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Looking to replace my current gov’t surplus generator… The Generac 12.5 (10kw rated) looks good to me. Anyone have any experiences with them? Or would I be better to go with one with a B&S or Honda motor.
Needing higher amps for occasional use of MIG welder at higher amperages. Anyone have any experience running a MIG on a generator? Or should I think about a welder/generator, with a wire-feed box?
mr. greenjeans
Service Foundation, Inc.
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Replies
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I have a newer Generac 5000 watt and I think it's the best value there is in a generator. I have other Hondas but bought this one because I couldn't get a Honda. These are very well built and have smooth running engines with cast iron cylinder liners. I run a small wirefeed off of this one. Whatever you do, don't buy anything with a B&S engine. Generacs are about 1/2 the price of a Honda and a little more basic but have some nice features that you only get on expensive generators. I'd buy another one....
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Have owned several different brands generators. One of the one's I currently have is a Generac with auto idle. Works well. Best deal for the money. It has a very good surge load capacity and is very easy to start and is reliable. Just change the oil in it frequently and don't put in a box where it can get too hot(just like any air-cooled engine. I'm not a Honda fan simply because I don't think what I get is worth the price since I'm not worried about noise.
Haven't run a welder off this generator. But should be no problem if properly sized. Welders are VERY tolerant of voltage drops. If you set up the generator with an arc struck you for sure shouldn't have a problem.
*Can't speak to the Generac, but from personal experience, the Hondas are worth the extra money over the B&S engines. Much easier starting. When it's cold. When you haven't used them for a long time, etc. -David
*Well, isn't this timely. Speccing new electrical service for mom's house and thinking about including a backup generator panel for the furnace, refrigerator and basic lighting circuits. Any advice on selecting a generator? I'm thinking about one that would need to be manually started and plugged in not an auto-start, hard wired set-up.
*DScott: Include a switch between generator input and power company so that only one can power the house at a time and neither can energize the other. Required by code. The power company really doesn't want you electrofying their linepeople during a power failure.Plan your breakers/outlets so you can power selected portions of your house. Have dedicated breakers for any automatic equipment (A/C, furnace+blower, refridgerator). If you don't have the capacity to run them all at once, you can rotate between them. 1 hour fridge/2 hours furnace should keep the milk cold and the house warm. Keep efficient stuff (flourscent lighting, 100 watt incadescents) separate from energy sucking devices (500-watt halogen lights, bathroom resistance heaters, etc) so that you can select during a power failure. Mark the breakers very clearly as to location, devices, and whether it should stay on during generator operation.Depending on how frisky mom is, consider an electric-start generator and keep a trickle charger on an automotive battery. Test fire it every 6 months. "Change the clock - change the smoke detector battery" and test the generator.If you have a LOT of long power failures, there are NG and LPG powered units. Else, just go gasoline. Probably ought to run it long enough every 6 months to blow through a tank of gas so that stays fresh. And locate the generator in its own little, ventilated shed. After any flood or huricane more people die of carbon monoxide poisoning than from missing this week's episode of General Hospital. -David
*The subject of generators and other kinds of alternate electrical power are dear to my heart. As you can tell from my other posts I'm big on getting the job done at the least cost, but getting it done.Fundamentally, the 3600rpm generators are throwaways. That is with proper use and maintenance you may get considerable life out of one. But it is not designed to provide electricity for long periods. For that you would need to go to an 1800rpm set designed as a base load unit.According to the mfg data the difference in design life for the 3600rpm overhead valve engines vs the "conventional" design is about 200 hours. So extra life isn't much for the difference in cost. As for starting, I've started my Generac from -30 to +90 with no problem. Keeping it in tune, providing preheat like is needed for any 4-stroke in the cold does the trick.By the way I realize the MIG needs stable voltage once set. Most of these small gensets will maintain pretty stable voltage up to about 90% or so of their rated capacity. The Generac I have will do it up to its' rated steady state capacity. So, I would let the kind of deal you can get drive whether you buy the generator/welder combo or a separate generator and welder.One thing you REALLY want in a genset this big is electric start. Many come either way but spend the money and get electric start.
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FredB:
You speak of design life....do you have any numbers on expected life, in hours. Maybe on your Generac, for example. I have put over fifteen hundred hours on my current set, wonder how that compares?
mr. gj
*Ive had two generacs, only one by choice. A 5000 watt with the honda look alike engine. At home depot the guy even said it was a honda,bought it elsewhere. generator blew apart after about three weeks.Cooling fan broke apart. Gave me another generator in exchange. used it very little. Idle adjustment went out, fixed under warranty. After a year and probabally less then 100 hours electronic control panel went out so it runs and generator charges but it does not get out to plugs, not under warranty any more, estimate to fix $350, so there it sits in my barn...shop that serviced it is authorized for warranty said parts were hard to get..took a month for idle control.would I get another, no thanks
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The only generac that I used sounded the same as JOsh's. We couldn't get enough power to run our small compressor and two saws. Off to the fix em up shop it went. It was the builders, and I never saw it again. I brought my 5000w Honda, bought in 1989. It stills runs great.
And you know how I abuse tools!
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Blue, I don't want to ruin your day but.....the only Dodge pickup I ever owned (1998) came with no clear coat on one door, a horrible howling in the rear end that had to be replaced after 150 miles, and a transmission that had to be replaced after 7000 miles. You have to keep your fingers crossed when you buy something today! But I do agree with you that Honda generators are excellent. I have,to this point, had absolutely no trouble with my Generac.
Working each day with my fingers crossed......
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Thanks David. Isolating those circuits is part of the plan. Are the generator panels I've seen on display at HD and electical suppliers set up to provide the protective switching you describe?
I may do some of the house roughing myself but all the service upgrade and panel wiring will be done by a licensed electrician. I just want to get a clear idea of what I want to spec before getting bids.
Any suggestions on minimum generator wattage for this application?
*Mr Greenjeans: I doubt you will find many 3600rpm generators that will give the same life as your military surplus. Even the real old one's are in demand because they just are made real well and overhaul very easily. If I were in your shoes I would price that out as a reasonable alternative to new.To make my point about design life vs actual life: I recently looked at a welder/generator combo with one of the ohv engines. The literature with it said expected life was 900 hours. I had a Coleman long life 5kw that Coleman said was designed for 750 hours. I think the engine on that one was a Tecumsah. Last summer I checked into a Honda based on its' reputation. The dealer told me it was the same as any other ohv generator, about 900hours. Now these are running hours, not on-site hours. Most folks actually run their generators a lot less than they think.In fact, I have seen all three of these break in few hours and last for many more than design. I suspect that if one were to do a statistical analysis the standard deviation from design is probably great and actual life depends a lot on where they are run and how well they are maintained.On the other hand a low rpm generator is designed as a base-load machine. Examples are Onan, China, Lister, Witte. Many of these are tens of years old and still producing on a daily basis.So, decide what you want to do and buy or overhaul to meet the desire.
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Mr. G, I'm not a whiz about things electrical, but I can vouch for what Fred B. says about low rpm generators ......spent 10 years around 6kw and 12kw Onan diesel generator sets. They were reliable, fuel efficient and noisy. All all failures were due neglect, poor or no maintaince, or bad fuel. Stable power too, ran pc's and instrumentation off of it ...... not so sure some of the new one's could handle it.
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Looking to replace my current gov't surplus generator... The Generac 12.5 (10kw rated) looks good to me. Anyone have any experiences with them? Or would I be better to go with one with a B&S or Honda motor.
Needing higher amps for occasional use of MIG welder at higher amperages. Anyone have any experience running a MIG on a generator? Or should I think about a welder/generator, with a wire-feed box?
mr. greenjeans
Service Foundation, Inc.
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I don't know much about the generator half of the set, but any small, air cooled engine life will benefit greatly from 1) frequent oil changes, 2) CLEAN air filter, which depends greatly on the environment; if it dirtier, clean more frequently, 3) not overheating, which means don't run too long at highest rated loads (i.e. have excess capacity) and keep airflow unobstructed and shrouds intact.
Seems to me that the power units on utility trucks (telephone co. etc.) are usually Onan. I wonder if there's a salvage market for them when they retire trucks or if they keep them for the new trucks.