Generator - Troy Bilt 6250

[maple1]

How prone are you to outages, and for how long?

We can get by fine here in an outage without the stove or any other big appliances. Our well pump is 120v shallow well, so it doesn't take a whole lot of juice - but we can get by a couple days without using it at all, with what is stored in the bladder tank & in a barrell in the basement & pitcher in the fridge. Freezer & fridge don't use all that much relatively speaking. Cooking via microwave or bbq that also has a sideburner. There are lots of factors in picking a generator. First should be how much juice you really need - a useage monitor is good for that, and might surprise you. Fuel consumption & how hard or easy it is to keep it running after a couple days is another. But getting into wants vs. needs is a personal choice thing. This is what we have:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/LIFAN-En...er-Generator-with-Remote-ESI3600iER/203369836

Runs everything we need on very little gas, including well pump & microwave, the two biggest - although don't try them at the same time. Right now my useage monitor is showing 630w being used, & the fridge is running. Along with the other typical uses - 3 TV's, this desktop I'm on, a PS3, couple lighted rooms. Very adequate conditions for when the power is out. Not everyone has the same useage needs though. So I guess my point is lots of people get generators that are way bigger than they need and get themselves in a pickle when the fuel gets burned up faster than they thought it would - so make sure to evaluate everything relevant. Even if it leads you back to what you got or have, at least you know.

 

[KB007]

If you want to run the well pump, check to see if it's currently running on 110V or 220V and if it's 15A or 20A. A genny rated at 6250 W is probably going to give you an L14-20R outlet that can deliver 240V @ 20A. It might be able to run your well pump depending on the pump. The trick to running a smaller generator is to be careful what you have running at any time. You may be able to run the well pump, but when you do, you might have to shut off most everything else while it's actually running.

Check you pump and anything else you want to run and see how it stacks up against what the genny can deliver. Also remember that often generators are rated at what they can deliver to multiple outlets / circuits. However, to have it run into a transfer switch, you'll have to use only the largest of these circuits, so you may not get 6200W to your panel, more likley 4800W on an L14-20 (240VX20A = 4800W) An L14-30 would give you more like 7200 W (240VX30A), so you see there's a little bit of marketing BS involved in some generator ratings.