Generator talk

[DefiantArms]

Hey guys I’m about to start looking deep into a generator for the house and was curious if you all have any and your thoughts.

I’m looking to set up a semi permanent unit and use a DPDT panel to power my whole home.

I’m looking at used military generators at the moment mainly because I’ve abused them myself when in the military and they last.

Models I’m looking at MEP-802A and MEP-803A

Both are diesel because well Diesel that’s why.

 

[Pure Diesel]

Does your home have natural gas? If it does go that route. When I was in business, plumbing contractor, I subcontracted to an electrical contractor doing these. I would run the gas piping for all his jobs. All he sold and swore by were the Generac. Heard the Kohlers were pretty good.
Also think about the db level that these run at.

 

[jlawles2]

Parents put in a generator from Northern tool. Auto on when power out, and it even came with the auto switch so you could watch it rain while generator started, power switched from pole (dead) to generator, then when pole power came back on it would auto swap back then cut off. Did not make a hill of beans if it was 2am and 30F outside, it did the work. Best part of it by my parents, you could not hear it in the house, and climate control was always on, did not wake up cold if power was out.

 

[DefiantArms]

These run at around 80db nd can be made quieter. I don’t have natural gas and have heard of horror stories when it comes to extended period running them $$$$. The mep-802A burns about half a gallon a hour under load.

 

[Pure Diesel]

80 db is really loud, for residential.

 

[jlawles2]

5kw might be a bit light. tats only 20A @240VAC. I you plan on running climate control you need min of 2x that.

 

[DefiantArms]

Quieter than a Honda eb10000 though. And it doesn’t have to be quiet. It just needs to run power

 

[DefiantArms]

5kw might be a bit light. tats only 20A @240VAC. I you plan on running climate control you need min of 2x that.

Originally i was thinking of the 5kw one but after watching my meter it tends to run around 7.2kw with ac, water heater and stove on. Along with other household items. So the 10kw is more my speed now. And fun fact the mep-802 and 803 are capable of more than what they are rated for because the rating is at 8000’ and 120*F the 802 has been tested to 7.5 by numerous people.

 

[clrussell]

Does natural gas work like propane in the aspect of maintenance and ease of starting?

The money spent on natural gas might be worth the hassle of trying to get a generator full of old gas started.

 

[Pure Diesel]

I assume that your all electric? That puts into another ball game. I know, when the power is out, who cares about noise as long as my stuff is running. Try sleeping with it running. At least your in Florida and don't have to worry about the Diesel gelling on you in the winter.

 

[Chevy1925]

If the natural gas gennys are anything like the propane ones in motor homes, they eat the fuel like it’s a fat kid on ice cream.

 

[DefiantArms]

A guy i know in Texas has a general powering his home and when the storm went through he lost power for ten days. Gas bill came and was three thousand doll hairs. I’m wanting a diesel one because of fuel storage is simpler than gas and most times around me when gas runs out diesel is still available.

 

[Firefightkev]

How much are you getting them for? I would love a diesel gen for fuel avalibity and consumption. But most cost an arm and a leg.

 

[WVRigrat05]

A 16k Generac burns about 50 gallons of propane a day under high load.

 

[BlkMax]

Originally i was thinking of the 5kw one but after watching my meter it tends to run around 7.2kw with ac, water heater and stove on. Along with other household items. So the 10kw is more my speed now. And fun fact the mep-802 and 803 are capable of more than what they are rated for because the rating is at 8000’ and 120*F the 802 has been tested to 7.5 by numerous people.

I know everyone thinks bigger is better, but if you do not have the load, correct size is best. 10kw may be too much and the engine will loaf if not fully loaded. Add up the loads and consider diversity. Will the hot water heater, stove, and dryer all be on at the same time? If not, you may not need the bigger generator and can save yourself some $$ if you are willing to manage the loads when you have it on.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you want to make sure the output is 120v and 240v. Some of the newer/cheaper sets are rated at 120v OR 240v. What that means is that the you always have 240v across the hot legs, which can mean 90v on one side and 130v on the other leg. Big 120v loads will pull down the voltage on that leg if the generator winding is not configured to always have 120v to each leg for a total of 240v. This is not always evident when looking at the sets. Check with the manufacturer of the generator. The low or high voltage 120v legs can smoke sensitive components like computers and TV's. The 240v stove won't care too much....

My father picked up a solid state 7.5kw on Craigs List for cheap before he talked to me. Now we have to manage the 120v loads by turning stuff on checking voltage on each leg in the panel board. It works, but is a PITA. The generator manufacturer stated on the phone that there is no way to change the winding to not have a floating neutral between the hot legs for the 120v side.

Good luck!

 

[clrussell]

A guy i know in Texas has a general powering his home and when the storm went through he lost power for ten days. Gas bill came and was three thousand doll hairs. I’m wanting a diesel one because of fuel storage is simpler than gas and most times around me when gas runs out diesel is still available.

I didn’t see diesel lol. Should have read

 

[2004LB7]

I am really only familiar with the larger generators in the 45kw and up but I've always been a fan of the multiquip whisperwatt series generators and the generac ones.

For the smaller ones. I used a 10kw generac on a job site for several years and in the beginning it ran great and never had any issues but after much use it started becoming the most unreliable one of the bunch. Started nickel and diming one the smaller parts like idle control solenoids, control broad, etc. The honda generator we had was probably twice as old and was still going strong with hardly any problems. None of the smaller ones where diesel only our larger generators

My 2¢

 

[Robby Avery]

Subd good advice here

 

[DefiantArms]

Have a whisperwatt 7500 at my job and it’s great bumps to idle with small load and is quiet. But they are pricey. I can get a 10k diesel military generator for around $4k. Less if i catch a deal.

 

[Hambone]

We have a big ass Cat for our Shop/house/my house half a mile down the road lol works great!
But if I had a choice I would go with a used whisperwatt from United rentals
They give a hell of a warranty on used equipment
Basically rebuilt our forklift under their warranty lol