Is there such thing as too big a generator for household use? There are 2 on sale this week, a hyundai and a champion, one is 7200 watts, the hyundai and it is on for $800 and the Champion is 4000 watts and it is on for $300
#2
rekees
A generator is too big when it's capacity exceeds what (watt?) your household needs. Calculate your needs then purchase accordingly.
You don't get something for nothing, if you can get by with a Honda 2000 inverter unit these can be had for about $900 with tax. The cheaply built and very noisy models you have mentioned will be iritating to use. I know it may seem expensive but the better quality equipment is the better deal, consider the money spent on the cheap stuff to be better spent as a down payment on good equipment. If you find you need more power later and have more money you can easily connect these Hondas' together for 4000ws of power.
Is there such thing as too big a generator for household use? There are 2 on sale this week, a hyundai and a champion, one is 7200 watts, the hyundai and it is on for $800 and the Champion is 4000 watts and it is on for $300
Look carefully at those units and see what kind of engines are attached. If your not familiar with the name you are probably going to have a hard time finding parts and filters. You are not going to save any money if after sitting for 7 months the carb gets ruined and you have to spend 3x as much for a new one and you have to wait a month to get it. Jenkinsph is correct when he indicates that sometimes it's cheaper to spend more up front to get a built unit with a longer opreating life and a parts network to support it. The units you mentioned are probably going to make more noise than a honda but those issues can be overcome.
The bigger the generator the more fuel it will use per watt produced. If you don't need 4000 watts then why pay for the fuel, although those costs can be negligible when your considering keeping a few things running for a few days at the most. If you are trying to get off the grid, fuel consumption becomes a real issue.
Like the others have said... be careful looking at the lowest priced equipment...
Quality in build is going to make a lot of difference in the run life. Electrical or mechanical...
Try to anticipate your generator load... Most people will use them only for short periods of time... but you may have some lengthly run times.
Less expensive gens run at 3600 RPM, better and a little more expensive units run at 1800 RPM. Big difference in fuel usage engine life and NOISE...
A good generator that is not regularly placed in a portable situation should last well over 20 years.
I have one that has been reliable for over 35 years. :smile:KennyV
