What generator would you buy?

Stay away from the Generac. All of their smaller gen sets use engines of unknown quality and origin and private labled as "Generac". What are "dirty watts"? If we start talking about the sign wave produced, then we can get technical.

5500 watts as mentioned is on the very low side to do the whole house. Add up your loads and DO NOT forget starting surge of inductive loads (motors).

I did a whole house with an automatice transfer switch on my home up north. It's a 7500 Kohler run on natural gas. Just to be safe, I added current transformers (donuts) feeding amp meters on both legs so I came monitor the load. I did the install myself but, installing a whole house auto will get involved with needing a new main disconnect and may need permitting an electician and your power company. Doing what Joel did with a manual transfer is easier but you need to be home to run it. I did the same on my home here.

I build my entire house with a yamaha 2200, The carpenter would start @8am. It would run out of gas around 11:30 He would have lunch, fill it again and work till it ran out around 4. One time when the plumber, electrician, and builders were there we needed another gen for the pipe cutter.

I have a Yamaha 6600 now runing through a 6 switch panel that does the furnace (which is how I heat water too), Microwave, 2 refridgerators and a couple plugs. I problably could run more but the generator never grunts.


I have no one sided Yamaha / Honda issues. It was that I worked @ a Yamaha dealer. My father runs a house of a Honda 1100

Would it be possible to run on of those inside the house and pipe the exhaust out? It would be nice to have the whole operation indoors, free from theft and the elements.

Buy Honda. I take my small Honda generator (2300w if I remember right) when I go to the sand dunes and it always impresses me how quiet and efficiently it runs. For running my house, I use my miller bobcat that puts out 10kw. It's more of a hassle to hook up to my house than a dedicated generator but I have only lost power at my house once in the last 4 years. I think you can pick up a new one for around $3400 if you get a promotional deal. They aren't as quiet and mobile but it was a good deal for me since I bought it for welding in the first place.
P.s. 10kw sounds like overkill but it doesn't go as far as you think if your wife is like anything like mine.

I have recently worked on a generac l/p - nat gas unit (stationary) and had no issues . also an 11k honda , it was portable / quiet the only shortcoming was the 4.5 gal tank . I have a honda driven 5k off brand. it is quiet gas stingy but will not keep it now after the last storm. I am going to figure out what i need to run heat , a few lights , refridge washer drier and will put in a switch panel , i am going to keep it portable like the honda 11k . for loan out possibilities. I know its a lot more than the $700 one i bought 10 yrs ago but its more than double the things i can run at once .