If you own a Generator and live in NJ

[carl_g 568]

I have five 5 gallon cans stored in a crate away from the house. The generator is full so thats another 5 gallons. I have a 29 gallon gas walker that I put in the bed of my truck. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Moeller-GW29-29-Gallon-Capacity-Gas-Walker/37578376 I only fill the gas walker when a storm is on the way. If I don't use it I'll give the gas to my two kids for their car's. They always need gas. LOL. In the summer only keep 15 gallons on hand. I rotate the gas every 6 months. Hers a video of my setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwCBy7_eKmQ

I just watched your video. I am contimplating buying that generator. I think about how quiet and especially how fuel efficient it is makes it a very attractive option.i know it's a lot of $$ but Hondas run forever.

[Barms 91]

Carl... Probably not the best time of the year... But check Craigslist for the honda EU. I Mean if your wallet is bottomless then go new... But I checked weekly for the EU3000 and it's Yamaha brother for a couple of months and deals do pop up.

[EX Carnival man 218]

Carl... Probably not the best time of the year... But check Craigslist for the honda EU. I Mean if your wallet is bottomless then go new... But I checked weekly for the EU3000 and it's Yamaha brother for a couple of months and deals do pop up.

Very true.  You won't go wrong with Honda or Yamaha.  Right now Honda has the edge with fuel injection. Over the years I've own several generators I bought from Costco, and Home depot.  They never lasted.  Some had Honda clone engines but most have Chinese generator heads.  Some didn't even have voltage regulators they had diodes. I'm done buying those 3600 RPM screamers that don't last.  if you checkout flea markets  and one day outdoor events you'll see a lot of Honda EU and Yamaha EF quiet generators running the booths and stands. Camp sights too. Deals are out there.   Honda runs special's every year around Christmas for a few weeks.  That EU3000 Barms is talking about is a very good unit.  I've seen some on YouTube that are very old and look like they have gone thru a meat grinder and are still running.  What I've read from Honda online the EU3000 is the next Honda to get fuel injection.   

[Danno 126]

Converted mine to natural gas. I highly suggest doing it. Even if you don't have gas. Get a 100lb propane tank. Don't have to worry about it going bad like gasoline. Should last you through any storm we have.

do you know of anyone in the Manasquan area that does conversions? I have a kit but don't wanna take the chance of blowing up my genny or house. 

[SmittyMHS 588]

do you know of anyone in the Manasquan area that does conversions? I have a kit but don't wanna take the chance of blowing up my genny or house. 

Watch the video. Its really easy. Hardest part I found was mounting the regulator. The kit could be installed by any small engine shop. If your not sure of the gas line hook up I'm sure a plumber could do it for you. 

[oldguysrule649 357]

I purchased a Honda EU3000is after Hurricane Sandy and have been very happy with it. I run it every month for 30-60 minutes, so it always good to go. Also purchased the kit from www.gentent.com for it. Will likely move it outside from the garage later today so I dont have to drag it thru the snow if we lose power. It's full of gas and I have an additional 15 gallons plus cars are full. If need be I could siphon gas from the cars. It's almost due for an oil change, so will try to change that today.

 

Btw, I concur with maintenanceguy's above post. I always let it run dry so the carb is emptied.

[Scorpio64 4,098]

I purchased a Honda EU3000is after Hurricane Sandy and have been very happy with it. I run it every month for 30-60 minutes, so it always good to go. Also purchased the kit from www.gentent.com for it. Will likely move it outside from the garage later today so I dont have to drag it thru the snow if we lose power. It's full of gas and I have an additional 15 gallons plus cars are full. If need be I could siphon gas from the cars. It's almost due for an oil change, so will try to change that today.

 

Btw, I concur with maintenanceguy's above post. I always let it run dry so the carb is emptied.

 

Just be sure when you run it dry there is no load.  A gen that conks out while under load will likely damage the head.

[Howard 537]

While I am not in the market right now, I was just checking out the prices of these Honda units and it seems like the 3000 is about $2,000 while the 2000 is about $1,000.  I also see they can be used in parallel.  That got me thinking, would you not be better off for the same price getting a pair of the 2000 units which would give you 4000 watt total capacity if needed while having to units so if one died you still had one?

[oldguysrule649 357]

Just be sure when you run it dry there is no load.  A gen that conks out while under load will likely damage the head.

Good point, did not know that. Not an issue for me as I always have disconnected the load(a 500 watt halogen light) before I ran it dry.

[Scorpio64 4,098]

Good point, did not know that. Not an issue for me as I always have disconnected the load(a 500 watt halogen light) before I ran it dry.

 

It occurred to me some years ago that it was strange that most gennys had low oil shutdown to protect the engine but no low fuel breaker to protect the head.

[louu 389]

While I am not in the market right now, I was just checking out the prices of these Honda units and it seems like the 3000 is about $2,000 while the 2000 is about $1,000.  I also see they can be used in parallel.  That got me thinking, would you not be better off for the same price getting a pair of the 2000 units which would give you 4000 watt total capacity if needed while having to units so if one died you still had one?

The 3000 is a beast and will last dam near forever. If your looking at a pair of 2000's you also have to factor in the parallel kit and if I remember correctly it's not cheap. 

 

Personally I've never seen a 3000 that was broken beyond an inexpensive  repair. I've seen many 2000's that needed either a new block, head, stator etc... 

[GrumpyOldRetiree 7]

You probably already know this trick but...Before putting the generator away, shut off the fuel valve and let the generator run until it dies.  This removes most of the fuel from the carburetor.  No fuel means no sticky varnish left behind when fuel evaporates.

Quite a few of these carbs have fuel bowl drains and if yours does I think this is the better way of draining the carb. Also, this is good to do IF your carb has a solid brass needle valve for the float. I've seen a few that have a neoprene tip on the valve and the wet/dry/wet cycle causes the tip to crack and leak. These are better stored wet. Of course, treat the gas with stabilizer and in my judgement PRI-G is much better the Stabil for long term storage. It is even rumored to "reclaim" stale gasoline, though I have never tested this claim. I've had diesel generators for over 20 years and PRI-D (for diesels) has proven it's value to me in keeping fuel fresh.

[EX Carnival man 218]

While I am not in the market right now, I was just checking out the prices of these Honda units and it seems like the 3000 is about $2,000 while the 2000 is about $1,000.  I also see they can be used in parallel.  That got me thinking, would you not be better off for the same price getting a pair of the 2000 units which would give you 4000 watt total capacity if needed while having to units so if one died you still had one?

All the Honda EU models except for the EU6500 can be run in parallel.  The EU3000 is Honda's quietest. A friend of mine has one. 3 weeks later he ordered the wheel kit for it.  Its heavy, but its a great generator.  Two 2000's in parallel will give you more power, but they only have a 1 gallon tank.  I would buy the extended fuel tank so it would run the whole night.   http://durationpower.com/store/   

[n4p226r 105]

Converted mine to natural gas. I highly suggest doing it. Even if you don't have gas. Get a 100lb propane tank. Don't have to worry about it going bad like gasoline. Should last you through any storm we have.

 

 

what did you use for the conversion.  I have a generac gp6500 i'd like to convert to propane IF the line that feeds my BBQ is big enough.  I have a 1000 gallon propane tank money burning machine in my new house. 

[SmittyMHS 588]

http://www.uscarb.com/

I came off my furnace line and I can still run both at the same time.

[siderman 1,015]

I was just about to post uscarb. a lot of us used the conversion kits. also have lots of good info/charts/vids on hose sizing etc. easy to install. I'm all in with the ng to an outside hookup and outside electric inlet wired to the breaker panel w interlock too. look down the Nj prepared topics and you'll see a long thread on generators.

[liquidskin 3]

This is the first real doozy were headed into with my interlock and Generac 6500 combo ready to go. Without starting a war of opinions, plasma tv, PC, router safe to run on the "dirty" power?

[SmittyMHS 588]

It's funny, after Sandy half my neighbors got the kit. One guy thought I was filling my generator while it was running. I'd start it in the morning and it ran all day non stop. Puters... TVs... refer, everything worked. With a gasoline generator you need to remember to shut everything down BEFORE you start to run out of gas. If you hear your gen start to surge cause its running out of fuel it may be too late to save your electronics. If your refrigerator trys to start you may be getting a new one soon.

 When I first got the generator I just turned off the main and backfed the house thru the AC breaker. But I knew what I was doing. My stepson and wife  wouldn't know and would kill someone...or themselves...lol

 Got a Reliance transfer box off Amazon. I have step by step directions now on exactly what to do if I'm not there. I've threatened to pull the meter to kill power to the house and see if they can get it up and running.

[Scorpio64 4,098]

This is the first real doozy were headed into with my interlock and Generac 6500 combo ready to go. Without starting a war of opinions, plasma tv, PC, router safe to run on the "dirty" power?

 

Sensitive electronics should be hooked up to a surge protector that is also a line conditioner ALL THE TIME. Even JCP&L has power quality issues from time to time.   It not only protects from spikes but cleans up the signal as well.  A $5.00 power strip will not do, expect to pay at least $30 for a ho hum protector, mine average $75.00 to $125.00.

[alec.mc 177]

The 3000 is a beast and will last dam near forever. If your looking at a pair of 2000's you also have to factor in the parallel kit and if I remember correctly it's not cheap. 

 

Personally I've never seen a 3000 that was broken beyond an inexpensive  repair. I've seen many 2000's that needed either a new block, head, stator etc... 

 

Lou, do you work on generators? 

[louu 389]

I used to on the side for about 10 years while I raced but now it's not worth my time. I spent about 5 years after high school working auto shops, machine shops, cycle shops and small engine shops. I quickly found it wasn't the kind of money I was looking for and went to welding school. Now I make what I'm worth but not as happy as I was working on engines. At least now my hands are clean and I don't smell (as bad lol).

[carl_g 568]

Carl... Probably not the best time of the year... But check Craigslist for the honda EU. I Mean if your wallet is bottomless then go new... But I checked weekly for the EU3000 and it's Yamaha brother for a couple of months and deals do pop up.

Yeah I know but I want the EU7000.It is fuel injected and it puts out the power I am looking for. Fuel efficiency is key and this one fits the bill nicely. Its expensive but I think I am going to finally pull the trigger on it. A little too late for this storm but bonus time is february and I'll get it then.

[Sota 1,174]

best bang for the buck is still the HF 8750 generator.

[Springfield1911 22]

I have a Winco brushless generator. If your worried about electronics getting fried get a brush-less one. A lot cleaner but I've had brush generators and ran sensitive stuff all the time with no problem. I think a lot of failures happen when turning high power stuff on and off while the sensitive stuff plugged in. The sensitive components can't handle all the surging. 

[Zeke 5,501]

I have the older version of the 3000. Bigger tank.

Awesome unit.

 

I run all my four stroke stuff out of gas for storage.

I would not reccomend doing that with 2stroke. It may seize the bottom bearing( the pre mix is the lubricant). Jus buy the premixed E free gas from blows or depot

[EX Carnival man 218]

Yeah I know but I want the EU7000.It is fuel injected and it puts out the power I am looking for. Fuel efficiency is key and this one fits the bill nicely. Its expensive but I think I am going to finally pull the trigger on it. A little too late for this storm but bonus time is february and I'll get it then.

Great people to do business with.   http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect.com/quick_search.php

[MikeL 2]

Still haven't used the genny I just picked up a few months back, but how do you guys protect yours from the elements? I have an EZ up tent I could probably rig but this storm is causing some serious gusts.

[JohnnyB 3,796]

Still haven't used the genny I just picked up a few months back, but how do you guys protect yours from the elements? I have an EZ up tent I could probably rig but this storm is causing some serious gusts.

I have a 6x6 sheet of corrugated metal that I put on two saw horses with a couple cement blocks to hold it in place. The genny goes dead center under it and it stays dry and has plenty ventilation.

 

I used to have power outages multiple times each year. Since I bought the generator about 6 years ago, I have yet to to have an outage! Yep, that generator sure has served me well so far.

[Howard 537]

Mine lives in a large "dog house" that I built for it.  I have the exhaust piped outside and the eves are open to draw air in and I have a pair of fans in it to circulate air.  Keeps the weather off of it and makes it almost silent outside:

 

[JackDaWack 2,642]

i Still need to switch my generac over to tri-fuel..... how hard is it? I already have a 1/2in Natgas pipe coming out the hose for the grill.