Well I am looking at a portable generator. I am not really thinking that much about size now...probably between 7000 to 9000 watts.

What I am more concerned about is the fuel type. I have been reading alot about Tri-Fuel generators.

Generators that use Propane/ Natural Gas / Gasoline.

That just seem to be the most logical course of action.

I am wondering what everyone else thinks about these type of generators and what you all are using.


Thanks

We use a Coleman 5000, with a 9hp B&S OHV. We bought it back in 2000 and if I had it to do all over again, as long as I could afford it, I'd get a tri-fuel. I'd also invest in a power control unit too.

I've got a few gas and a few diesel we use on jobs (construction). The diesels are much more expensive, but they run longer for a given amount of fuel, are built to last longer, and diesels can run on a variety of fuels in an emergency (I've heard of old army guys mixing gas and oil to make diesel, plus you can run vegetable oils, kerosene, jet fuel, propane, butane, and of course...diesel). Plus diesel fuel is much safer to store than gas. I really think they are better, but unless you are a contractor who uses it everyday it might not be worth the cost. If you decide to go with gas Honda is the way to go for sure. They start easy, they're quiet, and they seem to last the longest.

My generator is not portable but it would be easy to mount it on trailer. It uses the only fuel I can think of that is safe to store for extended periods - propane. I have a 15KW Generac hardwired to a transfer switch and supplied by a 500 gallon tank.

I believe if necessary we could survive an entire winter without resupply. I am now negotiating for an additional 250 gallon back-up tank. As long as I have propane, we will have water, heat, and lighting.

Tri-fuel is a neat concept. It definately gives you options.

I suggest you do the math on each fuel type. You will be surprised at how quickly generators consume fuel, and how expensive they are to operate for any length of time.

In our case, it turns out that it would be less expensive to leave home and stay at a luxury resort, than to power the entire house with any type fuel generator for any length of time.

I scaled back my generator plans considerably after reviewing the math.

We settled on two modest-sized Honda generators, each capable of running our core needs (boiler, water, light, radio/tv). We can swap one out for the other during maintenance, etc. They can also be daisy-chained if we need more power for some reason.

The generators are also small enough that they can come with us in the RV if we are bugging out.

IMO, you want to get the smallest generator that will cover your needs and still have some reserve output wattage for peak use. In an emergency, I am assuming it may be necessary to conserve fuel.

Also, make sure you get maintenance items for your generator. Most portable generators can't be run for more than a couple hundred hours without an oil change, etc.

Good luck

Gary

BTW, our Honda run only on gasoline.

Good point about fuel use. My Generac uses 1.6 gals/hour. If I have 300 gals of propane and limit the use the generator to 6 hours/day, I have roughly a 30 day supply. If I cut it to 4 hours that goes up to 45 days and so on. The only thing I would use the propane for would be the generator. I have a wood fired furnace and 60 acres of timber for fuel.

Which generators did you go with?

Two Honda 3000's

We are having some nasty thunderstorms in IL.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294340,00.html. More than 185,000 ComEd customers in Northern Illinois are without power.

We have been on generator power since 8/23/07 at 6:08PM...about 8 hours so far.

I have a feeling we may be without "easy" electricity for a few days.

This will be a good test of the generators before Winter, and an opportunity to compare the estimated math to my actual operating costs for core and comfort items.

Here are the items running on one Honda 3000 at the moment:

1. large Side-by-side refrig/freezer
2. Full size upright freezer
3. Tivo box
4. Cable TV box - service still functioning
5. Television
6. Router/Switch/Cable Modem - service still functioning.
7. Laptop computer

In the morning, a server, two more desktop computers, and a few lights will come on-line when we open for business.

Unfortunately we have heavy storm damage on our property. A 100 year+ Oak tree fell across our driveway. There at four other large trees down and several cords of debris strewn about. Our next door neighbor had an impressive electrical fire in his backyard. Thankfully, the fire department took care of it amazingly quickly.

Kind of a scary night....and more storms are coming.

At least we will have enough firewood for a few seasons.