Generators

Electrical work is Dangerous, and should only be done by experienced, licensed professionals.

This page is dedicated to my experience with generators and my personal research. 

It is not meant for use in designing electrical applications. 

There are no guarantees of accuracy in the data or information provided.

Use at your own risks.

General Safety

Do not use a dead mans cord to energize the entire load center.

    Can overload generator

    Insufficient wire protection between generator and branch breaker

Forgetting to turn off main breaker is lethal to line men (120V goes to 7200V or more).

Run generators outdoors, exhaust is deadly!

Use good condition, properly sized extension cords, in the shortest possible length, to minimize burden on generator.

Never allow a generator to shut off with running loads connected – permanent damage to load devices can result from under-voltage conditions.

Do not connect voltage or frequency sensitive devices to most portable generators due to imperfect waveforms.

Add loads starting with largest continuing to smallest.

Generator Sizing

Here are some Peak and Running current & power values I measured on my home appliances:

Connector Selection

Each plug type has it pros and cons in performance, availability, and price.

Most of these came from Leviton Products  

Generator Marketing

2000W to 4000W - Champion, Harbor Freight, Onan Homesite, some Honda, and some Yamaha all appear to share some if not all parts from a source in China.

Some people use generators every day, and they need the best that money can buy, but for an occasion, or never user, a cheaper model will probably do everything they need.

This chart shows the relationship of Watts power to unit cost, and you can see the premium paid for the brand.

This chart shows how much variation brands can have in specifications for the exact same hardware (engine size in cc, HP rating, and weight). 

Some brands marketing is more realistic than others I think.  The ones circles in red do not line up where they should.

One of my main considerations was support after the sale.  For that, I looked for company information, warranty terms, and web presence.

The company that stood out against the others (even the big names) was Champion Power Equipment.  You can visit their website here, and see

how much literature and support they provide to customers.