Need Some Generator Advise.

[DanO]

I have an older generator that seems to have developed a surge problem. I fried my smoke alarms, an old solid state TV and a few other minor appliances. My house has a generator subpanel wired in for easy use. I need to run a fridge, a freezer and either a water pump or a furnace (can cycle these). A few lights and a TV as well. I'm thinking 5000-6000W will cover it.

I've heard great things about Honda generators but too pricey for me so I'm considering a Yamaha (still not cheap). Anyone had a Yamaha generator? Happy with It?

[impact]

Electronics can be sensitive to modified sine waves from a basic generator. You will need to consider an inverter type for cleaner power. Honda and Yamaha are great however there are some cheaper and reliable alternatives that won't break the bank. As an example, I have owned a number of Champion engines that have served me without any problems and are easy to start for a fraction of the price of the name brand companies.

Here is some literature to help in your shopping decision:

https://y79961nbs4u2hvbnwronx9zx-wpe...hite_paper.pdf

https://www.costco.ca/generators.html

[Snowwalker]

Electronics can be sensitive to modified sine waves from a basic generator. You will need to consider an inverter type for cleaner power. Honda and Yamaha are great however there are some cheaper and reliable alternatives that won't break the bank. As an example, I have owned a number of Champion engines that have served me without any problems and are easy to start for a fraction of the price of the name brand companies.

There is no such thing as a " Modified Sine Wave ". It is a marketing name, and simple means a Square Wave with some Filtering. A True sine wave will give you cleaner energy then you get out of the plug at home( 3% Ripple true sine wave VS 5% Ripple at home). You can use non true sine wave Generator with Sensitive Electronics two ways. 1) just plug it in and wait for it to die. or 2) plug a UPS( with LINE conditioning ) into the generator and the TV/Computer into the UPS. Since most tv/computer systems need less then 1000watts to run you can pickup a good UPS for a good price. Think of the money spent on the UPS as insurance. You'll burn out the UPS and save the TV.

But the price of a good quality inverter(true sine wave) generators is way lower then I have ever seen.

[impact]

There is no such thing as a " Modified Sine Wave ". It is a marketing name, and simple means a Square Wave with some Filtering. A True sine wave will give you cleaner energy then you get out of the plug at home( 3% Ripple true sine wave VS 5% Ripple at home). You can use non true sine wave Generator with Sensitive Electronics two ways. 1) just plug it in and wait for it to die. or 2) plug a UPS( with LINE conditioning ) into the generator and the TV/Computer into the UPS. Since most tv/computer systems need less then 1000watts to run you can pickup a good UPS for a good price. Think of the money spent on the UPS as insurance. You'll burn out the UPS and save the TV.

But the price of a good quality inverter(true sine wave) generators is way lower then I have ever seen.

The OP mentioned that he fried smoke detectors. Pretty difficult to install a UPS on hard wired hardware hence my recommendation for an inverter type generator. No muss, no fuss and no second guessing of what is sensitive electronics or not. Always clean power.

[DanO]

I've identified the smoke alarm circuit on the generator panel and I'll just toggle it off. The smoke detectors have a battery backup. Could I just plug the UPS in the wall then plug the TV and receiver into the UPS. I'm not sure the whole house requires a filtered power supply.

[impact]

I've identified the smoke alarm circuit on the generator panel and I'll just toggle it off. The smoke detectors have a battery backup. Could I just plug the UPS in the wall then plug the TV and receiver into the UPS. I'm not sure the whole house requires a filtered power supply.

You certainly can go that route if you only need power protection for those devices. However, looking at my own home at the moment the fridge has an electronic control panel, so does the stove and dishwasher. Then there are the iphones and tablets. The furnace and gas fireplace have control boards and so on. That is why I went with an inverter type generator. We had a 6 hour power outage 2 weeks ago and I simply fired up the generator and plugged things in as required and below wattage capacity. No problem.

Bonus: Inverter type generators tend to be much quieter and RPM's adjust to load demand so also easier on gas

[Snowwalker]

The OP mentioned that he fried smoke detectors. Pretty difficult to install a UPS on hard wired hardware hence my recommendation for an inverter type generator. No muss, no fuss and no second guessing of what is sensitive electronics or not. Always clean power.

Not hard at all.. you just buy the kit. Hard wires into the House side of the Generator connection just before the fuse box.
https://www.cdw.com/shop/products/AP...t/1560757.aspx

But a Inverter Generator makes for quick and easy hook up, and is the better option if your not setting up something like a cabin.

[Snowwalker]

I've identified the smoke alarm circuit on the generator panel and I'll just toggle it off. The smoke detectors have a battery backup. Could I just plug the UPS in the wall then plug the TV and receiver into the UPS. I'm not sure the whole house requires a filtered power supply.

Yes you can. plug the UPS in and plug your stuff into it. Just remember even if you have a UPS with six outlets only one or two will give full filtering protection, the rest just provide surge protection.

[DanO]

OK thanks guys. Not sue what I'm going to do. Maybe the higher end generators are worth the money if they produce a cleaner energy.

[blasted_saber]

Get a Honda Inverter generator and never look back.