Would anyone happen to have bought one of these generators.
I've only bought from Northern Tool once in the past, and that was a name brand (Hobart) welder...... not one of their "generic" products.
Just trying to find out if they build a good product. (or put their name on a good product)
Thanks
Here's the new generator I just ordered from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90236
We'll see how it works in a couple of weeks. Shipping was $62 so I didn't even bother going to the store (off the island and a $30 1/2 day trip).
One of my customers had a North Star - a wierd one with 3 vertical shaft generators run by belt drive -- it wasn't working at the time and they had quite a bit of trouble with it. I'm sure they have good ones also - I have bought a few things from them and they have been OK.
I have had pretty good luck with the Harbor Freight stuff. I bought their vibratory plate compactor and it seem to be very good quality for a reasonable price (like 1/4th of other comparable products). I used to buy Honda generators for my jobsite use years ago. To me they were over rated and wore out much too quickly for the price. They were nice and quiet though.
As far as I'm concerned quiet counts--a lot--when it comes to generators.
My new generator didn't get here fast enough! We were out of power from about 5 am Wed night (11/15) until 6:30 am today (Thurs). My little 1000 watt generator had to pull the load. I was able to keep EITHER the refrigerator OR the upright freezer going plus a few CFL lights (those are sure worth it aren't they?)
By running out in the rain to switch extension cords I was able to keep all the food in those two boxes from spoiling. The wood stove (now working great), the Coleman propane camping stove and kerosene lights took care of the rest. One live phone line, no computer, no answering machine. (Sorry if you tried to call the CountryPlans corporate headquarters!)
It was actually very nice. After about three hours of computer withdrawal :-X :-/ :P Mrs Raabe and I were able to relax in front of the fire, read, play games and take naps...
Kind of a low-tech at-home vacation.
John,
Sorry about the power troubles ....
When you get the "new" generator, what do you expect it'll run at one time? Like say a freezer, frig, a few lights ....
With 4 KW of power (4.5 peak) I should be able to run both the freezer and Refrig., plus lots of CFL lights (@14 watts each for 60 watts of regular light bulb power). That will cover the basics.
Then, I'd like to run a line to my office and power the computer, DSL, phones and wireless router. That would give us a place to charge batteries and run a laptop anywhere in the house.
I expect to have to run this power though a battery backup and power cleaner to make it stable enough for electronics. Does anyone have experience with this piece of equipment? I have an old battery backup with a dead battery (working as a surge protector now) but plan to upgrade that. :)
I'm not going to be doing wiring inside the house so all this will run from temporary extension cords through the windows!
Here's another option...
Use your car as a generator. This is probably equal in power to my little generator, is much smaller and less expensive. Downside is it will burn through gas faster.
Will normal car wiring take the load? I'm not the expert on this.
(http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/94000-94099/94009.gif)
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94009
So your ready for round two on Sunday eh! :o ;D
I just fitted / temp'ed up some broken fence post to keep the dog in the yard.
Quite a lil blow 66 MPH here on the rock , I'd guess NAS Whidbey weather station, maybe out at Smith Isl. CGWS, not sure where the reading was from.
The local power company (Puget) reported that at one point over 100,000 people were in the dark.
Yep, another one is coming this weekend.
The rainy Pacific Northwest is sure living up to its reputation this year! >:(
Ya think ;D Nice roof design/ sod roof John on the cedar roof thread , your "person" might need a lil work ;D
Kinda egg shaped, the client might not like that shape :o
We call um HOMO"S , short for Home owners ;D Eh what can I say I work for a retired Navy Commander, and we still like our acyronms ;D :o
Yea, they don't have much personality.
(https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/jraabe/porch.gif)
In Arch. school we called them "floating head people"... even a klutz like me can draw one of these. ;)
Link to roofs (http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1163655559)
Glenn told me to tell you "so much for the reliability of the grid!" He also said he uses a modified sine wave inverter out of his truck to power his computer when he's on the road. He said most computers are fine with it, "but if you see smoke coming out of your computer, you've got a problem... :-/ "
He just sent his laptop computer back to HP to get it fixed - he's bought 2 new computers in the last few months - returned the one & got another one in its place & now that one had a hard drive go out on it - he's back to his old computer that he had to open up & soder the wires inside to power the cord - poor design on the power cords.
Now he is fixing his bobcat - a buddy of his is helping him... he said he's about to give up on electronics & machines! :-/
He was able to get my clawfoot bathtub hooked up in the master bath & put some more wood siding on the walls so I don't have plastic & insulation & spider webs showing ;). My son & I have been plastering the walls outside - Glenn also put the rigid insulation on the outside plus the batt insulation inside - stays pretty cozy now. We had one place that just had plastic & the raccoons were getting into the house through that :o :D - didn't like that too much...
John, btw what type of generator did you get? I don't recall you saying the model, just the kw, may have missed it...
Sassy
Yea, I hear ya!! The power grid, computers, machinery... nothing is truly reliable. Even when I go low-tech and rely just on myself, my wood stove and some kerosene lights - things can still go wrong. But then it's usually me that's the weak link in the reliability chain. :)
Here is the link to the generator I got (a bit higher up the thread).
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90236
PS - I just discovered what that little "arrow-M" on the icon bar does... :D
That's not a bad price. Is is gas or diesel? That is a pretty cool feature-the arrow M - I think that Amanda has used it - I don't know what a lot of the features do - Glenn has to show me.
Even though the power went out, think of all the nice quality time you & Mrs. Raabe were able to share! :) Most of the time our lives are so hectic we don't take the time to really "enjoy the journey" as another CP member posted the other day!
The grid is very reliable! (At sending out the bills that is.)
By the way, Sam's club now has a gas generator. Seems to be a seasonal thing with these discount stores. Sam's gen is pretty big, maybe 8k or so. 13 hp Honda (for those who like'em). Less than $1000.
I haven't used that particular generator, John but it has the features that should make it good. I agree about the Honda engine -- the Cast Iron sleeve engine will likely outlast it - Subaru Robin should be good. Your stuff should run fine on that generator. My backup at the underground complex is 3000 watts. Backup for the backup is 8000 watts. Backup for the backup for the backup is 10000 watts. I have several more. Welders usually have very good backup generators on them nowadays. Old days they were only about 3000 watts and some were DC which would fry some of the things you hooked up to them. The little inverter you posted from Harbor is a modified sine wave, I'm pretty (to very) sure. Most things should run fine off of it. A few things won't like it - very few will fry and running something too big off of it can accidently fry it but you have to work at it. I managed it with a big drill one time. I carry one in my truck for charging cordless batteries and running my computer when running around cities "borrowing" an internet connection from someones wireless.
Inverters of about 150 watts will run from the cigarette lighter socket. A bit bigger will probably run from a 12 volt power accessory lighter typ plug but after that you will be looking to hook up directly to a main power line or battery. They can run a car battery down but are set to go off before the battery is too dead to start the car (usually). For heavy use or larger sizes you may want to think about installing an extra battery. Ignoring efficiency ratings - 240 watts - a bit over a laptop - would require about 20 amps at 12 volts --20 x 12 = 240. Probably about 5 hours on a single car battery would pull it down pretty good depending on actual ratings.
Off grid-- It's not just a destination. It's a way of life. :) (I think I just coined a new catch phrase.)
Quote
Off grid-- It's not just a destination. It's a way of life.
Yep, pretty good tagline. Thanks for the info on generators.
My pleasure. :)
It does look good.
And seems like shipping--at least to a distant depot--is not totally outrageous with that company.
At the time I placed my order they were having a special on that generator, it was $100 less than shown in the link and shipping to my woodsy location on Whidbey island was only $62 - more than fair. Some lighter stuff in the same order came today by FedEx and the invoice said the generator had shipped.
Hopefully it will get here tomorrow - just in time for our next storm on Sunday!
John,
did you get the generator and how is it working?
I checked with my buddy the other day -- the failed one down the road is a Northern. I don't know what's wrong with it but no output. You may want to check on who repairs these things in your area too.
Folks,
I am new to the site having just bought a set of the Big Enchilada plans. Forgive me if my initial posts look funny or I don't follow proper etiquette while I am learning.
I lived in Florida for 25 years which caused me to learn a LOT about generators during hurricane season and I live in Arizona now where I will be building a total solar electricity house which will require me to learn a LOT more about inverters.
When you look for generators sizing is key. I have a list somewhere of what type of loads require what level of continuous power and what level of staring power. This has helped me a lot when buying generators. If anyone is interested I can dig it up and post it.
My only comment on generators is that there are some nice features on the higher end ones that you might want to consider and I have found useful. The three that I think are the most useful are 1) a low oil shutoff safety swith for obvious reasons 2) how loud is it again for obvious reasons and 3) an idle feature that allows the generator to slow down when not at full load making it much more fuel efficient and quieter. Whether these are worth the additional cost IMHO is dependant on just how much you are going to use it.
On the subject of inverters I did learn one thing recently that was interesting. The modified sine wave inverters sometimes do not work well with appliances with internal clocks but not sure what that means in this case. More interesting is that sometimes tool chargers will not shut off properly with these type inverters so the battery overcharges. Not sure if this is a battery killer or a safety (fire) issue. For these two applications a full sine wave inverter is recommended. I have just read this and cannot personally say either is true but might be worth looking into. I am also looking for information on various inverters to give a figure of merit to just how "modified" each model is so if anyone has a line on that info I would love to see it.
Just my two cents. Glad to be aboard, looks like a great forum.
Tim J
Welcome aboard, Tim :)
And thanks for your insights.
PS - Update on my generator. They sent an electric start unit at no additional charge. That is nice.
We used it in the last power outage and it sure is noisy!! (all these larger units are). But it started right up and pumped out all the power I might need. It didn't cough once as I plugged things in.... I ran out of extension cords before running out of power. ;)
Now I have to build a generator shed. This thing's too big to drag around.
Hi Tim -- what you read about the inverters is right. I started with a modified sine wave and was not happy -- burned up speed controls -- had pump problems etc. I went to a 4024 older model trace - found a matching one on Ebay - got the stacker cable and am making 220v to run the pump and about anything I want.
If you think you may want to run 220v for anything be sure you get inverters that are capable of stacking and also they have to be the same type and model. A cable goes between them to time the phases properly for 220.
The small automotive inverters seem to run computers and portable tool chargers OK.
Miller welders have a 10000 watt generator built in, idle down feature and I think they have the low oil shut down too - may have to double check that on out though. About $3500 for the 300 amp welder with a gas engine.
John, your words "now I have to build a generator shed" are an echo of what I have been saying for months.
I finally started my generator/off-grid system shed for batteries, inverter, etc. a couple of weeks ago. I have had a Honda E3500 next to my bed for a year and a half. I finally finished putting it together, put wheels under it and gassed it up. It worked well and topped off my batteries well, with a lot less strain than the 1350w Craftsman Generator I have been using. With gas in its tank it wasn't coming back into the house for storage so it sits in the unfinshed shed.
Pictures of the shed are on my yahoo page in the folder 'shed':
//photos.yahoo.com/ny2vermont
I'm still trying to decide how to heat the shed and am open to suggestions. I'll also ask this on the thread that just started regarding temporary heaters. No vent heaters might be ok but I don't know if I'll have too much condensation on the windows that will be installed. I have recently read about vented catalytic heaters but am not sure if they are manufactured anymore. I thnk they were made by a company in your neck of the woods (Washington) and were called the Platinum Cat. I put radiant tubing in the slab so that is another option with a small water heater. Are you going to heat your shed?
Tom
No, I don't think I will need to heat the shed. We have pretty mild winters. I will need good ventilation to keep condensation and rust at bay, but I'm planning a pretty simple structure. Even thought of remodeling the old dog house, but it's a little small and if I do something a bit bigger I can also get needed garden equipment storage.
Is this something you can do without plans-- that would be very un-Johnlike.
That would be more like Glenn - then it would probably have to be rammed earth or cob or something.
Will we be seeing a Countryplans set of plans for a utility shed? Sorry about messing with you -- I just don't want this to be too easy for you. ;D
I have had a Honda E3500 next to my bed for a year and a half. I finally finished putting it together, put wheels under it and gassed it up. It worked well and topped off my batteries well, with a lot less strain than the 1350w Craftsman Generator I have been using.
Tom,
How do you like the Honda? is it pretty quiet compared to other generators and if so, is the reduction in noise worth the price?
Williet,
The Honda E3500 is an older generator given to me from a friend. I'm not sure how old it is, but it hasn't been straightforward finding parts for it. When it first ran I was impressed with it sounding quiet until I turned up the rpms enough to get it to put out 60Hz. It is about as loud as the little generator. I think the newer generation of generators are quieter and offer other features like low oil cutoff, automatic idling when there is no load (like the one I rented - a definite plus when you are using it to run a saw), and are usually quieter. In the classifieds I see used generators this size selling for $250-350. I put about $150 into mine to get it running. Home Depot near me had a marked down 6500 watt Coleman unit for $750.
If I were going to rely heavily on a generator to charge my batteries or provide needed power, I would make the extra investment on a good quality unit. A propane engine would be nice but I think that is usually on bigger generators.
Tom
A friend of mine repairs small engines and he told me the Colemans were not too great. I have a broken Coleman - haven't bothered trying to repair it very seriously. I
I have a lot of friends in Florida that bought Coleman generators due to availability and price three years ago when Florida had a particularly bad rash of hurricanes. They are naturally loud and usually don't have the idle feature that you find on most Hondas but got the job done if they were only used for the power outages. My friends that tried to use them after the storms for construction and other relatively high use rates pretty much wore them out in a short period of time.
I sold my genset when I left Florida but when I buy a new one here in AZ while I am building my house I will probably get a Honda again just because it will see a lot of use. I kind of put generators in the same boat as power tools. I bought a lot of crappy ones over the years before I got smart and bought very good ones when I knew they would get a lot of use and only bought cheaper ones when I knew they would get light duty.
QUESTION: Does anyone here have any experience with or recommendations on mod sine wave inverters in the 2.5kw to 5kw range?
Thanks,
TJ
I had a 4KW one before I decided it was unsatisfactory and went to a 4 kw sine wave inverter - both were Trace. I burned up tools -speed controls don't like them - pumped water inefficiently -got way more for same time with sine wave - there are other things to do - buy a module to smooth the pump - get a different pump etc. but I already had mine in the well at 320 feet and wanted the power for welders saws etc.
I recommend biting the bullet and holding out for a sine wave - a used one can be purchased for the price of a new modified sine wave inverter.
Just my opinion from experience. You couldn't give me a modified sine wave inverter for my major use items and everyday living. Occasional is OK-- I have a 2500 watt one I hook to my truck batteries once in a while but sine wave for everyday.
Just a couple of comments. I have a Coleman 3000 watt generator and it's great. Never has failed to start in 5 years.
I must be something of a minimalist. My electric power needs at our cabin are low compared to what I've been reading under this topic. I have a solar panel that's about 18in x 24in that charges two deep cycle batteries. I run a TV with vcr, a water pump, and a bunch of compact fluorescent lights with power to spare. My fridge is propane along with my hot water heater, and I heat with a wood burning stove.
I am considering adding on to my cabin and living there fulltime in the next two years. I've had such good performance from propane that I am considering getting a propane generator for larger loads in the future. Questions: Are they quiet? What about starting in cold weather? I live in Wyoming and the elevation is 8000-8500.
Thanks.
Hal
I was looking at something to power a computer, freezer and fridg ... along with a few lights IF the power was out. It sounds like the 4KW will do the job for me. Will it?
Should be more than enough for the listed items.
QuoteShould be more than enough for the listed items.
Thanks Glenn
I went one step farther. Tried it here - http://www.generatorsales.com/calculator_GOOGLE.ASP
The below is based on two 75 lights - a very inefficient computer with printer, a freezer and fridge.
I think everyone should switch to compact fluorescents - then you could have more like 12 lights running for the same power. They are what I run at the underground complex
Watts
Continous Rating 2700
The power you need when all of your appliances have started and are running.
Surge Rating 4650
The power you would need if all your appliances where to start at the same time.
Wattage Requirements 4050
Your average electric needs based on your continous and surge requirements.
QuoteI went one step farther. Tried it here - http://www.generatorsales.com/calculator_GOOGLE.ASP
The below is based on two 75 lights - a very inefficient computer with printer, a freezer and fridge.
I think everyone should switch to compact fluorescents - then you could have more like 12 lights running for the same power. They are what I run at the underground complex
Watts
Continous Rating 2700
The power you need when all of your appliances have started and are running.
Surge Rating 4650
The power you would need if all your appliances where to start at the same time.
Wattage Requirements 4050
Your average electric needs based on your continous and surge requirements.
Thanks again,
If we jump it up to a 6KW, we should be more than safe. Around here, it would only be used maybe 4 days a year or so .... but if you need it ... you NEED it !!!
4 days a year?
Generator powering batteries. If you could be sure that the batteries were still working when you got there.
And somewhere along the line, if you added a solar system, you'd need a backup generator anyway.