Are you looking at new ones, or used ones? Makes a difference in what we can tell you! The operation of the engine on a used one may be a problem, but not insurmountable! Please advise.

New, for new home construction.

Thanks,

C

New home construction is not exactly a 'standby' type of service. You will probably be powering items like compressors and saws, which represent a considerable starting load. Briggs Vanguard line of gas motors are very reliable and give good service. I would recommend a unit with an oil filter and pressure lubrication rather than the simple splash lubrication. The unit will likely be run hard and for extended periods to avoid having the crew wait for power.

My bad- I meant to say that the generator will be hooked up to my new home once it is completed, not during the time we are under construction now. I have temp. service during construction. I will be installing a standby generator for the home once it is completed; area I am in has sometimes frequent outages.

Thanks for your input.

C

chadwick, I think 7kW is small for a standby unit (personally), so would go with the 12kW. I know Sam's Club has excellent prices on both units.

They are comparable to the Generac units (in fact B & S now owns the Generac small-engine division). Good engines, reliable performance and Briggs engines have very easy service requirements. Most any needed repairs would be available by local folks.

chadwick,

Got a couple tips FYI: If the unit you are looking for is portable and outputs only 110-115 volts as mine does, it'll be good for most appliances except an electric water heater, well water pump if you have one, and the electric dryer which I think all use 220 V.

That is, unless it is not harmful to run them at reduced voltage. I could imagine temporary hookup to the water heater but 110 V might not be efficient enough. I would hesitate to use it on a well pump wired for 220. In my case I intend to quickly rewire the pump motor as it has 110 V as an alternate arrangement in a pinch.

If the units you guys are discussing is some huge thing that augments the entire house at the main feed box, then my discussion is wasted unless someone out there has a portable emergency backup as I do for low load and low duration use. I would be curious how others approach the issue of 220 V appliances and temporary 110 V source.

I had looked at a portable unit that is a Tri-fuel for 8000 watts, then found the B & S on line at Northern Tool also. My goal was to run well pump, HwH, stove, ref. and possibly furnace; my primary heat source will be wood heat, but am planning for the day when I will not be able to process wood, reason for looking for something big enough to run all of the above, but not at the same time.

Thanks for all of your feedback guys; this is helpful in making my decision. I had not looked at Sam's, will have to check that out.

thanks again.

C

I bought a Briggs and Stratton 10000 watt generator for Electronicgeneratorsdirect.com. It has a 18hp twin cylinder vangaurd engine with oil filter, 50 amp, a 30amp, a 20amp, and a 15 amp outlet, voltage reg, electric start, and idle control. It also came with an extra oil filter, extra spark plugs extra air filter, and all the plugs except the one for the 50amp outlet, wheels and a cover. I bought it for the 50amp outlet so I didn't have to worry about powering my house. I bought a Reliance transfer switch from northern tool and picked up the cable from the generator at a local electrical supply. My transfer switch has 12 circuits, so I was not able to wire up the stove, central air, or washer and dryer. I can live without central air and washing clothes for a few days and i can use my microwave or gas grill for dinner. If my transfer switch had the room, I would have added them on. I can pretty much run my entire house with plenty of room to spare. I do have two air handlers, the furnace for heat and hot water, a well, and two fridges. Runs everything with no problems. Pretty good generator for around 2 grand.

The significant issue here is fuel. Gasoline contains more energy but storage and handling can be a concern. If I were going to go to this scale it would be either diesel or propane. If all I need is refrigeration and lighting, a much smaller unit powered by gasoline will suffice.

olddufus, you cannot run your hot water heater on 110, the current draw would be very high and the unit would burn out. Same for the well pump, the strain on the electrical system and motor would be too much

Thanks guys for all of your input.

I appreciate your help.

RS

any electricians correct me if I am wrong but my house powers the ac and well pump with double breakers to get 220

A couple good points have been raised:

1) What is the application?
2) How much power do you need?

As I said earlier, 7kW sounds low for "true" home/standby generation. But, if you REALLY need water heater, stove/range and "full" A/C and/or heat, standby is the way to go. From what it sounds like, chadwick, you are in a rural area with less-than-reliable power? In which case, go with standby.

If you are simply using it as a "survival"/temporary solution (like Floridians after hurricanes), and do NOT need to run all your appliances concurrently, save the money and purchase a portable unit in the 7000-watts+ range.

Electric Generators Direct even has "packages" they sell with genset, transfer swicth and necessary cords (I don't work for them, but it gives an idea of what it will cost if you go to the site). Not sure about Northern Tool (another "major" genset supplier).

Yes,

I am in a rural area that does experience outages sometimes 3-5 times a week, maybe for no more than a couple of hours, but last year , or year before last, the neighborhood was out for 1 week after the big storms came up from the gulf. I may not need hot water and furnace at the same time. I am trying to plan as best I can since this is new construction; if I do become disabled/ not able to cut wood anymore for wood heat is the reason I was wanting something big enough to run the furnace. Even at that, the wellpump, range, fridge and furnace would not be on at the same time; my goal was to be able to select the circuits manuallly, as well as start/stop/ exercise manually also.

Thanks again for your input. If I do go w/ a portable, my application will be one that I can hook up to propane which I will have on site and builder will be able to set up the lines/wiring properly. I will visit the site you suggested also.

Thanks again,

C.

I am about to build a new house and also had the "privilege" of living through Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (Long Beach to be precise). As a younger man I also lived through Hurricane Camille, Hurricane Frederick, Hurricane Elena, and Hurricane Georges--so I have had extensive experience living through post-hurricane conditions.

I am planning on having a 16 Kw natural gas generator on my new house that will power the central air and the other refrigeration systems, lights and TV. We have never lost natural gas during any of these hurricanes.

We were FORTUNATE to get power back after 2 weeks. Heat and humidity after a hurricane have to be endured to be believed. Anyone who has not lived through this, and scoffs at wanting to be cool after the storm, should tread lightly.

Being able to sleep cool after hurricanes is worth its weight in gold. Forget the price--I would have cheerfully paid $300.00 a day for relief. Digging out after one of these storms drains you physically and emotionally--cool at the end of the day keeps you cool in other ways.

BTW--beer is now on my list of essentials.

" Yes,
I am in a rural area that does experience outages sometimes 3-5 times a week, maybe for no more than a couple of hours, but last year , or year before last, the neighborhood was out for 1 week after the big storms came up from the gulf. I may not need hot water and furnace at the same time. I am trying to plan as best I can since this is new construction; if I do become disabled/ not able to cut wood anymore for wood heat is the reason I was wanting something big enough to run the furnace. Even at that, the wellpump, range, fridge and furnace would not be on at the same time; my goal was to be able to select the circuits manuallly, as well as start/stop/ exercise manually also.

Thanks again for your input. If I do go w/ a portable, my application will be one that I can hook up to propane which I will have on site and builder will be able to set up the lines/wiring properly. I will visit the site you suggested also.

Thanks again, "

There is no surge to a hot water tank therefore if it has 2 x 3000 watt elements and your generator puts out 10,000 watts you now have 4000 watts to spare and you do not need to have power on it all the time to have some hot water. If you randomly select what you are going to run or operate you Will be surprised what you can do with a 5000 watt generator. Refrigerator's or freezer's do not have to run 24 hours a day to keep food. You do not absolutely need the electric stove oven or clothes dryer. You can get by with one or two stove burners on 120 V or a hot plate and microwave etc. etc. etc.

No you can't run everything at the same time but you do not need to under emergency situations, you just want to be able to get by with some resemblance of normalcy and not have to abandon your home and property.

The biggest problem is FUEL, which is why a dual or tri-fuel system is far better unless you want to store a 100 gallons of gasoline and such and that will only last but a few days depending on the power output of your generator.

Goodmorning,

I have not reviewed this post in a while. Thanks everyone for their input. Yes, I have thought about not running everything at one time, only selectively when I need it. The electrician is to be here next week to start the electrical rough-in of my house, so I will get w/him to start planning on what the "needs vs. wants" of a genset.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

C.