# Power Generators



## GTACORAL (Jul 22, 2014)

Hi 
I like to find out which portable power generators are well made and last this days.I'm planing to get one.Any recommendation will be appreciate. looking for generators that can run 2 Aquarium Tanks and Furnace.
Any links , reviews , brands on the market ? It is to many of them to choose from this day  I need your advice and expertise.
Thank you in advance


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## Sea MunnKey (Oct 2, 2014)

I would, if you have sufficient funds to invest in a Generac Generator System. 

I got an emergency portable gas powered generator during the last ice storm and boy ... it wasn't as good and didn't last that long as I had to keep adding gas every 3 hours or so. Many sleepless nites on ends .... 

I would get Generac should I move the next time ...


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## GTACORAL (Jul 22, 2014)

Thanks where is the best place to buy them ? which other brands are good and reliable ?
Any Champion Generators are good ?


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## Sea MunnKey (Oct 2, 2014)

Home Depot carries it and not sure if there's a Black Friday Sale on this particular product tho'.

Last time I was in States they had a special sale on Generac ... they're run by natural gas and some kinda attached computer would detect within very short time frame whenever there's power failure. It's an exterior unit.

Unfortunately I don't know anything about Champion generators ... sorry


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## noy (Nov 19, 2012)

I have a Champion 5625 4500 watt generator. Fairly easy to use - saved my livestock during the ice storm last winter. Ran it for about 3+ days straight no issues. No complaints at all.

It won't run your furnace - don't think it will support the wattage/power draw. Plus you need to wire your furnace to support an external power supply - i would have a professional do this - lots of fire hazard issues.

I ran a single powerhead, heater and a room heater to keep a 110 gallon going.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*generators*

first of all I am glad u are thinking about ...better safe then sorry ....
the first thing I would do is fig out a budget 
generac are great jennies ... I know that u can get a genie hooked up to the house it will by the end of the day cost u about 5000.00 great value to the house .they are run by propane they do monthly start ups to make sure they are running , hardwired to your house so u basically don't have to do s quat

cant beat a Honda generator very quiet and great quality the downside price 
compared to a run of the mill generator .

decide on what u want and how u want it and how much money 
u can hook up any generator to house power yes it needs to be done by a certified electrician . basically when power goes out u will throw the main power to your house so that if city power comes back u don't have a backfeed prob with genny power to city power ...
u will throw the main breaker and u will flip the throw switch from the generator house will run on selected circuits depending on what u want and need . and of course wattage of generator .
downfall is the cheaper the generator the louder they usually are ...
lots to think about but a great idea .
really depends on what u want to achieve 
hope I havnt confused u ,
cheers 
tom


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## mmatt (Feb 12, 2012)

tom g said:


> first of all I am glad u are thinking about ...better safe then sorry ....
> the first thing I would do is fig out a budget
> generac are great jennies ... I know that u can get a genie hooked up to the house it will by the end of the day cost u about 5000.00 great value to the house .they are run by propane they do monthly start ups to make sure they are running , hardwired to your house so u basically don't have to do s quat
> 
> ...


^^^^great info here.

Ive been looking deep into doing this the past few weeks. Not just because of the tank but because of how unpredictable our weather has been and becoming. like the ice storm or the freak snow fall in buffalo, etc.

The natural gas Generac Generator is my top pick so far, but budget just wont allow it at the moment. for a 14kw turn key set up your looking at approx $6500+ installed depending on who does it. there are a few other companies that have these gens but cost is much more. I have found them cheaper in the states with free shipping but the switches/panels that come with them are not CSA approved. and the entire unit will not have any sort of warranty coverage. SO if you do go that route stick with a local turn key system. but your at $6500+. but it is a great resell feature and you will never run out of power if your out for weeks at a time. no running outside and refilling. plus your furnace can be hooked up along with other appliances, and of course our beloved under water worlds. technically stress free. And one of the installers I was talking to today, said they can have solar added to it.

Now since I really cant afford the 6+grand at the moment, Im looking at a portable unit. the Generac and Champion, technically a noname. But I have heared nothing but positive about the Champion and its much cheaper for the higher wattage. So for now I think Im gonna pick up a champion. And prob a unit that is at 4000watt running power or more. at least this way I can have the tank running and some heaters for the rest of us in case of a power outage. Just will have to deal with lugging around a couple jerry cans of gas for now.

hope that helps


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## GTACORAL (Jul 22, 2014)

I can not type that much with my left hand so I will try to make my comment short.I agree with you guys about recent weather changes like Buffalo etc...
Which generator is most reliable under 1000 $ mark to run 3 things in the house
#1 Furnace
#2 Water Heater
#3 Aquarium Tank
Any Forum member is certified electrician to help us find the best solution for this matter.
I need more info


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## blunthead (Jan 24, 2011)

yup, the champions have great reviews, I bought mine a few years ago at Canadian tire, luckily I havnt had to use it yet.
they also sell them at costco


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## Rappyfly (Feb 3, 2012)

GTACORAL said:


> I can not type that much with my left hand so I will try to make my comment short.I agree with you guys about recent weather changes like Buffalo etc...
> Which generator is most reliable under 1000 $ mark to run 3 things in the house
> #1 Furnace
> #2 Water Heater
> ...


I used my honda eu1000 to run my reef, fridge, water heater and furnace in rotation during the ice storm. If you want to run reef+any above simultaneously, I think, 3000w is recommended.

My neighbor got a huge champion genny during last day of the black out, I don't think anyone can handle the noise. Remember, anyone will do anything when they are cold and hungry and borrow urs and think about the the noise if you want to run it 24/hrs.

D


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## GTACORAL (Jul 22, 2014)

Rappyfly said:


> I used my honda eu1000 to run my reef, fridge, water heater and furnace in rotation during the ice storm. If you want to run reef+any above simultaneously, I think, 3000w is recommended.
> 
> My neighbor got a huge champion genny during last day of the black out, I don't think anyone can handle the noise. Remember, anyone will do anything when they are cold and hungry and borrow urs and think about the the noise if you want to run it 24/hrs.
> 
> D


how noisy the are ?


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## mmatt (Feb 12, 2012)

Well looks like I've found myself a 6000w champion. For a solid price. 

No matter water portable genny you get it will be noisy. No getting away from that. But if you need it in the dead of winter I'm sure you and your family won't care about the noise by that point or what the neigbours think. I've read 60db-ish rating. So it's not going to horrible but def not quite. Lol 

If you have the $$$ I would highly recommend the permant NG generators. If we didn't have a honeymoon and a full kitchen gut and Reno to pay for I would have already ordered one.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*genetator*

Good deal matt....
if u want quiet u get a honda but price will be the diff....


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## Rappyfly (Feb 3, 2012)

Even if the noise level is the same, they are different. Compare the noise when my back neighbor had his during the ice storm. Champion is like ur lawnmower, Honda is like a idling scooter.

Ice reflect and amplified sound. Even my Honda sounded loud in quite nite.


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## noy (Nov 19, 2012)

found this chart online @ http://portable.generatorguide.net/quiet-generators.html

These are smaller 2000W units.

Manufacturer and model dBA at 1/4 load dBA at 100% load Online price 
Yamaha EF2000iS 51.5 61 $990 
Hyundai HY2000si - 65 $600 
Eastern Tools ETQ IN2500i - 60 $400 
Powerhouse PH2100PRi 56 66 $700 
Champion 73531i 54 65 $599 
All Power America APG3010 - 68 $367 
Honda EU2000i 53 59 $999

I would probably put my Champion 4500W closer to 75dB at close to 100% load (vacuum cleaner). This is the noise level if you are right near it. Generally you run this in your backyard/outside with a line going into your house - so from inside the house its probably more like a 60dB level.

A honda EU4000 is rated at 71dB.

Figure out all the stuff you want to run with your generator - this will determine whether a small 2000W unit is sufficient or whether you need something larger.

Then buy a model with the appropriate wattage rating (with some allowances) and what you are willing to spend on features (low noise, clean power etc...)

I would not recommend running a furnace without checking with a professional.


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## GTACORAL (Jul 22, 2014)

I found this one :
http://www.bathursthonda.com/en/power-equipment/product/24/honda-generators-ep2500cx1.html


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## simba (Jun 9, 2009)

If one of us decided to go with the Generac at Homedepot.Where or how or who would we find a knowledgable installer? Buying the unit is not a problem.Often home depot has 12 to 18 months payment promotion.But to find a specific installer for this job is quite challenging.Any recommendation?


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## blunthead (Jan 24, 2011)

I got this one out the door for $300 on sale n a friends discount, you cant beat that. there always on sale.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/champion-4000w-gas-generator-0550324p.html#.VHjC5-90zIU


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## GTACORAL (Jul 22, 2014)

got confuse do we need Inverter Generator that convert power from DC to AC ?????
They produce DC power and easily can fry sensitive electronics ?


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## mmatt (Feb 12, 2012)

simba said:


> If one of us decided to go with the Generac at Homedepot.Where or how or who would we find a knowledgable installer? Buying the unit is not a problem.Often home depot has 12 to 18 months payment promotion.But to find a specific installer for this job is quite challenging.Any recommendation?


There are a couple generac dealers that post on kijiji around the gta. Search natural gas back up generators and give one a call. They offer turn key installation, will service and cover warrenty issues. Pretty sure this route would be cheaper then a big box store.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Buying a generator is the easy bit - deciding on HOW you want it installed is the bigger question... I'm no Electrician, but i'll share some of my research from when we had our portable gas generator professionally installed earlier this year:

If you're planning on buying a simple (portable) gas generator for a few hundred bucks, then running power cords throughout your home to your appliances as needed, then giv'er (just be sure you can exhaust the generator correctly, and without exposing you/your family/your neighbours to possible harm; and that power cords are both ample enough gauge to supply the power without overheating, AND don't get sliced under doors/provide a tripping hazard. Oh, and surge protectors are absolutely your friend for those sensitive devices like flat screen TV's, etc)

If you want a cleaner, more 'permanent' or more automated install, then a "transfer switch" will be required, enabling the main hydro supply to be shut off and fully isolated, before generator power is supplied directly to your electrical panel. I have this approach in my home - I have a Generac XG8000 generator that I wheel out as needed, then connect to my home through a GenerLink transfer switch (located on the main electrical meter outside my home, that then supplys power into my electrical panel, and through my 'regular' electrical system from here. It's a great system, and works really well. But it's additional expense.

There is another approach which is both highly dangerous, and also highly illegal - connecting the generator to the electrical panel WITHOUT a transfer switch (typically through some kind of butchered install via a breaker, into the main panel breaker). This is a BIG no-no, but unfortunately all too common - the risk of fire is very real and very significant, and also you expose yourself to HUGE liability, should a hydro worker be working on what they believe to be a secure/no-power line, yet you are (albeit inadvertently) backfeeding power back into the hydro grid... the worker(s) could be seriously hurt and/or killed.

Our GenerLink transfer switch was installed by our local electrician (in conjunction with the hydro company, who were the only ones able to snip the tag to our hydro meter to do the actual hook-up of the GenerLink switch itself). The electrician organized all of this - I just had to open my wallet and pay him!

HTH?


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*generator*

good post windowlika .... very good info and I am liking the generac system more and more but since I rent my best alternative is to have a portable one .
the problem most electricians have with installing the system on a reg house with a reg transfer switch is that most do not understand the dangers and have even heard a few who wont install into your home .my friend has his wired to the house and his is a champion from Costco..he has the same sort of transfer switch which windowlika was talking about except his is gas .
gernerac is a great system I do like the the fact it is running off of natural gas and is plumbed in . I am sure home depot who sells the units has sub contracters who do the install and I am sure there prices are crazy .
there are some pretty neat ideas on generator sheds to build on the net .
pics would be awesome if u have a chance to take some pics so folks can understand maybe a little better with a visual .
cheers 
tom


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

My Generac unit is one of the portable units (as a Brit, I do find the N.American insistance in calling liquid petroleum "gas" really confusing - even after 14 years of living here! I'm glad it confuses you locals too!)

I have a little 3500W Champion genny that I use with our RV, and to power a small electric log-splitter... Great little unit, but it was cheap, it's (relatively) noisy, and forgive the pun - I wouldn't want to bet the house on it.

I bought my Generac from a small local dealer - they were cheaper "off the bat" than HD were, and for the identical unit.


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