just bought a generator at Costco for 756$ after tax. its a 9000w start 7000w sustained. electric start and pull start. even has key fop for remote start. all digital display. 4-120w outlets and 2-220w outlets. 6 gal tank. verry nice but heavy.
winter is upon us time to make preperations
- Thread starter senji
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
mfinn
Surgeonfish
Sounds like a nice one
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
dawgwe1
Well-known member
I have been looking for one as well. Are you installing a transfer switch?
go to costco or costco online i went too all the stores and price checked them out and costco won in all catagorys. costco online has a 9500w unit for 675$ onl,ine free shipping. or the one i bought in the store for 756 after tax but is a verry nice unit.
mfinn
Surgeonfish
I bought and had installed a transfer box/switch when I bought my latest generator and believe me, it was sooo worth it.
I have the electric start also.
So, remove the dog house ( gen cover), turn on gas, hit the starter button, go in the garage and flip 6 switch and I have power in the house.
No dealing with cords all over, open door, etc.
Plus the safety factor.
Anyway glad your ready with a generator.
You may have to do like I do, when the generator is running early in the morning or late at night, and making a ton of noise, invite the neighbors over for hot coffee or a meal.
mfinn
Surgeonfish
Yeah, spending money on a someone else's place isn't something I'd do either.
N1Husker
RF Staff
Just keep it warm, they are really hard to start when it's really cold out.
N1Husker
RF Staff
I had mine in my insulated garage with the insulated door along with our system for filtering the well water and holding tanks. A few of years ago when we had that cold winter storm in November just before Thanksgiving in Kitsap county and a lot of trees tore down the power lines, we lost power. Well, the water filtering system froze, shattered all of the piping, and the generator would not fire. It worked great when it was warm, not at all when it was cold. This thing was 6 months old, a Yamaha, and I wore the battery down trying to start it and wore my arms down trying to pull start it. I couldn't get help because we live down the end of a road and no one could get to us. Huge tree trunks were blocking the road, no power for 4 days. we finally got power and put everything back into place and sold the house and property at a loss and got the heck out of there, never again.
mfinn
Surgeonfish
Must have been bad gas. I leave my generator outside all year long. It starts within seconds everytime. BUT, you have to make sure the gas is fresh, the spark plug is clean and make sure and do oil changes when it is required.
Bad gas is probally the top reason a small engine doesn't fire.
I try and only add enough gas to last through a power outage. Then during the course of the year, I'll start it and run it a couple times, for a 1/2 hour or so. I've even drained it during the summer and added a little fresh gas.
Generators aren't a set and forget tool.
Bad gas is probally the top reason a small engine doesn't fire.
I try and only add enough gas to last through a power outage. Then during the course of the year, I'll start it and run it a couple times, for a 1/2 hour or so. I've even drained it during the summer and added a little fresh gas.
Generators aren't a set and forget tool.
N1Husker
RF Staff
That definitely wasn't the problem, I didn't buy it for emergency. I plugged my pressure washer into it to wash my tool truck. I had a water faucet out by where I parked my tool truck, but no power, that's why I bought it. It was used weekly unless it was raining or too cold and never had old gas. The gas in it was never more than a couple of weeks old. It was only 6 months old and the week before it fired right up. It got down into the 20's and everything went to hell that week.
mfinn
Surgeonfish
That would have been a real bummer.
Tough to say what the problem was.
I've used generators in the winter in Montana and they always started for us, as long as we took care of them. I'm not saying you didn't.
Tough to say what the problem was.
I've used generators in the winter in Montana and they always started for us, as long as we took care of them. I'm not saying you didn't.
N1Husker
RF Staff
Yeah, I use to use them in Nebraska and in the winter we had to winterize them. Had little problems here and there, but never had a problem starting one, until that week, it let me down. Man. it got cold. Not Nebraska cold, but cold enough.
krisfal
Well-known member
That reminds me we need to change the oil in our autostart, runs and test itself weekly, propane generator, unfortunately the thing doesn't do is it's own oil change... but it was a lifesaver last year when we were without power for several days, took our propane down to less than 5% left! In fact I woke up in a panic because it was off in the middle of the night, thought we were out of propane and were going to need the back-up genny. Then I realized the power had come back on :/
user 26995
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Messages
- 6,452
I had a guardian generator installed a couple years ago. It is so worth it. Its been needed a couple times. Thankfully not for too long. I have WA Energy come out and do the maintenance on it every year about this time. I have it set to do its test run every saturday afternoon when I am home, so I know how well its running.
N1Husker
RF Staff
That's pretty cool, Lorrie. Smart thinking, they are invaluable. I used the heck out of mine when I lived in Port Orchard. It never gave me problems until that November a few years back when we had those terrible storms and lost power.
