Upcoming onboard generator?

I try to always use mine with the shop vac to vacuum the vehicles.

 

I've had a crappy 2.7K Smittybuilt generator that I've used quite a bit for power outages here. Changed the oil and did some maintenance on it about a month before Texas got snowed in and its worked fine 24/7 for powering a fish tank, heater, fridge, tv, sound system, and some lights. It cost me around $750 (the 3.5K predator can be had for around $600 with discounts) and I've spent maybe $20 on maintenance for the past 4 years.

I would prefer to have generators and trucks separate. I "think" the Ford generator is just dual alternators that are powered via the engine. I'd rather wear out the cheaper engine idling for long periods of time versus the $10k engine. The only real market I can see this being for is those with trucks who forgot their generators or are on sites very often? I mean you can just as easily stick a generator in the bed? I wonder if 7.2K watts would rev the engine up significantly. I also wonder if those time ratings were calculated on the larger 36-gallon fuel tank or the 26 gallon.

 

After going back and forth for ages between Honda, Yamaha, Wen, and others I ended up going with this solar gen and I couldn’t be more pleased (for now). It stays charged on an outlet in the house (fully charges in 2 hours), and can be recharged via 12v in the truck or via the 200w solar suitcase. It will charge on cloudy days but obviously slower. One big plus for me is that is almost completely soundless. It’s not the perfect solution, but I just came back from using it with my teardrop trailer for an 8 day camping trip and was very pleased with the functionality. It sat in the galley of the trailer charging in a 12v outlet while driving between campsites and was always fully charged whenever I got where I was going. I like not worrying about running out of fuel, be that gas or propane. Again, not perfect but just another option, and it works for me.
https://shopsolarkits.com/products/ecoflow-delta-1800w-1300wh-double-kit

 

Are you not aware that gas pumps also require electricity?

 

When possible, I only run ethanol free gas in my boats and small engines all the time...

And the best solution when you are done is to get every bit of gas out of the tank and bowl after running. (Alot of generators have bowl drains now which helps immensely.)

If that is impractical, run the generator empty and then do a final part fill with avgas and run it empty again (dont do this on anything with oxygen sensors or catalytic converters).

My gens sit all year or sometimes 2-3 years without running, the key is just how you put them away, more than anything.

 

I have the EcoFlow River Max (Extra Battery), and it works great. I don't have the solar panels, but it powers my Aliner's A/C for around 3-4 hours and was handy for powering up freezers for short periods of time during the winter storm. It's an awesome "little" 600Wh battery that can handle a surge of over 1,800 watts and charges fully in less than an hour off A/C power. It's crazy watching a battery charge at 600 watts lol. In my case, I used the generator to charge mine so I wouldn't have to push my generator to 100% capacity and annoy my neighbors.

 

I think all gas stations are required to have transfer switches for power outages. I don't think the generators themselves are required, but most here (and when I lived in Flordia) had generators on hand as a backup.

 

They do. But as a person who used to live in Houston and can draw on past experience from hurricanes, I can tell you exactly what happens. Shit really sucks for the first four or five days. Everything was down for the first 24 hours, and there is a buying panic as things get restored.

But there is also a method to restoration. Of course hospitals and emergency services get priority one. But then gas stations and grocery stores get priority #2. Residentials are generally the very bottom of the priority list. Gas started becoming available again in my neighborhood after the 3rd day, and by day 5 restaurants were starting to open up.

I might have briefly mentioned that I've been through an extended 2.5 week outage, but the reality was that it really only sucked balls for the first few days. After that we could venture out and resupply our food, water, and gas. We could go to the movies to recover in the air conditioning for an hour, just like the frontier settlers did. It still sucked, but it was easily survivable.

 

I’d rather have a stand alone generator.

 

My next project after the supplemental propane heater, maybe a 50Ah battery with the option of adding solar panels. This will replace my current portable battery power supply that crapped out after many year of good service.

I find the biggest issue for me has been grid power loss, but solar generators are way too expensive and not cost effective to consider.

My biggest peeve is lack of A/C to be able to sleep. Currently, my Honda 2200i is able to run a 10k btu window unit at night. I know It’s a bit too big for that, a 5k btu in a small room works better, but it is what I have to use if my HVAC unit craps out with 98*f on a weekend with full grid power. It's also a cheaper solution than a hotel stay.

You really don’t need A/C during a storm event as it is cool and you can’t sleep anyway. After the storm passes, there is enough high winds for a day or too to still not need it.
But after the winds leave and you are left with insane humidity and no wind, that’s when power to run a small window A/C unit comes in handy till grid power returns.

 

Why yes, yes I am.

Your post is #84

Back up to #6

 

Common 3rd Geners

$1000 for a 12,000 watt 110/220V Generator...nope

$4000 for 4 new ray 10s and Cooper STT pros...sure

 

And a level lift. Must. Look. Aggressive.

 

And $3000 UCA, LCA, gusseted spindles and LT cvs.

 

No allowed everyplace so do ones homework before purchasing

 

For sure. My B&S 5500 watt/8250 watt surge generator is now 16 years old (bought it 2005 from Wally World), and I just used it a few days ago for a 24 hr power outage in VA due to a snow/ice storm. It has a fuel valve, so anytime I've run it before putting it away I shut off the fuel valve and just let run itself out of gasoline to suck the carb dry. Then I disconnect the fuel line from the carb and use it to empty the gas tank. It gets put away with oil in the crankcase, and I change the oil right before the next time I use it. It's stored in the garage for 2-4 years without being started and works great every time I use it.

 

I just turn the fuel cutoff to "off", run it dry, and use fuel treatment. Have never had issues with boats, cars, or generators; even after sitting for over a year.

 

Yeah here is the deal with lineman and do it yourselfers. The overhead in neighborhoods generally are 7200 volts here is the problem transformers will work backwards so your little generator wired for 240 Volts now produces 7200 volts on the line side. Usually it just stalls the generator or trips it's breaker but for short term you have a charged overhead.

 

If you don't flip the main breaker . . .

 

I read a story about someone doing this and ended up blowing up his generator and setting fire to his house as well as his neighbor's house and car.

I have a buddy who works on lines and while he says that they take precautions for this kind of thing, sometimes the MAIN breaker in homes fails to disconnect. A transfer switch provides a physical disconnect to prevent this. I'm sure the automatic isolators work alright, but a physical switch is more insurance in my mind.

I have neighbors who back-feed into 15 amp reciprocals and/or heater outlets. They call it a suicide cord for a reason.