -

I hope the need for it doesn't arise, at least not anytime soon, but as discussed above, it is insurance. I see that you are in the Lowcountry so you know the need for this insurance. I don't want to lose my freezer and fridge contents but more importantly, I don't want to be without a power source to make coffee for SWMBO.

I will put oil in it and run it for a while until the tank runs dry, change the oil and put it in the garage.

[HenryFan]

A couple of days ago, I unboxed the new Champion generator and installed a wheel kit which I bought separately. Without the wheel kit, I would never have been able to move the generator without a hand truck. The data provided show the weight as 103 pounds as I recall.

I added the 500 ml. of 10W-30 oil provided with the unit, added gas and it cranked on the first pull. I used a portable fan to test one of the 120 volt outlets and it worked fine. After running almost two hours of so, I drained the 10W-30 oil provided with the unit with 500 ml. of NAPA 10W-30. Oddly, at least to me, the oil bottle said product of Vietnam. I have never considered Vietnam to be an oil production/refining country. In any event, I was surprised how quickly the Vietnamese oil became dark.

I guess I am set if the need arises but I hope the need doesn't arise.

markiver was right, though. It is loud.

[Hatchdog]

“ I guess I am set if the need arises but I hope the need doesn't arise.”

That’s what it’s all about right there!!! When we had this house built 10 years ago I had a side panel with a transfer switch installed for a generator. I bought an open frame Champion which powers most of the house when needed. So far I think I have only used it 2-3 times and never for more than 6-8 hours.

It’s all about being prepared and not needing to be!!!

[clovishound]

Well, between remembering this thread and the fact that it will be September tomorrow, I decided to roll the Champion out of the garage, put a little gas in it, and fire it up. It's probably been 3 to 4 years since I tested it. Poured some dino juice in, turned on the fuel valve, set the choke, and ..........................



Started first pull. Turned the fuel valve off and let it run till it was out of fuel. Completely drained the tank and put it away. I didn't bother to plug anything in. The display popped up with 120V, so I called it good.

[markiver54]

Nice when things go that way.

[HenryFan]

Started first pull.

That's a win.

[clovishound]

Yeah, I guess when a storm has just passed through, everything is wet, and your wife is telling you she wants electricity NOW, That's probably not a good time to be fooling with starting fluid, pulling plugs checking gas etc.

[HenryFan]

My only three reasons for having a functional generator on hand is to:

1.) Run the refrigerator
2.) Run the freezer
3.) Make a pot of coffee for SWMBO in the AM.

#3 is probably more important than #1 & #2 combined. I can always catch more fish.

[Mags]

Same 3 +1.
4.) Run the Internet router and wifi.