Generator

[Kenner97]

I have been looking at the harbor freight ones too.
Thanks for all the replies.

[6.5 shooter]

Get an inverter type with eco throttle if you can.

[techzan]

Looking at generators for my cabin. Been borrowing a buddies Honda 3500w while working on cabin. it is a 12X30 lofted barn and i have a 12,000btu Window Unit currently and i'm thinking i might need to add another one in order to cool down during the hotter months.
Going to get it insulated with spray foam in the next few weeks, so hopefully that will help.
What size generator would you recommend? When the AC kicks on, it seemed to bog down the 3500w right at first. I was thinking of getting a 4,000watt but if i need to get 2 window units, i'm worried it will not run both of them.
Would like to stay under $1,000.

My previous 12x26 lofted (Derksen) cabin had spray foam insulation & an 8,000 BTU window unit cooled it plenty in the warm summer months in Edwards County. It was 12x26 cabin but I think 4 of those feet included the outdoor front porch. A Freight harbor 4000 watt generator powered it & never had any issues with having a few lights on, also. I had a wheel kit on the generator but it was a hassle loading & unloading it each time I went out there.
I am having a new Derksen 12x24 lofted cabin built right now for a new place in Edwards County that's getting closed cell spray foam. I got an 8,000 BTU LG wall A/C with a Freight Harbor 2,000 inverter that will easily power it & a few lights. I went with the 2000 watt inverter ($450) this time primarily since it's so freaking quiet. It's also much lighter & can be moved around easily.
I really don't think you need two 12,000 BTU air conditioners, especially since it will be insulated.

[Kenner97]

My previous 12x26 lofted (Derksen) cabin had spray foam insulation & an 8,000 BTU window unit cooled it plenty in the warm summer months in Edwards County. It was 12x26 cabin but I think 4 of those feet included the outdoor front porch. A Freight harbor 4000 watt generator powered it & never had any issues with having a few lights on, also. I had a wheel kit on the generator but it was a hassle loading & unloading it each time I went out there.
I am having a new Derksen 12x24 lofted cabin built right now for a new place in Edwards County that's getting closed cell spray foam. I got an 8,000 BTU LG wall A/C with a Freight Harbor 2,000 inverter that will easily power it & a few lights. I went with the 2000 watt inverter ($450) this time primarily since it's so freaking quiet. It's also much lighter & can be moved around easily.
I really don't think you need two 12,000 BTU air conditioners, especially since it will be insulated.

I hope so.
I should be able to have it insulated in the next few weeks. If I can get away with just the one I’m leaning towards the HF 3500 inverter or the Westinghouse 4000 inverter.

[Bill]

We’re going to be shopping for one for backup power this year. Having the house wired with an approved switch disconnecting us from the power company and having a generator plug-in on the front porch.

Living in Montana 1 1/2 miles from “nowhere” with the winters here one needs to think about it.


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[Mike D]

Generator

We’re going to be shopping for one for backup power this year. Having the house wired with an approved switch disconnecting us from the power company and having a generator plug-in on the front porch.

Living in Montana 1 1/2 miles from “nowhere” with the winters here one needs to think about it.


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Bill since you are building I’d get a fixed mount one with an ATS and dedicated panel. That way you don’t have to be turning off/on breakers when you have a power outage. Also get propane powered or dual fuel of possible.

Generac makes some reasonably priced models as a package deal.

We went with a 22KW propane powered Generac for our house with a whole house ATS and dedicated panel. We can run all lights, several plugs, (1) AC unit, microwave, water well, septic system and all refrigeration in the house if we get into an extended power outage.


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[Bill]

Can I ask what a 22KW propane generator costs? Thanks for suggestion.


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[BrianL]

Can I ask what a 22KW propane generator costs? Thanks for suggestion.


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Unless you have a natural gas line, you need to figure out if you will be able to reliably get propane delivered 1 to 2 times a week if you have an outage. Or a backup to your backup. Those 22K Propane($5K) will go thru 60-85 gallons of propane per 24 hours. 99% of outages around here are less than 4 hours and I would love to have one, but I have also been out for three weeks. During that I learned a good bit about living off a generator. First thing replace ALL lights with LEDs. I can survive with one Honda 2000, but it takes a lot more work. Winter I have propane heat, and summer I have two 5600 btu window units in the shop that can be installed in a window. It's a lot of work to save fuel $, but when running days on end it adds up in a hurry. I have two honda 2000, a honda 3500 welder/generator, and 10500 Miller welder/generator. The Honda 2000 go thru about 2.5 gallons/day. The Honda 3500 goes thru about 18 gallons/day. I haven't ran the Miller enough to know about it yet. If you have a tractor, you might also look at PTO generators.

[Bill]

I’m going to talk to neighbors, see what the history of power outages are- I believe infrequent. Power is underground, no hurricanes but high winds.


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[BigDraw]

Whatever you buy, I would look at a propane conversion. Ethanol contaminated fuel has ruined the gas tank on mine. You will never have to worry about the fuel going bad again.

[tps7742]

Can I ask what a 22KW propane generator costs? Thanks for suggestion.


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We had a 22k generac installed on our house 3 years ago. The generator, dedicated panel & transfer switch etc ran us about $6500.00 installed. This was on a new build and it’s rated to carry the entire house (3100 sq feet), septic etc. we live in a rural setting and have a propane tank. The price wasn’t including the propane tank (we lease it). The price for installing the propane line to the house was $3.25 a foot. The only thing we have in propane is our hot water heater, stove top & generator. They can use allot of propane on full load but imo a full load is very unlikely in our situation. If I remember correctly on full load it can use 3.6 gallons per hour. We had a 3 day outage after a tornado hit our area last summer and in our situation we used approximately 2% per day out of our 500 gallon tank.
We have frequent outages in inclement weather due to the many trees around our rural area. Money well spent in our situation to keep the comforts of home available.