Generator for hurricane

[sotol]

I love South of Houston and do not plan to evacuate when one comes our way. After Ike we ran a Lowe's generator for 6 days.most people on the block had "off" brand models as well. The one guy with a Honda was burning a lot less fuel than everyone else.
That might not seem like much till you remember very few gas stations are open after a hurricane.
Any thoughts on a regular. Generator verses an inverter type?
I just want to run a window unit, a few lights and the fridge.

Definitely not interested in a whole house generator.

Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk

[6.5 shooter]

I have a Honda eu3000is, it has almost 500 hours on it. It’s worth the money. Sips the fuel.

[TX03RUBI]

I’ve got a Troybuilt 8k watt unit that’s as reliable as the day is long. But it loves fuel. I use it at our lease to power our Conex, and I go through 15-20 gallons per weekend from Friday at noonish til Sunday at noonish. It starts every single time first pull though.

[Blank]

For what you want to do, fridge/freezer lights and microwave. Maybe electric tools too; a 3000 watt generator will be the minimum of what you need. The Honda in this size is awesome!

[Stolle]

Look at the Champion brand. I have a 10 year old 4000 watt champion that I used during Harvey. Only need it for 24 hours. Ran the fridge, fans, TVs and internet just fine.

Now a days you can find the Honda style inverters for half the price. Look at Predator from Harbor Freight and Northern tool has brand as well.

I now have a 16KW on demand set up and love it.

[txpitdog]

I bought a 8k Briggs and Stratton thinking it would run everything I might want during a hurricane power outage, including a window unit at night to help us sleep. Only problem is that it’s so loud we wouldn’t sleep with it running.v wish I had one of those quiet Honda units. Something to think about when shopping around

[Outback]

Honda's are quiet, reliable and fuel efficient. I believe they make them in various sizes. Buy one large enough to run at 50%.

[kmitchl]

If you have natural gas or propane available you can use them for generator fuel. There are several companies selling conversion kits. Gets you out of the bind of finding a constant supply of gasoline.

[JHT]

I bought a Centurion 5000 (hurricane special from Loews) before Ike and it did just fine running 2 fridge's, AC window unit, DVD player for the kids till power was restored. I think it was $600. I had 3 5 gallon gas cans and bought 3 more before it it hit us. Just fill them up beforehand and no worries about getting gas. Gas usually is easier to get 3-4 days after we get hit and dumped the leftover gas in my truck.

Honda seems to get the best reviews because they are fuel efficient and quiet. I live in a subdivision so the neighbors generators running made the cost of a Honda seem irrelevant afterwards.

I would get the kids off to school in the morning and turn it off for a few hours while at work. I would take a late lunch and come back home and turn it back on. By the time I got back home the living room would be cool and we just made the best of it.

[CaptainDave]

As stated, Honda will be quieter and will be more fuel efficient.

With that said, we were 13 days without power after Ike. The lessoned we learned is after about a week, it got to the point of not being worth trying to keep the freezer going. Fuel costs start to add up quick.

I would also agree with the poster above. Generators were buzzing everywhere after Ike, so depending on where you live, the quietness of the Honda may not make too much impact.

[Johnny Dangerr]

I bought a 8k Briggs and Stratton thinking it would run everything I might want during a hurricane power outage, including a window unit at night to help us sleep. Only problem is that it’s so loud we wouldn’t sleep with it running.v wish I had one of those quiet Honda units. Something to think about when shopping around

We had a 3500 watt unit that was way too loud. When the whole home unit was installed I put it as far from my bedroom as possible with the exhaust pointed at my evil neighbors house..............

Two small things they don't mention when you go whole home. About $100.00 a day in natural gas if it is running at full power. They want you to change the oil and filter every 60 hours. {3 days}
I have a case of filters and 2 of oil stashed in the garage............

[quackaholic1]

I have a 4500watt Honda. its at least 15 years old and still runs like new We can run at full capacity for 11-12 hours on one tank

[Wall_Hanger]

a friend used to have Subaru diesel generator for his place on north padre island and that thing was quiet and really good on fuel.

[Stuck]

Which ever generator you decide on if you’re going to use it for prolonged power outages set it up to run on an external tank. Best thing I ever did at the camp house. Get on the line and there are several videos on YouTube on how to do it. I have a 2000w ryobi I run my camp house on, fill the tank when I get there and it runs all weekend.

[hopedale]

I love South of Houston and do not plan to evacuate when one comes our way. After Ike we ran a Lowe's generator for 6 days.most people on the block had "off" brand models as well. The one guy with a Honda was burning a lot less fuel than everyone else.
That might not seem like much till you remember very few gas stations are open after a hurricane.
Any thoughts on a regular. Generator verses an inverter type?
I just want to run a window unit, a few lights and the fridge.

Definitely not interested in a whole house generator.

Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk

Have you determined what the starting needs of the AC and fridge are?

For those two items you have a starting power need and a running power need due to the compressors. That is going to make a big difference in the generator you buy.

I'd look to Hurricane Katrina as a basis for fuel needs. It was like 21 days plus after the storm before the Power Company could get things going in New Orleans metro area. Katrina hit on Aug 29. Power came up around end of September.

No power no fuel from gas stations pumps. Not to mention it took a lot of time for Gas Stations to even get employees back.

And God Bless the Dominoes out side of Belle Chase Navel Air Base. Best pizza I ever ate.