Good generator, short notice...

[BigBlueQ 7]

I know I'm running out of time, but does anyone know of any good dealers for generators in the northeast part of the state?

 

Due to previous engagements (my daughter's friend's b-day party that I HAD to take her to) I wasn't able to get around today to look.

 

My next door neighbor is a supervisor for PSE&G, so if our power goes out it usually comes back on pretty quickly, but if this storm is all it's cracked up to be...

Anyway, just looking for some guidance before I hit Home Depot, Lowe's and Sears, only to find that they're all sold out.

 

Thanks in advance!

[AnthonyG 36]

cabelas was overnighting generators for free I dunno if they still are but some online retailers might be able to help and get it delivered by sat if its a must.

[jeklog 7]

honda motorcycle place will carry honda generators, i think bergen honda in saddlebrook.

motorcycle place on route 17 south bound in ramsey carry yamaha, sears has 5000 watt for $599 costco sells champion last i was there. goodluck

[BigBlueQ 7]

honda motorcycle place will carry honda generators, i think bergen honda in saddlebrook.

motorcycle place on route 17 south bound in ramsey carry yamaha, sears has 5000 watt for $599 costco sells champion last i was there. goodluck

 

Thanks for your help guys.

 

Any idea how the Yamahas are? That place is a couple hundred yards from my front door.

[Dan 177]

You're going to pay a premium for a Yamaha or Honda genny. If you want to drop the coin on either you can't go wrong. If you just want something to act as a standby for emergencies, its more cost effective to go with one of the less expensive brands. They are all usually re-branded chinese models. I have an ETQ from Costco. It starts and makes power, that's all I can say about it. If I needed a genny for my job, using it every day for long periods, I probably would go with a Honda or equivalent.

 

Whatever you go with, be sure to keep stabil in it, re-dose every 4-6 months. Also start it every month and let it run for 15 min.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

 

Any idea how the Yamahas are? That place is a couple hundred yards from my front door.

 

They are good, but I would place the Honda units a little better and as far as running noise, some of the Honda's you almost have to touch to see if they are running. No if I was a RV'r I would spend the coin on one, but as someone who will only use one in an emergency situation like we may have this weekend, I'll use one like I can get at Costco. Problem is just like 2 winters ago when we though we had out last snow storm and Snow blowers went on sale at HD and Lowes, the next day when the WX Man said snow storm they were right back up to a premium price and I could swear some of them were being sold above MSRP, probably not but the difference from one days price to the next was drastic. Figure the same might be going on with Generators right now, especially from small supply places.

 

Harry

[chris327 30]

Home depot in wayne had a line you can take a number and hope the truck has enough for you. This morning i hadto stop for something and there was about 50 people waiting and they didn't know how many would be on the truck or when it would arrive

[BigBlueQ 7]

I've been clearing out the garage, shed and basement all day, and I still need to get to my parents to make sure their gutters are in good shape.

Then I have to get the truck gassed up, get propane, oh yeah, and some beer. I won't have any time to wait in line at Home Depot.

 

I guess my family and the neighbors will be having a big a$$ potluck dinner on Sunday if the power goes out!

 

Thanks anyway for your help everyone, I'll make sure that I snag a generator when the dust settles.

[djg0770 481]

I'll make sure that I snag a generator when the dust settles.

 

This. I may actually order it online tonight as I have a really good idea of what I want.

[Malsua 1,422]

This. I may actually order it online tonight as I have a really good idea of what I want.

 

Get a propane one as infrequently as you'll use it, you don't have to worry about bad gas.

[TheMan 45]

Home depot in wayne had a line you can take a number and hope the truck has enough for you. This morning i hadto stop for something and there was about 50 people waiting and they didn't know how many would be on the truck or when it would arrive

Same situation in west long branch. I got there and there was alot of people in line. Just said F it.

[Bob B 103]

If you can't find a generator and you really need one, you could go to Best Buy and get an inverter that turns your cigarette lighter in your car into a 110 outlet. You can then run an extension cord to your car and at least run a couple of amps worth. It's enough for a TV or lamp, computer, charge your cell phone, etc. They can run anywhere from $15 to $150.

 

 

Best Buy Inverters

 

Make sure your car is running.

[Lunicy 4]

There are no gennys in the area.

One of my management contracts waited to the last minute.

They need a big one to run a sewer ejection pump.

I drove to Jamaica Queens to buy one today.

Yea, I get paid well for last minute stuff like that (including installation with transfer switch etc..)

 

I tend to make good money off of stupidity.

 

(I have mine for sale, only $25,000.... lol)

[Prax 8]

I have been searching craigslist for months for a generator and I had plenty of opportunity to buy one at harbor freight or costco but didn't want to spend more than 300-350ish.. I just wanted one for the sump pump... ugh hopefully it's not more than a tropical storm and I don't lose power... but as soon as I can I'm buying a generator for the NEXT storms.

[djg0770 481]

Get a propane one as infrequently as you'll use it, you don't have to worry about bad gas.

 

I try to avoid propane. I can look in a tank of gasoline and know how much is left. I have not yet found a reasonable way to figure out how much propane is left in a tank. I've grilled enough steaks halfway that I have converted my grille to natural gas...

 

Plus those generators are usually double the cost. I know what you're saying about bad/old gas...

[Malsua 1,422]

I try to avoid propane. I can look in a tank of gasoline and know how much is left. I have not yet found a reasonable way to figure out how much propane is left in a tank.

 

Really? If you're using the tank, condensate will tell you and if you just pick it up, you can slosh it around and know.

[Jon 264]

I try to avoid propane. I can look in a tank of gasoline and know how much is left. I have not yet found a reasonable way to figure out how much propane is left in a tank. I've grilled enough steaks halfway that I have converted my grille to natural gas...

 

Plus those generators are usually double the cost. I know what you're saying about bad/old gas...

 

This is why I love my Weber... The tank hangs on a scale which indicates from Empty -> Full.

[Lunicy 4]

I have been searching craigslist for months for a generator and I had plenty of opportunity to buy one at harbor freight or costco but didn't want to spend more than 300-350ish.. I just wanted one for the sump pump... ugh hopefully it's not more than a tropical storm and I don't lose power... but as soon as I can I'm buying a generator for the NEXT storms.

 

Ive installed battery operated backup pumps. They run on a deep cycle battery.

[Guest]

If you really want a good generator go diesel. Forget gas forget propane. With all the oil tanks in Nj you can burn diesel and heating oil in it in a real shtf scenario

 

No generators are available in Nj from what I hear.

 

DONT RUN AN INVERTER from a cigarette lighter for anything other than a laptop.... If you must for anything larger make sure tge inverter is rated fir the current of tge device being powered and hardwire direct to your battery and make sure the engine is running

 

In a pinch if you are industrious you can get an old tractor or lawn mower engine mount that and some batteries to a cart with a car alternator or a large one from a motorcycle and run your inverter off that.

 

Having a generator is not the panacea it is made out to be UNLESS you have a full plan in how to wire it to your home or appliances/Svc u r going to feed.

[bry@n 195]

If you really want a good generator go diesel. Forget gas forget propane. With all the oil tanks in Nj you can burn diesel and heating oil in it in a real shtf scenario

 

No generators are available in Nj from what I hear.

 

DONT RUN AN INVERTER from a cigarette lighter for anything other than a laptop.... If you must for anything larger make sure tge inverter is rated fir the current of tge device being powered and hardwire direct to your battery and make sure the engine is running

 

In a pinch if you are industrious you can get an old tractor or lawn mower engine mount that and some batteries to a cart with a car alternator or a large one from a motorcycle and run your inverter off that.

 

Having a generator is not the panacea it is made out to be UNLESS you have a full plan in how to wire it to your home or appliances/Svc u r going to feed.

 

 

 

Diesel has it's benefits but is harder to get, especially getting good diesel (without tons of water in it) and is great if you use oil to heat your home. Gas is just easier to come by and a little more stable IMO. If I used oil to heat my house, I would have a diesel generator just because I could pull it out of my oil tank.

[Guest]

Diesel has it's benefits but is harder to get, especially getting good diesel (without tons of water in it) and is great if you use oil to heat your home. Gas is just easier to come by and a little more stable IMO. If I used oil to heat my house, I would have a diesel generator just because I could pull it out of my oil tank.

 

+1. Or anyone else's tank for that matter. In my neighborhood alone there is close to (conservatively) 24,000 gallons of heating oil in tanks. That is based on 99 immediate homes with only 250 gallons onhand. Most tanks here are the older 550's. That's alot of generator time.....

[Malsua 1,422]

 

Having a generator is not the panacea it is made out to be UNLESS you have a full plan in how to wire it to your home or appliances/Svc u r going to feed.

 

I have a 4000 watt generator. Not big.

 

I can run my refrigerator and lights without doing anything special, just an ordinary extension cord.

 

With about 5 minutes of time, I can unfurl a 50 foot pig tail and wire in my well pump on the 220 circuit and get water. I take off the pumptrol cover, loosen two screws, remove main service wires, insert genset wires, tighten.

 

This is a far cry from "full plan to wire it in to my home".

 

If for nothing else than to run the fridge, it's worth it.

 

A diesel generator sounds absolutely wonderful, until you get sticker shock and then have to face getting diesel into it. Yes, it's in people's tanks, yes it stores longer, yes the engines last longer. The downsides include that not everyone heats with fuel oil, I don't for example, I heat with firewood exclusively. Diesel engines require batteries to start, gas and propane units often have pull rope backups. Diesel fuel gels and clogs in cold weather and from someone who has huddled under a tarp cleaning a fuel system in a tractor at -10 degrees numerous times, I can tell you this sucks balls.

 

I agree with you about Cig lighter inverters but you can buy a 350/700 watt inverter at Walmart(well, you could have probably last week) that clips to the battery and can run something that draws 5-6amps of 110AC. That's enough for a desktop computer and display and 2 100 watt light bulbs.

[djg0770 481]

Diesel = sticker shock for sure, and all of the other downsides.

 

Inverter - I only planned on hooking it directly to a battery. I picked an 800 Watt one up in Home Depot for $79 and if I don't use it this weekend it will go back as I have my "more permanent solution" on its way already.

 

For a refrigerator, freezer and maybe the circuit on the boiler I am not planning on installing a transfer switch. I'm not an electrician by trade but I increased my electric service from 100 amp to 200 amp and that passed inspection... I know, I know, electricity is not a hobby and all that but if you understand it, it's really not that difficult.

[Bob B 103]

If your going to go all out on a generator, I would probably go with one that runs on natural gas. You can connect it directly to your home's nat gas line. You won't have to worry about having fuel on hand. In a pinch, you can also run them on propane with little or no modification.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

I try to avoid propane. I can look in a tank of gasoline and know how much is left. I have not yet found a reasonable way to figure out how much propane is left in a tank. I've grilled enough steaks halfway that I have converted my grille to natural gas...

 

Weigh the tank. Pretty much all tanks weigh the same empty....

[Malsua 1,422]

[bry@n 195]

If I was sure I was staying in NJ, I would install a natural gas whole house generator. For now though, I'm good with a 6 circuit transfer switch and a 5k portable generator.

[djg0770 481]

If your going to go all out on a generator, I would probably go with one that runs on natural gas. You can connect it directly to your home's nat gas line. You won't have to worry about having fuel on hand. In a pinch, you can also run them on propane with little or no modification.

 

Just because we have never experienced a natural gas outage does not mean that there will be natural gas in a post apocalyptic world. Certainly, the same can be said for gasoline, though at least I would rely on my own stockpile. With Diesel however there are alternative options such as peanut oil and waste oil, heating oil and kerosene, etc

[mipafox 438]

In a few months I'll be posting a request for good snowblower, short notice LOL. Can't figure out why I can never put snowblower money together. I always have ammo money and manage to come up with gun money when it's important. It doesn't make any sense

[Anselmo 87]

If you really want a good generator go diesel. Forget gas forget propane. With all the oil tanks in Nj you can burn diesel and heating oil in it in a real shtf scenario

 

No generators are available in Nj from what I hear.

 

DONT RUN AN INVERTER from a cigarette lighter for anything other than a laptop.... If you must for anything larger make sure tge inverter is rated fir the current of tge device being powered and hardwire direct to your battery and make sure the engine is running

 

In a pinch if you are industrious you can get an old tractor or lawn mower engine mount that and some batteries to a cart with a car alternator or a large one from a motorcycle and run your inverter off that.

 

Having a generator is not the panacea it is made out to be UNLESS you have a full plan in how to wire it to your home or appliances/Svc u r going to feed.

 

I have a 300W camping power inverter ready to go. Just need it to power my sump pump should we lose power. Hope it can do it.