AFJF Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I see some harsh weather heading toward the NE and realized I should probably pick up a generator when I get to PA. Looking on the net and quite a wide variety. Anyone who owns/uses one have any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 stand by or portable ? I run gas lines to stand by generators about 3 times a week. generac is popular because of price, but during sandy at least 3 of them we deliver to died in a pool of their own oil. made in china onan is the best, but pricey. I think kohler is a happy medium. generac is competitive in the portable category tho, I'm looking at the 5500 myself. portables usually are made to be shut down at least daily for maintenance and fueling, so the you have a chance to catch the oil problem before its a failure. (the standbys just run and run) get a transfer switch. I talked to a bunch of power crews during sandy. morons connecting generators to the 220 outlet on the dryer can kill a lineman, so what they do is ground your service line prior to working on it. if everything is properly installed, no worries. If you are a moron, everything running at the moment dies. ( I might be wrong about the exact technique they use, but the point is get a transfer switch) invest in a cover for a protable. even tho it says the outlets on the portable are "weather-proof" you don't want to run it in the rain, and you can't run it in the garage (carbon monoxide poisoning) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 stand by or portable ? I run gas lines to stand by generators about 3 times a week. generac is popular because of price, but during sandy at least 3 of them we deliver to died in a pool of their own oil. made in china onan is the best, but pricey. I think kohler is a happy medium. generac is competitive in the portable category tho, I'm looking at the 5500 myself. portables usually are made to be shut down at least daily for maintenance and fueling, so the you have a chance to catch the oil problem before its a failure. (the standbys just run and run) get a transfer switch. I talked to a bunch of power crews during sandy. morons connecting generators to the 220 outlet on the dryer can kill a lineman, so what they do is ground your service line prior to working on it. if everything is properly installed, no worries. If you are a moron, everything running at the moment dies. ( I might be wrong about the exact technique they use, but the point is get a transfer switch) invest in a cover for a protable. even tho it says the outlets on the portable are "weather-proof" you don't want to run it in the rain, and you can't run it in the garage (carbon monoxide poisoning) Awesome, thanks for all the info. Will definitely use these tips when shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Awesome, thanks for all the info. Will definitely use these tips when shopping. if you get a stand by and run it on propane, pm me any questions you have about capacity, line sizes, codes etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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