generator

Fishfood · Post by **Fishfood** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:35 pm

I'm looking into getting one. I don't need to lose everything in my tank again. I have been watching the thrifty nickels and looking in the papers sometimes. What is a decent brand/price/size? I only intend to run the return pump if i'm out of power and maybe hook my chiller back up if i have to to keep the heat down. I can survive without AC and electric for a while, but my fish can't.

ShagMan · Post by **ShagMan** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:38 pm

This is just personal opinion of course, but I've been eyeing the $329 generator that harborfreight carries... yes it's off-brand, but the engine is a carbon-copy of a Honda OHV engine, and they have some really good ratings for the $ spent... only downside is that I don't see a wiring diagram in the owner's guide/PDF, so I dunno about splitting the outlets to run 240v..... probably can only run to one side of the inside breaker box or hookup via extension cord... I'm not an electrician, so I would go the extension cord route anyways probably heheh... rated at 120v @ 20 amps (actually rated at 2600w), and also does 12v @ 10 amps.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=91523

Kart Racer · Post by **Kart Racer** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:24 pm

The one we have on our race trailer is a Honda that is 120/240 volts. If a generator can produce 240 it will have a plug on it for that. If not it will be straight 110. Honda's are fairly quite and the generator puts out a steady voltage. That is,I think, the main thing to look at. But just for a return pump, the motor should be able to take some swing in voltage but I dont know if you can tell how much it can take until its too late. If that helps at all but my opinion is at least look for one with a Honda engine.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:18 pm

Should have gotten in on the Pensacola tax-free thing, and home-depot has a finance plan w/ no payment or interest or both (can't remember) for a year.

Mobile Home Depot is going to have a 10% off sale on them sometime soon.. not sure when though, maybe there is something on their website.

Just remember Watts=Amps x Volts
The one I have is 5500 Watts so it will power aprox 45amps @ 120volts or 25 at 220 volts. I powered with it a couple of fridges, a freezer, my neighbors fridge, 3-4 lamps, my whole entertainment center, my tank w/ halides on, etc when our power was out during Ivan. Tried the microwave, but it didn't do so well on that, due to insufficient extension cords. I'm hooking it into my home circuit for this year, so it should run things better.

Mine has a generac (briggs & stratton) engine. It won't last as long as a Honda, but for how often I use it, it is fine for me. It Starts on first pull, and doesn't stall/sputter, etc. If you want something to use for more than an emergency sitiuation, dont get a briggs.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:28 pm

Info on Home Depot's web site:

Florida Sales Tax Holiday – June 1-12
Save an Extra 7.5% at Your Local Store
If you're a Florida resident, pay no tax on selected hurricane supplies from 6/1/05 - 6/12/05. And, when you shop at your local Home Depot store, we'll match the savings by giving you an extra 7.5% off ALL tax-free items. Offer available at Florida The Home Depot stores only from 6/1/05 - 6/12/05. Discount taken at register. See store for complete details.

Fishfood · Post by **Fishfood** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:44 pm

yea i should have looked for one last year right after the hurricane and have the government pay for it but didn't. that sucks. I only plan on using it should we lose power for an extended time. With the hurricane forcast for the upcomming season it may or may not happen. I wouldn't imagine that I would lose it for more then a few days unless something like ivan comes along again.

110chadman · Post by **110chadman** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:48 pm

if any of the mobile folks need generators hook up with us in pensacola to get one

also if you have a ups for your computer a good one it will help on items that cant handle a voltage spike

i know most of us will use them on fridges and nuke machines but if you really want to watch the boob toob or hope on line (if your phone works) or do the cell phone hack please use the ups to save your electronics

even pumps can go bad with poweroutages or spikes with the powercompanies switching circuits on and off!!

i think it will be a mad house here in pensacola over the next few days with this tax free thing

chad

Post by **snoopdog** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 7:21 am

Yeah but I doubt we have another bad hurricane for quite a while. If you look at the last 20 years we have not been without power that long really. This last storm I was only down 3 days and ran the stuff off of a car battery.

I still do not know if I can justify a generator cluttering the garage.

ShagMan · Post by **ShagMan** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:05 am

good information on using a UPS, I'll keep that in mind... I have a APC 2200va (!!) UPS that I keep handy for short-term power outages, which I keep all the computer equipment and cablemodem/router/WAP plugged into... problem is actually moving the heavy bastard, really need a dolly to do it.

I still have to talk to the marital unit, but I really want to have a generator on-hand starting this year... we got lucky last year, power was only out for 9 hours or so, but I know other people very very close to me (KrazyPlace/Snoopdog) that were out for several days, and I can't afford to have the entire contents of a 240G aquarium die out on me, that would be emotionally and financially disasterous.

My backup plan during Ivan was to have the 80g tank on my air compressor charged and ready, as a substitute air pump... but power came back on quick enough that it didn't matter.

110chadman · Post by **110chadman** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:32 am

good idea about the compressor tank ive got one of those ups thats really large it hase 4 or 6 batterys in it and it last about 4 hours with 3 computers fax machine and a phone system hooked up to it

i had it at work but bought all new ones for the office and took it home

chad

ShagMan · Post by **ShagMan** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:35 am

Yeah, same here.... the company I work for has several thousand field cabinets full of computer stuff all over the country... with UPS's... and when they die, for any reason, our policy is to strip the batteries out, throw away the UPS, and recycle the batteries... our techs have found it too dangerous to work on UPS's w/out knowing what's wrong with them... end result is once a year or so, I'll bring home a UPS or two and diagnose... and once in a while I'll find a perfectly good UPS that just needs batteries.

If anyone needs any kind of UPS batteries, I have a stack of them in my garage BTW... haven't gone through them, but I'm sure there's lots of good ones there, you can usually measure voltage on them to check... I have at leave 15-20 of the standard 6.0AH batteries for sure.

Post by **snoopdog** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 9:30 am

I have no idea how many good UPS's I threw away at Tandy...I would imagine at least 50.

tbmoore · Post by **tbmoore** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 5:44 pm

I would not get less than 5500 watts. If without power you will want to keep frig going and microwave, fan, at least one light and maybe a coffee pot. Alwasy better to get one little bigger...Wheels are good also but those can be added later....Do not forget lots of gas cans....when a storm comes it is too late sometimes.....jmo....also get big enough ext cord...(Right size wire and plug...rated for load)

Post by **snoopdog** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 5:55 pm

I am just going for a 3000 watt one. I do not have alot of money to spend. I figure it will easily do out chest freezer and inside fridge. One thing to think of is those appliances do not run 100 percent of the time anyway.

http://www.cmecinc.com/applianc.htm wattage guide.

Fishfood · Post by **Fishfood** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 6:50 pm

I just had a guy stop buy to take away my old lawnmowers. He repairs stuff and the were just sitting around long enough. I mentioned that I saw his add in the thriftynickel while looking for a generator. he mentioned Harbor Freight but said they last for about 500 hours before the motor blows. That is a good few yrs time if you only end up using it a couple days a yrs.