Emergency Generator Advice
 

I'm looking to buy an inverter generator for emergency power-out use at home. It would be used to power just a few essentials: upright freezer, modem, a light or two, maybe a fan. Not wanting to park a behemoth in the garage as well as not wanting to irritate the neighbors with some loud, exhaust-belching something-or-other that produces far more power than I need, I'm looking not to go overboard on this.

The unit I'm looking at is a compact model Westinghouse rated for 2,500 peak watts and 2,200 running watts.

Would that be sufficient to power what I've mentioned?

You can Google power use of appliances, etc. Generac has a spread sheet that pretty much shows everything in the house that uses electricity, surge and run ratings for each

The generator you describe is roughly equivalent to a 20A circuit in your house which is what your refrigerator/freezer is plugged into. By just those numbers, it ought to do what you want.

I haven't tried it myself (don't have a 2,200W generator) so I can't say for sure that it will work.

You will need to look at the refrigerator or freezer for the wattage, the modem and light (LED?) as well as the fan combined will probably be well below 200 watts. IMHO, yes this will work. You will need to plan ahead for suitable extension cords and a way to get from outside (where the generator will be located) through the garage doors and into the house.

Any relation to seven of nine?

Without a/c in Florida you will leave the home within a few days.

Air conditioning was not invented until 1902 but the population of Florida 40 years earlier in 1860 was over 140,000. Without the ToTV forum, no one told them it was unlivable here.

I remember, in 1956, my dad bought a window unit air conditioner and plugged it in. Within 10 minutes, the fuse blew out, and that was the end of our AC. But, that was in Baltimore.

And as you know, the weather isn't that much different between here and Baltimore. The thermometer reads a little higher here but the humidity is worse there. In both cases I am thankful that we now have A/C.

Yes, it will work. I operated a home using a very similar electric load for six days using a similar generator.

In addition, if you have a tankless gas operated water heater you will have a nice hot shower +. So picture this:
Cold food (fridge)
Hot food++
Entertainment (TV/internet)+++
Fan
Small ac++++


Again, I did this. While not ideal I lived very well among the 158,000 impacted by this outage.

Notes for nonbelievers:

+Water is supplied for days after power outage by water towers and they have diesel backup. The electronics for the tankless draw less than 50 watts, it is operated on 120 volts

++Hot food comes from your grill

+++Surprisingly, the internet providers also use diesel backup

++++Yes, you can get small ac units that draw under 15 amps

I also recommend having a dozen MRIs on hand. Nothing beats a hot meal (MREs come with food heaters) when the outage first strikes. I have had them in the field, honestly they beat the food that I was served in Bagram, Afghanistan DFAC (chow hall) during the drawdown in 2020.

Blue (Yamaha) or Red (Honda) inverter generators are the best. They are very quiet, lightweight, and sip gas. Below is a picture of our Yamaha. It’s about 15 years old, seen some heavy use, still starts up on the first pull, and runs like it’s brand new.

I had the same idea and purchased a dual fuel Westinghouse inverter generator. I suggest when you receive the generator you run a test powering what you need and keep the extension cords as "dedicated". And remember you will have to start the generator, maybe once every 6 months. I did just that, works great.

I have lived here in TV for almost 14 years and have never lost electric, even during the hurricane a few years ago. We didn't even lose cable.
Don't waste your money on a generator.

"I have never made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once, but I was wrong".

Thx for the input from everyone. Helps.

Spend a little more and buy the Honda, easy to start and very reliable. I think you will be disappointing with the Westinghouse.

If you have medical needs, a backup generator is a wise idea. It doesn't have to power your house.

I have a 3500 watt Wen unit for sale if you are interested. Let me know.

3500 watt Champion. I've had one for years supplying power to our camper. It's an inverter and quiet and the price new won't break the bank. Extra wattage also means extra lights, maybe an additional fridge, whatever.

Power Outage
 

When I lived in The Village of Santiago, in just one year there were several power outages. Although they were short, most only a few minutes, they were still power outages. IMHO, it is wise to have a backup generator, however, each to their own.

Amusing reality. Your body adjusts to heat. We are used to air conditioning so we never adjust to heat My friends dog. On a hot day, he does not poke around. Stops off for a quick whatever and pulls back into the ac home. Imagine 1860 Florida, the whole state 140,000.
Some of that number were Indians and some were slaves. In 1950 they had all those Florida land scams. By land in Fla. OOPS you were not supposed to look. It is underwater, it is swamp etc. AC may have been invested in 1902, I was not born, but, many homes did not have electricity and it was expensive compared to incomes. Many people born in Florida 1950-1960 did not have air conditioning. Cars, I remember when ac was an expensive add on. Today, I don't think you can even buy a car without AC.

I asked previously on this thread. My reading says you need an inverter generator for a modern refrigerator due to cleaner power to prevent damage to the electronic controls.
A refrigerator starts under load. It is a capacitor start motor. Translation draw at start up is far more than running current. Several people have posted 2000, watts is sufficient. You can buy a 2000 watt inverter type generator, Champion many the the brand name on it. The cost is $500.
A 3500 watt unit is $1,000. Is it worth the cost? Wife points out all the STUFF I already have in the garage. Our previous home, not in Florida the power was out for 4-5 days, Hum 4-5 days of telling my wife we coulda shoulda, mighta bought a generator.

Thinking on post. The 2000 watt unit I'm mentioning has the ability to strap two together. That it is like $50. So now you are in for 1050. There are mail order suppliers where there is no shipping. I wonder if they would allow you to return it AFTER you have added the oil to the engine and gas to the tank. If, they will allow you to return it, certainly if you decide to buy one-test it out. Be sure it will run your refrigerator, you have the proper cords etc.

I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of those people lived near the shore where temps are much more tolerable. Meanwhile the interior had few people and so it was that a certain family was able to purchase thousands of acres for a song.

2 excellent points. I’ll expand just a little. Very long cords so that gen is sufficiently far enough away from the house. Many folks die because they think they can put a gen in the garage. Also outside but close to a window can be fatal as well.
Second point. 7 of 9. Yummy 😋

Growing up in Hawaii from the mid-60s to late 90s, my parents put in an AC unit in the mid-70s. Installed in the dining room window, cool air went through there & the kitchen, down the hall, and into the living room. Our bedroom doors had to be closed because they were out of the path. The AC was wonderful on hot days, we could feel a huge difference when going into our rooms. How did everyone survive without AC on those certain hot days? Miserably. Living in comfort has a price.

On an island though you are subject to more power outages so they happened once in a while. But we never had a backup gen so we just dealt with it. Heck sometimes the AC would trip the switch so we had to be careful not to run certain electric items at the same time. TV was okay. Maybe not a hair dryer. So yeah a backup gen here sounds like a good idea.

Can't help it. If, we could only travel in time. I hear in the future they will build a place and call it
The Villages in central florida buy the land in the past. Miami, way south of here was the draw.
Did I read Al Capone liked it there. Florida, population growth is simply shocking. Imagine this place without AC.

In the 1970's I and a friend hopped into my VW bug and camped across America. Even then there were not many with tents. Most people had campers. They would plug into supplied power from the camp ground. Yea mom we're really roughing in turn up the AC, put up the antenna for the TV. New Orleans in the summer. I thought the mosquitoes were going to pick me up for diner tomorrow. AC? I remember a hotel in Texas it was like $5.00 for the room. A room with a window AC was an extra dollar. Not sure what they would charge for an AC that was reasonably quiet.

I'm the guy who actually lived through a massive power outage, so let me tell you a little bit about the reality of a widespread blackout. Gas pumps at gas stations operate on electricity and a 3,500 watt generator run by a 6.5 hp engine consumes nearly twice the fuel that the OP's desired 2,200 watt model and it is VASTLY louder.

I heard a great deal of these run when the power was out in my six day outage, nearly all fell silent by the end of day two for lack of fuel.

I traveled north from I-10 after a hurricane hit the Mariana, FL a few years ago. The next town with electricity was Dothan, AL. The lines for fuel were massive. That's the reality of getting fuel for a gas consuming generator, less truly is more.

It is something I've thought about. Sort of like buying insurance: you don't buy it because you plan on using it but it sure is nice to have if things go south. Plus, like everything else, the price goes up, so if for whatever reason we no longer need it, a like-new generator shouldn't be that hard to sell.

I have a 6500 watt Generac gas generator that only takes up like 20 cubic feet in the garage. I had a manual disconnect installed so when the power goes out just wheel that bad boy to the front porch stoop, run the 50’ cord from it to the outlet just below the power meter , flip the disconnect off and I am running almost the whole house. I don’t try to run the a/c . I’m in Pine Hills on Leesburg power and we tend to have power outages more frequently than SECO.

Good point. And that is why I spent the extra dollars and purchased a "dual fuel", meaning the generator runs on gasoline or propane.

I have a Sportsman 4000, gas, 7.0HP, 3500 running watts. I hope it is enough to keep the Frig going. We haven't had to use it for the last 4 years. So I can't say for sure.

Caution on what type of inverter generator you buy. Modified sine wave inverters or True sine inverters. True sine wave inverters are best if plugging in computers or other sensitive electronics, but are more expensive. Refrigerators will run on modified sine wave inverters but, modified sinewave (more appropiate name, 'modified squarewave') will have more continuous current through the electrolytic based starter capacitor which will significantly shorten its lifespan. When starter capacitor starts to go bad the compressor start current goes up shortening its lifespan.

Day 2??? You'd be lucky to get 8 hrs of power at 75% throttle with anything other than a whole house generator. That said, keep several cans of gas handy to extend the run time.

While I understand the sort of model that you are talking about; that is a smaller 3,500 watt inverter generator, that will operate on a 20 pound tank for 12 hours , many will read this as propane power = good.

Not so fast. An 11,000 watt whole home generator (a bit small for this type of system) uses 1.22 to 1.97 gallons of propane per hour (depending on load) so a 200 gallon tank will operate 81 - 131 hours (they are filled to 80%). So as you can see propane generators are not a panacea in of themselves, if you are preparing for a longer outage. Like most things details matter a great deal.

That is not correct, I lived this and it sounds like you do not have real world experience in this area.

There is a vast difference between generators. The OP asked about inverter generators, these are known for their low fuel consumption. Let's look at the Honda 2200 watt model. Consumption is 3.2 to 8.1 hours per gallon. Now let's look at fuel that you might have on hand. In my case I'll have 15 gallons+. At the beginning of hurricane season I keep the cart topped off 4-5 gallons, and fill two five gallon gas cans+. So I have 121 hours of power.

I used the higher number because that is the reality of being in a power outage, you are uncertain of the future and you conserve. Is 121 hours of power generation five days of operation? No. You shut the thing off at night. You sleep on the lanai, you use a battery powered fan, you do whatever you need to do to get by.

Now will an owner of a whole home generator do this? Not if they are wrapped in arrogance of superiority. If they have natural gas they've earned it, but as I illustrated above propane can have it's shortcomings of scarcity of fuel.

+How I safety store the fuel is a topic for another thread.

I have had a Honda 2000 watt for 15 years, very quiet and will do what you want. It has “powered “ me through several multi day hurricane outages on the outer banks over the years. Just the bare necessities though. Very gas efficient.