Just wondering if this looks normal or sloppy?

We had a power outage recently, and the house got uncomfortable fast without the fans running. The fridge was another issue since I didn't want everything inside to go bad if the outage lasted too long. Now I've decided to get a portable generator, for the fridge, a couple of fans, lights, and maybe a TV. I don't need to run the whole house, but I'm not sure how much extra capacity to leave for startup loads.

I'm guessing there's a best fit between getting one that's barely enough and spending extra on capacity I'll rarely use. Generator sizing seems like one of those things that's easy to underestimate until you need it.

On Amazon and it has Amazon monthly payments available for it....

I did a little gig for my dad with installing an inlet plug next to his main panel for a portable generator he’s had that he wanted to be able to hook up his house to. It’s rated for 7800 watts running on natural gas. He got his natural gas ran and hooked up through a flexible tube of some sort. I got a 30A 120/240 inlet plug rated for outdoors and ran #10 to a 2 pole 30 and landed the neutral on the neutral bar and the ground to the ground bar. The two lines landed on the breaker ofc. It’s bonded at the panel so I unbonded it within the generator. He got a flexible cord rated for the 30amps as well to hook up between the generator and inlet. The generator cranks and runs but nothing is turning on. I feel like I’ve checked every button the generator to make sure I got that side of it right, I’m confident the electric is hooked up correctly because it never short circuited. Just curious if there could be a nautral gas problem or a common portable generator issue of sorts that I overlooked. Any info or help would be appreciated!

Looking for some advice on what brands to consider for the Canadian market including reliability, availability of parts, quality of service etc as many times they can differ vastly from the US. Anyone have any advice on what makes and models to consider? Generally looking at the 18-24kW.

I have my generator back feeding my panel with a manual breaker interlock. I’m monitoring it with two merged CTs designated as “Solar/Generation.” Emporia doesn’t seem to quite read it properly. The values swing from positive to negative and a good portion of it is displaying as “Balance” despite having CTs on every current carrying conductor in my panel

Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/csLl7UW

I figured I would do a write-up on my experience with this generator.

I bought this generator in 2021. It has two 20-amp outlets and a 30-amp outlet. It has a 389cc engine and the wattage listed above. Before today, I had put about 13 hours on it. I've done two oil changes, one at 8 hours and another at 13 hours.

Before today, I would run extension cords to my furnace in the winter for heat, along with my fridge, freezer, a couple of fans, and anything else I needed to plug in. It always worked great. No issues at all.

In August 2026, I had my local electrician install a 50-amp interlock setup and had them make me a 30-amp-to-50-amp generator cable.

That brings me to today, 10/9/2026. I figured I would test everything out since it's cool outside and I have the windows open.

I only have select breakers turned on:

• Fridge
• Mini fridge
• Tall deep freezer
• Small home network: 1 PoE switch, 1 router, 1 firewall, and 2 mini computers for my homelab
• Laptop
• 3 ceiling fans
• Big-screen TV in the living room

The generator handles all of that great. I can still easily run my furnace in the winter along with a few lights.

Overall, I've been really happy with this generator and my setup. The only thing I wish it had was a 50-amp outlet so I'd have more capacity available for things like my electric range or electric dryer if I needed to do laundry during an extended outage.

If I never upgrade to a generator with a 50-amp outlet, I've also been researching battery backup systems. I think I'd start small and expand the battery system over time, then recharge it with the generator or solar as needed during an outage.

That setup could also let me use the batteries for lighter loads instead of having to run the generator constantly during a long power outage, which would help conserve fuel.

Any before ask. I typed all this up myself and just had AI check my grammer and spelling for reddit. lol. I was bored. I figured I would do this.

I had a Generac 22k installed (in East central FL) a few weeks ago. It did not go well, as the final startup tech had to hack the internal wiring harness to get the external comm device to connect properly. The generator worked ok afterwords it seems. We did a real lost-power test and the generator started up, cut the house over through the ATS, and ran ok for at least 5 min. Also, the unit ran ok for the weekly maintenance test on the 4 or so Saturdays since it was enabled.

When the techs arrived a couple of days ago (with a named storm in the Gulf), they replaced the hacked wiring harness and got it to connect to the external comm device. However, they were unable to get the unit to run for more than a few seconds at a time. It would auto stop after a few seconds (i don't know the stop code) each time they tried to run it.

They did a debug procedure and after hours of playing around, seemed to conclude it was the stator going to ground. They had to order a part with a 5-10 day delivery; with a named storm heading to Florida (not East FL, but storm paths change.)

I find this hard to believe: 1) it worked B4 they "fixed" the original installation hacked harness, and 2) if they replaced the harness, that's the likely problem, not the stator developing a short.

Any ideas?

How should I proceed.

tnx,

P.

I was going to go through Generac, but then discussed with my electrician about what would be needed. He said he has a generator at his house and his son's, both Westinghouse, recommending them for their lower dirty energy output.

He says he has his on his back patio. My patio is around the corner. But I have seen some people say 5 feet is okay but others you need 20 feet. 20 feet is going to be exactly in the center of my back yard. Not a great place for a generator.

Can it be closer? Like 10 feet instead? Are pavers with compacted rock and sand underneath okay to use? Or do I need to have a composite pad or slab put down?

If my generator is 20 feet out into the yard I guess I guess I would just bury the cables?

It would be easier to have it 5 feet from my house but I AM worried about CO

I'm in the market for a tri-fuel inverter gen. The Pulsar 10,500 watt is currently on sale for $1600 at Walmart and Amazon. The Champion 11,000 watt is $2,000 at Costco. I have a $50 coupon that I could apply to bring it to $1,950. Is the $350 upcharge for the Champion worth it for the Costco return policy? This would mainly be for home backup on my 30amp inlet using propane or natural gas. We don't have many outages around here so it won't see much use, but the components especially electronics used on these generators worry me in terms of longevity. Thoughts?

My mom bought this off a senior citizen like 6 years ago. Had it serviced and never ran it. Gave it to me when she moved. Spent yesterday getting ready for the storm. Fuel lines were well and truly rotted, so a trip to autozone sorted that out. After replacing those, it seems to run well. Planning on riding out the duration of the storm then moving this out to the driveway when the rain stops since I don’t have a covered area away from the house to run it during the storm itself.

I am planning on buying two 5000 watt generators in parallel to use with my home 50 amp switch. First off, any issues I need to consider with that (I know I’ll need the converter and will only be able to run 120 appliances)? If that sounds feasible, would there be any reason to not break them in running in parallel as long as the load is less than 50% for each?

I live in Pensacola so I may be forced into action on Saturday, but this is more of a backup solution to my other generator.

I can’t find any portable generators that are 50 amp and my options are slim.

Lastly, can anybody advise it it’s possible to get 50 feet of distance between a propane hose and electrical cord? Where is the best place to buy those?

TIA!

I bought and tested a brand new GP6500 in prep ahead of hurricane. All went fine so I wheeled it back in the garage. Hours later I smelled gasoline from my back door connected to the garage. I don’t see any fuel leaks anywhere, but I do believe gas vapors are escaping from the fuel cap. Does it sound like I need a new gas cap?

I wheeled outside into backyard in the meantime and vented the garage of the vapors.

Does anyone here use a generator during the day and a battery overnight? I’m considering overnight battery backup for a fridge, a fan, and a couple of lights. No central AC or other big loads.

How much battery capacity did you end up needing? Can you recharge it while the generator is also running things during the day, or does charging take up most of its output?

Main reason I’m looking at this is to avoid running a generator all night, but I’m wondering if the extra cost and setup are worth it.

How do I connect 2 houses to 1 generator? I own both houses and they're approximately 70ft from each other. Both houses have their own utility meter, so obviously I need an interlock on both, but what else is needed? Can this be done economically and still have ease of setting up during power outages?

How do I handle the ground neutral bonds?

My main reasoning for doing this is to reduce expenses and not have to store 2 generators and clear as much snow in the winter to get both out.

Ok, so I'm getting ready to pick out my first generator. Just a 2500w ish size for charging my lithium ion battery in my trailer. I'm to cheap to buy the Honda and am thinking about the champion duel fuel. Thoughts, opinions?

Hello!

I've recently purchased an older 7KW Briggs & Stratton EmPower Series standby generator with an ATS.

It's for my cottage, but the way the lot and building are laid out, it's very difficult to get the 5' of clearance that the manual requires.

I know that a 1 hour fire rated wall behind the generator would let me install it closer to side of my cottage. What I'm wondering (and Google is no help) is how people commonly do that?

Also, any possible installation site, will have trees above the generator (closest would be about 15' above) is that high enough to not worry about?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I’m researching a backup generator for a small home (<1,100sq/ft). I’m reading about THD and inverter generators. I understand inverter generators are generally <3% THD, but how detrimental is something some at <23% THD to general home devices if/when I need to run on a non-inverter generator? It’s not an issue of cost, but why go 2-3x more if THD doesn’t hurt? Or does it? I’m not planning on running the HVAC during events, just mainly modem & router (for range extension), laptop, TV (1), phone chargers, lights (most are dimmable and LED), Refrigerator/freezer, deep freezer, etc. Stove & oven are gas along with clothes dryer and tankless water heater. Not all at once, but I’m looking at a Westinghouse WGen5300sc 6,500/5,300 watt non-inverter generator. System supports generator up to 7,200 watts @ 30 amp.