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I am thinking of buying an emergency generator. We don't lose power all that much but the last time it was for a week. That was just too long. My question is dose anyone know anything about the brand names Powerhouse, Powerhorse or Predator. One is from Campers World, the other is Nothern Tool and Equipment and the last is Harbor Frieght. Each of the 3 brands are manufactured accross the big pond, big surprise. Honda is out of the question. Generac may be doable.

Any help would be appreciated.

Paul

Oh I forgot, I'm thinking in the 7K range with surge to 9k.

Generac has some good stand by generators... If you have natural gas, that is a very convenient fuel... Propane is also a lot handier than gasoline...
If you can get a 4 pole alternator instead of a 2 pole, Your engine will only have to turn 1800 RPM instead of 3600 RPM... The slower speed will cost slightly more, But is Quiet and will out last the set up that has to run wide open.... :smile:KennyV

Always seem like a lot of money for what little use it would get. It a big box that sits by your house in the way that would get very little use and still needs to be maintained. Yes I also have a back up but it a portable unit just for the necessities like the refrigerator or heat. This also is a box that sits in by garage, in the way, and still needs maintenance, but not as much money invested. I have lived here for over 50 years and the most the electric has been out is 4 days and other then that very a short time. Everyone has there own idea on this but for myself it just seem like a big investment with little pay back. But also I can be very cheap at times and spend 10 dollars to save 1 dollar.

I agree with all of what you have said and that is why I have not made the move at this time. I do have a small 800 watt Honda that was given to me. The problem is it is only good for a light or two and/or a small TV. Thats ok, but it will not run the heating system or a refrigerator. In my mind it is useless. It would be ok for camping, but most places I go have adequate power.

It is my feeling that we (in general) will see more outages and they will last longer. Also in this area we are due for a major weather event and when it happens I want to be ready. Yes it is a lot of money to tie up but it is probably no different than an antique car that is only taken out on selected days and never in the winter. It takes more space in the garage than a genarator.

I am also very frugal atleast I try to be. I have been dragging my feet for a while now.

Thanks for the input.

Well we had a storm pass through yesterday afternoon and we lost power for a couple of hours. Had pleanty of time to do nothing. Took a nap and started thinking about a generator again. Oh, I couldn't use the computer even though I have a lap top, no internet.

One community north of here lost hundreds of trees. I guess they will be out of power for a while.

My fatherinlaw has a cheap generator. He purchased it some years ago and is in the 4000 watt range with a briggs flathead on it. Has very few hours and runs well enough. My wife expects me to maintain and get it out for use when needed. Both my wife and fatherinlaw has very high and unrealistic expectations of this generator. At best it will run the furnace, tv, a couple lights, an oxygen maker, and a c-pap machine along with a fridge if you are careful. Even then it is working right along. Other things can be ran if you are on site to manage it. My fatherinlaw cannot manage it. Running it with just the c-pap and oxygen maker is more than likely a waste as it does not make for a load. Planned power outage of 4 to 8 hours at night is what we have used it for the last three years. Cheap generators are handy, have some value depending on age and time of year, but leave alot to be desired, waste about as much energy as they produce under light loads, are expensive to run for any length of time, require maintnence, planning, extension cords, are a pain to set up, take down and prepare for storage, require a fair amount of gasoline on hand, are to gutless to run most central air conditioners and are pretty much pointless to own if you are planning on hooking it up to the whole house with proper up to code connections, and take far to long to get them serviced when they conk out. The cheap units of this size really are not made to run at rated power for very long esp. in hot weather. They are loud, attract everyone that wants to borrow or steal it, have to be babysitted to much of the time and are a false sense of security for most. Buy a large one gasoline powered with a code approved hook up and plan on lots of gasoline along with someone to help you get it into position and back into storage, or buy a standby unit installed permanent to natural gas or propane that starts and stops auto. If all you need is something to run a sump pump or furnace to save yourself property damage or run sleep apnea type stuff then buy a Honda unit that can be carried around in one hand with idle down feature on it but enough power to do what you need not what you would like to have.

I have had a 10K Generac for 5 years now. Where I live, we are susceptible to freezing rain, heavy snow and an inconsistent hydro electric system.
I wouldn't be without mine. I run my furnace, fireplace (natural gas), microwave, freezer, garage doors, and the majority of receptacles. The biggest concern is our sump pump which is a must in this area. The Generac has been 100% reliable over the 5 years including the self test (12 minutes) every week.

A permenet unit would not be in my budget. I'm down to 2 generators. It will be either a Generac 5,500 watt unit sold at Lowes or a Ridgid 5,700 watt unit that Home depot has. They are within $50.00 of one another. The Ridgid has a Yamaha engine seems like a little better set up. This unit also get better fuel consumption. so this may be the one I will get.

I have read the reviews in this price range they all seem to be the same. In my case I am concerned about heat and refrigeration.

fastback said:

A permenet unit would not be in my budget. I'm down to 2 generators. It will be either a Generac 5,500 watt unit sold at Lowes or a Ridgid 5,700 watt unit that Home depot has. They are within $50.00 of one another. The Ridgid has a Yamaha engine seems like a little better set up. This unit also get better fuel consumption. so this may be the one I will get.

I have read the reviews in this price range they all seem to be the same. In my case I am concerned about heat and refrigeration.

Click to expand...

A Yamaha?
I have had great experience with their products.... but.... If I were considering an engine in this application, I would be concerned about the parts network.
Why don't you try to source a carb or an air filter for that machine first before you buy it.
Generators have a tendency to sit for long periods in between use and since it ultimately produces a sine wave, it needs to run perfectly lest you will be replacing sensitive electronics, charging circuits, and start capacitors.... been there done that.
The sine wave is relative to the rpm's so keeping it tuned and running right is key.....anyway my point is: Make sure you can get parts for it quickly and easily,
That's what Briggs and Stratton so desirable in my opinion.

Those generators are made or imported by One World Technologies . The same folks own it as Ryobi. The nearest place I can purchase one would be fifty miles away. The nearest service center for the generator would be almost one hundred miles from where I live. The engine has a seprate warranty and service center for it would be ninety miles from where i live. You might want to find your service centers before buying. And as others have said, common items as well. Thats the main reason i have stayed away from some items like Generac, to far to the nearest service center.

Thanks guys, those points are well taken. The generac uses their own engine. This generator is also imported from China. In this price range they all seem to be the same. Probably made in the same factory. I will follow up and check locations of service centers etc.

Again thanks for the advice.

Paul

Well I finally made the purchas. I ended out getting a Generac. I took the advice given and found that there were move service centers for this gen than the others. In fact there is one is 4.5 miles away. The people I have talked to about this unit all had good things to say. I bought the GP5500 at Lowes they seemed to have the best price. I did have to go to 3 stores before I found one.

Hope I really never have to use it, but if necessary it will be ready.

Here's where I bought mine. Best on price too! Pick a size you like... The one I have is portable but runs the whole house. Heat is never a problem here in New Orleans, LA. But we run 2 a/c units as well. As many of the posters said.... I wouldn't be with out one either. We seem to be the last to get electricity back when there are outages here in a more rural area.
Good luck

A little late to the party but,
Hope you paid less the $689 for it.
This place sells the same one. Includes Free shipping and no tax.
Generac 5939 Portable Generator - GP5500- 5500 Watt Portable Generator

Yes I did beat that price. Mine sold for $649.95, by using my Lowes credit card the price was reduced by 5%, when the tax was included it came to $664.15. I even found a better price at Tractor Supply $599.00 plus tax. The only problem was they were all out I wonder why and the sale ended July 28th.

Oh, BTW my model is 6110. It is the same as 5939, the only difference is the owners manuel and the 6110 comes with a extension cord.

Thanks anyway.

Good job. Now tell every Tom Larry and Mary you run into in conversation to do the same as you did. And do run the durn thing at least a few times before the power goes out.

Look and see if you have a drain on the carb bowl. Mine does and it's a nice thing to have. If it's there I suggest you use it imeddiately after use.
Seems like you got a good deal. I'm basing this on my purchae of a similar generator 15 years ago. As I recall I paid just a little less, just over 600$. It's still runs and works as good as it ever did.
mine has a brushless armature, which I thought was a plus.

Thanks guys. Robert, I don't know if the bowl has a drain. I'll try to remember to check sometime today.

I did run the unit yesterday for a short time and yes I put a load on it, a 12,000 btu air conditioner. Not much of a load could not even tell it was on in terms of draw. It started on the second pull. Hope I have a much luck with it as everyone else.

Worst case on the fuel issue is to put in a in-line fuel shut off (about $7). Then turn off and let the gen die for lack of fuel. Do both if you can.... fuel shut off and drain carb bowl if it's convenient.

The generator came with a fuel shut off. I may add a fuel filter at some point.

I have this same generator, but I bought it from my step-mother. She purchased it on sale and ran it maybe one time? I borrowed it from her when Isabel came through and it was leaking gas everywhere (stuck float needle). Guy behind me cleaned it for me, because I didn't know anything about small engines at all then, and there was so much gummed up crap in it. Literally, like 1/2 inch of mushy yuck. We used it, then I RAN IT OUT OF GAS using the fuel shutoff valve (but did not drain the carb bowl). 30 days later when to start it up to cycle the gas through and the needle stuck again. I just fixed it the other day and it's running fine at the moment.

Her sister bought one at the same time and the needle was stuck the day she brought it home. I heard a few others who bought theres around the same time had the exact same issue.

It's a relatively easy fix, just be mindful of it. I think I will be starting mine once a week just to check general operation - hurricane season is in full swing and I am sure we will need it.

Also the guy behind me (had a small engine repair biz for years) said the carbs on these engines are pieces of crap and he has had to replace a lot of them.

That said, when it's not spitting gas everywhere it works great!

When you start it, hook up a load... It is good to exercise the generator also.. Plug in a couple electric space heatersto load it up... :smile:KennyV

Thanks Kenny. I intend to do that as soon as I'm back on my feet. Just had hernia surgery Thursday. Need be a little quite for a few days. I also need to run my Honda. Its been sitting a little too long now. A couple of light bulbs will load that one up. Only 800 watts:smile:

fastback said:

The generator came with a fuel shut off. I may add a fuel filter at some point.

Click to expand...

Consider one that will separte water. Thats what I installed on mine. It had a filter that allowed rusty water from contaminated gas to enter the carb. You can't get that out.
Finding a good safe place to mount it may seem difficult. But thats what you need. IMHO

Re: Generator: Genarac GP 5500 Fuel Leak Fixed

I have solved my fuel leak problem. I own a two year old Generac GP 5500 (model 005623-1) that had this problem. It only has about 20 hours run time, but I keep fuel in it year round. I start and run for 30 minutes every 14 days.

Carburetor leaks are caused by a float stuck in the lower position. This can be caused by dirty/old fuel, or Ethanol and water mixing in the fuel. Temporary repairs can be made by lightly taping the carburetor, or by removing and shaking it to free up the float.

Inspection of my float needle showed it to be made of bright aluminum, with a synthetic tip. This needle had corrosion and pitting on it's body, while the synthetic tip had minor wear. It did not have an anodized coating for protection from corrosion. I believe this to be an engineering problem.

Mine has a Huayi Standard of Japan carburetor. Huayi Model #: P27-1, P23 and or P20-1. Not sure which model.

Internal carburetor parts are not available from Huayi or the generator manufacturers. The Huayi design is a clone of certain Honda carburetors, used on some models of GX-240, GX-340 & GX-390 engines. Honda parts or generic equivalents can be used for repairs. See Honda parts manuals for detailed drawings.

I recommend to use Honda Part #16011-ZA0-931 Float Valve, or equivalent, for all repairs to these carburetors. The Honda part is made of synthetic material. The generic parts appear to be made of Aluminum or Zinc with a dull finish. This finish may or may not resist corrosion. All examples came with a spring.

Here is a list of part numbers that are generic equivalents to the Honda part.
Prime Line:7-02343, Rotary:22-10475, Stens:525-554, Oregon:49-997.

I installed the Rotary part in August of 2012, and will keep an eye on it to see if it holds up to the 10% Ethanol fuel. Cannot get pure gas in my area.

I replaced the Solenoid Fuel Valve mounting screws. They were Philips head and I stripped them out. Used hex bolt in 5mm x 12mm, 0.80 thread pitch, grade 8.8. Had to use a thinwall socket to put them in but it works great.

Generator starts with one or two pulls and runs great with the Rotary part.

Found generic air filter that fits. Try Oregon 30-963 Pre-Oiled Foam Air Filter. This replaced the two piece foam filter that came with the generator.

My generator came with a fuel filter. It not listed in the Generac parts list, so I have been testing a KOHLER 25 050 07-S Engine Fuel Filter, 75 Micron. It fits 3/16 and 1/4 ID fuel line.


One last thing, always check back with the Generac website to see if they have revised the parts list or owners manual for your model. When I checked, the parts list went from Revision B (when I purchased it) to Revision D this August. More parts are now available for this 389cc engine.

And yes, this fuel leak problem should be solved by Generac. It's an engineering problem.

Thanks Kjvann, good advice and research. In may case I have not started the gen since the day I bought it in late July. I had surgery and could not do any pulling. It's been about 4 weeks. I did try to run out all of the fuel from the carb. Should be able to start this week. Today, I'll try to get my connection in on the garage. Hope I don't need it but if I do...

I ordered some Generac gaskets and Honda gaskets to compare. They come in in mid September, when they do, I'm going to put together a list of common parts for the GP5500. Lots of internet postings about leaks from this carburetor. Most likely will put this info in a new thread. Want people to be able to find out about this repair.

I like my Generac, but have my heart set on a big one (13000 watts) from Northern Tool with Honda engine. Should be able to run the heat and AC with that one.

One thing I have noticed, the manuals for Generac don't go into detail about emptying the carb or fuel cup when putting it away. Manuals from Honda, Champion and others do.

Mine's an old Coleman Powermate, 5000/6500 that I built in a class at work. Maybe not the best, but it cost me only $200, since I was taking the class. It's been a lifesaver several times, and it's B&S 10hp engine has been rock solid over the last 10 years or so.

Just wanted to follow up on this thread. I have built a hobby web site that deals with the Generac carb leaks and has cross reference info on the carb and air filter gaskets.

Ken's Generator Resources: Do It Yourself Generator Maintenance And Repair

Models effected include: Generac, Honeywell (with Generac engine), Centurion by Generac (sold at Lowes), Honeywell by North Shore Power Systems LLC, Champion Power Equipment (Product Recalled), Cummins Onan (Product Recalled), Powerhouse (Northern Tool), and others equipped with the Huayi Standard of Japan, Model #: P27-1 or P27-2 carburetor, or similar designed carburetors.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Generac, or any other small engine/generator manufacturer.

I hope you will find this information useful.

Ken