# Finally got a generator, tons of questions?!?!?! Rural property questions as well



## sdgmcdon

So, we recently bought a home in a rural area, just over an acre which for me is HUGE as I've never had more than a postage stamp sized yard till now. 

This last weekend two soaker/wind storms hit the Portland area and we lost power for about 16 hours; being that our neighborhood power lines are now above ground, figured it's about time for a generator. 

Picked up a Champion 9000/7000 watt from Costco for $699 (Model # 41532)

I figure in a power outage we'd use it a few hours a day, an hour before wanting a hot shower, an hour or two to heat the house a bit, a few hours (more?) for the fridges/freezers etc. Basically turning on only what we need when we need it, plus a good chunk of time for fridges/freezers.

Questions are:

1) Do I need to power our septic tank/pump? If it can go for X amount of time without power, how long is too long? 

2) Should I run power to our sump pump? Or should I just keep an eye on the water level (if any) where it is and run an extension cord to it if needed?

3) How many hours a day should a fridge/freezer be powered up to maintain frozen (freezer) and cold (fridge) temperatures? Both are newer side by sides, maybe 5 years old on one, 10 on the other? Keeping in mind, we'd also be using them, opening a few times a day etc. 

4) Can the generator I got power all of the following from a 10 circuit transfer switch:
-Two side by side fridges (and likely going to get another chest freezer soon)
-Heatpump (or should we just use the wood stove only?)
-Electric range (or again, should we just use the wood stove for cooking?)
-Wood stove fan
-Furnace fan
-Septic Pump
-Sump Pump
-Water heater, maybe 10+ years old 40-50 gallon (this is just about the entire reason I'd go through the expense (parts and labor) of the transfer switch, so if we have no power for days, we could at least take a hot shower now and then).
---Better option than paying for the transfer switch for this? 
-50" plasma/LCD TV and DVD Player & DirecTV Receiver
-A couple wall outlets in pre-determined locations for charging phones, laptops, rechargeable batteries, flashlights etc. 
-Internet connection (cable modem & wifi router)
-Coffee Maker (small single cup machine, senseo (sort of like a kureg)). 

And last but not least, how do the circuits work to power things? For instance, would ONE of the transfer switch "circuits" light up BOTH receptacles in a wall outlet, or just one of them? 

Oh, and almost forgot...is there anyway to reduce the noise from this generator? This thing is LOUD! Not a huge deal, but definitely will annoy the neighbors and attract attention in a SHTF scenario (though the latter is not my real purpose for getting it, just for wind/ice storms etc when/if we get them. SHTF I'd prefer to run "silent" ... we'll get there eventually). 

Any/all info greatly appreciated!


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## FatTire

First, get a transfer switch. Backfeeding the line can make orphans. Dont be that guy. Next, you should be able to run alot of that, but it depends on demand. There should be a name plate on each telling you its draw. Add them up, if it doesnt exceed your gensets output your good. As to the noise, build a brick house around it, theres folks here who have done it n im sure they will fill you in on the particulars.


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## BillS

Turn your refrigerator off for a few hours then turn it back on. Keep track of how long it takes before the compressor shuts off. I'm guessing that you'd have to run them for awhile every two hours and even then the food won't stay as cold as when it's running all the time.

Yes, the generator is loud. Maybe it's quieter if you run it at a lower power level.


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## hiwall

Generally speaking anything electrical that heats draws alot of power so in your case - the heat pump, stove/oven, coffee maker(lesser amount), and your water heater. Exclude those items and your generator might run everything else in the house(maybe). Your sewage pump is also a fairly big draw. Ah the advantages of having gas appliances in a power down situation! Your frig and freezer are fairly small draw and could likely be run at the same time as other items without problems. Your generator is rated in watts and most appliance tags are in amps so amps times volts equal watts to see what you can run. Exception is motors the listed draw is for running but they take a huge amount more for a brief second when starting.


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## Geek999

If I understand what you have you have an independent gasoline powered generator that is in no way connected to the house.

There are several limitations to this, I.e. The lack of a transfer switch mentioned above is a problem. During a long outage you will run out of fuel is another problem as gas stations won't have power.

My suggestion is keep what you have for now, but start to think in terms of a natural gas or propane powered generator that is wired into the house and kicks in automatically through a transfer switch. This is a lot more money but a much better arrangement during a prolonged outage.


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## Caribou

You might also think about a smaller, quieter, 2-3Kw generator. Use the larger gen set when you are using a heavy load and the smaller generator when you can. The best efficiency from a generator is when it is running at near capacity. This may mean you need to pay more attention to your usage but the energy consumption and noise reduction may make it worth it to you.


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## TheLazyL

sdgmcdon said:


> Questions are:
> 
> 1) Do I need to power our septic tank/pump? If it can go for X amount of time without power, how long is too long? Insufficient data. How many Gallons per minute on the pump? How many gallons can the tank hold? How many in your family?
> 
> 2) Should I run power to our sump pump? Or should I just keep an eye on the water level (if any) where it is and run an extension cord to it if needed? Yes
> 
> 3) How many hours a day should a fridge/freezer be powered up to maintain frozen (freezer) and cold (fridge) temperatures? Both are newer side by sides, maybe 5 years old on one, 10 on the other? Keeping in mind, we'd also be using them, opening a few times a day etc. Leave generator run 24 x 7 except when refueling
> 
> 4) Can the generator I got power all of the following from a 10 circuit transfer switch:
> -Two side by side fridges (and likely going to get another chest freezer soon) Yes
> -Heatpump No
> -Electric range No
> -Wood stove fan Yes
> -Furnace fan No
> -Septic Pump Insufficient data
> -Sump Pump Yes
> -Water heater, maybe 10+ years old 40-50 gallon (this is just about the entire reason I'd go through the expense (parts and labor) of the transfer switch, so if we have no power for days, we could at least take a hot shower now and then). If water heater is electric - no. If it's gas - yes
> -50" plasma/LCD TV and DVD Player & DirecTV Receiver Sure
> -A couple wall outlets in pre-determined locations for charging phones, laptops, rechargeable batteries, flashlights etc. Yes
> -Internet connection (cable modem & wifi router) Sure
> -Coffee Maker (small single cup machine, senseo (sort of like a kureg)). No
> 
> Oh, and almost forgot...is there anyway to reduce the noise from this generator? This thing is LOUD! Put Gen in a unattached garage, shed, or put a row of cement blocks around it to direct the sound up.


Power is off and all of the normal life's distractions are gone. You must not be married because I can think of something a whole lot better to do then keeping the cell phone and laptop useable, while watching a DVD and drinking coffee.


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## Tweto

I have a 8000 watt generator 110/220vac. I have used it in emergency situations maybe 5-8 times in 20 years. The longest that I was without power was 4-5 days because of an ice storm. 

If you have ever seen the old TV show Green Acres, Eddie Albert had to turn stuff off so he could turn other stuff on because he had only so much power. I do the same thing when I'm using the generator. 

I did a survey of the house and put together a list of ALL the electrical equipment and their power draw in watts. The next thing to do is to label all the circuit breakers with what they run. 

Before running the house with the generator I turn all circuit breakers off. Then start the generator and then I turn on only the stuff I need that use up to 7000 watts or less (I leave a safety margin of 1000 watts).

There are some appliances that can never be used (electric stove, heat pump, etc.) I can use the electric water heater (3500 watts) but not much else. The good news is that we would only need the water heater in the morning for showers. I would go out to the shed at 4 in the morning before she was up, start the generator and let it heat water for 2 hours before we got up. After taking showers I would turn off the circuit breaker for the water heater, however there was still enough hot water for a few loads of clothes in the washer. After that, we had more then enough power for what ever we wanted to do the rest of the day.

BTW when I run the generator I keep the VOM handy to check voltage at the outlets. When the voltage gets down to 110vac, I know that I can't turn any more on.


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## partdeux

Get some marine fuel stabilizer, and if you can find it, aviation fuel for the gen set

Make sure you have extra oil to change the oil in the gen set.

run the gen set on a fairly regular basis. If I go for more than 3 months, mine is tough to start. Not only run it, but put a load on the generator.

That gen set is not something I would depend on for long term or heavy use. It will work for occasional use, but not known for heavy need.

Lots of transfer switch ideas, but don't back feed unless you truly understand how and the risks of getting it wrong


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## Outpost

Tweto said:


> Before running the house with the generator I turn all circuit breakers off. Then start the generator and then I turn on only the stuff I need that use up to 7000 watts or less (I leave a safety margin of 1000 watts).


That's what we do too. Ours is a 7500 (8500 surge). I wired a manual transfer switch right after the meter box. We only have a 100 Ampre service anyway (little hillbilly double-wide on a slab!).

We've used it for a few hours at a time when necessary, but those times have (luckily) been few and far between. I actually run it more for scheduled "testing" than in actual service. I've only got a couple weeks of fuel on-hand (with judicious use) but I figure if we need it longer than that, it's time for long-term plans to be instituted anyway!

-Cheers


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## Country Living

Tweto made a very good point - turn off the main circuit breaker to the house so the generator doesn't backfeed into the utility line. 

You have a portable generator that has limitations. Lazy answered most of your questions. 

I'm assuming you have an aerobic septic system so the generator should be able to run your pump if it's 110. This assumes the pump is not in contention with other electrical requirements so the generator is maxed out. 

The refrigerator is the biggest problem because the temperature cannot go above 40 degrees without high risk of food contamination. That doesn't mean the temperature can go to 45 and you cool the fridge down to 35 so the average is 40. It's 40 degrees period. Nothing higher. The freezer temp is zero (some say even 5 degrees is OK). Keep the freezer door closed and run the compressor once a day should be enough to keep the food safe. We keep external thermometers on hand so we can monitor temperatures. 

We've done a couple of changes that may interest you. We've been tweaking our plan for a very long time so don't feel you have to jump right in and have final solutions in place immediately.

We put in a 16kw (propane) generator with an automatic transfer switch so we can pretty much live our lives without interruption during a power outage. It runs our AC. We use a wood stove for heat in the winter so that's not an issue. 

We created backup plans for redundancy in our critical systems in case we have an extended power outage that might last more than a week. If it's longer than a week, we want to use the propane for the stove and fridge (more on that in a minute). We have two propane tanks and figure they would give us about two years worth of propane by just running the two appliances. We don't use the big tank because it's our emergency backup tank and we get a refill at 60% on the second tank.

As a part of our redundant systems, we attached a lateral leach line to our septic system so the sewage wouldn't run out over the yard if the pump can't run (for any reason - even if the pump is out, not just a power failure). The discharge tank should have an opening on the side that would allow this adaptation.

We put an in-line hand well pump on the water well. We can pump directly into the holding tank and have water come into the house through the lines or pump into a bucket. Sanitation, including clean water and reliable septic, are critical to life/safety.

We have a 19cf propane fueled refrigerator we use currently use as our secondary fridge and our plan is to move all the food from our electric refrigerator to the propane fridge in case of an extended power outage. Unfortunately, that means some of the beer will have to relocate. Yes, I know, that's the saddest story you'll ever hear....

Our stove is also propane fueled so we can use the burners during a power outage. We have a solar oven as well as a propane camping stove/oven. Our tankless propane water heater easily runs when the generator is on because it's 110. We have solar showers and can heat water in the solar oven if we're not running the generator. 

Because our stove uses propane, we have a window of time to get food out of the big freezer and either canned or dehydrated. We have two canners and a whole bunch of canning jars and lids on hand at all times. We're ready to start at a moment's notice.

We recently changed all the windows in the house to double-hung windows so we can catch the cool breeze coming in off the lake by opening the lower windows and push the hot air out of the top windows on the other side of the house. This house isn't exactly the best construction for double-hung windows; however, in case of an extended power outage we'll be able to get some relief from the heat by controlling the air flow.

We planted trees on the west side of the buildings to provide shade from the heat of the sun. 

We use propane instead of natural gas for two reasons. The first is we live out in the boonies and propane is our only choice and our propane company has a disaster preparedness plan so they can get propane from several sources. Even then, we have an extra tank so we won't be dependent on situations out of their control. The second reason is natural gas requires compressors to move it through the line. In case of an extended power outage that may be problematic because they would be able to run their generators only so long (also there's a dependency on upstream delivery via pipelines). Someone a lot smarter than me on the subject of natural gas lines can address it more appropriately.

A huge problem with a gasoline-fueled generator is fuel. We have a portable generator as a backup to our residential generator. We have a 30 gallon (metal) gas caddy from Northern Tool that is kept full. We have ten 5-gallon plastic gas containers and four 2-gallon gas containers. When we draw down five gallon from the gas caddy we fill it with a gas container and that container goes in the garage by the cars for the next trip to town. Sta-bil goes in the newly filled gas containers before they're put in the small shed that serves as our flammable storage building. We also put (diesel) Sta-bil in the diesel. 

One of the biggest, yet rarely discussed, benefits of having a residential generator with an automatic transfer switch is the generator will not release back to utility power until utility power is restored and stable. Power surges are evil things that do a lot of damage.

This is the most important part of this reply. This is our plan and it works for us. You will come up with something that works for you. The only purpose of my long post is to get you thinking about options. Don't limit yourself to what you know today. Read and learn and watch and you'll grow your plan.

Good luck.


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## Outpost

Country Living said:


> One of the biggest, yet rarely discussed, benefits of having a residential generator with an automatic transfer switch is the generator will not release back to utility power until utility power is restored and stable. Power surges are evil things that do a lot of damage.


Amen on the transfer switch!

Transfer switches are a legal requirement here in New Hampshire, if you apply power to any circuit on the household wiring. It's possible, and perfectly legal, to unplug things like refrigerators and plug them directly into the generator. If however, one applies power to any part of the household wiring, the transfer switch is mandatory. (and a damn good idea, IMHO)

Since we don't have an automatic-start generator, an automatic transfer switch is overkill for us.

Be it manual or automatic, a transfer switch is something I *highly* recommend! They're not that expensive nor all that hard to wire (which we can do ourselves here in NH, for our own residence).

While technically simple to wire, I must admit to a rather high pucker-factor while working near the output side of the meter! 
:eyebulge:


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## Tweto

partdeux said:


> Get some marine fuel stabilizer, and if you can find it, aviation fuel for the gen set
> 
> Make sure you have extra oil to change the oil in the gen set.
> 
> run the gen set on a fairly regular basis. If I go for more than 3 months, mine is tough to start. Not only run it, but put a load on the generator.
> 
> That gen set is not something I would depend on for long term or heavy use. It will work for occasional use, but not known for heavy need.
> 
> Lots of transfer switch ideas, but don't back feed unless you truly understand how and the risks of getting it wrong


I use "Sta-Bil" fuel stabilizer in all my stored fuel. It can be purchased anywhere like Walmart. It's good for 3 years.

Whats the advantage of aviation fuel? 100LL is $5.50 a gallon. Maybe you are talking about MoGas which is very hard to find and it is only regular gasoline with no additives. I just use regular with out ethanol added. All of the fuel is run through a filter before I put it in the generator, this keeps water, dirt, etc out of the generator that may have gotten into the stored fuel.

I change oil every spring.

I run both of my generators every month for 30 mins with load. I found that ceramic heaters work very well for that (1500 watts each).

Emergency generators run at 3600 RPM and they are limited duty. I have run mine for 4-6 hour stretches with out any problems. 1800 RPM generators are designed for continuous use. The problem is that continuous duty generators are very expensive. and difficult to find.


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## partdeux

marine stabil is a little better than regular stabil

100LL is about as stable as you can get in the gasoline world, plus that little bit of lubricating lead can't hurt


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## LincTex

Tweto said:


> BTW when I run the generator I keep the VOM handy to check voltage at the outlets. When the voltage gets down to 110vac, I know that I can't turn any more on.


Get a Kill-A-Watt.... I adjust as close as I can to 60.0Hz, and never monitor voltage (frequency is far more important), but I have never been close to overload, either. I have circuit tripped breakers when starting large motor loads, though.



partdeux said:


> 100LL is about as stable as you can get in the gasoline world, plus that little bit of lubricating lead can't hurt


I have started airplanes on 20 year old 100LL, it just does not go bad!


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## Country Living

We have a frequency monitor for on our 16kw generator. Don't forget a generator is dirty power and things like ceiling fans, UPSs, and some of the clocks and microwaves don't like it (they still run, just with a bit of noise or slower speed). 

We put in a tankless propane fueled water heater when the old electric heater died. The tankless uses 110 instead of the 220 the electric used. The only thing we don't run when we're on generator is the dryer.


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## LincTex

Country Living said:


> Don't forget a generator is dirty power and things like ceiling fans, UPSs, and some of the clocks and microwaves don't like it (they still run, just with a bit of noise or slower speed)


This is usually a true statement when using a modified sine wave (MSW) inverter.

A generator is pure sine wave - as long as it is "on freq", it's very clean power.


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## Meerkat

We may just use it for well or to use fridge. Anyway our gas will be gone long before the generator tears up. Too bad we are too old to cut up all this great firewood from these oaks we just cut down. Tons and tons of the stuff. What a waste!


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## LincTex

Meerkat said:


> We may just use it for well or to use fridge. Anyway our gas will be gone long before the generator tears up.


Sounds like you either need more solar power, more gasoline stored, or both.



Meerkat said:


> Too bad we are too old to cut up all this great firewood from these oaks we just cut down. Tons and tons of the stuff. What a waste!


Put it up for grabs on Craigslist!!!


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## interacting

I think you got a good deal on your Champion 9000/7000 watt generator. The Wattage Estimation Guide for Portable Generators by American Honda Motor Company
http://readhere.co/wp/portable-generator-wattage
is a handy portable generator wattage estimation guide for household appliances, recreation appliances, construction appliances, and farm equipment. It's handy for estimating the size (in watts) of a portable generator needed to power your appliances. It includes the starting watts and running watts for each appliance. I would power the septic tank/pump because it is a mandatory need. As far as refrigerator temperature, I kept my 3.5 amp, 25 cu ft Kenmore kitchen refrigerator at 38 deg max for eight days after Hurricane Sandy, without food spoiling. I ran the refrigerator 20 minutes every two hours. Keep in mind the temperature in the house was an uncomfortable 45 deg F. I used the same power rationing for my 5 amp freezer without food spoilage, setting the freezer temp at maximum which is 8 deg F.


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## LincTex

interacting said:


> I kept my 3.5 amp, 25 cu ft Kenmore kitchen refrigerator at 38 deg max for eight days after Hurricane Sandy, without food spoiling. I ran the refrigerator 20 minutes every two hours. Keep in mind the temperature in the house was an uncomfortable 45 deg F.


That wouldn't work out as well if the house was 100*F inside. 
In your case (7* temp diff), 20 mins every two hours was probably overkill!


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## Cast-Iron

sdgmcdon said:


> So, we recently bought a home in a rural area, just over an acre which for me is HUGE as I've never had more than a postage stamp sized yard till now.
> 
> This last weekend two soaker/wind storms hit the Portland area and we lost power for about 16 hours; being that our neighborhood power lines are now above ground, figured it's about time for a generator.
> 
> Picked up a Champion 9000/7000 watt from Costco for $699 (Model # 41532)
> 
> I figure in a power outage we'd use it a few hours a day, an hour before wanting a hot shower, an hour or two to heat the house a bit, a few hours (more?) for the fridges/freezers etc. Basically turning on only what we need when we need it, plus a good chunk of time for fridges/freezers.
> 
> Questions are:
> 
> 1) Do I need to power our septic tank/pump? If it can go for X amount of time without power, how long is too long?
> 
> 2) Should I run power to our sump pump? Or should I just keep an eye on the water level (if any) where it is and run an extension cord to it if needed?
> 
> 3) How many hours a day should a fridge/freezer be powered up to maintain frozen (freezer) and cold (fridge) temperatures? Both are newer side by sides, maybe 5 years old on one, 10 on the other? Keeping in mind, we'd also be using them, opening a few times a day etc.
> 
> 4) Can the generator I got power all of the following from a 10 circuit transfer switch:
> -Two side by side fridges (and likely going to get another chest freezer soon)
> -Heatpump (or should we just use the wood stove only?)
> -Electric range (or again, should we just use the wood stove for cooking?)
> -Wood stove fan
> -Furnace fan
> -Septic Pump
> -Sump Pump
> -Water heater, maybe 10+ years old 40-50 gallon (this is just about the entire reason I'd go through the expense (parts and labor) of the transfer switch, so if we have no power for days, we could at least take a hot shower now and then).
> ---Better option than paying for the transfer switch for this?
> -50" plasma/LCD TV and DVD Player & DirecTV Receiver
> -A couple wall outlets in pre-determined locations for charging phones, laptops, rechargeable batteries, flashlights etc.
> -Internet connection (cable modem & wifi router)
> -Coffee Maker (small single cup machine, senseo (sort of like a kureg)).
> 
> And last but not least, how do the circuits work to power things? For instance, would ONE of the transfer switch "circuits" light up BOTH receptacles in a wall outlet, or just one of them?
> 
> Oh, and almost forgot...is there anyway to reduce the noise from this generator? This thing is LOUD! Not a huge deal, but definitely will annoy the neighbors and attract attention in a SHTF scenario (though the latter is not my real purpose for getting it, just for wind/ice storms etc when/if we get them. SHTF I'd prefer to run "silent" ... we'll get there eventually).
> 
> Any/all info greatly appreciated!


First of all, congratulations on your new place! I have not done the due diligence of reading all the replies already posted here so I will apologize for any redundancies in advance.

There are many considerations to take into account for those occasions when you may need to power your home with an electrical generator. I will attempt to address some of them for you.

First of all it is an expensive way to produce electricity so I would try to limit it to the bare essentials like lighting and refrigeration and possibly some entertainment electronics for any bored youngsters. Electric heat, electric water heaters, clothes dryers, and electric ranges are all likely 240 volts and high amp draws. You should be able to run any of them if they are rated at 25 amps @ 240 volts or less. Chances are your stove & heater are much higher than 25 amps. Get a small propane camp stove if you need to cook during the outage. For heat I would limit heating to one or two smaller rooms and use electric space heaters if and as needed.

Do not attempt to run the generator inside your home. I am amazed every time I hear of some poor schmuck who killed his/her family with carbon monoxide poisoning because they didn't bother to read the owner's manual and understand the hazards associated with their use. I guess it's true what Ron White says, "you can't fix stupid".

Isolate the generated power from the power grid. If you don't understand this (and you are not licensed to do so) hire an electrician to install a transfer switch. Not only can it save lives, it will prevent you from sending your high priced kilowatts back onto the grid.

Fuel storage is also an often overlooked issue. Do you have some dedicated storage in a building separate from your home? This so-called gasoline that lacks stabilizers and contains ethanol creates all kinds of issues for long term storage and gums up your carb's jets. If it were mine, I would modify the carburetion to use propane fuel. This is usually accomplished with an adapter mounted directly onto the inlet side. Propane stores indefinitely and you can still use gasoline in a pinch if needed. Lots of vids on YouTube to demonstrate how to do this or you can just have a small engine mechanic install it for you.

Noise is always an issue with generators. Some brands are considerably quieter than others. I haven't used all that many different makes, but the Honda generators I have used have impressed me with their easy starts and quieter operation. You might be able to buy an aftermarket muffler for your machine that can cut down on the noise somewhat but that's purely a guess on my part.

As for what you can run? I'm assuming your 7000/9000 figure means 7000continual watts and 9000 start up watts. Inventory all your electric gadgets and gizmos you intend to power. If the sum total of their wattage exceeds 90% of your capacity you will need to cut back until it falls below that number. Don't forget some appliances will draw a small phantom current even when they are turned off (you may have to unplug them).

I would suggest you consult with a licensed electrician. There are many ways to create potential hazards if your system has the wrong sized conductors or isn't properly isolated from the grid. If properly engineered and installed you can have peace of mind and a safe source of emergency power to minimize most any power disruption you're likely to experience.

Good luck!


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## Tribal Warlord Thug

we use these....we have 4 so we know we have a backup to our backup to our backup........lol


























these gensets are .mil units with yanmar diesels..very easy to start, easy to use and fairly efficient in fuel consumption. we have been looking into using propane injection to power the diesels......the plus on these units are they also charge 12/24 volt equipment and are actually quieter than our gas genny....
this gives us up to 20k of useable power if needed..plus we have a gas unit thats 5500 watts if needed or someone else needs to be powered.


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## LincTex

Tribal Warlord Thug said:


> these gensets are .mil units with Yanmar diesels.... we have been looking into using propane injection to power the diesels.


I think (pretty sure) that engine is direct injection. If so, keep the propane at less than 10% of all fuel burned. So you can fumigate some, just not as much as an indirect-injected diesel can handle.

Also, make sure you run a good synthetic oil in those.



Tribal Warlord Thug said:


> the plus on these units are they also charge 12/24 volt equipment ...


Ate what amperage? Some gens only have 10 amps or so available on the DC side.


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## partdeux

interacting said:


> I think you got a good deal on your Champion 9000/7000 watt generator. The Wattage Estimation Guide for Portable Generators by American Honda Motor Company
> http://readhere.co/wp/portable-generator-wattage
> is a handy portable generator wattage estimation guide for household appliances, recreation appliances, construction appliances, and farm equipment. It's handy for estimating the size (in watts) of a portable generator needed to power your appliances. It includes the starting watts and running watts for each appliance. I would power the septic tank/pump because it is a mandatory need. As far as refrigerator temperature, I kept my 3.5 amp, 25 cu ft Kenmore kitchen refrigerator at 38 deg max for eight days after Hurricane Sandy, without food spoiling. I ran the refrigerator 20 minutes every two hours. Keep in mind the temperature in the house was an uncomfortable 45 deg F. I used the same power rationing for my 5 amp freezer without food spoilage, setting the freezer temp at maximum which is 8 deg F.


With that much planning, you wouldn't need much amperage


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## partdeux

I've recently converted all my gas stores to Aviation Gas. There's a lot of issues, getting access, and the lead in Avgas will foul plugs. HOWEVER, it will last FOREVER. My generator has sat for years without much activity and I was constantly rotating out gas cans into my car. Last year I spend significant money on a couple of piece of lawn equipment that had fuel systems destroyed by ethanol gas. One of the concerns listed with avgas was winter starting... at 25F it started on first pull, without the choke, which I forgot to flip. I have one gas can left to fill and then I'll be set


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