Generators

[Rockwood]

I hope this gen works out for you. Sadly, B&S, like many other names known for quality, just aren't what they used to be. B&S was bought in 2020 by a PE firm and this usually does not mean good things for the consumer.

Yep. My brush hog had a B&S on it. The carb and intake manifold are cheap ass ABS plastic and non-serviceable. You could get the jets out of it for cleaning them by prying, but eventually it tells you to fuck off and breaks. Replacement carbs were $100. I couldn't leave that engine alone for more than a couple of weeks before it gummed up.

Ended up re-powering it with a HF engine. Starts every time, even when I leave fuel in it for months. Easy to access/remove all metal carb with drain bolt. Way better to deal with.

 

[MWB]

Get a real Stand by Generator that runs off of Propane/ Natural Gas that will exercise itself once a month. Get one built by the people who are backing up the people who have sometimes millions of dollars of things that cannot go down. If you are in an area where you have to have some kind of back up get real back up. Stop putting a band aide on the problem.

 

[Rockwood]

We don't have a Costco here.

I'd second the military gene if you have the space. Cheap, reliable power if you have a place for it. They are loud as fuck though.

With that said, Predator generators and pretty damn solid and great for the price. I prefer Champion but you can't go wrong with either for the money.

Decent size city without a Costco...?

 

[Sausage450r]

Hell even the new honda retail motors suck....it's all about the Buck with all of them.

When talking with the mechanic at home depot that services/repairs their rentals, he said the newer honda gx390 motors are garbage. Stick valves left and right.

 

[Sausage450r]

Get a real Stand by Generator that runs off of Propane/ Natural Gas that will exercise itself once a month. Get one built by the people who are backing up the people who have sometimes millions of dollars of things that cannot go down. If you are in an area where you have to have some kind of back up get real back up. Stop putting a band aide on the problem.

If by “real” backup you mean stand alone fixed generac type; i have looked into it. To permit install that system in california it makes ZERO financial sense like everything else. Cheapest quote i’ve gotten is $20k. My last $1,000 generator runs my entire house through the panel and lasted 13 years trouble free. We have maybe a total of 7-8 days max a year with no power.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

They exchanged it for the electric start 10k watt generator at no cost. For me that works. The 2030 law proposals may be my final eff you for cali. If the diesel registration ban goes through im gone. Will be joining you in yuma im gonna semi retire and become a snowbird

Wife retires in 3 weeks, we're taking a lap around the USA.

When talking with the mechanic at home depot that services/repairs their rentals, he said the newer honda gx390 motors are garbage. Stick valves left and right.

Some of Hondas larger inverters are built in the same factory as harbor Freight in China.

 

[Rorschach]

When talking with the mechanic at home depot that services/repairs their rentals, he said the newer honda gx390 motors are garbage. Stick valves left and right.

Wife retires in 3 weeks, we're taking a lap around the USA.

Some of Hondas larger inverters are built in the same factory as harbor Freight in China.

Speaking of Honda, a customer I did work for a few years back was buying Mikasa jumping jacks (compactors) for $3500-$4000. Little 100cc Honda engines on them. They'd go about 10 months to a year and compression would get so low they wouldn't start. The engines are made so cheap that replacing the whole engine made more sense than trying to rebuild even though a replacement engine was $900. Plus the little 3"x 4" air filter was $70-$90 (fuckin insane!). It became routine to replace the engines on these things about once a year. He'd replace the whole compactor after it had eaten a couple engines because he figured by that time the other parts were probably worn out too. At first we thought the problem was poor air filtration letting dirt in and ruining the cylinders suspecting the guys of taking out plugged air filters when the compactor wouldn't start and running it without the air filter. BUT, after monitoring the issue and stocking the crews up with spare air filters (70-90 bucks a piece) it became clear that these little engines just weren't made very well. Best price we could find on engines was, oddly, through Frank's Supply and they told us that they sold the shit outta these little engines for the same problem we were having and that they bought their fair share of them for their own rental equipment. They also said that Honda had pretty much gone to hell over the last decade or so.

 

[Crusty]

Get a real Stand by Generator that runs off of Propane/ Natural Gas that will exercise itself once a month. Get one built by the people who are backing up the people who have sometimes millions of dollars of things that cannot go down. If you are in an area where you have to have some kind of back up get real back up. Stop putting a band aide on the problem.

This.

We need a built-in, plumbed to the natural gas, wonder if those can be dual fuel as an emergency backup?

 

[Dockmaster]

If by “real” backup you mean stand alone fixed generac type; i have looked into it. To permit install that system in california it makes ZERO financial sense like everything else. Cheapest quote i’ve gotten is $20k. My last $1,000 generator runs my entire house through the panel and lasted 13 years trouble free. We have maybe a total of 7-8 days max a year with no power.

Can't speak to Cali permit issues but these type of gens don't have to be super expensive if you shop around. I have an off-grid second house. I found an industrial rated Generac 15kw LPG/NG gen on Ebay. A contractor that did work for a clean room aquired it in a relocation. It only had 105 hrs on it. I bought it for a couple grand if memory serves. It's awesome, powered by a GM 3.0L engine. One of the main things to look for in my opinion is liquid cooled vs. air and 1800 rpm vs 3600.

 

[Sausage450r]

This.

We need a built-in, plumbed to the natural gas, wonder if those can be dual fuel as an emergency backup?

This.

We need a built-in, plumbed to the natural gas, wonder if those can be dual fuel as an emergency backup?

Natural gas is the least efficient option. In terms of generators natural gas vs propane are generally 5-10% less wattage and efficiency from what i’ve read and seen from data sheets from tri fuel units.

 

[RideSand]

All good stuff here. I am not off grid and I don't live in an area where black outs are a thing (wtf is up with those by the way....) but I do like the idea of having back up power at home, you know, just in case. I have a HF 3500 and feel that its great. I would like a second so I could have power in two different places OR link them together for the house. My problem is - I don't know electrical very well and have no idea how to tie into my box at home the proper way. I don't even know what connections or switches or breakers to buy. I am smart enough to not just dig into it on my own, but I would like to have an idea of how to do it at least.

Following.

 

[Sausage450r]

Can't speak to Cali permit issues but these type of gens don't have to be super expensive if you shop around. I have an off-grid second house. I found an industrial rated Generac 15kw LPG/NG gen on Ebay. A contractor that did work for a clean room aquired it in a relocation. It only had 105 hrs on it. I bought it for a couple grand if memory serves. It's awesome, powered by a GM 3.0L engine. One of the main things to look for in my opinion is liquid cooled vs. air and 1800 rpm vs 3600.

Yes i can buy a 5,000$ generac standalone unit. Then pay 1500$ for a 250 gal propane tank, i’ve already poured a pad for the generator, the tank needs to be plumbed and the electrical portion done. That all adds up and makes no sense when i’ve been perfectly happy with a portable 8k watt unit with a transfer switch for 13 years now

 

[Rorschach]

All good stuff here. I am not off grid and I don't live in an area where black outs are a thing (wtf is up with those by the way....) but I do like the idea of having back up power at home, you know, just in case. I have a HF 3500 and feel that its great. I would like a second so I could have power in two different places OR link them together for the house. My problem is - I don't know electrical very well and have no idea how to tie into my box at home the proper way. I don't even know what connections or switches or breakers to buy. I am smart enough to not just dig into it on my own, but I would like to have an idea of how to do it at least.

Following.

When the power goes out here and it looks like it's not going to come back on for a while I have a bundle of 3 wires rolled up on a sewer pipe with a plug on one end and bare on the other end. I shut off the main breaker on the panel in my garage and vise grip the bare ends in my panel and plug the other end into my diesel drive welder. When the power comes back on I shut the welder down, un-visegrip the wires and flip the main breaker back on. Two big black cables on panel are hot and white one is neutral/ground. Easy peasy.

 

[Mayday]

When the power goes out here and it looks like it's not going to come back on for a while I have a bundle of 3 wires rolled up on a sewer pipe with a plug on one end and bare on the other end. I shut off the main breaker on the panel in my garage and vise grip the bare ends in my panel and plug the other end into my diesel drive welder. When the power comes back on I shut the welder down, un-visegrip the wires and flip the main breaker back on. Two big black cables on panel are hot and white one is neutral/ground. Easy peasy.View attachment 132260View attachment 132261View attachment 132262

Dang that’s seems easy!

 

[RiverDave]

We don't have a Costco here.

I'd second the military gene if you have the space. Cheap, reliable power if you have a place for it. They are loud as fuck though.

With that said, Predator generators and pretty damn solid and great for the price. I prefer Champion but you can't go wrong with either for the money.

My big one is about as loud as my predator 3500’s.. granted I have the hospital muffler for it.

RD

 

[Sausage450r]

When the power goes out here and it looks like it's not going to come back on for a while I have a bundle of 3 wires rolled up on a sewer pipe with a plug on one end and bare on the other end. I shut off the main breaker on the panel in my garage and vise grip the bare ends in my panel and plug the other end into my diesel drive welder. When the power comes back on I shut the welder down, un-visegrip the wires and flip the main breaker back on. Two big black cables on panel are hot and white one is neutral/ground. Easy peasy.View attachment 132260View attachment 132261View attachment 132262

I have a 50 amp plug on the bottom of my panel on a 50 amp breaker. When power goes out i plug genny into that; shut off the main and run my panel backwards. Runs everything even heater and washer/dryer

 

[Dockmaster]

Yes i can buy a 5,000$ generac standalone unit. Then pay 1500$ for a 250 gal propane tank, i’ve already poured a pad for the generator, the tank needs to be plumbed and the electrical portion done. That all adds up and makes no sense when i’ve been perfectly happy with a portable 8k watt unit with a transfer switch for 13 years now

Yep, I get it. If you like the portable, I would do one of the big Predator Inverter gens from HF like others have suggested.

 

[Dockmaster]

Dang that’s seems easy!

Easy but dangerous as F--K! What happens if one of those vice grips comes off and now you have a live cable floating around in there. Not to mention you have to leave the box open. If you're gonna do that at least throw a spare breaker on the bus and hook your bare wires to that and backfeed through the breaker.

 

[Rockwood]

Easy but dangerous as F--K! What happens if one of those vice grips comes off and now you have a live cable floating around in there. Not to mention you have to leave the box open. If you're gonna do that at least throw a spare breaker on the bus and hook your bare wires to that and backfeed through the breaker.

Or like @Sausage450r does: make a cord with 2 male ends on it and plug it into an outlet hooked to that breaker.

Just make sure that you size the wire, breaker and plug correctly (since the overcurrent protection will be on the wrong side of the plug) and you turn the main breaker off before plugging in (or you'll supply power to the neighborhood until the breaker trips).

Installing the breaker/outlet takes less time than fiddlefucking around with the vice grips in a way that doesn't result in instant this:

 

[Sausage450r]

Or like @Sausage450r does: make a cord with 2 male ends on it and plug it into an outlet hooked to that breaker.

Just make sure that you size the wire, breaker and plug correctly (since the overcurrent protection will be on the wrong side of the plug) and you turn the main breaker off before plugging in (or you'll supply power to the neighborhood until the breaker trips).

Installing the breaker/outlet takes less time than fiddlefucking around with the vice grips in a way that doesn't result in instant this:

View attachment 132286

The receptacle under the panel is actually a male; and its in a waterproof outdoor box they are commercially available. So my power cord is std male/female