Honda 2000i
 

Just thought I would put a plug in for a generator I have been using on and off since December.


It has seen constant use this weekend. I have been buried in 28 inches of snow since Friday morning. Not that surprising and I knew it was coming. I have powered a full size fridge, coffee pot, microwave, cellphones, TV for the kiddos in the neighborhood and my lights off this generator. (all the essentials) I was surprised it handled the load. What is even more surprising is I am getting almost 9 hours of run time off a tank of gas. (1.1 gallon) Having used larger generators for years overseas I never thought this one would run like this.

Another nice thing is it is super quiet. I bought this after I lost power after Sandy (6 days.) Living on the coast I have come to realize National Grid is less than stellar in getting the power going. This generator has been running since Friday night and will probably run till Tuesday.Not bad in the 0-10 degree nights we have been having.

I am happy with this thing. It's small and very efficient and in this weather damn useful. I recommend it for what it's worth. I think it is slightly more powerful than advertised.




On another note it is to bad my household goods were going out on friday as well. Hopefully we get them rescheduled and out next week.

Yep, it's a heck of a piece of equipment ....
 

I agree with your assessment. The onboard generator for my 42 foot Hunter sailboat gave up the ghost and I bought one in Miami to top off my batteries when I was on the hook in the Keys. I was amazed how long the thing ran ... and it isn't much heavier than the generator for the ANGR-109 (grin).

We've been using one RVing since '08. It's great, but the starter cord is frayed now. To replace it I've got to take the whole thing apart, including removing the fuel tank. :eek: :D

The service manual is worth the money. ;)

Pat

We have some for work and they are great little hard workers.

FYI ---- they do have a recal on some of them. We had one that were recalled. Here is the notice so you can check.

http://powerequipment.honda.com/pdf/...all-poster.pdf

Stay warm up there.

I had a neighbor run a similar load on one after Sandy, he got about the same runtime as well, they are definitely impressive for their size. On a side note, many of the street vendors in my work AO(downtown NYC) use them, one told me he gets about 3-4 days on a full tank.

I have a larger Honda clone(Generac GP5500) which I bought right before Sandy, and I ran heat (1/3 HP blower), full size fridge, chest freezer, hot water heater(electric ignition + direct vent, about 700w), sump pump(1/2 HP), and lights(indoor and some exterior security lighting), toaster oven and coffee maker, got about 10 hours on a full tank(7.4gal). I ended up getting a tri-fuel conversion kit for it, you might want to consider one for yours. My next project is an automatic transfer switch and electric start.

As for National Grid, I can tell you a thing or two about them(ok, it was LIPA, but they sub-contract to National Grid) :mad: :mad:

Stay warm.

My .02

Speaking of the national electric grids, you all know we have 3...the eastern, the western and the TEXAN grids!

I have been thinking about getting a generator and I think this one just went to the top of the list. I had been looking at larger "house mounted" ones but this looks like it can handle a good size electrical load for a small amount of fuel AND its portable! And at $1000 or so cheaper than what I was looking at too.

Bear in mind that the portable emergency generators are great for small portable power needs, but require either extension cords run into your home, or the same sort of hookup that a larger generator requires to energize a few circuits. Obviously, you can pull the main breakers and use a suicide cord to backfeed the house, but you would have to disconnect pretty much everything but the dedicated appliance on those circuits to keep from overwhelming a 2KW genset. On the plus side, it is small, quiet, relatively lightweight, energy efficient, and handy. Down side is limited power, perishable fuel, expensive units, need to run several long entension cords and inability to power heavier loads (like a window AC unit, sump pump, well pump, or a big saw). Even the larger ones, like the 5500 watt Generac are not made for continuous operation. They are meant to run for up to a tank's worth of fuel, then need to cool off. Like any other internal combustion engine, they also need regular servicing with oil changes, air and oil filter replacements, plug changes, and periodic tune-ups. The whole house models have significantly longer run times and service intervals.

I still have a 5500 watt gasoline powered portable (and would love to have a little Honda for travelling use), but rely primarily on a 14KW whole house unit running off an underground LP tank. I can save the gasoline for vehicles and chainsaw use.

When that bad boy Kohler fires up for exercise once per week, I can hardly hear it in the house, and outside, it is significantly quieter than a lawn mower, even under heavy loads. I am considering building a wall or adding vegetation to muffle the engine noise further. No action required on my part for it to come on, though. I see the lights flicker three times, the power drops, and I start a ten second countdown from my chair. When I get to zero, the power and lights come back on with no effort by me. The big check for the unit, the transfer switch, (and the electrician) only hurt for a little while, but I expect my quality of life to be significantly better than my neighbors' when disaster strikes. If I were to run it for more than a few hours, I would notice it when the LP tank needed refilling though.:D

There is a place for the small portable, the large portable, and the whole house generators. Pick the one that works best for your needs (and budget).

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

Correct as always Reaper.

The right tool for the right job.

I can't wait till I have my Montana cabin, with Koehler attached...

QP TR,
As always, your advice is invaluable. I ran a "suicide" cable during the latter half of the Sandy aftermath. I have 200amp service with twin 100amp main disconnects, so I switched both off, and ran eight gauge copper with large alligator clips direct to the breaker bars from the 30amp receptacle(240v, which was nice, not that I have anything that uses it though) on the generator. Had to disconnect all of the non-essentials, but the rest of the house ran fine off of it. One benefit(maybe the only one) of CFLs is low wattage, so running most of the indoor lighting didn't make so much as a dent in usage.

My .02

If you search, you can find the details for a suicide cord, which is only to be used with the main breakers off in dire emergencies.

I would just say that if you measure the distance from your genset running location (outside) to your 240v. dryer outlet, get an appropriately sized length of cable for your output a few feet longer than your measured distance, a 240v. male plug for one end, and a suitable plug for your genset on the other, you can skip the scary alligator clamps and have a relatively safe connection method. Just remember to pull the main breakers, plug in the dryer end of your cable first and then plug the other end into the genset connection. Reverse that when you are finished. Never run a genset on your home circuits without disconnecting the mains or you could kill someone.

The priority loads for most home generators is sump pumps, well pumps, heating fans (for gas, most electric heating and cooling units will draw too much power for the genset), refrigeration/freezers, lighting, fans, small appliances, entertainment, etc. Without getting into too much detail, the medium portable genset should easily handle those loads, as long as they are managed and the electric motors in the load do not all try to come on at once. Obviously, dryers, ovens, stoves, heat pumps and strips, central air conditioners, large electric water heaters, large electric motors, etc., will exceed the capacity of the portable gensets. It is not good for the generator or the device to run overloads and it will burn something up if you persist.

If you had a couple of deep cycle golf cart type batteries, you could charge them off your genset (or a large solar array) and then use them with an inverter while the genset is off run the lightest loads, like fans, lights, radios, etc.

Another good technique is to use the solar powered LED driveway and walkway lights to light the inside of your house for a few hours each night. You could keep them on all night if you had a dozen lights or so outside, and you took the batteries out of all of them to keep a couple running inside all night. Just remember to put them back outside during the day to charge.

You used what you had to make life more comfortable, nothing was damaged, and no one got hurt. You didn't whine and wait for someone else to come do something for you. That seems like a win-win situation to me.

Congratulations.

TR

QP TR,
Thanks! I appreciate the compliment :cool: The dryer outlet hookup was suggested to me by a friend(who happens to be an electrician), however, I have nothing in the house that is 240, nor 240 outlets, except for the A/C compressor units which have dedicated circuits directly wired to the panel(they do have manual shutoffs though - discovered this the hard way the first week we needed A/C after moving in. interesting note: after power was restored, it took an extra week for 240 service to resume).

I considered a "poor mans" manual transfer switch wired in a similar fashion, basically a NEMA L14-30 receptacle wired to the main breaker bar with a manual throw in between, so once the power goes out: cut the mains, power up the generator, disconnect non-essentials, connect custom extension cord(8 gauge copper, male L14-30 on both ends) to outlet and genset, and throw the manual switch between the outlet and breaker, and enjoy.

I looked into solar powered LED based exterior lighting post-Sandy, ultimately didn't purchase anything due to cost(they are expensive). At this point, I will most likely be moving out in the near future, so I will look into again for my new dwelling once I relocate.

All in all, we did quite well considering, and my wife now no longer questions my prep work and related spending, so that's a plus :D That said, the sewage system in my house drains into the sump pit, so the pump acts as an ejector as well. This means I can't flush the toilet, shower or run the sink more than a few times without power, so for me, the genset was a must. Wiring it into the house was icing, but time well spent.

My .02

''Even the larger ones, like the 5500 watt Generac are not made for continuous operation. They are meant to run for up to a tank's worth of fuel, then need to cool off."-TR

I have a Coleman 6500 upright that has a converter that allows me to run it on gasoline or natural gas from the city. I used it for 14 days after Katrina (I was one of the lucky ones.) It got very hot. I turned it off to cool down about every 4-6 hours. I didn't run it much at night, primarily due to lack of need, but also because it is extremely loud and no one else in our area had lights. No way to hear unwelcome visitors. Also, I was afraid of the heat build up. No way to claim wind damage on a generator fire. I'm thinking about a whole house model on my next home. I have to say, between here and the "Be Prepared" thread, it's a one stop shop for generator education!

GoalZero came out with this nifty portable solar generator called the Yeti 1250. I was wanting to do a photovoltaic install in my travel trailer to ease up on gasoline use on my Honda EU generators. What sold me on the Yeti 1250 was the portability of the unit, which I can just take with me where ever I need power. I passed up on their Yeti 1250 'kit' which comes with two 30 watt solar panels, and took that $400 saved and purchased a 250 watt Samsung solar panel for $300 instead. What I like about the Yeti 1250 is the practicality and expansion of the unit. It uses Anderson Power Pole (APP) connectors which is innovative and great for simplicity. I have the Solar Panel hooked up using the standard MC4 solar panel connectors from the panel, down to the Yeti via the APP charge input. The Yeti 1250 has a built in 100 Amp hour AGM battery. On the back of the unit there is a larger 175 Amp APP connector that allows you to daisy chain additional batteries to either charge or expand your amp hours. So ideally, you can hook up an additional 100+ amp hour battery to double your energy reserve and only have to run your generator if you're running low on juice. The Yeti 1250 can also be purchased from the Promotive website at a discount if you have purchasing privilege there.

Overall i'm thrilled with the unit as it has reduced my need to rely on my generators.

Interesting

TR,

Can I get an update on your Kohler? After almost 4 years off-grid, I've finally decided to add an automatic gennie. The 8kw LP Kohler is what the solar guy is recommending and it seems to fit the bill. Ours is going to be dual purpose, auto charge if the batts drop below a certain voltage, and whole house if we need to service the solar system. We are using a Generac portable now but I know nothing about the Kohlers except what he said and the online reviews.

We have only had one total shut down of the solar system plus two precautionary manual switchovers so it's just precautionary. This year has been touchy, though, because we have had many overcast days which is very unusual.

Pat