I bought the Predator 9500. Living on the farm thirty years. Every time the power was lost I swore to get one. Had some remodeling going and had the electrician set up an outside receptacle. Now, when power is out, I wheel the generator out and set it on the end of the house. Can’t even hear it . I have a wood furnace so no big draw to keep house toasty. Two furnace blowers, and other than electric range I can operate the house in comfort. Bought the Predator on sale and been happy with it.
i picked up a predator 9500 inverter generator on a whim. Bad winter storm with a 6 month old baby. it was the last generator in stock. 3 years later and I've only used it once to finish up some welding.
Thanks for the great information. You never know when you’ll need a generator. Recently a storm went through where our son & daughter-in-law lives, they lost power for a week because of where they live it took that long for the power company to get that areas power back on. He has two of Champion largest generators for his remodeling business, he powered all of his house without problems.
I have a Pulsar 6850 duel fuel generator. It works like a champ and all I have done is changed the oil. It runs most things no a problem. Not my central AC, Dryer, or Hot Water Heater, but I have not tried those items. I do have window ac units as backup just in case and this runs them well with everything else. 2 refrigs, 4 freezer chests, lites, tvs, cable etc etc. It's loud yes. I built a sound box for it to quiet it a lot. It does help. I also use Propane as my first choice of fuel because I know that it will help keep the generator to last longer. Overall happy with generator. Just my 2 cent Good luck
Since your post the HF 9500 Inverter is 2200.00 but I'm lo0king at the Champion 8500 Inverter for 1600.00 with a 3 year warranty. I wished HF had more than 90 day warranty
I opted for two EU2000 that I can run parallel. With an external extended fuel tank. A use kryptonite motorcycle chains and locks to lock them up while running them after hurricanes in Florida.
I have the Pulsar G12KBN, which is a 9500/12000KW generator (not inverter). We ran on this for 4 days during the Texas winter storm. I have a subpanel that I have moved 10 circuits of 120v breakers. During the storm, we ran space heaters, lights, refrigerator, freezer, computers, Xbox, internet, 55' TVs. I would shutdown a space heater and ran a toaster oven for pizza's and a keureg for hot water. The surprising thing about this genset was it's fuel efficiency - we used about 45 to 50 gal of gasoline during that time, running about 5 to 6kw loads the whole time. I've used it many times since then and before. It's good, it's loud, it's heavy. Side note - I bought a little 12v cigarette lighter plug pump to pump fuel from my cars. The fuel there is always fresh and I can ferry larger amounts than a bunch of gas cans. I'm currently in the process of making this thing run the whole house. I just replaced my 200amp panel with one with 200 amp breakers so I can install an interlock kit. I also bought a soft-start capacitor for my AC (4ton) so hopefully it can do that. Tomorrow I'm cabling it up. Although this generator makes pretty clean power - the THD is like 8% or less at 50% loads, whereas a Westinghouse non-inverter type is rated at 5% or less. My big complaint is UPS batteries don't like the power, and it being a non-inverter generator always scares me a little. I'm considering upgrading, but right now, very large inverter generators are pretty expensive. Anyway, thought I'd give you a report on the Pulsar brand and my experience.
If you have a traditional generator run your electronics through an APC or equivalent surge protector. I've lost more then one television by not doing this. Recently I upgraded to a champion 4500 watt inverter duel fuel, works well for my needs. Had to use it a couple months ago when a summer storm took out the power.
I’ve had a Honda EU 3000I for about four years I run it in the back of a open pick up truck, and I found the CO sensor to be nothing but trouble it shuts the generator off constantly I finally found a way to bypass it. My next generator will not have one of these. I’m sure I’m not alone in this problem. The CO sensor is designed to last 10 years and there still is no replacement for them. I have a feeling that 10 years is going to be a life of a new generator.
Good stuff. Texas here so the 2021 ice storm was no joke. I picked up a 13k watt Duromax dual fuel shortly after that. For those with central AC I highly recommend installing an EZ start. These definitely are a must in terms of helping with the peak load needed to fire up a multi ton unit.
You’re right about that. We froze for 2 days before draining all the pipes and fleeing to Oklahoma. Is there a way these can plug into your main electrical panel or do you just run extensions cords? Not sure how it works running the blowers for the main gas furnace.
@@williamhicks2763 Yeah It was nothing I would have expected in Texas. Power outages due to storms and high heat yes, but we were without power for 5 days straight. The inside of our house dropped to about 37 degrees so luckily enough we had friends who still had power as they were on a feed line supplying power to the fire station. Anyhow, in terms of rigging up your generator to the whole house, I did this. I installed an interlock and dedicated breaker in the main panel. This is a safety measure that allows you to supply power to your house without backfeeding into the main grid. In short it forces you to cut the main breaker from the grid in order to flip the dedicated breaker which allows flow from the geni. The I ran EMT conduit to a power inlet plug and box which allows me to run a 50A line from the generator. In the event of an outage I shut off all the breakers in the sub panel, flip the interlock, hookup the generator and start feeding power. Then go back to the sub breaker and flip on the circuits that I want power supplied to. This gives me options to what I want running off off of the geni. You can do essentially all this with a transfer switch system but I decided against it as they would have kept me on 6 or 8 selected breakers. I wanted the ability to choose what and whenever I wanted to have powered if that makes sense. Plus the transfer switch would have been installed at the sub breaker and my two AC units are running loads directly from the main. For good measure I had my buddy who is a master electrician look over my work to make sure everything was up to code. You can hire an electrician to do essentially what I did for a few hundred bucks.
@williamhicks2763 you mean the generator? How to connect it to your house? Can always install or have an electrician create a transfer switch and install a 30-50 amp inlet
@@2000meganExactly. For mine, however, I added a separate 50 amp breaker and an interlock with the inlet feeding the added breaker. This allows me to power directly into my sub panel safely without backfeeding into the grid which is dangerous and illegal in many places. Since I am comfortable doing electrical work, it was an easy job for me, but any electrician can do it for a few hundred bucks or so. I chose the interlock route over a transfer switch as I wanted more flexibility to control which lines I want hot on backup vs the preset lines on a TS. I.e in summer months AC, winter furnace, upstairs lines, downstairs lines, etc. Either way though, both are great options.
I found in long power outages,smaller is better , gas is hard to get and store. if youre not hooked to nautral gas or have a large propane tank for heating, id go small as possible look for 10hrs a gal. I run on necessary items and look to the past, backup heat use wood, have an outdoor area to keep food in the winter. Im even thinking of installing a water tank and use an ag pump for low power backup . 90 of my outages are in the winter. In the summer i have a small window ac for one room and will run my fridge and lights. Maybe a tv and dvd player .
I bought a pulsar 5500 few years ago. It was about gizzar's due fuel the propane or gasoline.. It will power my small little sparkbox welder.. And I have never put gasoline in at. It is Now. at my mom's house as her backup generator. It's easy enough to start and the propane doesn't go bad. It is big enough to run the blower on the furnace and the refrigerator TV all at the same time.. I'm impressed with it but for six hundred fifty dollars the better of been good.
Harbor freight has a gas pump for about $10 that I slip into the gas tank and pump it directly into the generator tank. It runs on a "D" battery (which last months)
Great job Jeff!!..You know what might be interesting...to see how an average homeowner can use one of these generators to get them through a power outage for 4 or 5 days in winter.What its actually capable of doing and how to go about doing it.Thanks as always..
went with a predator 3500 and 5000 inverter for campers etc as backups to the installed 5k that is in the fifth wheel. Have a 5k inverter and a 12500 duromax for the house. We are running the 5000 predator into a separate box that will only run the computers and tv's etc with the rest of the house on the duromax 125000 tri fuel system. Ended up paying under 800 for that one at amazon on a very great sale day. Traded in a 3500 predator and paid a hundred extra at harbor freight for a second 5000 inverter to tandem these together. Have not bee able yet to set them up to see what kind of power they actually put out when tandem. IF it comes within specs needed to run our home then we may change minds and run everything through these but that 50 amp outlet in the duromax matters a great deal. Anyway, as always you have great informative videos and I am on a steep learning curve on generators. as a last ditch SHTF and everything else is stolen or destroyed we have a craftsman 8500 hidden and locked away in the shop. as well as a 2300 inverter for emergency computer and online backup along with freezers. lol (and maybe a solar 5k setup but not admittin nuthin lol....
I'd like some info on what's involved on making it where you can hook these up to you main circuit to run your whole house. I assume all of the bigger generators have that ability.
Good honest video. Honda is top tier no debate Japanese made and engineered but likely overkill for a backup....I would say Champion is the 2nd best and all around winner (their customer service is legendary) plus they offer dual fuel and 100% copper windings... the rest are basically made in the same factory in China they are just different colors. Predators are just overhyped exact same components and design as the GenMax and Pulsar.
When you have a class A rv that already has an on board inverter is there a danger of using an inverter generator to supply power when you are boondocking or just need generator power for whatever you need at the time. I was told that an inverter generator could be harmful to the electric system in the rv. Your input greatly appreciated
Offhand, I think the national safety guidelines say to keep generators 25' away from your building. Which means you should probably buy a 30-50' extension cord, of the heaviest wire size they have, to minimize voltage loss.
I have been thinking of the 4500 champion. Like portability and price. Would it work to parallel 2 9k peak and 7 k running combines? Would be about $1500
just fyi the ryobi generator you showd is a inverter generator that does produce the clean power. these generators are basically a hybrid between the standard open frame and the super quite inverters. basically toy get the clean poert and fuel economy but not nesar as quiet. with that said they are far cheaper then the quiet inverters. i have the one you showed and has been amazing the last several hurricanes.
Champion also has a new Tri-Fuel open frame inverter generator that is in the $1500 range. It is 9000 watts on gas. It would be louder but I believe you said all inverters are closed frame and there are several open frame models that are significantly cheaper.
South Florida here, looking at the same Champion myself. it is the 201176. Will run it on Propane only. Just had a soft start installed on my HVAC and it dropped the start amps down from 63 to 23 so I will be able to run the AC system on this Champion which is a big plus.
just in case someone thinks you need a huge 9500 watt generator from harbor freight to run your whole house, you dont. we have a 3500 watt harbor freight inverter generator that we mainly use to take to the track to power an air compressor and fridge in the trailer. however we put a gen hook up on the house as a just in case. we have the generator, might as well be prepared. we got to test that out during a bad rain storm for about 4 hours when a pole was down. that little generator ran everything in the house (except the dryer) without a problem around 2700 watt. all the lights, fans and TVs and computers/game consoles, 2 house refrigerators plus a deep freezer, and the AC running full tilt. the water heater and stove is gas so bare that in mind as well and obviously we didnt run the dryer but i was pleasantly happy to see it run everything including the AC. it worked so well i think i will splurge and get the 5000 watt duel fuel generator and convert it to natural gas (since we have natural gas here) as a permanent whole house gen
It depends on your circumstances. We live in a rural, all electric house. There are no gas lines here. We have a well pump that requires 4,800 watts, 240 volts AC to start. We have a Harbor Freight 8750/9000 watt generator to run the well pump, pellet stove, septic sand mound dosing pump and alarm, radon exhaust blower, and a refrigerator. When the well pump is running, the generator is pretty much maxed out. You need to calculate your critical loads and size accordingly. Our power was out for 3 days over last Christmas. The generator kept us from having to evacuate our house. Without it, we had no running water or heat. Since then, we've added 10,000 watts of hybrid solar inverters and 7.2 KW of solar panels, along with 20.48 kWh of Lithium Iron Phosphate rack mounted batteries. It's a work in progress. The generator is now a backup to recharge the batteries during low/no sunlight days during an outage.
yes, obviously circumstances is different for everyone. i thought it would be safe to assume my house being on natural gas also had water hook up as well as i pointed out most of our appliances run on natural gas. my point i was trying to make is most people dont need to go out and spend $15,000+ on a whole house generator, especially to just get by for a few hours to a few days. will it run everything, especially in a whole electric house? of course not. but it will get you by@@Solar2go
I agree with your comment as every single person's circumstances are going to be different. My electric hot water heater when it's running drawers 5,500 Watts just for one Appliance. I also have a triple safe sump pump system the those pumps to draw a ton of power when in use. So already...I need a 7000+ unit and that's not including any lights, my pellet stove, fridge or anything else. @Solar2go
You're right about different circumstances. I also believe in sacrificing space. If you have a 2 story then I would recommend going downstairs in the summer and upstairs in the winter. That way you use your fuel wisely if that's something your area is in need of.
The thing with Honda is their perceived quality and especially longevity.With a little maintenance it is expected to last 20 years or more,with limited power outage use.I highly doubt any Amazon generator is going to last as long.....BUT,with limited use you may still get your moneys worth with the lower priced options..
Just talked to a generator tech who works for a major repair company and he said Hondas actually one of the worst these days. Something about plastic internal parts.
I have had fat too many plastic gas cans blow a seam and crack from expansion on really hot days here in Texas and will now only use Steel Jerry can Style of Gas Cans.
Great post! Heads up...Re whole house generator use GenMax comes ((Home breaker box ready)) this means it has a ((floating neutral)) ready to go just install an interlock device or a transfer switch between the generator and the breaker box. Hell's often over looked best kept secret ...of real concern. A ((bonded neutral)) portable Gen should never be directly connected to a Home ((breaker box)) ((without a transfer switch)) between the two. Why is this? bc All residential home breaker panels are ((bonded neutral)) WARNING so a ((Bonded Neutral Generator)) connected directly to a residential breaker box ((minus)) a transfer switch poses a real risk of fire or electrocution. If you do not want the extra expense of installing a transfer switch $$$ What your looking for is a ((floating neutral Generator)) in concert with an interlock device connected directly to your residential main breaker panel via a 30 amp or 50 amp receptacle
From what I understand Pulsar is a manufacturer that either makes or used to make mowers etc for other brands but decided to start manufacturing under their own brand name
Been trying to figure this out, want to get a Generator with solar and batt back up but want it auto switching. Batt to carry load as the Gen auto kicks over. Any solutions you recommend? .
once you get to a medium size system with ..... battery backup .... and maybe solar (solar is optional for this scheme BTW) that will run your critical loads (the minimum you need) you start looking for a generator that will charge your battery, not run your house. Some of the You Tube 'solar' channels have shown you can get by with a smaller generator than you would need to run your house critical circuits so have to store / acquire less fuel - or fuel yoiu have lasts longer. And generators are maintained by watching the 'hours used' and you can cut that chore/ wear a LOT with the generator 240V output feeding the house and use the battery charger built into the invertor that now powers those critical circuits to fill up the batteries. It is more complicated --- but if you are going for a battery backup anyway, check for the best way to keep it charged as a viable solution. When I went thru TX ice capades I noticed I had SOME power each day - decided I could charge a battery during that time and run the house off the (big enough by design) 'whole house' battery. And I use a generator as a backup if power is NEVER coming on (never saw that yet) to fill in for grid power. Also got the tri fuel generator but only plan for natural gas - primary - and propane tanks for secondary fuel. More expensive but a solution between the whole house fixed to ground Generac at start of this video and what is found here. If I keep batteries 'topped up' when bad times are expected I get the first part of the crisis without any drama and if switches to 2 hours on 2 hours off my hope is I can still almost never use the generator. If power is out for days it is still easier to run the generator for a few hours to charge battery a few times a day. But if you are going for a battery backup, think of a generator to just service that system. BUT battery's at critical circuits for house or better scale are expensive. I mention this as you are leaning to looking at a solution with batteries in the mix. auto switchover is expensive when you want the generator mixed in. But if your battery system switches on / off grid all the time as part of it's design, then the generator can be a manual step as it is just to charge the batteries a few times a day (maybe - depends on the situation you find yourself in)
I bought the predator 8750 watt inverter and it trips the 120 volt plug ins unless I use a2 prong reducer. I think it may have something to do with not being grounded. Drove me nuts. Does anyone else have this problem. The 3 prong cord shouldn’t trip the 120 volt outlet even without anything plugged into it. Ty for any advice.
For everyone who thinks their electrical needs are secure think again. EMP should be something you should consider, Like EMP Shield and an EMP blanket for your generator but this leads to other areas like food and water or just forget that and take your chances because I have no choices that I can afford, like survivalist's mode
My house is in a small subdivision with VERY small yards. Only place to put this 25 feet away is literally on the sidewalk in the front yard, but it could get lifted in the middle of the night. Backyard is small and neighbors behind have a smaller yard than I do so where do i put it????
However, you still need an electrician to hook these up, correct? Isn't there something that needs installed to prevent back feed into the power lines? And how much should I expect to pay for all of that? I'd love to have a generator but it's probably out of my price range being only on social security. Thanks Jeff.😊
You need an electrician to install a manual disconnect/plug so the grid can be disconnected safely and a generator can be plugged in. Manual disconnect should be a more reasonable cost than automated disconnects with a permanent generator.
Yes, if you want to hook to the house circuits you need a transfer switch which is generally an electrician job. I don't know the going rate which varies with your area anyway but for switch and work figure more than $150 and under $600, I would guess. If all you want to do is run one or two things at a time, a smaller generator and long extension cords would allow you to just plug in the refrigerator and maybe the furnace and water heater.
At these prices, would a natural gas generator built into your gas line not be far off in price and better with fuel already directly piped into your house? You wouldn't have to battle gasoline shortages or competition at the pump or your ability to store gasoline or refilling. I have no experience, these are just my thoughts, correct me if I'm wrong or educate me on what I don't know.
You could buy two harbor freight predators and add on 3 year warranties for both and still come in under the price of the equivalent Honda. There are several Predator models that are popular and have a good reputation.
PREDATOR5000 Watt Dual-Fuel - Know what happened to this generator? There are images on HF website but the links go nowhere. Or, do you have any predictions when HF will come out with the ~10KW Dual Fuel Inverter Generator? 😉
Honestly, a true 50 amp plug requires 12,000 watt, 240 volt AC running capacity, not startup. Having a 50 amp socket on any smaller output generator is a bit of a misleading fraud. Trying to pull 50 amps from a lesser generator will put the inverter into overload.
But if you need 40A, the 30A-only port won't do you any good. The "50 amp", even if a little low, will still meet your needs. Very view people are going to pull 50 full amps full time.
Do you know $1,000 you can’t get a guardian Genac and my Generac is 29 years old and if you get in a hurricane or a snowstorm, you don’t have to go outside and plug anything you lose power a minute and 35 seconds it will power your complete home. You don’t have to worry about it. and it’s not 7000 W is 18,000.watt
Stay the 🤬 away from Gen-A-Crap(check the Better Business Bureau). All the other units listed R ok(if U have that kind of 💰). For my 💵 I'd go to Lowe's & order a Westinghouse 5300watt electric start(that should keep your average 🏡 going). Retired Power-plant mgr.
Most generators have most parts made in communist China Honda generators are now made in communist China they were made in Japan America has no generators made in America yes you can get a Briggs and Stratton engine on them Briggs and Stratton has recently moved operations back to the US unfortunately we have no real choices
the predator 9500 does NOT have a 50 amp plug
You're totally right it has 2 30 amp plugs.
@@denoftoolsc😮m
Really wish it did
Easy fix. Just use an adapter; 30amp to 50amp.
That is not a fix , it's still a 30amp
We use an open frame Predator 4550 quiet inverter for camping and my wife’s trailer rental business. We have been very happy with it.
I bought the Predator 9500. Living on the farm thirty years. Every time the power was lost I swore to get one. Had some remodeling going and had the electrician set up an outside receptacle. Now, when power is out, I wheel the generator out and set it on the end of the house. Can’t even hear it .
I have a wood furnace so no big draw to keep house toasty. Two furnace blowers, and other than electric range I can operate the house in comfort.
Bought the Predator on sale and been happy with it.
i picked up a predator 9500 inverter generator on a whim. Bad winter storm with a 6 month old baby. it was the last generator in stock. 3 years later and I've only used it once to finish up some welding.
Thanks for the great information. You never know when you’ll need a generator. Recently a storm went through where our son & daughter-in-law lives, they lost power for a week because of where they live it took that long for the power company to get that areas power back on. He has two of Champion largest generators for his remodeling business, he powered all of his house without problems.
Thanks for the caution about exhaust entering through soffits.
I have a Pulsar 6850 duel fuel generator. It works like a champ and all I have done is changed the oil.
It runs most things no a problem. Not my central AC, Dryer, or Hot Water Heater, but I have not tried those items. I do have window ac units as backup just in case and this runs them well with everything else.
2 refrigs, 4 freezer chests, lites, tvs, cable etc etc.
It's loud yes. I built a sound box for it to quiet it a lot. It does help.
I also use Propane as my first choice of fuel because I know that it will help keep the generator to last longer.
Overall happy with generator.
Just my 2 cent
Good luck
Since your post the HF 9500 Inverter is 2200.00 but I'm lo0king at the Champion 8500 Inverter for 1600.00 with a 3 year warranty. I wished HF had more than 90 day warranty
I opted for two EU2000 that I can run parallel. With an external extended fuel tank.
A use kryptonite motorcycle chains and locks to lock them up while running them after hurricanes in Florida.
Appreciated this overview.
I have the Pulsar G12KBN, which is a 9500/12000KW generator (not inverter). We ran on this for 4 days during the Texas winter storm. I have a subpanel that I have moved 10 circuits of 120v breakers. During the storm, we ran space heaters, lights, refrigerator, freezer, computers, Xbox, internet, 55' TVs. I would shutdown a space heater and ran a toaster oven for pizza's and a keureg for hot water. The surprising thing about this genset was it's fuel efficiency - we used about 45 to 50 gal of gasoline during that time, running about 5 to 6kw loads the whole time. I've used it many times since then and before. It's good, it's loud, it's heavy. Side note - I bought a little 12v cigarette lighter plug pump to pump fuel from my cars. The fuel there is always fresh and I can ferry larger amounts than a bunch of gas cans.
I'm currently in the process of making this thing run the whole house. I just replaced my 200amp panel with one with 200 amp breakers so I can install an interlock kit. I also bought a soft-start capacitor for my AC (4ton) so hopefully it can do that. Tomorrow I'm cabling it up.
Although this generator makes pretty clean power - the THD is like 8% or less at 50% loads, whereas a Westinghouse non-inverter type is rated at 5% or less.
My big complaint is UPS batteries don't like the power, and it being a non-inverter generator always scares me a little. I'm considering upgrading, but right now, very large inverter generators are pretty expensive.
Anyway, thought I'd give you a report on the Pulsar brand and my experience.
If you have a traditional generator run your electronics through an APC or equivalent surge protector. I've lost more then one television by not doing this. Recently I upgraded to a champion 4500 watt inverter duel fuel, works well for my needs. Had to use it a couple months ago when a summer storm took out the power.
I live in the D.C. area, and our worst power outages(5+ days) happened in summer.
I’ve had a Honda EU 3000I for about four years I run it in the back of a open pick up truck, and I found the CO sensor to be nothing but trouble it shuts the generator off constantly I finally found a way to bypass it. My next generator will not have one of these. I’m sure I’m not alone in this problem. The CO sensor is designed to last 10 years and there still is no replacement for them. I have a feeling that 10 years is going to be a life of a new generator.
Good stuff. Texas here so the 2021 ice storm was no joke. I picked up a 13k watt Duromax dual fuel shortly after that. For those with central AC I highly recommend installing an EZ start. These definitely are a must in terms of helping with the peak load needed to fire up a multi ton unit.
You’re right about that. We froze for 2 days before draining all the pipes and fleeing to Oklahoma. Is there a way these can plug into your main electrical panel or do you just run extensions cords? Not sure how it works running the blowers for the main gas furnace.
@@williamhicks2763 Yeah It was nothing I would have expected in Texas. Power outages due to storms and high heat yes, but we were without power for 5 days straight. The inside of our house dropped to about 37 degrees so luckily enough we had friends who still had power as they were on a feed line supplying power to the fire station. Anyhow, in terms of rigging up your generator to the whole house, I did this. I installed an interlock and dedicated breaker in the main panel. This is a safety measure that allows you to supply power to your house without backfeeding into the main grid. In short it forces you to cut the main breaker from the grid in order to flip the dedicated breaker which allows flow from the geni. The I ran EMT conduit to a power inlet plug and box which allows me to run a 50A line from the generator. In the event of an outage I shut off all the breakers in the sub panel, flip the interlock, hookup the generator and start feeding power. Then go back to the sub breaker and flip on the circuits that I want power supplied to. This gives me options to what I want running off off of the geni. You can do essentially all this with a transfer switch system but I decided against it as they would have kept me on 6 or 8 selected breakers. I wanted the ability to choose what and whenever I wanted to have powered if that makes sense. Plus the transfer switch would have been installed at the sub breaker and my two AC units are running loads directly from the main. For good measure I had my buddy who is a master electrician look over my work to make sure everything was up to code. You can hire an electrician to do essentially what I did for a few hundred bucks.
@williamhicks2763 you mean the generator? How to connect it to your house? Can always install or have an electrician create a transfer switch and install a 30-50 amp inlet
@@2000meganExactly. For mine, however, I added a separate 50 amp breaker and an interlock with the inlet feeding the added breaker. This allows me to power directly into my sub panel safely without backfeeding into the grid which is dangerous and illegal in many places. Since I am comfortable doing electrical work, it was an easy job for me, but any electrician can do it for a few hundred bucks or so. I chose the interlock route over a transfer switch as I wanted more flexibility to control which lines I want hot on backup vs the preset lines on a TS. I.e in summer months AC, winter furnace, upstairs lines, downstairs lines, etc. Either way though, both are great options.
Very informative and enjoyable video….well done!
I found in long power outages,smaller is better , gas is hard to get and store. if youre not hooked to nautral gas or have a large propane tank for heating, id go small as possible look for 10hrs a gal.
I run on necessary items and look to the past, backup heat use wood, have an outdoor area to keep food in the winter. Im even thinking of installing a water tank and use an ag pump for low power backup .
90 of my outages are in the winter. In the summer i have a small window ac for one room and will run my fridge and lights. Maybe a tv and dvd player .
This past summer storm power went out here in east texas spent 900 on 3 2500 champion generator inverter one for my sister and 2 for out house
Interesting , Thank You
Good choices for backup power. Are there any diesel generators that are good 👍.
I bought a pulsar 5500 few years ago. It was about gizzar's due fuel the propane or gasoline.. It will power my small little sparkbox welder.. And I have never put gasoline in at. It is Now. at my mom's house as her backup generator. It's easy enough to start and the propane doesn't go bad. It is big enough to run the blower on the furnace and the refrigerator TV all at the same time.. I'm impressed with it but for six hundred fifty dollars the better of been good.
Thank you Sir👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I converted my Predator 9500 to run on natural gas and it’s an absolute rockstar!
What kit did you use for the NG conversion?
@@vyper6163 PNGTec
Harbor freight has a gas pump for about $10 that I slip into the gas tank and pump it directly into the generator tank. It runs on a "D" battery (which last months)
Have dual fuel pulsar non inverter generator. Have never had an issue with it in the two years I have owned it.
Great job Jeff!!..You know what might be interesting...to see how an average homeowner can use one of these generators to get them through a power outage for 4 or 5 days in winter.What its actually capable of doing and how to go about doing it.Thanks as always..
Agreed!
went with a predator 3500 and 5000 inverter for campers etc as backups to the installed 5k that is in the fifth wheel. Have a 5k inverter and a 12500 duromax for the house. We are running the 5000 predator into a separate box that will only run the computers and tv's etc with the rest of the house on the duromax 125000 tri fuel system. Ended up paying under 800 for that one at amazon on a very great sale day. Traded in a 3500 predator and paid a hundred extra at harbor freight for a second 5000 inverter to tandem these together. Have not bee able yet to set them up to see what kind of power they actually put out when tandem. IF it comes within specs needed to run our home then we may change minds and run everything through these but that 50 amp outlet in the duromax matters a great deal. Anyway, as always you have great informative videos and I am on a steep learning curve on generators. as a last ditch SHTF and everything else is stolen or destroyed we have a craftsman 8500 hidden and locked away in the shop. as well as a 2300 inverter for emergency computer and online backup along with freezers. lol (and maybe a solar 5k setup but not admittin nuthin lol....
I'd like some info on what's involved on making it where you can hook these up to you main circuit to run your whole house. I assume all of the bigger generators have that ability.
I have China Freight 9500 inverter
It seems to work fine. I have two others, Duromax 15000 and a honda EB5000. You really can't have to many.
I gave up on plastic gas cans and the "safety" nozzles that broke on me in less than 2 seasons. I use the old style 5 gal metal gas cans.
Good honest video. Honda is top tier no debate Japanese made and engineered but likely overkill for a backup....I would say Champion is the 2nd best and all around winner (their customer service is legendary) plus they offer dual fuel and 100% copper windings... the rest are basically made in the same factory in China they are just different colors. Predators are just overhyped exact same components and design as the GenMax and Pulsar.
When you have a class A rv that already has an on board inverter is there a danger of using an inverter generator to supply power when you are boondocking or just need generator power for whatever you need at the time. I was told that an inverter generator could be harmful to the electric system in the rv. Your input greatly appreciated
Offhand, I think the national safety guidelines say to keep generators 25' away from your building. Which means you should probably buy a 30-50' extension cord, of the heaviest wire size they have, to minimize voltage loss.
I have been thinking of the 4500 champion. Like portability and price. Would it work to parallel 2 9k peak and 7 k running combines? Would be about $1500
One thing to note even if it has a 50 amp plug, it’s only outputting 30-31 amps only way to get 50 amps is to parallel two of them together.
just fyi the ryobi generator you showd is a inverter generator that does produce the clean power. these generators are basically a hybrid between the standard open frame and the super quite inverters. basically toy get the clean poert and fuel economy but not nesar as quiet. with that said they are far cheaper then the quiet inverters. i have the one you showed and has been amazing the last several hurricanes.
Are any of these EFI or will I have to use a jet kit for high altitude?
Champion also has a new Tri-Fuel open frame inverter generator that is in the $1500 range. It is 9000 watts on gas. It would be louder but I believe you said all inverters are closed frame and there are several open frame models that are significantly cheaper.
South Florida here, looking at the same Champion myself. it is the 201176. Will run it on Propane only. Just had a soft start installed on my HVAC and it dropped the start amps down from 63 to 23 so I will be able to run the AC system on this Champion which is a big plus.
just in case someone thinks you need a huge 9500 watt generator from harbor freight to run your whole house, you dont. we have a 3500 watt harbor freight inverter generator that we mainly use to take to the track to power an air compressor and fridge in the trailer. however we put a gen hook up on the house as a just in case. we have the generator, might as well be prepared. we got to test that out during a bad rain storm for about 4 hours when a pole was down. that little generator ran everything in the house (except the dryer) without a problem around 2700 watt. all the lights, fans and TVs and computers/game consoles, 2 house refrigerators plus a deep freezer, and the AC running full tilt. the water heater and stove is gas so bare that in mind as well and obviously we didnt run the dryer but i was pleasantly happy to see it run everything including the AC. it worked so well i think i will splurge and get the 5000 watt duel fuel generator and convert it to natural gas (since we have natural gas here) as a permanent whole house gen
It depends on your circumstances. We live in a rural, all electric house. There are no gas lines here. We have a well pump that requires 4,800 watts, 240 volts AC to start. We have a Harbor Freight 8750/9000 watt generator to run the well pump, pellet stove, septic sand mound dosing pump and alarm, radon exhaust blower, and a refrigerator. When the well pump is running, the generator is pretty much maxed out.
You need to calculate your critical loads and size accordingly.
Our power was out for 3 days over last Christmas. The generator kept us from having to evacuate our house. Without it, we had no running water or heat.
Since then, we've added 10,000 watts of hybrid solar inverters and 7.2 KW of solar panels, along with 20.48 kWh of Lithium Iron Phosphate rack mounted batteries. It's a work in progress. The generator is now a backup to recharge the batteries during low/no sunlight days during an outage.
yes, obviously circumstances is different for everyone. i thought it would be safe to assume my house being on natural gas also had water hook up as well as i pointed out most of our appliances run on natural gas. my point i was trying to make is most people dont need to go out and spend $15,000+ on a whole house generator, especially to just get by for a few hours to a few days. will it run everything, especially in a whole electric house? of course not. but it will get you by@@Solar2go
I agree with your comment as every single person's circumstances are going to be different. My electric hot water heater when it's running drawers 5,500 Watts just for one Appliance. I also have a triple safe sump pump system the those pumps to draw a ton of power when in use. So already...I need a 7000+ unit and that's not including any lights, my pellet stove, fridge or anything else. @Solar2go
Shut up
You're right about different circumstances. I also believe in sacrificing space. If you have a 2 story then I would recommend going downstairs in the summer and upstairs in the winter. That way you use your fuel wisely if that's something your area is in need of.
The thing with Honda is their perceived quality and especially longevity.With a little maintenance it is expected to last 20 years or more,with limited power outage use.I highly doubt any Amazon generator is going to last as long.....BUT,with limited use you may still get your moneys worth with the lower priced options..
Just talked to a generator tech who works for a major repair company and he said Hondas actually one of the worst these days. Something about plastic internal parts.
Any idea why the predator 5000 is not on there website anymore?
no-spill gas cans rock
I have had fat too many plastic gas cans blow a seam and crack from expansion on really hot days here in Texas and will now only use Steel Jerry can Style of Gas Cans.
Duromax just recently came out with a 16,000 starting watt inverter generator.
Great post!
Heads up...Re whole house generator use
GenMax comes ((Home breaker box ready)) this means it has a ((floating neutral)) ready to go
just install an interlock device or a transfer switch between the generator and the breaker box.
Hell's often over looked best kept secret ...of real concern.
A ((bonded neutral)) portable Gen should never be directly connected to a Home ((breaker box))
((without a transfer switch)) between the two. Why is this? bc All residential home breaker panels are ((bonded neutral))
WARNING so a ((Bonded Neutral Generator)) connected directly to a residential breaker box ((minus))
a transfer switch poses a real risk of fire or electrocution.
If you do not want the extra expense of installing a transfer switch $$$
What your looking for is a ((floating neutral Generator)) in concert with an interlock device connected
directly to your residential main breaker panel via a 30 amp or 50 amp receptacle
Last sentence of first paragraph. Is that aboit us and the spies in the lines and De Vices? The Listner?
Generator season here in Florida is coming to an end with hurricane season
Exactly what I was thinking.
Don't you still have at least a month and a half left in Hurricane season?
@El_Diablo_LI yes but it starts slacking up in about 3 weeks normally get very little after mid October
Good for Florida. For the rest of us, winter is coming
It’s that time of year? We’ve already had two outages. A warmup drill for winter, I guess.
I got a Pulsar 4,500-Watt/3,700-Watt Dual Fuel with Recoil, Remote and Push Button Start Portable Inverter Generator with CO Alert
From what I understand Pulsar is a manufacturer that either makes or used to make mowers etc for other brands but decided to start manufacturing under their own brand name
The predator 9500 is overkill for most people. I like the 5000 with duel fuel and the remote start.
the 5000 is gone now
@@joey24698what happened to it do you know, I looked for it today
I love my Honda generator for the fuel injection alone, but I will say, this thing is heavy to push around.
We are thinking about - the inverter generator- you have - the predator. We have 4+ folk with beds - so - we may need the 9500 a right?
Doesn't matter how many people you have. It all comes down to what you want to run at the same time.
Been trying to figure this out, want to get a Generator with solar and batt back up but want it auto switching. Batt to carry load as the Gen auto kicks over. Any solutions you recommend? .
once you get to a medium size system with ..... battery backup .... and maybe solar (solar is optional for this scheme BTW) that will run your critical loads (the minimum you need) you start looking for a generator that will charge your battery, not run your house.
Some of the You Tube 'solar' channels have shown you can get by with a smaller generator than you would need to run your house critical circuits so have to store / acquire less fuel - or fuel yoiu have lasts longer.
And generators are maintained by watching the 'hours used' and you can cut that chore/ wear a LOT with the generator 240V output feeding the house and use the battery charger built into the invertor that now powers those critical circuits to fill up the batteries. It is more complicated --- but if you are going for a battery backup anyway, check for the best way to keep it charged as a viable solution.
When I went thru TX ice capades I noticed I had SOME power each day - decided I could charge a battery during that time and run the house off the (big enough by design) 'whole house' battery. And I use a generator as a backup if power is NEVER coming on (never saw that yet) to fill in for grid power.
Also got the tri fuel generator but only plan for natural gas - primary - and propane tanks for secondary fuel.
More expensive but a solution between the whole house fixed to ground Generac at start of this video and what is found here.
If I keep batteries 'topped up' when bad times are expected I get the first part of the crisis without any drama and if switches to 2 hours on 2 hours off my hope is I can still almost never use the generator. If power is out for days it is still easier to run the generator for a few hours to charge battery a few times a day.
But if you are going for a battery backup, think of a generator to just service that system.
BUT battery's at critical circuits for house or better scale are expensive.
I mention this as you are leaning to looking at a solution with batteries in the mix.
auto switchover is expensive when you want the generator mixed in. But if your battery system switches on / off grid all the time as part of it's design, then the generator can be a manual step as it is just to charge the batteries a few times a day (maybe - depends on the situation you find yourself in)
Off brand generators sound great until you need warranty service. Make sure you research where your local warranty service center is located.
once you get a generator, you will never lose power again lol.
What is the difference in between regular generator and RV generator
Nothing. But there are certain sizes and features that work best for RV users.
I bought the predator 8750 watt inverter and it trips the 120 volt plug ins unless I use a2 prong reducer. I think it may have something to do with not being grounded. Drove me nuts. Does anyone else have this problem. The 3 prong cord shouldn’t trip the 120 volt outlet even without anything plugged into it. Ty for any advice.
Where I live, the power is so crappy generator season never ends. You never know when the power is going out it just goes out.
For everyone who thinks their electrical needs are secure think again. EMP should be something you should consider, Like EMP Shield and an EMP blanket for your generator but this leads to other areas like food and water or just forget that and take your chances because I have no choices that I can afford, like survivalist's mode
My house is in a small subdivision with VERY small yards. Only place to put this 25 feet away is literally on the sidewalk in the front yard, but it could get lifted in the middle of the night. Backyard is small and neighbors behind have a smaller yard than I do so where do i put it????
Put it next to the house then run an exhaust pipe above the roofline?
However, you still need an electrician to hook these up, correct? Isn't there something that needs installed to prevent back feed into the power lines? And how much should I expect to pay for all of that? I'd love to have a generator but it's probably out of my price range being only on social security. Thanks Jeff.😊
You need an electrician to install a manual disconnect/plug so the grid can be disconnected safely and a generator can be plugged in. Manual disconnect should be a more reasonable cost than automated disconnects with a permanent generator.
Yes, if you want to hook to the house circuits you need a transfer switch which is generally an electrician job. I don't know the going rate which varies with your area anyway but for switch and work figure more than $150 and under $600, I would guess. If all you want to do is run one or two things at a time, a smaller generator and long extension cords would allow you to just plug in the refrigerator and maybe the furnace and water heater.
@@pault151 False. You can do a manual circuit transfer switch yourself.
Emmanuel transfer switch from Home Depot with a 10 slot breaker is 466 bucks that comes with a 10-ft generator cord and the box to plug it into
At these prices, would a natural gas generator built into your gas line not be far off in price and better with fuel already directly piped into your house? You wouldn't have to battle gasoline shortages or competition at the pump or your ability to store gasoline or refilling. I have no experience, these are just my thoughts, correct me if I'm wrong or educate me on what I don't know.
You're looking at about $7k-10k installed for one. You can buy one of these for $2k and connect it to your panel for about $200.
gas grid goes down you are left with nothing. texas shut off gas a couple times in emergency
Not sure if that GenMax is a quiet model...
Bring back the bear!
If anyone plans on staying alive, they need gas generators, lithium and acid cell solar generators with panels.....
I just can't get past the "90 day warranty" for Harbor Freight.
You could buy two harbor freight predators and add on 3 year warranties for both and still come in under the price of the equivalent Honda. There are several Predator models that are popular and have a good reputation.
Firman generator
Was watching this video and my power went out. 😅
Winter will get here before you know it.
PREDATOR5000 Watt Dual-Fuel - Know what happened to this generator? There are images on HF website but the links go nowhere. Or, do you have any predictions when HF will come out with the ~10KW Dual Fuel Inverter Generator? 😉
HF gives you 90 days(3 months) not 6 months like you said... 😅
Nice video but , Good lord $5000 yikes I'll stick to my loud noisy smelly already paid for generator. Been using it for years never a problem.
Honestly, a true 50 amp plug requires 12,000 watt, 240 volt AC running capacity, not startup. Having a 50 amp socket on any smaller output generator is a bit of a misleading fraud. Trying to pull 50 amps from a lesser generator will put the inverter into overload.
But if you need 40A, the 30A-only port won't do you any good. The "50 amp", even if a little low, will still meet your needs. Very view people are going to pull 50 full amps full time.
20 there's
Westinghouse igen4500df inverter is a 1000 times better than the Honda
So you've got the Honda, the Champion, and then everything else coming from that same factory with slight differences. It's more like 3 choices.
Do you know $1,000 you can’t get a guardian Genac and my Generac is 29 years old and if you get in a hurricane or a snowstorm, you don’t have to go outside and plug anything you lose power a minute and 35 seconds it will power your complete home. You don’t have to worry about it. and it’s not 7000 W is 18,000.watt
honda is double the cost of Predator. hell buy two and rotate.
Stay the 🤬 away from Gen-A-Crap(check the Better Business Bureau). All the other units listed R ok(if U have that kind of 💰). For my 💵 I'd go to Lowe's & order a Westinghouse 5300watt electric start(that should keep your average 🏡 going). Retired Power-plant mgr.
Not first!
Predator kills themselves not offering a 50A outlet. I could run my whole house with that after I install the soft start on my a/c.
Actually I think generator season is coming to an end in the US
Lol, you clearly do not live up north
Yikes! Hondas @ $5k a pop ... talk about begging to sprout a pair of legs.
If you have one, you better bury it under the backyard lawn very well!
Most generators have most parts made in communist China Honda generators are now made in communist China they were made in Japan America has no generators made in America yes you can get a Briggs and Stratton engine on them Briggs and Stratton has recently moved operations back to the US unfortunately we have no real choices
Are Generac and Kohler China made too?
First
Your title is specifically about "Super Quiet" but you didn't say one single word about noise levels. 👎👎👎
Honda Baby!! czcams.com/video/5n1sPy3Al6M/video.htmlsi=ccbxBU2SI-dYDdok