In 8 years I have ran my big box store 5500 watt generator about 100 hours...maybe 120. I think it will suffice. Wired to my breaker box for less than $50 to run the whole house. Wont run AC but winter time is when I see the most outages from ice. It will run several LED lights, TV, pellet stove, fridge, freezer and 1 burner on the stove all at once. What more do I need?
If you only need 6500KW, an Onan on propane will work extremely well. I ran one for 14 years as needed and only changed the oil about every 2 years. Never had any trouble with it, but it was not automatic switch, I had to start the gen when needed.
I have a Genrac 2200 Kw now, that is water cooled, run by a Mitsubishi 4 cylinder engine. I have not had any trouble with it and it is about 6 years old. I am about to change the antifreeze in it and that may give me some trouble.
One thing you should know is that all of them need more space under them than most installers leave in order to get under them to change the oil. I use a dipstick oil pump to change my Genrac and would have liked to just drain the oil into a pan.
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I have a Genrac 2200 Kw now, that is water cooled, run by a Mitsubishi 4 cylinder engine. I have not had any trouble with it and it is about 6 years old. I am about to change the antifreeze in it and that may give me some trouble.
One thing you should know is that all of them need more space under them than most installers leave in order to get under them to change the oil. I use a dipstick oil pump to change my Genrac and would have liked to just drain the oil into a pan.
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Diesel engines can be difficult to start in cold weather.
I would look for one with a block heater or be prepared to install a heat tape inside the housing.
This thread motivated me to exercise both my generators and change out the fuel today.
My Kohler has an onboard battery charger and its own battery. I am planning to instal one of the temperature switched recepts and some kind of heater or maybe just a 40 watt incadecent bulb to keep the battery warm when the temp gets below freezing.
I don't think it was related to cold weather, because I found it in May because the weekly test run stopped, but my 2 year old battery looked like it exploded and if it gets cold enough they will freeze. I think the battery heater will help heat the engine oil slightly as well. I run synthetic mobile 1 0w30 so it doesn't need much heat.
When looking at the military gensets, bear in mind that their rated power is in worst case scenario, like at 10,000 feet altitude. They are way under rated. They usually are set up for both 3 phase power and single phase. When running single phase your output will be slightly derated. They also usually have a frequency meter that vibrates at the frequency they are running at. Tuning the frequency is as simple as looking at the meter and adjusting the governor. Read all the details on the auction, they come in many conditions and you have to be careful of what you bid on. They are a great option for having a backup genset.
This ^^^
tR, just know that once you get it, and get it setup and ready, that you'll basically never need it. I bought mine the day before the biblical ice storm hit a few years back. I've actually used it with the power out maybe 8 hours. My mom did get about 30 hours usage out of it during that ice storm though and it totally changed her tune on not needing one. Now she has that aforementioned Generac. But my 5.5kw portable has about 63 hours total runtime. You do need to exercise them regularly WITH an electrical load on them. That's about all mine does, but I have it if I need it.
I'm not saying this is the same as a whole-house or 5500W unit, but I bought a cheapo $140 2 stroke 1000W unit this summer to run a sawzall and random power tools while running fences or trimming trees.
It runs great! I probably put 100 hours on it this summer doing random chores. ALSO: running moonbounce fans, outdoor lighting, tailgating gear, and two overnight camping trips.
I bought another for winter. 1000W isn't enough to run central heat & air, but I can keep my freezer cold with one and run some lights and a TV with the other if an icestorm hits.
For the price, it can't be beat. $140!
It runs great! I probably put 100 hours on it this summer doing random chores. ALSO: running moonbounce fans, outdoor lighting, tailgating gear, and two overnight camping trips.
I bought another for winter. 1000W isn't enough to run central heat & air, but I can keep my freezer cold with one and run some lights and a TV with the other if an icestorm hits.
For the price, it can't be beat. $140!
This is critical info. Put a light bulb on it or something, and run it for an hour every 6 months.
I plug mine into the whole hose socket and make it work. A light bulb uses 1 tenth of a percent of its working capacity (my 5500 watt)
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