[GenKnot]

the electrician says i should need 10,000 watts. i am interested in inverters an plan on running propane

The electrician may be including items that you can do without during an outage. Many of us (as said above) get by with a much smaller gen by using load management. Just use what you need to get by and not try to power everything in your house as if on grid power. You can supply power to everything, but you don't use everything at the same time...unless that is your goal. Are you willing to load manage, or are you trying to power everything as if on grid power like a whole house generator does? As mentioned above, big generators use huge amounts of fuel even when running with little to no load.

We would still like to know which generator models you have narrowed your search to. For example, the iGen11000DFc and the GM11000iET can both provide about 8,000W on propane. However, if you actually need 10,000W, then you would need a much larger generator. Also, you should not run a generator near its full rated load for very long because that will shorten the life of the unit. And, don't forget loads that draw high starting (surge/inrush) current such as an A/C unit. Some of those loads can be made more generator friendly by installing a soft start such as an EasyStart.

You can also consider running two identical generators in parallel. That gives you the ability to shut one down during light load conditions, such as nighttime, or when the weather is cool enough that you don't need the A/C, and save fuel at the same time. Having parallel units also provides redundancy should one generator fail or it needs to be taken offline for maintenance such as an oil change. You would still have the other gen supplying power to the house.

 

[Balboa2151]

I’ve had a Wen 5500 for over twenty years…I use gas stabilizer and spray store all in the spark plug hole and I change oil once a year ( we used to lose our electric several times a year but I think the electric company trimmed all the trees so we haven’t lost our electric for a couple of years) I run it every 6 months and several years ago we had a very bad wind storm come through our town and knocked down trees everywhere…we were without electricity for several days and the generator ran flawlessly…our neighborhood is split into two sections with electricity so our electric came on before our neighbors so then I lent it to my neighbor for another week and it ran flawlessly…I would but another Wen in a heartbeat

 

[KevinR]

..... What issues do Duromax and Westinghouse gennys have? Genmax might be a possible purchase,

Be aware that Duromax flat out lies about some of their generator's statistics. They claim many of their generators have a floating neutral, when indeed they ship it with a bonded neutral - as I have personally verified on my own former Duromax XP12000E generator. They justify this by re-defining what a floating neutral is, in violation to the NEC (National Electric Code), then using their false definition, they claim a floating neutral, when a simple impedance test of neutral to ground (or taking off the end cap for a visual inspection), clearly showed a bonded neutral.
Given how blatantly they lied on this point, I sold it, since I wanted nothing to do with a vendor who mis-represented their product. If they lied on this point, what else were they hiding?

 

[lourrt1956]

The electrician may be including items that you can do without during an outage. Many of us (as said above) get by with a much smaller gen by using load management. Just use what you need to get by and not try to power everything in your house as if on grid power. You can supply power to everything, but you don't use everything at the same time...unless that is your goal. Are you willing to load manage, or are you trying to power everything as if on grid power like a whole house generator does? As mentioned above, big generators use huge amounts of fuel even when running with little to no load.

We would still like to know which generator models you have narrowed your search to. For example, the iGen11000DFc and the GM11000iET can both provide about 8,000W on propane. However, if you actually need 10,000W, then you would need a much larger generator. Also, you should not run a generator near its full rated load for very long because that will shorten the life of the unit. And, don't forget loads that draw high starting (surge/inrush) current such as an A/C unit. Some of those loads can be made more generator friendly by installing a soft start such as an EasyStart.

You can also consider running two identical generators in parallel. That gives you the ability to shut one down during light load conditions, such as nighttime, or when the weather is cool enough that you don't need the A/C, and save fuel at the same time. Having parallel units also provides redundancy should one generator fail or it needs to be taken offline for maintenance such as an oil change. You would still have the other gen supplying power to the house.

sorry for the late response,
looking at these three:
genmax gm9000 icd
duromax xp11000ih
westinghouse igen11000dfc

i plan on running propane and am aware that i should keep the load below 80 percent of max running load
im not planning on trying to run everything at once but if i am trying not to run the gen too hard id rather have a larger unit

 

[GenKnot]

i plan on running propane and am aware that i should keep the load below 80 percent of max running load
im not planning on trying to run everything at once but if i am trying not to run the gen too hard id rather have a larger unit

Here is the way I would compare some important points with those three gens ...assuming reliability is the same for all three as I don't have any reason to believe otherwise.

Some notes:
All three gens have a bonded neutral which would need to be removed if connecting to a house panel with an interlocked breaker.
I would not buy a gen that did not have a wiring diagram and exploded parts listing. I would ask for those from CS before purchasing.
I am not showing price discounts/coupons as they may vary by where and when you purchase the gen. But, the iGen11000DFc is the cheapest at $.32 per running watt at 80% load.
Remote start/stop may or may not be of interest to you.
Warranty length may or may not be of interest to you.

 

[lourrt1956]

Here is the way I would compare some important points with those three gens ...assuming reliability is the same for all three as I don't have any reason to believe otherwise.

View attachment 19680

Some notes:
All three gens have a bonded neutral which would need to be removed if connecting to a house panel with an interlocked breaker.
I would not buy a gen that did not have a wiring diagram and exploded parts listing. I would ask for those from CS before purchasing.
I am not showing price discounts/coupons as they may vary by where and when you purchase the gen. But, the iGen11000DFc is the cheapest at $.32 per running watt at 80% load.
Remote start/stop may or may not be of interest to you.
Warranty length may or may not be of interest to you.

Thank you for your help!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family

 

[GenKnot]

I have a correction for the above graphic. It appears that the iGen11000DFc does have a parallel cable available for it after all:

Westinghouse 507096 - PARALLEL CORD 10AWG

Shop original replacement parts for Westinghouse products. Keep your generators, pressure washers, and outdoor equipment running like new with reliable, high-quality components.

parts.wpowereq.com

Something else that I also found about the iGen11000DFc, is that it shows an oil filter (basically a screen) that is on the opposite side of the engine from the oil fill tube. That means that it must have a forced oil lube system like the Genmax, but there is no mention of it on their website or in the manual.

Enjoy your holiday too!

 

[animal]

Where are you at ? When I went to buy a Honda I was told they can't be sold in Calif , thats why I went for the Westinghouse .
animal

 

[nancy]

Could you post which generator you finally purchased? The Duromax 13000 generator I purchased in November may have been the wrong choice for my situation(considering previous wiring) and I may be getting a smaller unit.

 

[lourrt1956]

Where are you at ? When I went to buy a Honda I was told they can't be sold in Calif , thats why I went for the Westinghouse .
animal

im in north carolina

 

[lourrt1956]

Could you post which generator you finally purchased? The Duromax 13000 generator I purchased in November may have been the wrong choice for my situation(considering previous wiring) and I may be getting a smaller unit.

havent bought anything yet, still trying to decide. i really want reliability but it seems that every brand has its horror stories lol.