Generator for TT and home use

[ndurbin]

When the power went off for acouple hours yesterday I got to thinking about getting a generator (we sometimes have long power outages but this one just got my thinking).



So today I have spent some time searching around this site on the topic. Right now they would be for back-up power for the house and odd jobs requiring portable power. Eventually down the road we well be getting a TT so I would need something that works well in an RV too. So far in my intial reading I am leaning towards getting a pair of Honda EU2000s and running them in parallel. Which alot of people seem to like for RV use, but has anyone ever had to use them in a power outage sitituation at home? If so how did they handle and what all could you run in the house without throwing the breaker on the gen. ?



I have plenty of time to research this so I can get the best set-up possible since the funds wont be available for awhile to afford a pair of EU2000s.



TIA

Nathan

 

[rblomquist]

If you'll have your TT stored at your home and you think you'll be using your TT from time to time for primitive camping I'd say hands down get your TT with an RV generator built in rather than going with portables BUT that's just me.



I've had both a TT with an RV generator and a TT that needed a portable generator. Long story short: 75% of me and wife deciding to trade in a 1 year old trailer (yes we took it in the shorts) is because we hated messing around with a portable so much. It was an aggravation factor for us (and anyone else around us) as we're out dry-camping at least 1 weekend per month.

 

[MABurns]

Lots of people recommend the built in gensets in RVs for the convienence of push to start and not having to haul around something in the back of the truck or on the back of the RV.



But I wanted the option of using it for back up power also. I do not store my RV at home so I went with the 2 EU2000 option. I mounted them in a tool box/ hitch haul (readers rigs photos). During the winter I keep them at home and they can be used for back up power.



To answer your question 4000 watts is enough to run a furnace and a light or two. If done right your can wire the things you want to run off the generator. But use a transfer switch!!!



A transfer switch isolates the circuits using generator power, a transfer switch eliminates the risk of backfeeding the electrical utility, which can cause injury to workers and property damage.



By installing a transfer switch at your breaker box and connecting a portable generator to the transfer switch, you can run selected circuits for appliances such as a furnace, well pump, sump pump, refrigerator, etc or lighting circuit during a power outage, depending on the capacity of your generator. Since most home appliances operate intermittently, a 3000 watt generator can provide adequate power to circuits for the necessary appliances.



Many newer homes are being built with provisions for the transfer switch with a location (like in the garage) to plug the generator into.

 

[ndurbin]

Thanks for the info and the pics in your readers rig MABurns. Just the type of stuff I was looking for. Very nice set-up but I'll have to be alil more creative with mounting them on my truck as it doesn't have a reciever hitch. But it's nothing a cutting torch and welder can't fix.



Nathan

 

[MABurns]

If you mean your trailer doesn't have a reciever hitch, neither did mine. $25 in material (plus beer) and a buddy who can weld. Whalla I can put the hitch haul/box on the truck and take it home or anywhere else I need power for that matter.

 

[ndurbin]

Nope, don't have a trailer yet. Thats a ways down the road. My truck doesn't have a reciever hitch on it as it's a flatbed. Just has a piece of angle iron welded into the frame of the flatbed by supports and has a hole for a ball mount. But when we get a trailer I'll probably see if I can get it with a rear hitch or put one on myself.



I was thinking of having boxes mounted on the truck that have a slide-out bottom tray so I can pull them in and out quickly. Kinda all depends upon the dimensions of the generator as to where it well work or not. But I have awhile to deciede all this and work out a mounting system.



Nathan

 

[DMoon]

Nathan, I purchased a Honda 5500 SX earlier this fall. I was just plain tired of suffering through power outages everytime it rained or the wind blew. I had an electrician buddy wire it up to my main panel through a transfer box. Just plug and play! The generator is sweet, as I knew it would be. I did a considerable amount of research and Honda repeatedly was listed as the best bang for the buck. I have found that on 6 gallons of gas I can run 6 circuits in my house for about 12 hours. This is 5-7% more efficient than any competitor I could find. Granted, the Honda is somewhat more expensive but I considered it an investment and I wanted something that when I'm away on travel my wife or daughter could start, plug in and stay warm. Not only that but the generator is quiet, significantly more than the Coleman unit I had before. And finally, it's a Honda and they are dead nuts reliable. They are the Cummins of the generator world.

 

[klenger]

And finally, it's a Honda and they are dead nuts reliable. They are the Cummins of the generator world.

And here I thought that Onan was the Cummins of the generator world.