OT: Need Portable Generator Recommendation
From : Annonymous
Q: ramman@dodgecity.cc wrote sorry for the ot post but figured this group if any might have the answers. am looking for a portable standby generator about 5kw. snip in my straight job i engineer telecom systems. one of the main considerations is standby power as well as tower loads microwave paths etc. at my pre-divorce house i installed a 20kw ng fueled unit. this involved pouring a slab wiring a transfer panel and re-wiring the house panels to steer emergency power to essentials i.e. main refrigerator beer refrigerator furnaces not an issue in fl but certainly important in chicago telephone switch satellite receiver and tv distribution tvs garage doors alarm system engine block heater outlets etc. remember to add a couple of open receptacles as you will discover that you need them. i twisted the arms of some of the contractors with whom i worked everyday and got what i considered a deal at about $22k total. the used onan genset was $15k of that. the automatic transfer panel was $3k used. at my new house i have a honda 5kw gasoline genset on wheels with the panel and manual transfer panel pre-wired. now instead of everything switching over automatically i have to wheel out the genset fuel it attach the cable to the transfer panel pull-start the genset and throw the switch on the transfer panel. total cost $800. i have 3 jerry cans that i try to rotate for other uses. dont forget the stabil. i think that you will find that a ng setup requires permanent installation to meet codes both zoning and electrical. and thats where the bucks start to escalate. dont forget to check local codes re lp some cities prohibit anything larger than a 30-lb tank on-premise due to explosion hazard in a fire several years lets see.....2005-1978...ok a long time ago i installed some 5 kw onans for the city and county pds as part of their comm system upgrades the two in-town had to be ng the one out at the cable tower for the countys base stations were lp oh one more thing..........the 5 kw unit for the city pd tended to surge badly with just a pair of 60-watt solid state bases plugged in but when we added the old 100-w tube-type fire dept base to the load it settled down it took about 300 watts minimum load to get it to run on-speed you might consider an lpg-fired genset and a 40# tank although the multi-fuel gensets usually have a small premium. i went with gasoline as i figured it would be easier to come by than lpg if the balloon goes up. .
Replies:
From : mark sparge
on sun 29 may 2005 092556 -0400 roy roy@home.net wrote everybody enjoy the day! those of you that have been there and done that thank you and welcome home bros. roy back at ya bro... mac please remove splinters before emailing .
From : Annonymous
sounds like you have thought it through. btw up here us yankees *do* get 3 phase power in areas newly rewired. my old house had 2x400a 3ph panels. actually it made the gen installation easier. good luck with the project. .
From : tbone
on sun 29 may 2005 122613 -0400 leroy dodgemanfromhell@aol.com wrote i was amazed that there is no group for plymouth. i was amazed that there is no group for dodge automobiles. got an 89 ply. sundance dodge shadow with only one blower speed remaining. if its anything like a dakota it is the resistor pack. any iseas appreciated. leroy leroy .
From : tbone
on sat 28 may 2005 123859 -0400 roy roy@home.net wrote i know denny get a big one so i can get my fat ass into it. still i need some info on good brands what to avoid what sanitizing products to use. im in ma so it gets cold in the winter and i want year round use. roy i wont recommend brands as they are probably different on the right coast.. some tips we got from the guy that we bought ours from after talking to several places that were rip offs dont buy more spa than you need... average number of people in a spa at a time after 1st month or so is one.. get them to throw in or discount accessories like steps side attached bar insulated cover etc... they should provide you with at least a started kit of chemicals floater etc... if propane is reasonably priced there go that way if affordable if not go 220v if possible.. ours can be wired for 11v or 220v and we chose 110v.. should have gone 22 as it is actually a bit more economical and with 110v the heater electric wont run when the jets are on high.. weve found that after 4 years of experimenting the less chemicals you use the better... started out following the directions and using bromide ph up ph down anti foam shock iron inhibitor etc. etc... my wife read up on it and found the magic words parts per million the amount of anything that your spa water actually absorbs.. we werent sitting in water it was a chemical bath.. now we use a bromide floater with a few tablets in it. it holds about a dozen this keeps the water sanitary... our spa is a 4 seat model and holds a little more than 300 gallons of water... way cheaper and better for you to use more water and less chemicals.. i ran pvc pipe from the sink in the garage to the spa and top it off a lot... over flow it for 10 or 15 minutes with hot in winter and cold in summer we use it year round 102 in winter 70 in summer when folks get into the tub they displace water and it over flows... you top it off later and the water stays pretty fresh and you dont have that toxic smell from all the expensive chemicals.. ymmv we got it because we thought it would be fun to have folks over and kick back in the spa... didnt plan much use other than that.. turns out that most folks that we know dont want to hassle with suits towels changing etc... but weve been surprised at how much we use it.. during the winter i have morning coffee in the spa to loosen up the ol body... and its a great way to unwind with the wife before bed... youll love it bro.. mac please remove splinters before emailing .
From : Annonymous
langerhans@example.net writes just a couple of thoughts......im concerned about the suicide lugs approach. you need to plan the electrical loads for 1. what happens when the mains drop out all loads drop. there will be no auto transfer or giant clutch/flywheel lashup - saw one of those once on a 25kw diesel gauwd almighteeee 2. what happens in a brown out again nothing - no connection to the genset until the load is dropped completely. genset load is then pull-rope started and the load walked-in. when genset needs fuel it also goes completely down load switched off and then walked back in again after a restart. this is a poor mans riggin. all we need most of the time is lights and cold beer and the tv. 3. what is the start-up load when connecting the genset i calculated the total locked rotor requirement as a tad over 50a but these will not all be fired up at once so im thinking i should be able to bring it all online by walking it in load by load without stalling the genset. if theres an issue it might be how to address the possibility of all 3 refrigeration loads deciding to kick in their compressors concurrently. theres enough there to run em all concurrently but starting them all at once is a whole other matter and something that may need to be dealt with. ideas welcomed i was actually thinking about the possibility of a timer on the freezer. the deep freeze can stay off for at least 6 hrs if we can stay out of it then let it have juice for a couple hours to recover i.e. 2 hrs on/6 hrs off then repeat. - wife had another thought drop all the refrigeration loads at bedtime and trade the load for a 10k btu window a/c in the master br. it gets pretty sticky down here during hurricane season. lotta load switching around i agree but see my previous about po folks and po ways 4. how you are going to provide essential power to certain things that are normally fed through a 3-phase 209vac distribution panel when your generator is a 2-phase 240vac device youre blowin smoke. no residence ive ever seen w/3 ph panel. 5. what are the implications of inductive loads at both #1 & #3 no auto xfr for 1 and read my remarx above to 3 6. what happens when the mains come back online and you want to switch back your gen will lose a backfeed battle with those mains. bigtime. know better than to even attempt to buck. this will be a manual disconnect. this isnt a hospital its my residence ;- - well know when the commercial power is back because the ac will come on wheee!! 7. a 5kw genset is only good for 40a continuous if that. how are you gonna balance that load pray that the fishtank heater doesnt switch on at the same time as the furnace blower while your daughter is running her hairdryer daughter and her thrice daily showers is her husbands responsibility nowadays thank goodness. youre right a 5kw genset maxes out around 40a continuous 8300 kva assuming pf of .6 *and* assuming it really is 5 kw....... we all know about assumptions which is why im looking for a 5kw and not 2 - id love 7 just dont want to have to feed it. full load vs half load on 7kw genset not much difference in fuel consumption compared to full vs with a 5kw unit. despite the amusement claimed by others all this stuff is just basic safety. it seems like you understand but some of the kibitzers obviously dont. .
From : langerhans
i have a 1997 dodge ram 1500 5.2l 4wd truck. the first battery i replaced int his truck was pretty large. it filled the batter box and had no spacer on the bottom. the two replacements ive had since then have been smaller - they arent as long and required a spacer under the battery. i just purchased an optima which is small like the last two batteries. id like to install a better spacer that not only raises the battery but also fills the gaps on each end of the battery box. i know i can buy some plastic/nylon stock and cut/route it but im wondering if theres another option ** due to spam i no longer receive email responses to ** group postings so dont bother. .
From : henry
in retrospect it might not be too great or costly a task to install a small 50a sub-panel and move or extend breakers and all the handful of circuits ive identified as necessary over to it. this would allow me the ability to still manually connect via twist-lok connector the sub panel either to commercial power or to the gen set and be isolated from the main. ill hit the flea markets next weekend too theres big one n. of town that just might have a manual transfer switch. barring that how about a 2-pole double-throw nema-3 starter w/a little manual override switch on the coil remember po folk and po ways. any gensets have gfci langerhans@example.net writes ramman@dodgecity.cc wrote doggone langerhans you been looking at my resume im fcc-licensed mw guy myself farinon dvm6/45 and mitel-certified on phone systems. small world huh yep i got my first-phone back in 1967 my ee in 1972 and currently design comm systems including conventional trunked and cellular sites 911 call centers as well as big telephone switching and all the it networking stuff. just a couple of thoughts......im concerned about the suicide lugs approach. you need to plan the electrical loads for 1. what happens when the mains drop out 2. what happens in a brown out 3. what is the start-up load when connecting the genset 4. how you are going to provide essential power to certain things that are normally fed through a 3-phase 209vac distribution panel when your generator is a 2-phase 240vac device 5. what are the implications of inductive loads at both #1 & #3 6. what happens when the mains come back online and you want to switch back your gen will lose a backfeed battle with those mains. bigtime. 7. a 5kw genset is only good for 40a continuous if that. how are you gonna balance that load pray that the fishtank heater doesnt switch on at the same time as the furnace blower while your daughter is running her hairdryer despite the amusement claimed by others all this stuff is just basic safety. it seems like you understand but some of the kibitzers obviously dont. .
From : greg o
on sun 29 may 2005 122613 -0400 leroy dodgemanfromhell@aol.com wrote i was amazed that there is no group for plymouth. i was amazed that there is no group for dodge automobiles. got an 89 ply. sundance dodge shadow with only one blower speed remaining. if its anything like a dakota it is the resistor pack. any iseas appreciated. leroy it was under the windshield cowl behind the washer reservoir......you have to remove the wiper arms the trim molding and the bottle. leroy .
From : Annonymous
the only trouble i had was one of the fuses in the transfer switch was bad and it was not a whole lot of fun trying to find a replacement. none of the local supply houses carried it and neither did the hd where i bought the unit. come to think of it they also dont carry the replacement oil filters for it either but fortunantly i found the correct automotive filter for it. the later models have a delco starter and they have been good. if your starter is gold colored you have a newer one the early ones were black and it will fail sooner than later. gee thanks for scaring the shit out of me. i went out to look and it has the gold colored one so hopefully ill be ok there. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving we get allot of people calling for oil filters and a odd part or two. hd here plus a couple other stores sell them so we get to service them too. i too had trouble finding fuses other than generac. we generally special order them from a local electrical wholesaler. we get a few that install themselves and it does not work when they are done. of course it is warranty in their mind but it always is an installation problem. once installed they have been running great. the first few that we got from the factory had some bugs to iron out but after the initial shot they have been great generators. far better than the last model they built! those help keep me employed! my boss has two 8k units on his house both are broke down at the moment! greg .
From : steve lusardi
how much do you want to spend i bought and installed a 15kw generac unit last year tbone how has the generac been working out for you so far so good but now that i have installed it i will probably never need it. i must say that the way they wire houses here in nc made it a real pita to install it. i work for a generac dealer and have installed a bunch of them. zero troubles except for the starter motors were poor on the first year or so of production. the only trouble i had was one of the fuses in the transfer switch was bad and it was not a whole lot of fun trying to find a replacement. none of the local supply houses carried it and neither did the hd where i bought the unit. come to think of it they also dont carry the replacement oil filters for it either but fortunantly i found the correct automotive filter for it. the later models have a delco starter and they have been good. if your starter is gold colored you have a newer one the early ones were black and it will fail sooner than later. gee thanks for scaring the shit out of me. i went out to look and it has the gold colored one so hopefully ill be ok there. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .
From : thadriver imangeloneathotmaildotcom
i have a 97 dodge ram 1500 5.2l 4wd truck. the battery has been leaking and i replaced it today. cleaned things up but it appears a part of the wiring harness under the battery box has gotten hit pretty hard. the outside loom has broken down and came off in some cases. i suspect i need to have this part of the wiring harness repaired or replaced. this is a job id let me dealer do. im wondering how expensive this job might be any tips ** due to spam i no longer receive email responses to ** group postings so dont bother. .
From : henry
basement whats a basement - here along the tx gulf coast the water table is 10 feet. slab city. you dig a basement it either comes with a continuous duty sump pump or a free swimming pool built-in. wife is home all the time & we do not travel in inclement weather plus we have adult kids within 5 miles that could get over here if there was a serious issue. a portable w/pull start will do just fine. were not in a flood plain even tropical storm allison june 2001 that dropped 36 on us in 2 days didnt flood -our- neighborhood tho lots of others closer into town did. all t.s. allison taught me was that i needed a bigger sat dish to address the rain fade. put up a 40-inch 1 meter dish and now we still watch when neighbor cant. by the way total power outage in t.s. allison for us was only 6 hrs. many others were out for as long as a week. goo1959@cableone.net writes after reading replies i had to laugh... folks had you pouring slabs... electric start....electric sub panels etc. if you do not need electricity quick or when you are gone a portable is fine. i have installed ng power generators for many people with basements that would be flooded without backup power. a portable sucks if it is raining hard or nobody is home. also in here in tropical north dakota a few hours without heat and broken water pipes are a big problem. that portable genny will not save you if you are not home! many times i hear comments of the cost to remodel the flooded lower level of a home. the $6000 to install a ng generator is small to these people. eight years ago we had a nasty spring ice storm then it got cold. many areas were without electricity for 2-3 weeks. i know of some people that were not home went south for a few weeks. the standby genny started and ran for the week or so the power was out! a portable would have done them no good. myself i have a portable. 15 years in this home and never any water in the finished basement. for me it is more of a convenience thing. living in the city we are rarely without power for more than an hour or so and that has been rare. the last time we ran the genny we had just returned from a day at the lake. we were hungry and tired and a storm had just come through and wiped out the power. so i drug out the portable so we could fire up the microwave! greg .
From : greg o
i think they mean the last 6 digits of the vin#. i should be on the dashboard by the windscreen or on you registration. clay im looking to buy a superchips programmer for my 2003 4.7 dakota but superchips says my serial # must be 104487 or higher for it to work. ive checked several places on the dodge and cant seem to find it. can anyone point me in the right direction thanks john. .
From : henry
im looking to buy a superchips programmer for my 2003 4.7 dakota but superchips says my serial # must be 104487 or higher for it to work. ive checked several places on the dodge and cant seem to find it. can anyone point me in the right direction thanks john. .
From : transurgeon
everybody enjoy the day! those of you that have been there and done that thank you and welcome home bros. roy amen! god bless our troops past and present! semper fi! mike .
From : Annonymous
your correct... my bad for answering the posters question. read the subject title and origional content !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! henry after reading replies i had to laugh... folks had you pouring slabs... electric start....electric sub panels etc. if you do not need electricity quick or when you are gone a portable is fine. i have installed ng power generators for many people with basements that would be flooded without backup power. a portable sucks if it is raining hard or nobody is home. also in here in tropical north dakota a few hours without heat and broken water pipes are a big problem. that portable genny will not save you if you are not home! many times i hear comments of the cost to remodel the flooded lower level of a home. the $6000 to install a ng generator is small to these people. eight years ago we had a nasty spring ice storm then it got cold. many areas were without electricity for 2-3 weeks. i know of some people that were not home went south for a few weeks. the standby genny started and ran for the week or so the power was out! a portable would have done them no good. myself i have a portable. 15 years in this home and never any water in the finished basement. for me it is more of a convenience thing. living in the city we are rarely without power for more than an hour or so and that has been rare. the last time we ran the genny we had just returned from a day at the lake. we were hungry and tired and a storm had just come through and wiped out the power. so i drug out the portable so we could fire up the microwave! greg .
From : Annonymous
doggone langerhans you been looking at my resume im fcc-licensed mw guy myself farinon dvm6/45 and mitel-certified on phone systems. small world huh we run 7.5 kw natural gas onans along our natural gas pipeline row for obvious reasons the gas is there. these are overkill for the 6-gig m/w repeaters but theres a small window a/c and an occasional 100w vhf base station and scada rtu. in those few tower sites -not- on the row we keep a 200# propane tank because unlike gasoline propane doesnt go bad in long term storage or gum up the lines plus i can call a guy to go deliver/fillup and never have to leave the office. but for home... well thats a whole other matter. ive convinced myself that gasoline will generally be easier to deal with and i can always drop a siphon hose in one of the vehicle tanks if/when supply runs short. that might also cost-justify my thoughts about adding an aux tank on the ram. size-wise id love to have a 7.5kw but something that size might need to be trailer-mounted and i dont have room to store a trailer. 7.5kw also sucks down a lot more fuel and still wont pull the central air. 5kw -will- meet our needs as long as i can keep the wife supplied with her hormone pills ;- and keep the fridge doors closed. no xfr panel even manual pull not really in the budget plus im in an unincorporated area of the county. not rural but we can get by w/shit out here they might lock you up for in town like pulling the meter and clamping straight in w/suicide lugs obviously no little guys around or more elegant putting a 30a twist-lok on a short pigtail out the bottom of the service panel and reverse-feeding through a separate dual breaker mains open of course. po folk got po ways... anyone asks man thats the -welder- hookup. ;- alas i digress. i was mainly looking for recommended brands or what to avoid if someones gotten a dud somewhere along the way. langerhans@example.net writes ramman@dodgecity.cc wrote sorry for the ot post but figured this group if any might have the answers. am looking for a portable standby generator about 5kw. snip in my straight job i engineer telecom systems. one of the main considerations is standby power as well as tower loads microwave paths etc. at my pre-divorce house i installed a 20kw ng fueled unit. this involved pouring a slab wiring a transfer panel and re-wiring the house panels to steer emergency power to essentials i.e. main refrigerator beer refrigerator furnaces not an issue in fl but certainly important in chicago telephone switch satellite receiver and tv distribution tvs garage doors alarm system engine block heater outlets etc. remember to add a couple of open receptacles as you will discover that you need them. i twisted the arms of some of the contractors with whom i worked everyday and got what i considered a deal at about $22k total. the used onan genset was $15k of that. the automatic transfer panel was $3k used. at my new house i have a honda 5kw gasoline genset on wheels with the panel and manual transfer panel pre-wired. now instead of everything switching over automatically i have to wheel out the genset fuel it attach the cable to the transfer panel pull-start the genset and throw the switch on the transfer panel. total cost $800. i have 3 jerry cans that i try to rotate for other uses. dont forget the stabil. i think that you will find that a ng setup requires permanent installation to meet codes both zoning and electrical. and thats where the bucks start to escalate. you might consider an lpg-fired genset and a 40# tank although the multi-fuel gensets usually have a small premium. i went with gasoline as i figured it would be easier to come by than lpg if the balloon goes up. .
From : tbone
how much do you want to spend i bought and installed a 15kw generac unit last year tbone how has the generac been working out for you i work for a generac dealer and have installed a bunch of them. zero troubles except for the starter motors were poor on the first year or so of production. the later models have a delco starter and they have been good. if your starter is gold colored you have a newer one the early ones were black and it will fail sooner than later. greg .
From : henry
thanks paul but yours is probably a bit small for what im trying to accomplish. 5hp does not equate to 5kw more like 2.2 or perhaps 2.5 kw which wont meet my needs. in calculating my load i anticipate somewhere around 2.53.5 kw will be my sustained/static load for 2 refrigerators 1 deep freeze 27 tv and satellite rcvr and a couple lamps and 23 fans. the refrigeration/freezer load is of course cyclical so as long as we can all stay focused on the need to keep them -closed- and not stand there with the door open deciding what to have will minimize compressor time and leave us some headroom for an electric skillet/fry pan and an occasional load of clothes through the washer. running the ac is completely out of the question; well just have to suffer. running the central air would require minimum 1012 kw to get it to start locked rotor amps and i really dont feel like this is something i need to spend $45 grand on. besides a genset that big will be a fuel pig. refrigeration load tv/sat and some lights & fans will get us by. when planning the size and calculating load you want to base your figures on 50% of the capacity of the genset. running a 2.5 kw load on a 2.5kw genset is a recipe for disappointment and disaster. been there & done that. also as im reading ive learned that propane fueled units develope more output than otherwise equally sized natural-gas units. if i understand this correctly propane has a higher btu rating per cubic foot than natural gas. thadriver imangeloneathotmaildotcom@ writes hi tried to email you but it bounced right back! i have a 5 hp briggs powered generator setup to run on natural gas; pressure regulator & all just hook up the line. dont recall the output but if youre interested ill check it for you. i also purschased a carb. so i could convert it back to gas. im in. ga. so i dont know if shipping would be cost prohibitive. i dont need it so ill take $800 for it. paul aka tha driver america - made in china! - .
From : carolina watercraft works
after reading replies i had to laugh... folks had you pouring slabs... electric start....electric sub panels etc. i had a glancing blow and two back to back direct hits last year. after first hit i went to a big box store and bought a portable electric welder which also was a generator providing a single dual 120vac outlet and a single 220vac outlet 5500 watts surge 4000 watt continuous. 125 amp stick welder....4 stroke gas robins subaru power plant. it did nicely for me....about same needs as you stated cept a side by side fridge/freezer combo. a little less than 1gal/hr. the problem was gas.... couldnt be bought since after the first one to a couple weeks after third....the ole dodge pu truck was my gas station. made by lincoln electric... model is powerarc 5500. it weighs a little over 120 lbs if i recall and cost me $650 i think. henry sorry for the ot post but figured this group if any might have the answers. am looking for a portable standby generator about 5kw. can anyone here recommend a specific **brand** or maybe suggest a specific brand to **avoid** living down in hurricane country texas gulf coast and so far in 18 years have never needed one. figure im pushing my luck and am thinking about one in the 5kw size range enuf to run fridge & deep freeze a few small wattage flourescent replacement lamps + tv and satellite rcvr prolly a fan or two. realize i cannot afford something the size that would pull our central ac. also what about fuels gasoline would ordinarily seem easiest to obtain and therefore most logical but what about natural gas not propane w/gasoline youd be constantly running out to purchase more else stick a georgia credit card in your vehicle tank. 5kw genset consumes between gal and 1 gal gasoline per hour depending on load. how much line pressure would it take for a ng powered genset im leaning toward gasoline but thought id ask. locally available brands & engines onan cummins troy-built briggs & stratton coleman honda honda honda thanks .
From : Annonymous
the thermostat is on the bottom right side just follow the lower radiator hose. remove the plastic splash shield under the front end and go in from the bottom. where is the a/c drain i dont smell the anti-freeze in the cab though. i had a couple guys riding on my tailgate for a short while yesterday and they smelled it and then i thought i smelled it coming from under the hood after that while standing outside the drivers door. but couldnt find any visual evidence of a leak under the hood. heck i cant even tell where the thermostat goes on that engine. .
From : langerhans
you can get 3 ph here too in the new suburbs but it comes with $500 monthly minimum billing. too rich for my blood. with 2x400a 3 ph panels you obviously had more house than most. im guessing 6k+ s.f. thanks for your assist & thoughts. now waiting for someone to -answer- my original post and recommend for or against specific brands smile langerhans@example.net writes sounds like you have thought it through. btw up here us yankees *do* get 3 phase power in areas newly rewired. my old house had 2x400a 3ph panels. actually it made the gen installation easier. good luck with the project. .
From : langerhans
i have an 80 dodge d50 with the 2.0 liter engine. when i turn on the key i have power but when i crank i get nothing but a single click. then everything goes dead. if i remove the negative battery cable and bump it a couple of times on the terminal i hear it arc and then i can replace it and have power again. but everytime i try to crank the truck it shuts down all the power. the cranking problem has been occuring for about a month now but only once or twice before the truck starts normally. but it never lost power before today and never didnt start before today. any ideas as to what could be the problem .
From : Annonymous
clean all the battery cable conections if that doesnt fix it replace the battery i have an 80 dodge d50 with the 2.0 liter engine. when i turn on the key i have power but when i crank i get nothing but a single click. then everything goes dead. if i remove the negative battery cable and bump it a couple of times on the terminal i hear it arc and then i can replace it and have power again. but everytime i try to crank the truck it shuts down all the power. the cranking problem has been occuring for about a month now but only once or twice before the truck starts normally. but it never lost power before today and never didnt start before today. any ideas as to what could be the problem .
From : greg o
personally i have a generac svp-5000 since here in nc we get our fair share of hurricanes and power outages. ive got mine hooked up outside to my distribution panel and it runs everything in the entire house except the ac. i have an electric hot water heater and itll run that too but when thats demanding current you cant really run anything else. if i were to purchase another generator itd be another generac but id get one a little larger and one with electric start. id rather have a fixed automatic standby unit fired by propane since i have propane heat but for what you are looking for you should look at the 75d. its diesel runs at a lower rpm and should handle the load required by a household. trust me the first time your power goes out and you start it up and have power to everything in your house itll all be worth it...the misses will love you even more. -- laszlo almasi carolina watercraft works inc. in the battle between money and love money will always triumph i may have to change my signature......on second thought i was right the first time. sorry for the ot post but figured this group if any might have the answers. am looking for a portable standby generator about 5kw. can anyone here recommend a specific **brand** or maybe suggest a specific brand to **avoid** living down in hurricane country texas gulf coast and so far in 18 years have never needed one. figure im pushing my luck and am thinking about one in the 5kw size range enuf to run fridge & deep freeze a few small wattage flourescent replacement lamps + tv and satellite rcvr prolly a fan or two. realize i cannot afford something the size that would pull our central ac. also what about fuels gasoline would ordinarily seem easiest to obtain and therefore most logical but what about natural gas not propane w/gasoline youd be constantly running out to purchase more else stick a georgia credit card in your vehicle tank. 5kw genset consumes between gal and 1 gal gasoline per hour depending on load. how much line pressure would it take for a ng powered genset im leaning toward gasoline but thought id ask. locally available brands & engines onan cummins troy-built briggs & stratton coleman honda honda honda thanks .
From : langerhans
do you have a single red led lit up even when nothing is plugged in my power button is crooked and im just wondering if its broken. i wont have anything to pull to test it with until the 6th when my trailer arrives. yep - normal. in fact the prodigy is always on. it shuts itself down after some period of non-use 30 minutes 1 hour not sure - never timed it but comes back on instantly when the brake pedal is depressed. when the trailer is hooked up it should display .c - meanin connected. when you apply the brakes it will read out a deminal number indicating the amount of current being supplied to the brakes. .