[PhiilipB]

HI Fellas, I'm new to the forum and was hoping I could get some good advice on Purchasing a generator. I have done some research but have gotten mixed reviews so I'm still doing my homework. I'm looking to purchase a portable generator in a range of 10KW up to 15KW for a reasonable price. Don't need top of the line and cant afford Honda. Considering Duromax or Champion due to the price range I'm trying to stay in. Any other name brands to consider or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Old man here]

The choice of the generator purchase should be made according to load requirements, power output quality (THD) required, product support, fuel supply, and replacement parts availability.
10KW to 15KW are going to be fuel thirsty generators.
Can you give us more information about what your requirements are?

 

[PhiilipB]

The choice of the generator purchase should be made according to load requirements, power output quality (THD) required, product support, fuel supply, and replacement parts availability.
10KW to 15KW are going to be fuel thirsty generators.
Can you give us more information about what your requirements are?

Absolutely I have a 200 amp service, all electric, No gas appliances. My house is 1678 square foot under roof. major appliances are 1 refrigerator, 2 freezers, washer/dryer, range/oven, dishwasher and central air and heat {5Ton Unit}.and water heater. I have a 5500 watt generator as of now and it cant handle much load and on its last leg, I would like to go with at least a 10KW or bigger so I could turn on more of the house in a power outage situation but not necessarily the whole house. Our A/C unit could remain off since I have window units to replace that load. more focused on appliances, lights and receptacles. appliances like refrigerators freezers, washer and dryer, water heater and Oven. Basically everything accept for A/C.

 

[Browse Deweb]

Absolutely I have a 200 amp service, all electric, No gas appliances. My house is 1678 square foot under roof. major appliances are 1 refrigerator, 2 freezers, washer/dryer, range/oven, dishwasher and central air and heat {5Ton Unit}.and water heater. I have a 5500 watt generator as of now and it cant handle much load and on its last leg, I would like to go with at least a 10KW or bigger so I could turn on more of the house in a power outage situation but not necessarily the whole house. Our A/C unit could remain off since I have window units to replace that load. more focused on appliances, lights and receptacles. appliances like refrigerators freezers, washer and dryer, water heater and Oven. Basically everything accept for A/C.

For an all electric home and with the goal of living just as one would on utility power, I would get a larger water cooled non-portable generator. You don't want to be running a generator anywhere close to it's output rating unless it is one of those old large Onan military diesel gensets (they perform better with high loads). If I were to get a genset to handle all of those loads, I'd start saving up to get a Cummins RS25. The wrong equipment at the right price is still the wrong equipment. Buy once, cry once.

In your case and with your budget, you always have the option to use fewer appliances to keep your loads down. For a short outage, some lights and a refrigerator may be all you need, so a smaller unit might be fine. Cooking can be done on a BBQ grill if necessary. I have the Honda because I wanted a 240V inverter generator with no carburetor, and it had to be quiet. I wish I had a good alternative recommendation for you.

 

[PhiilipB]

For an all electric home and with the goal of living just as one would on utility power, I would get a larger water cooled non-portable generator. You don't want to be running a generator anywhere close to it's output rating unless it is one of those old large Onan military diesel gensets (they perform better with high loads). If I were to get a genset to handle all of those loads, I'd start saving up to get a Cummins RS25. The wrong equipment at the right price is still the wrong equipment. Buy once, cry once.

In your case and with your budget, you always have the option to use fewer appliances to keep your loads down. For a short outage, some lights and a refrigerator may be all you need, so a smaller unit might be fine. Cooking can be done on a BBQ grill if necessary. I have the Honda because I wanted a 240V inverter generator with no carburetor, and it had to be quiet. I wish I had a good alternative recommendation for you.

Thanks for the advice. I will look into it.

 

[Browse Deweb]

Thanks for the advice. I will look into it.

I know you can parallel two Honda generators, so you may be able to do the same with some of the more inexpensive models as well.

 

[S.lady]

If I understood correctly you only want to run the necessary appliances altenating and are looking for a portable with a budget in 10–12kw range, which would be the prefered brand/brands? Search Champion see what the ratings pros/cons.

 

[PhiilipB]

If I understood correctly you only want to run the necessary appliances altenating and are looking for a portable with a budget in 10–12kw range, which would be the prefered brand/brands? Search Champion see what the ratings pros/cons.

I just found out Champion generators are made in China so that’s not an option. Would you have any advice about Duromax Generators. They are made in California and I was looking at a 12000 watt Duromax.

 

[Old man here]

I just found out Champion generators are made in China so that’s not an option. Would you have any advice about Duromax Generators. They are made in California and I was looking at a 12000 watt Duromax.

I suspect the Duromax generators are made over there as well.
Quoted from the Duromax Q & A page:
DuroMax engines are used in all DuroMax generators, water pumps, and pressure washers. DuroMax products are engineered and serviced from Ontario, California, USA and built to DuroMax specifications overseas.
Link:

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers on the most frequently asked questions that are asked about our products.

www.duromaxpower.com

Read here about Champion:

Why Champion - Champion Power Equipment

Powering Your Life

www.championpowerequipment.com

 

[captchas]

17kw generac here running on propane 600 hours of no problems .

 

[PhiilipB]

Sounds like that generic is performing well for you but I will pass on a general. It’s a bigger wattage than I’m looking for and probably cost more than I’m willing to spend.