# portable generator back up for pellet stove



## Jacques909 (Dec 17, 2013)

I was thinking of getting a portable generator for back up for my Harman p61a. Not looking to spend crazy amount of money. I was wondering if anyone here uses one? How many watts would I need?


----------



## Delta-T (Dec 17, 2013)

watts are pretty easy...unit hits about 450W at start up...somewheres between about 150 to 250 when its running, depending on the settings. The important thing to consider is the "pure sine wave". Many generators produce a modified sine, or square wave, both of which can lead to premature electronics failure. DO make sure you run a surge suppressor on the stove and avoid using same generator with coffee maker, microwave oven, or hair dryer (somewhat high draw and instantaneous off causes surges that are common for killing control boards). If you are looking for suggestion..I like the Honda EU1000i...is nice unit.


----------



## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Dec 17, 2013)

If you want a cheap back up, go check out harbor freights, starts at $279, delivered...


----------



## Jacques909 (Dec 17, 2013)

So as long as I have a surge suppressor I should be fine?... having more than one generator does not seem ideal...


----------



## jslinger (Dec 17, 2013)

I am not sure what you consider a crazy amount of money, but I second the Honda Eu1000i inverter generator.  I have a EU2000i and love it.  They are so quiet, and efficient.  I have always tried to purchase power equipment with Japanese engines (Honda, Kawasaki, Maruyama). In my experience, they are worth the extra money.  
Yamaha generators are nice as well.
I used a meter to determine the actual power consumption of my XXV, and it was well below what the manual states.  If I remember correctly, I was able to start my stove, run my 60" plasma and cable box, for under 500W.
You should certainly be fine with 1000W of output.


----------



## St_Earl (Dec 17, 2013)

a surge suppressor does not change the output of the generator.


----------



## mchasal (Dec 17, 2013)

These refurb Champion inverter generators have been recommended here before. No personal experience, but others have reported good results: http://supergenproducts.com/product-category/cpe/cpe-inverter/


----------



## richkorn (Dec 17, 2013)

Jacques909 said:


> I was thinking of getting a portable generator for back up for my Harman p61a. Not looking to spend crazy amount of money. I was wondering if anyone here uses one? How many watts would I need?



Those are great questions. I wonder if this topic has ever been discussed here before?


----------



## CamperWill (Dec 17, 2013)

We'll be using a Ryobi 2200 inverter generator for our pellet stove this year.


----------



## Madcodger (Dec 18, 2013)

Warning:  Soap box rant approaching...  Best bet for any of us:  Check with YOUR stove mfr to see if YOUR stove requires a sine wave, near-sign wave (i.e., stepped), or just a plain old modified sine wave generator.  Saying "it worked for me" in this subject area, unless someone else has the same stove model (MAYBE same mfr) OR unless a person is just recommending a sine wave gennie (admittedly more expensive), is not much different than comparing eyeglass precriptions.  What works for one may not work for another.

A true sine wave generator will always work, of course, if it produces enough wattage (and almost any will, as stoves don't take much).  But sending someone off to buy anything less is a roll of the dice, but with their money.  Electronics can be damaged, and/or someone can end up with no heat when they need it most.  People are easily confused in this area, confusing things like wave form with surges, as we see here.  Send them off to THEIR mfr to get facts rather than opinion.  Stepping off soap box now...


----------



## CamperWill (Dec 18, 2013)

From my understanding it's pretty standard to use a pure sine wave UPS with our stoves, so why do we need a pure sine wave generator when the generator will be passing electricity through the UPS which will then regulate the output?


----------



## Madcodger (Dec 18, 2013)

CamperWill said:


> From my understanding it's pretty standard to use a pure sine wave UPS with our stoves, so why do we need a pure sine wave generator when the generator will be passing electricity through the UPS which will then regulate the output?



In some cases, that will work fine.  But many UPS' also will not function on a modified sine wave generator.  They will PRODUCE a sine wave from the battety, but not ACCEPT "dirty", modified sine wave power from many gennies.  And yes, this varies widely from device to device and gennie to gennie.

Three years ago we purchased three new UPS for our home repair company.  The first time we powered up the gennie those three units refused to accept the incoming power, making them useless beyond a few minutes of battery life.  The big server UPS chugged along just fine, though, because it was designed to accept this "dirty" power.

If you have a store with a liberal return policy and want to test a UPS on generator power, then  now - BEFORE it's needed - is a great time to check this.  My concern is for people who buy any combination of gennies and UPS, and then find they have an immediate need they can't meet and/or equipment they can't return.


----------



## newbieinCT (Dec 18, 2013)

thanks for all the info! Been trying to figure the generator thing out but we don't even have our new stove yet. It's always good to learn. Thanks everyone!


----------



## P38X2 (Dec 18, 2013)

As mentioned before, along with the benefit of pure sine wave power output from the "fancy" generators, the noise (audible) factor should be a HUGE consideration.

I have a Homelite/Yamaha generator that outputs "dirty" power, so no pellet stove, and it is LOUD. I bought it out of desperation during the ice storm of 2009. It worked great for my coffee pot, box fan (to extract heat from my gas PF) and a few other odds n ends. If I could do it again, I'd have spent more on a clean power unit, not just for that fact, but the noise level. The good ones are relatively VERY quiet. Definitely something to consider.


----------



## MikeNH (Dec 18, 2013)

Jacques909 said:


> I was thinking of getting a portable generator for back up for my Harman p61a. Not looking to spend crazy amount of money. I was wondering if anyone here uses one? How many watts would I need?



My UPS display says about 430W when my pellet stove igniter is on.  I just added a Yamaha EF2000iS Inverter Generator into my backup plan.  They are very similar to the smaller Honda models, except they're blue.  This little thing is very quiet. We use it to run the pellet stoves, the TV, a few lights, router, and phone chargers.  We have a Generac XP8000e to power everything else during long outages, but during the ice storm of 2008, we noticed that it was running all day to mostly power about 500-800W of stuff, hence the addition of the Yamaha.

Some considerations - do you want to power other things with this?  Do you want to power the necessities in your home during a long outage?  What's your price range?  Chinese knock-offs can be had for a few hundred dollars, and they work just fine in a pinch but I've heard stories around my area of folks frying their well pumps with them.

If you DO get one, whatever you get, make sure you exercise it.  Take it out every so often, put fresh gas in it, and run it with a load on it.  Generators don't like to just sit around, and you want to make sure it runs when you need it to.


----------



## SwineFlue (Dec 18, 2013)

MikeNH said:


> We have a Generac XP8000e to power everything else during long outages


Did the Harman & Heatilator run OK on the XP8000?


----------



## Micmann (Dec 18, 2013)

MikeNH said:


> If you DO get one, whatever you get, make sure you exercise it.  Take it out every so often, put fresh gas in it, and run it with a load on it.  Generators don't like to just sit around, and you want to make sure it runs when you need it to.



Even better, install a propane carb kit.  Never store gasoline again.  Propane stores for a very very long time and never gums up lines or carbs.


----------



## IHATEPROPANE (Dec 18, 2013)

Madcodger said:


> Warning:  Soap box rant approaching...  Best bet for any of us:  Check with YOUR stove mfr to see if YOUR stove requires a sine wave, near-sign wave (i.e., stepped), or just a plain old modified sine wave generator.  Saying "it worked for me" in this subject area, unless someone else has the same stove model (MAYBE same mfr) OR unless a person is just recommending a sine wave gennie (admittedly more expensive), is not much different than comparing eyeglass precriptions.  What works for one may not work for another.
> 
> A true sine wave generator will always work, of course, if it produces enough wattage (and almost any will, as stoves don't take much).  But sending someone off to buy anything less is a roll of the dice, but with their money.  Electronics can be damaged, and/or someone can end up with no heat when they need it most.  People are easily confused in this area, confusing things like wave form with surges, as we see here.  Send them off to THEIR mfr to get facts rather than opinion.  Stepping off soap box now...



Good post....just wanted to clarify that regular generators are not a "modified" sine wave.  That term is used when using an inverter from dc to ac.  Regular generators produce normal sine waves, just not perfect or pure like a "pure" sine wave inverter would.


----------



## IHATEPROPANE (Dec 18, 2013)

MikeNH said:


> My UPS display says about 430W when my pellet stove igniter is on.  I just added a Yamaha EF2000iS Inverter Generator into my backup plan.  They are very similar to the smaller Honda models, except they're blue.  This little thing is very quiet. We use it to run the pellet stoves, the TV, a few lights, router, and phone chargers.  We have a Generac XP8000e to power everything else during long outages, but during the ice storm of 2008, we noticed that it was running all day to mostly power about 500-800W of stuff, hence the addition of the Yamaha.
> 
> Some considerations - do you want to power other things with this?  Do you want to power the necessities in your home during a long outage?  What's your price range?  Chinese knock-offs can be had for a few hundred dollars, and they work just fine in a pinch but I've heard stories around my area of folks frying their well pumps with them.
> 
> If you DO get one, whatever you get, make sure you exercise it.  Take it out every so often, put fresh gas in it, and run it with a load on it.  Generators don't like to just sit around, and you want to make sure it runs when you need it to.



Do you know if these folks that fried their pumps were using an appropriately sized generator?  Those well pumps need outrageous amounts of surge watts to get them going and a generator that is too small would not be good.  I have read virtually every blog, review and know people that have a Chinese knock off, including myself and the results are overwhelmingly positive when used correctly.


----------



## MikeNH (Dec 18, 2013)

IHATEPROPANE said:


> Do you know if these folks that fried their pumps were using an appropriately sized generator? Those well pumps need outrageous amounts of surge watts to get them going and a generator that is too small would not be good. I have read virtually every blog, review and know people that have a Chinese knock off, including myself and the results are overwhelmingly positive when used correctly.



I don't know the answer to that.  I only heard this from a local well driller that I know, and this was after the ice storm when many people were running their Generators constantly for days...however, I wouldn't doubt for a second that you're right.  Either the generator was too small, or they had too much of a load already when the well started.



SwineFlue said:


> Did the Harman & Heatilator run OK on the XP8000?



We never had the occasion to try it.  We bought the Harman in Dec of 2012 and the Heatilator this past summer, and neither has been run on the Generac.


----------



## Threerun (Dec 18, 2013)

jslinger said:


> I am not sure what you consider a crazy amount of money, but I second the Honda Eu1000i inverter generator.  I have a EU2000i and love it.  They are so quiet, and efficient.  I have always tried to purchase power equipment with Japanese engines (Honda, Kawasaki, Maruyama). In my experience, they are worth the extra money.
> Yamaha generators are nice as well.
> I used a meter to determine the actual power consumption of my XXV, and it was well below what the manual states.  If I remember correctly, I was able to start my stove, run my 60" plasma and cable box, for under 500W.
> You should certainly be fine with 1000W of output.



I would agree with this. Reliable, quiet and efficient. You can run several appliances off this little bugger.


----------



## Madcodger (Dec 18, 2013)

IHATEPROPANE said:


> Good post....just wanted to clarify that regular generators are not a "modified" sine wave.  That term is used when using an inverter from dc to ac.  Regular generators produce normal sine waves, just not perfect or pure like a "pure" sine wave inverter would.


Your description may be technically accurate, but as used in normal conversation, the output of an inexpensive generator is anything BUT a sinusoidal wave, which is the normal definition of a "sine" wave as commonly used.  And those less expensive gennies are commonly referred to, at least in my part of the world, as "modified" sine wave gennies.  I suppose it would be more accurate to call it a "squared waveform", but it is not a "sine" wave if you take that to mean the smooth, repetitive oscillation we obtain from utility power or a true/pure since wave generator.


----------



## IHATEPROPANE (Dec 19, 2013)

Madcodger said:


> Your description may be technically accurate, but as used in normal conversation, the output of an inexpensive generator is anything BUT a sinusoidal wave, which is the normal definition of a "sine" wave as commonly used.  And those less expensive gennies are commonly referred to, at least in my part of the world, as "modified" sine wave gennies.  I suppose it would be more accurate to call it a "squared waveform", but it is not a "sine" wave if you take that to mean the smooth, repetitive oscillation we obtain from utility power or a true/pure since wave generator.



Agreed.  The Utility power and "Pure" sine wave inverter would be a nice sine wave.

This link from Honda describes some different wave forms that come out if different generator types. http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/selecting-a-generator
And here is a pic of modified wave forms. These visuals are great at seeing the differences.  Now how certain electronics and motors will respond to each?????


----------



## Dgopetactical (Dec 19, 2013)

I have a Coleman 8k gen wired into my home with a flick of a switch I can run most of my home and we can go about our lives. I have ran my stove on the gen from time to time but never had a power outage that I had to depend on the gen to run my stove.

I know there is a science between pure sine and dirty electric and what it could possibly happen to delicate electrical componets.

Has  anybody ever had any equipment actualy damaged by a "dirty generator"?


----------



## Woody1911a1 (Dec 19, 2013)

ok lets look at it from a different angle .... fuel cost .   i've got 2  , a champion 2k inverter and a champion 4k open frame .  the 2 k inverter burns 1 gal in the same time frame that the 4k burns 5 gals . 

no big deal if it's only a short outage , but think about spending (10 gals @ 3.50 = $35.00) $35 / day for a long outage .  the 2k inverter would be 2 gals = $7.50  and be quiet .  

i spent less than $800 for both of them .


----------



## Madcodger (Dec 19, 2013)

IHATEPROPANE said:


> Agreed.  The Utility power and "Pure" sine wave inverter would be a nice sine wave.
> 
> This link from Honda describes some different wave forms that come out if different generator types. http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/selecting-a-generator
> And here is a pic of modified wave forms. These visuals are great at seeing the differences.  Now how certain electronics and motors will respond to each?????


I think we're aligned.  That smooth wave does no harm, the stepped is less likely to, and the square - for many things - is a roll of the dice for many pellet stoves.


----------



## BrotherBart (Dec 19, 2013)

Dgopetactical said:


> Has anybody ever had any equipment actualy damaged by a "dirty generator"?



Not here. This place has run from one to seven days every year for ten years on juice from construction site/open frame generators. The only thing electric that has died around here is the refrigerator this year while on grid power. Maybe the genny use killed it. Hard to tell. It was 28 years old. 

I ran the server farm and com rack in the basement when I was running a business out of here for a week in a snowstorm/outage on a Devilbiss 5,000 watt job site genny. Never trashed a thing. The only issue was that the megabucks UPS units hated it and I had to shut them down. The datacenter grade HP servers and T1 gear just hummed along.


----------



## Love the Heat (Dec 20, 2013)

Micmann said:


> Even better, install a propane carb kit.  Never store gasoline again.  Propane stores for a very very long time and never gums up lines or carbs.


Have you done it????  and can you point me in a direction of what you have use???

Thx


----------



## Utilitrack (Dec 20, 2013)

CamperWill said:


> We'll be using a Ryobi 2200 inverter generator for our pellet stove this year.


 CamperWill have you used this unit yet? I just bought the last one at HD for $599 in preparartion for what appears to be a prolonged ice event in Central Maine this weekend. Let me know your results please. Thanks


----------



## CamperWill (Dec 20, 2013)

Utilitrack said:


> CamperWill have you used this unit yet? I just bought the last one at HD for $599 in preparartion for what appears to be a prolonged ice event in Central Maine this weekend. Let me know your results please. Thanks



I've only used it on the camper so far and it worked well.


----------



## Micmann (Dec 20, 2013)

Love the Heat said:


> Have you done it????  and can you point me in a direction of what you have use???
> 
> Thx


Yes.  I converted a 8000w Briggs and Stratton Elite series portable generator when i first got it.  Never put a drop of gasoline in it.  It will run on either gasoline or propane.  I have a bunch of 20lb tanks and one 100lb tank.  The 100lb stays stored for the real emergency.  The 20lbs are for my grill and the generator.  I can get about 6-8 hours on straight full run on one 20lb tank.  I love it.  Never worry about storing gasoline that can go bad or gum up the carb and lines.  I do have to make sure I keep up with oil changes and I use synthetic as the combustion is hotter than gasoline, but the generator hasn't overheated.  The only issue with LP gas is if it is really cold.  The small 20lb tanks can freeze before being fully emptied.  The fuel consumption rate cools the tank and in the cold can do so too quick.  One option is to use a larger tank like a 40lb or I just swap the 20lb tanks after a few hours, let it warm up and swap it again.  No big deal.

Google propane generator conversion.  There are many options.  This is one http://www.propane-generators.com/

It's been a few years and I think I used this one, but can't remember exactly. http://www.propanecarbs.com/tri_fuel_kits.html It worked great.  Had to cut the frame of the generator just a bit to fit the extension ring on the carb, but different generators will be different.  I highly recommend it to anyone with a portable genny.


----------



## Woody1911a1 (Dec 20, 2013)

Micmann said:


> I can get about 6-8 hours on straight full run on one 20lb tank.



wow @ $18.50 for a 20# refill thats almost $60 a day . hope you don't have any long term outages .


----------



## Micmann (Dec 20, 2013)

Woody1911a1 said:


> wow @ $18.50 for a 20# refill thats almost $60 a day . hope you don't have any long term outages .


With regard to gasoline the generator is spec'd for 9 hours run at 50% load with it's 7 gallon tank (typical for most 8kw-10kw gens).  At $3.60 a gallon of gasoline it will cost me about $65-$70 dollars a day.  Add more than 50% load and the consumption goes up.  Propane costs me $15 a tank down the street which brings me a run cost of $45-$60 a day.  What most people don't realize is it is very costly to run generators for fuel.  Doesn't matter what it is, gasoline, propane, diesel.  They drink it.  A small home standby permanent generator can drink a 200 lb tank in less than a day.  Install a large whole house generator system and you need to bury a submarine tank in the back yard and expect to fill it every 4-5 days.  So yes my little 8kw is not cheap to run, but it's actually just a bit cheaper to run the propane than gasoline.  And with the storage benefits, propane tops gasoline any day, IMHO anyway.

Another thought is when running a portable it is not always necessary to run it 24/7.  And actually it's excess wear to start it and let it run for days.  Ideally, depending on many factors of course, one would run it for hours at a time and then shut down for a few hours.  This will extend the fuel usage and life of the generator.  If it's extremely cold out the run hours will certainly change, but a balanced on/off time will prove beneficial.

Lastly in a real bad scenario, gasoline may be real hard to come by.  Propane can be a very good alternative.  Especially since with the conversion it will run both.


----------



## Woody1911a1 (Dec 20, 2013)

can't disagree with anything you've said .  it all makes a good argument for also having a 2k inverter that makes almost zero noise (think nite time )  and only burns 1 yep ONE gal of gas in 8-12 hrs


----------



## Dgopetactical (Dec 20, 2013)

BrotherBart said:


> Not here. This place has run from one to seven days every year for ten years on juice from construction site/open frame generators. The only thing electric that has died around here is the refrigerator this year while on grid power. Maybe the genny use killed it. Hard to tell. It was 28 years old.
> 
> I ran the server farm and com rack in the basement when I was running a business out of here for a week in a snowstorm/outage on a Devilbiss 5,000 watt job site genny. Never trashed a thing. The only issue was that the megabucks UPS units hated it and I had to shut
> them down. The datacenter grade HP servers and T1 gear just hummed along.



No doubt when I can afford it I would love to get a ups back up for short term power loss. With what I'm seeing here and with my research I'm beginning to think that I should not loose sleep over using my so called dirty generator to run my stove for the long term if needed as long as I control the load.


----------



## Micmann (Dec 20, 2013)

Woody1911a1 said:


> can't disagree with anything you've said .  it all makes a good argument for also having a 2k inverter that makes almost zero noise (think nite time )  and only burns 1 yep ONE gal of gas in 8-12 hrs


Yes a 2k inverter is very nice and cheap to run!  Believe me I wish i could get away with just that, but i needed a little more for septic pumps and other stuff.


----------



## IHATEPROPANE (Dec 20, 2013)

Woody1911a1 said:


> can't disagree with anything you've said .  it all makes a good argument for also having a 2k inverter that makes almost zero noise (think nite time )  and only burns 1 yep ONE gal of gas in 8-12 hrs




This is exactly right.  The key to me is figuring out what you need to run during an outage.  In the winter that means pellet stove a couple CFL lights, tv and occasionally the fridge.  I bought a cheap Chinese inverter for this.  Would use about 4 gallons in 24 hours max.

In the early spring I need a little more power.  Got a 3500 watt Champion for the sump pump and fridge and TV.  This would be 8 gallons a day max.  

Those bigger gennies are nice and you can run everything but they need a lot of fuel.


----------



## Woody1911a1 (Dec 20, 2013)

IHATEPROPANE said:


> This is exactly right. The key to me is figuring out what you need to run during an outage.



let's see ... beer , pellets , more beer , some  hooch aka pot , oh and munchies !


----------



## Love the Heat (Dec 21, 2013)

Micmann said:


> Yes.  I converted a 8000w Briggs and Stratton Elite series portable generator when i first got it.  Never put a drop of gasoline in it.  It will run on either gasoline or propane.  I have a bunch of 20lb tanks and one 100lb tank.  The 100lb stays stored for the real emergency.  The 20lbs are for my grill and the generator.  I can get about 6-8 hours on straight full run on one 20lb tank.  I love it.  Never worry about storing gasoline that can go bad or gum up the carb and lines.  I do have to make sure I keep up with oil changes and I use synthetic as the combustion is hotter than gasoline, but the generator hasn't overheated.  The only issue with LP gas is if it is really cold.  The small 20lb tanks can freeze before being fully emptied.  The fuel consumption rate cools the tank and in the cold can do so too quick.  One option is to use a larger tank like a 40lb or I just swap the 20lb tanks after a few hours, let it warm up and swap it again.  No big deal.
> 
> Google propane generator conversion.  There are many options.  This is one http://www.propane-generators.com/
> 
> It's been a few years and I think I used this one, but can't remember exactly. http://www.propanecarbs.com/tri_fuel_kits.html It worked great.  Had to cut the frame of the generator just a bit to fit the extension ring on the carb, but different generators will be different.  I highly recommend it to anyone with a portable genny.



Thx for the info, really appreciated. Those two links are the one i'm looking.
Regards


----------



## johnny1720 (Dec 21, 2013)

I am about to pull the trigger on the generac ix 2000.  I am just looking to be able to run the stove, tv, satellite, and the fridge.   I plugged everything into my kilowatt device and I will be fine with this one.  I don't see a propane conversion for this little inverter yet. But that would be awesome if it could run off propane.


----------



## gfreek (Dec 21, 2013)

I have done gas to propane conversions and thought it was pretty simple.  Then it could run on either....  Yes gas can be an issue.. no electricity no pumps, flooding -water in gas..


----------



## Jacques909 (Dec 21, 2013)

Wow... this is a lot of information lol...a lot to take in..still really confused... will have to do some research.


----------



## Micmann (Dec 21, 2013)

johnny1720 said:


> I am about to pull the trigger on the generac ix 2000.  I am just looking to be able to run the stove, tv, satellite, and the fridge.   I plugged everything into my kilowatt device and I will be fine with this one.  I don't see a propane conversion for this little inverter yet. But that would be awesome if it could run off propane.


Call a few companies. They may just have something they don't have listed or could suggest something.  Some of the makers are small and don't update their sites as fast as models of generators hit the market.


----------



## P38X2 (Dec 21, 2013)

johnny1720 said:


> I am about to pull the trigger on the generac ix 2000.  I am just looking to be able to run the stove, tv, satellite, and the fridge.   I plugged everything into my kilowatt device and I will be fine with this one.  I don't see a propane conversion for this little inverter yet. But that would be awesome if it could run off propane.



No disrespect to your choice, but a quick scan of reviews on this model yields VERY unimpressive results  Just a heads up, nothing more.


----------



## johnny1720 (Dec 21, 2013)

P38X2 said:


> No disrespect to your choice, but a quick scan of reviews on this model yields VERY unimpressive results  Just a heads up, nothing more.


Yea everyone is entitled to there opinion.  Thanks


----------



## PelletN00b01 (Dec 21, 2013)

My stove is on an UPS that will go about an hour and beep loudly in the night. That is the prompt to get the generator going. 
For the over nights I got a Honda EU1000i running on propane. Keeps the stove going but doesn't make a racket. 
Daytime hours I have a bigger Honda...also on propane. 
Might eventually change the UPS to an inverter with some deep cycle RV/Marine batteries for an 8 plus hour run in case the power goes when no one is home. And here I though having a pellet stove was supposed to save money....


----------



## P38X2 (Dec 21, 2013)

johnny1720 said:


> Yea everyone is entitled to there opinion.  Thanks


Hope you didn't take that the wrong way.


----------



## IHATEPROPANE (Dec 22, 2013)

P38X2 said:


> No disrespect to your choice, but a quick scan of reviews on this model yields VERY unimpressive results  Just a heads up, nothing more.



I have an ETQ (no longer in business) 1800i which was the same as the Generac and Honeywell.  I am not sure if they are made by different manufacturers now but my experience has been very good.
There are a couple of things however.  It is very important to have the correct oil level.  For easy starting always have it full and have fuel on for a minute before starting.  Primer blows.  Besides that it is quite,  fuel efficient(not as much as a Honda ) and output is very clean.  While you are at it take a look at a Champion inverter.


----------



## Madcodger (Dec 22, 2013)

PelletN00b01 said:


> And here I though having a pellet stove was supposed to save money....


They can, and do.  But if you want heat when the power's out, you gotta power it somehow.  A wood stove is actually the least expensive, most reliable backup heat if you already have on safely installed and maintained, but most of us have decided those benefits aren't enough to outweigh the benefits of pellets.  And even a dino burner needs to have the blower or circulator powered.  No matter how we look at it, there's just no cheap way to deliver reliable, clean backup power.  It does make one appreciate the electric company a bit more, I must admit.


----------



## rparker (Dec 23, 2013)

Just found this on Amazon: for $499.00 with free shipping.
Generac 5793 iX2000 2,000 Watt 126cc 4-Stroke OHV Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator


----------



## bill-e (Dec 23, 2013)

Just a plug for the Yamaha generators.  I did a lot of research this past summer and finally decided on the Yamaha over the Honda.  The Deciding factor for me was the EPA compliance hours.  The Honda will run 250 hours before it starts to fail the EPA test, the Yamaha was double that at 500 hours.  To me that means that the Yamaha is more durable and should last longer.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-EF2400...8&qid=1387807252&sr=8-6&keywords=yamaha+2400w


----------

