Looking for a portable generator recommendation

I'm between Duramax or Champion. I would prefer to be able to power the A/C, refrigerator, and also have a natural gas hook up so I can utilize a transfer switch in case of emergency. The house is roughly 1400-1500 sq ft.

For a home that size plus my fridge and AC unit, what sort of wattage should I be looking for? Is 7500 running watts efficient or should I need to go up to 10000 watts?

Are there any other recommendations outside of Duramax or Champion? Predator was another brand I was looking into as well.

 

I went Predator. No regrets. So quiet and powerful enough for sections of our 2500+ sq ft house.

 

Which model did you get? You mind sending me a link? Is it also able to power your centralized AC?

 

I don't think it will run my heat pump, but I have not tried or even looked at start up Kw

But it runs my gas furnace just fine.

Here's the deal. We just don't get that hot here and when we have power down = winter storms

 

@Tacoma_SR5Pro your AC should have a name plate on it stating Amps. The condenser will have one, as will the furnace if that is the type of set up you have. Take those Amps and multiply by 120, and you have a pretty good idea of watts. Also keep in mind, the running wattage of a generator vs peak wattage.

 

I ran a Predator 9k and threw on a dual fuel carb. Added a tee to the house propane tank with a QD and put fittings on the gas grill and generator so I wouldn't have to keep an unnerving quantity of gasoline on hand. It was enough to run the heat pump, house lights, fans, TV, fridge etc but I'd cycle the water heater on/off when I wasn't loading it up with other circuits.

 

My opinion.

If you're going to try to power up the entire house and live like nothing happened, you need a big generator made to run on natural gas or propane and wired up to automatically come on when the power goes out. Those are expensive.

What I did.

Many years ago we enclosed our garage and turned it into a "man cave". If the power goes out we move into that 500 sq ft area. I have a wall mounted gas heater that will heat without power. With power, the blower works, but it isn't necessary. I also have a small AC unit that will run on 110 volts.

I use a much smaller 3500 watt generator sitting on our back deck. I cut holes in the siding and installed 2 of these doors, one on the exterior wall, one on the inside to run extension cords through.

Deluxe Round Electric Cable Hatch with Back - Polar White | Camping World

We have everything needed for camping including propane stoves, lanterns, etc to cook on. I can keep both refrigerators and the freezer running as well as the TV and some lights. If I need to run the AC I have to unplug the refrigerator and freezer. But those don't need to run constantly anyway.

We also have a small travel trailer parked 30' from the door that I can power up with a generator and run everything but the AC. I keep enough gas around to make it at least 2 weeks comfortably.

 

Myself I would buy the brand that has the best local support .

Some manufactures have a better foothold in areas then others .

I 10,000 watts not even close to the in rush current for my AC.

The first attempt tripped the man breaker.

I went for Diesel as I always have a few hundred gallons.

Gasoline storing enough for 5 or 6 days gets interesting .

 

I bought the biggest Predator in the store. Also put a Generlink behind the meter. Cost was between $3k and $4k. Figured that would handle everything we needed for a power outage.

 

Just my $0.02 if you are going to do it and depend on it in a power outage. Go with Gernerac or comparable for your area.

 

On the flip side I also bought the smallest Predator (1400W?) - I guess I can charge my phone with it but it barely cranks out 1000W. But it was so cheap on sale, with some coupons and such I don't gripe. So light I just think of it as a battery that takes gas.

 

In the event of a power outage, my idea is to get by with the essentials. Heat, water, refrigeration, lighting, just the necessities. I've gotten by in the past with a borrowed 3500 unit, short term. Yes, you have to do the math and run just what you need accordingly. I'm thinking a 65-7500 portable unit will be plenty for what I need to run in case of emergency. Agreed, a permanent Generac auto-on type unit is the best set-up hands down. That's a lot of coin (for me) for something that may or may not see heavy use vs $$.

 

One of those deals to cheap to pass up.

I bought mine for $100.00 over the cost delivered to my shop.

It comes down to where you live my electric is out several times a month.

The longest was Hurricane Sandy 9 days I was very glad I went diesel .

For me Propane in the Winter I would need to haul myself or have a huge tank just for the generator.