2aHawaii
General Topics => Preparedness and Survival => Topic started by: cox308 on October 30, 2012, 09:41:52 PM
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Sup Bradahs
Been thinking about picking up a Portable Generator in the near future. I'm looking for something small and quite like the Honda EU2000's. I know that the Honda is the gold standard but I've did a little research and seen that Yamaha makes a direct competitor to the Honda for $100-150 less. I've also seen Honda lookalikes at Walmart it think for about half the price of the Honda and Yamaha.
What do you guys recommend or what are you running? Also where can I check these out?
The propose for the generator is SHTF, power outage, camping, fishing, etc.
Mahalos
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Don't have any experience with these, but I'm sure you get what you pay for quality wise.
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Don't have any experience with these, but I'm sure you get what you pay for quality wise.
At work (construction) most contractor's use Honda and DeWalt.
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Figure post something positive now.
Came across a link where this person purchased a kit to allow their generator to run off of propane and natural gas as well. Her kit was like $200. Seems like a good investment.
http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/the-multi-fuel-generator-dont-depend-on-just-gas_07162012 (http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/the-multi-fuel-generator-dont-depend-on-just-gas_07162012)
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honda gx series. buy one cry once. if sh*t does really hit the fan, you cant go back to walmart to return it.
i dont have a honda generator, but my honda powered pressure washers engine was literally overkill. eventually sold it for a commercial grade electric instead. the psi was so high it could strip sidewalks, while still being fairly quiet.
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I have a Honda EU2000i generator. It's pretty nice and quiet and easy to start. But I found out that Yamaha has an equivalent to the Honda. The Yamaha has a kit that you can convert to propane. And it's just as quiet! Seen and demoed one at Waipahu Lawn. I like the propane feature better though...can power up the generator or the bbq grill haha!
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Thanks poiboi. I was thinking Honda because I didn't know where to see/buy a yamaha locally. I'll have to go check out Waipahu lawn. Aloha Power Equipment carrys the honda's and parts too. Thats a plus. I'm pretty sure both can run off of propane or natural gas with the proper kits.
I also saw that Hyundai makes on for much less sold at Walmart but I think I'll go the buy once cry once route and get a Honda or Yamaha.
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At work (construction) most contractor's use Honda and DeWalt.
At work it's DeWalt. For personal I've been thinking more and more about it lately...........I'm thinking Honda whisper generator, but need to size appropriately to run the fridge/freezer, etc.
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I've used the Honda EU2000 in the field. Awesome little generator. Depending on your load it'll run for a full work day on 1 gallon of gas. Very quiet, very efficient... and fairly pricey at ~$1000. I wish I had 2.
One of the advantages of the Hondas is that they can be daisy chained together. Handy if you are pooling resources with neighbors.
As it is, I'm thinking of the Smarter Tools version at Costco now for $600. No daisy chaining and a tad louder but about the same specs otherwise. Has a Yamaha engine. Hasn't been around long enough to have bad reviews, though.
If I can pull together the cash I'm going for the Honda and talking some of my friends into doing the same. Been meaning to buy one for a couple years just to have on hand in case of a long power outage. Using the generator a couple times a day to kick on the fridge/freezer, a gallon of gas would probably keep the food from spoiling for a few days.
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Oh, the efficiency and portability goes down with the 3000 watt Honda, by the way. The 2000 is in a good sweet spot.
If you need more than 2000 then get 2 and chain them together when you need them. Makes ~way~ more sense in the long term SHTF scenario to have backups that can double up when needed.
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Costco Hawaii Kai has this generator http://www.homedepot.com/buy/smarter-tools-2000-watt-inverter-generator-with-yamaha-engine-st-ap2000i.html#.UJSX_MUsn0c (http://www.homedepot.com/buy/smarter-tools-2000-watt-inverter-generator-with-yamaha-engine-st-ap2000i.html#.UJSX_MUsn0c). Smarter Tools ap2000, powered by Yamaha, 51db. it is $599.00. Unlike the Yamaha generator, this one does not parallel to another generator.
Here is an online video of it. Not my video.
Yamaha Smarter Tools Generator AP2000i (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feqgejjFlNI#ws)
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Oh, the efficiency and portability goes down with the 3000 watt Honda, by the way. The 2000 is in a good sweet spot.
If you need more than 2000 then get 2 and chain them together when you need them. Makes ~way~ more sense in the long term SHTF scenario to have backups that can double up when needed.
Where did you buy the last time you got one?
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Thanks for the reply's guys. I saw the one at Costco today also for $599. It looked pretty nice but I'd be concerned about parts availability if it ever needed service (more like when it needs service/parts). I'm still leaning towards either a Honda or Yamaha.
Good point clshade about being able to parallel the Hondas. That can come in handy. Agree also that the 3000 is to bulky. Being that the 2000 is under 50 lbs and the 3000 is around 150 lbs.
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Where did you buy the last time you got one?
Never bought. They were discounted to the project that was going down to Micronesia by... I think it was the Honda shop here in Hilo. After filming for 3 weeks on Satawal we left them there (along with ~100 gallons of fuel) as emergency supplies for them. I never did know what the retail price was or what they charged the production for them.
I watch Craigslist. A lot. :)
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/tls/3358477150.html (http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/tls/3358477150.html)
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^^^Oh OK.
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went to aloha power equipment today
next weekend, the 10th and 11th, they are having a 1 year anniversary sale for the waipahu store
sand island store should have sale prices, but is only open saturday, i think
i was told it's going to be a slight discount, but it sounds like the time to buy if you are in the market for a honda
aloha
steve
^^^Oh OK.
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if you can wait, the eu2000 goes on sale once a year for $950 brand new at Aloha Power
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that's about how much it will be next week at the anniversary sale, i think
aloha
steve
if you can wait, the eu2000 goes on sale once a year for $950 brand new at Aloha Power
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if you can wait, the eu2000 goes on sale once a year for $950 brand new at Aloha Power
How much is it normally?
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i think it was around 1050, reduced from 1100
not sure if other places are cheaper, that was the first honda dealer i went to
aloha
steve
How much is it normally?
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I was not going to join this conversation because I don't intend to buy a generator until I move back to the Big Island. But all this talk now has me curious.
Can a Honda 2000EU power a frig and a couple of small items such as a radio and a couple of lamps and cell phone chargers? In a temporary outage this is all I would need. But in a SHTF scenario I would want to power more than just these minimum items.
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sales guy told me that refrig is all good for the eu2000
if you wanted to do a stove, you need the eu2000 parallel companion one added on
the companion unit is slightly different than the regular 2000 in that it has a 30 amp plug that can be used if it is paralleled with a regular 2000
or it looks like according to the honda website, you can buy 2 regular 2000 and get a 30 amp kit
problem with the companion 2000 is that you give up one of the standard plugs if you are not in parallel operation
aloha
steve
I was not going to join this conversation because I don't intend to buy a generator until I move back to the Big Island. But all this talk now has me curious.
Can a Honda 2000EU power a frig and a couple of small items such as a radio and a couple of lamps and cell phone chargers? In a temporary outage this is all I would need. But in a SHTF scenario I would want to power more than just these minimum items.
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sales guy told me that refrig is all good for the eu2000
if you wanted to do a stove, you need the eu2000 parallel companion one added on
the companion unit is slightly different than the regular 2000 in that it has a 30 amp plug that can be used if it is paralleled with a regular 2000
or it looks like according to the honda website, you can buy 2 regular 2000 and get a 30 amp kit
problem with the companion 2000 is that you give up one of the standard plugs if you are not in parallel operation
aloha
steve
Thanks for the reply. I think I would go with the Honda personally. After seeing how crews abuse them and how easy they start I think they are worth the extra money. I will consider a larger version back on the BI where it is not uncommon to be without electricity for a day or more. I would want to run most of my home there.
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Sand Island location open 7 days a week.
went to aloha power equipment today
next weekend, the 10th and 11th, they are having a 1 year anniversary sale for the waipahu store
sand island store should have sale prices, but is only open saturday, i think
i was told it's going to be a slight discount, but it sounds like the time to buy if you are in the market for a honda
aloha
steve
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ok, perhaps i misheard the sales guy
i thought he said 10th and 11th at waipahu and 10th at sand island
perhaps it's best to call beforehand
sorry for the misunderstanding
aloha
steve
Sand Island location open 7 days a week.
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last page of the A section of this morning's paper has the ad for aloha power equipment waipahu 1st anniversary sale
eu2000i1a1 sale price $949 list price $1249
sat nov 10 and sun nov 11
prices honored at sand island store also
also says factory reps on hand to demo and answer questions
aloha
steve
ok, perhaps i misheard the sales guy
i thought he said 10th and 11th at waipahu and 10th at sand island
perhaps it's best to call beforehand
sorry for the misunderstanding
aloha
steve
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aloha power has the EU2000i for $950 from nov 13 - 27
ad is in the midweek
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Eu2000 for the win!
Will run house refer no probs plus run/charge some small stuff no probs.
Had mine for 3 years plus. minimal use... start it up every few months maybe? and never a problem... 2 -3 cranks and run.
****Note I always use sta-bil in the fuel!!! Mandatory!!!
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Old thread but I saw this at Costco this weekend and wanted to share: Yamaha engine, inverter type distribution. Looks like another Honda EU 2000 copy.
Like I said, I bought a Honeywell 2000 Inverter generator from costco and have been pretty happy with it. Anyone got any feedback on this one?
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Sup Bradahs
Been thinking about picking up a Portable Generator in the near future. I'm looking for something small and quite like the Honda EU2000's. I know that the Honda is the gold standard but I've did a little research and seen that Yamaha makes a direct competitor to the Honda for $100-150 less. I've also seen Honda lookalikes at Walmart it think for about half the price of the Honda and Yamaha.
What do you guys recommend or what are you running? Also where can I check these out?
The propose for the generator is SHTF, power outage, camping, fishing, etc.
Mahalos
whatever portable generator you get, you should think about making a wood gassifier. they are easy to make and will run your generator without the need of buying gas (all you need is scrap wood or other plant material/garbage)! Look up how to make one for free off goggle or even youtube. You basically need 2 metal drums, a smaller metal tube which can fit inside the other tube, a metal bowl, some wire, and some tubing. Hell you could run your old carbureted car/truck off one of these!
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I purchased a Yamaha 2400 iSHC with propane conversion kit for my business. I have a telecommunications business and this inverter generator is perfect for sensitive electronic equipment like computers while having the ability to run a large freezer and large refrigerator. With this set up, I have the ability to use gas, propane and natural gas. The unit is quiet and easy to maintain. I loved it so much that I just purchased a Yamaha 3000iSBE two weeks ago.
Just in case anyone is interested, I purchased it here locally from World-Wide Industrial. The guy is certified by Yamaha to install the propane conversion kit. It does not affect the warranty. They deliver to your door, walks you through starting the generator with the propane kit (he brings a tank of propane with him), and shows you how to maintain the unit.
The owners name is David, really nice guy and Carol works in the office. Its a mom and pops local business. Great customer service.
http://aaaworldwideind.com (http://aaaworldwideind.com)
In a SHTF situation, gas may not be available but if you have a gas grill, you can always hook your propane tank to your generator. I keep three propane tanks full at all times. Its a lot more stable to than keeping gas in a can. If you do you gas, you want to use Ethanol FREE gas in your generator. Ethanol gas ruins your seals and gunks up the lines. Propane is easier on the generator than gas. It will run cleaner.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents in hopes it would help someone. I did months of research before I chose a try-fuel generator. Good luck with whatever you choose.
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I am a journeyman electrician. Buying a cheap generator is like buying a cheap ar15 and betting your life on it. Don't be surprised when it fails at the worst possible time. I have installed dozens of genies for clients and the honda eu6500i, eu2000i, etc can't be beat. For my parents, I installed a whole house transfer switch and a Honda eu6500i. A week after returning to Hawaii the SHTF- an ice storm wiped out power for 12 million customers. It took 10 days to restore power. It was also 10 below zero Fahrenheit. So when I say you will bet your life on the generator you by, I mean it.
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so yamahas are cheap crap?
I am a journeyman electrician. Buying a cheap generator is like buying a cheap ar15 and betting your life on it. Don't be surprised when it fails at the worst possible time. I have installed dozens of genies for clients and the honda eu6500i, eu2000i, etc can't be beat. For my parents, I installed a whole house transfer switch and a Honda eu6500i. A week after returning to Hawaii the SHTF- an ice storm wiped out power for 12 million customers. It took 10 days to restore power. It was also 10 below zero Fahrenheit. So when I say you will bet your life on the generator you by, I mean it.
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Do what you want. It's a free country. All I know is I would and did bet my life on a Honda.
so yamahas are cheap crap?
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As do I.
;)
All joking aside, I got the small EU and it's been a nice backup setup, quiet running a plus. Always planned on getting the mate to parallel and have a backup for the backup. I do let it sit so sometimes hard to fire up but a spritz of starting spray gets it done now. I treat all the gas with Seafoam which supposed to clean and stabilize - prior to that I used Stabil but switched over.
Ryobi has a nice looking and cheaper genset but I haven't found anywhere local that got them yet. I'd love a whole house automatic propane powered genset but no more the kalas for that kine. I'll be deforesting the area for firewood before that ever becomes a reality.
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Aloha Power will be having its sale on the Honda generators next month the 16th & 17th, around $950 for the EU2000. Checked with Waipahu Lawn, they got the Yamaha's coming in soon, the EF2000 will be about $1080. Link has Video why Yamaha is better than Honda.
http://www.waipahulawnequipment.com/ (http://www.waipahulawnequipment.com/)
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I have the Honda 2000 and it's great. I also have a Honda EU3000is. My dad had the Yamaha 2000 and the noise is almost the same. The good thing about the Yamaha was the gas gauge. If I remember correctly the Yamaha oil change design was poor. No dip stick and was messy. Now if you can afford the new Honda EU3000i it's great. Lighter, smaller, comes with wheels and a handle. This will be able to power your refridge and in my case my portable air conditioner which is more important when the power goes out.
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Honda is no doubt the standard but I do not think that the Yamaha's are cheap crap. A good friend runs the above Costco Sinepower Pro for about 55 hours total and it is doing very well. I have one still new in the box, but I am going sell it as I picked up a couple of Honda 2000's today that I plan to run in parallel maybe pick up a third to run 3 or even 4 units in parallel. Sale at Aloha power supply ends today. If you are looking for the Honda EU2000 companion the town store is out but Waipahu has a few left. $949 and $1049 respectively.
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Evening gentleman ( and ladies)
Living out here in the country for the past 20 some years, I 've learned to drag out the genny every 3 day weekend.
Our only way in or out is a single two lane road that has poles that attracts drunk drivers. :wacko:
If not that, it's the weather (like last weeks power outage / road closure)
Before you buy one, figure out what you want to power.
We have been using a Coleman with a B & S engine for the past 6+ years on a regular basis and the only issue so far was to replace the rusted out governor spring.
The wattage on my unit is 3000 running / 3750 max with a 4 gallon gas tank that runs up to 11 hours @ 50% load. :geekdanc:
Think I paid around $450 at Home depot back then
The control panel has 2-120V 5-20R duplex outlet, 1-120/240V L14-30R outlets and 1-12V battery charging outlet
My fridge needs 2400 watts, the freezer 210 so the 3000 watts is ample. That 12 v dc plug is useful to recharge deepcells while keeping the food cold.
With the 240, I can tap into the sewer pump panel and that comes in handy.
I turn off the gas and run her dry so I don't gumout the bowl float before storing and when needed, she fires up easily.
Gas gets treated with Lucas and Stabilizer and after 3 months, I rotate it out.
Always keep another three (3) 5 gallon gas cans full and rotate them out regularily also.
Another issue is noise. :shake:
You can hear mine running for sure, but they don't need to be running constantly.
The small Hondas are pretty quiet but not enoughg juice.
If you chain 2 of them together you get more juice but burn twice the gas.
Looks like I might hook up that propane attachment on previous post (Thnx BassMonkey). :thumbsup:
I have the same make as that one but the 3000 watt model and always maintain 4) full 20 gal propane cylinders
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Just keep in mind for those that use gasoline with ethanol. They make fuel stabilizers for regular and ethanol. Make sure you get the right one.
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Roggy that !
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Also another thing, if you get a big generator such as 3000+ watts you can power your refrigerator, etc. You can call an electrician to tap the generator into your house circuit and make sure it's a one way circuit so it does not feed back into the grid. An electrician can get shocked outside your house if they are working on the lines. Just shut off the things that are not essential or if you want to get even more picky you can get the electrician to just power the refrigerator with your generator when the power goes out. No need to unplug and plug in with an extension cord. Now if you want to go ever further you can make it auto start your generator when the power goes out in case you are not home. Do not get a double sided plug and plug it into your outlets.
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"Do not get a double sided plug and plug it into your outlets."
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Seriously, did someone actually even think of that ?
Last time it was out for days (BI EarthQuake), I shut off all breakers, threw the mains and disconnected the Neutral from my service box and tapped into one side with the genny.
(Always disconnect the Neutral as a GF could also back feed. Of course, Genny had her own earth Ground)
Turned every other breaker on (at least the ones I needed) which included fridge, freezer micro.
I have LP Stove and Hot water heater so we did'nt miss a beat for days !
Too close to the ocean to go permanent w/o housing the unit
Would not want genny running while not at home as it would "Run Away".
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Another issue is noise. :shake:
You can hear mine running for sure, but they don't need to be running constantly.
The small Hondas are pretty quiet but not enoughg juice.
If you chain 2 of them together you get more juice but burn twice the gas.
Looks like I might hook up that propane attachment on previous post (Thnx BassMonkey). :thumbsup:
I have the same make as that one but the 3000 watt model and always maintain 4) full 20 gal propane cylinders
I still own a 5500 B&S powered genset and it is freaking loud but puts out very good power. Use it for remote locations but it is a PITA to transport and I will be getting rid of that unit also. My home is wired with a transfer and a separate dedicated generator, however I wanted the ease of portability with lightweight gensets that could be up scaled easily enough to produce various power demands as needed. So the portable generators are for being just that, portable. With 2 of the Honda 2000's run in parallel they will still pull more max load than a 3000 and even with 2 running at 50% load they will use less gas then a B&S unit and at a major fraction of the noise levels. Depending on how many units you parallel you can pull 30A, 50A, have portability that is expandable, low noise and fuel efficiency. Plus and minus to all set ups depending on the user needs.
Back feeding the home while technically not kosher is easily accomplished. And yes many people use a dryer socket and back feed at that point. Easy enough to wire a plug directly into the panel, kill the main from the street into the house and all fuses, start up the genset and bring online the fuses one at a time that are needed. Of course wiring in an automatic transfer set up is more efficient but costs a bit more.