Portable Dual Fuel Generator

shop deals on amazon
Rugged made
Treestuff
Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
wrx-snowdrift

wrx-snowdrift

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
150
Reaction score
176
Location
SW MN
Anyone have any experience with portable dual fuel (gas/propane) generators?

Looking at this Champion 7500watt model
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A0TLE5U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XtiZBbGG8N5TZ

I’d like a generator to run a Vaporfire 100, fridge and 2 medium sized chest freezers in the event of a power failure. Also might be nice to be able to run the central air AC in the event of a summer storm. We very rarely lose power and when we do it’s generally only for an hour or less but 2 years ago (before we had a wood furnace) we were out for several hours and it was below zero F and very winding outside and the house dropped to 45 before power came back on. Can’t image the people in these hurricanes and tornadoes losing power for days or even weeks.

I really like the thought of running dual fuel. I could add a hookup off the propane line running into the house and connect right outside the house and be tapped into the 1000gal propane tank. I also like the ability to move it around and run gas if need be. The reviews seem good but wanted to get some other opinions.
 
I haven’t used that model, but all I have is champion generators. One thing I can say is they have great customer service and a great parts warranty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
No experience with Champion generators but I have had a lot of experience running generators during outages. We now use the Honda EU series. I have an Eu6500 and a Eu2000. Both are extremely quiet. Listing to a generator drone for hours or days will drive you out of your mind nevermind what they do to your neighbors. They have an eco-throttle that will adjust the throttle to match the load making them very fuel efficient and they produce clean power that won’t fry computers.

If you are looking to put in a gen panel and power your house, I would recommend the EU7000. If you are just looking to power a couple of refrigerators and freezers, I would go with a pair of the EU2200. You can link both EU2200s together to get a to get enough juice to power an air conditioner (I think) should you need it. They are very light weight and very easy to move, maintain and I think propane conversions are readily available. The only problem with Honda is price. They aint cheep but the do hold their value. If you do end up with a Honda and you are using it during an outage, make sure you secure it somehow. It is not uncommon for them to sprout legs and run away when you are not looking.
 
No experience with a Champion generator but I do like the idea of propane I have a Onan 6500 that came out of a wrecked RV mounted in my basement with air intake and exhaust ducted outside. Its hooked to a 1000 gallon propane. Don't have to worry about gas getting bad. I have run it for days before no problem. We were out one summer for a extend period and just used a window AC to cool the bedroom.
 
I'm thinking you shouldn't need one near that big for running that much? Also, I have no experience with one but I think you can convert most genies to dual fuel with a kit?
 
Thanks for all the replies. I agree that Honda's are awesome and you get what you pay for, however, as others mention the price is just too much. I really did look at doing the Honda dual 2200s but again it is just too expensive. If this was something that I used a lot I wouldn't have an issue spending 2 or 3 times the price. Ideally it is something I will never use.

Noise is not really an issue for me. We live on a farm and are pretty used to the corn drier and bin fins droning on for weeks. I've been around the smaller Hondas and it is amazing hour quiet they are.

I didn't realize most generators could be converted to propane, this is really good to know.

As far as sizing, I had looked at the 5500 and 3800 watt models of the same Champion dual fuel line. Either would be enough to power the wood furnace and fridge and freezers assuming they don't all kick on at once. The freezers could probably be unplugged and just run once a day as they will keep cold for a long time. I was leaning towards the bigger one because I'm not sure what my central air A/C takes (the tag is completely faded and I can't get a model or any other info off of it) and I'd rather have too much than not enough. I might have to reconsider the size.
 
wrx-snowdrift said:
Thanks for all the replies. I agree that Honda's are awesome and you get what you pay for, however, as others mention the price is just too much. I really did look at doing the Honda dual 2200s but again it is just too expensive. If this was something that I used a lot I wouldn't have an issue spending 2 or 3 times the price. Ideally it is something I will never use.

Noise is not really an issue for me. We live on a farm and are pretty used to the corn drier and bin fins droning on for weeks. I've been around the smaller Hondas and it is amazing hour quiet they are.

I didn't realize most generators could be converted to propane, this is really good to know.

As far as sizing, I had looked at the 5500 and 3800 watt models of the same Champion dual fuel line. Either would be enough to power the wood furnace and fridge and freezers assuming they don't all kick on at once. The freezers could probably be unplugged and just run once a day as they will keep cold for a long time. I was leaning towards the bigger one because I'm not sure what my central air A/C takes (the tag is completely faded and I can't get a model or any other info off of it) and I'd rather have too much than not enough. I might have to reconsider the size.
Click to expand...
I wired my house with a transfer switch and power it with a generator during outages. My 2cents is to go larger than you think you need. Central Air is 220v so it pulls juice to run it. If you have a well, they also draw a decent amount of juice. I agree with you that you can unplug your freezers if needed but it gets pretty inconvenient for a long period of time just to save a few bucks. I run a 6k7500kmax and it has done well running my place. If you haven’t sprung for a generator yet, check out the predator line at Harbor Freight. They run Honda clone engines. I had a smaller 3200/4000w model and it was great. Started on the 1st pull every time.
 
My 2 cents would be to gather all the numbers & add them up, base your sizing on that. Of just what you'd be looking to run in an outage. Rather than just do what a lot seem to do & just go big, or size to everything in the house running all at once - that really hits in the fuel departments.

Doing central a/c will definitely add a hit. I was kind of going by just the furnace, fridge & freezers first mentioned - which I would look to a Champion 3k inverter first. Since Champion was also mentioned. It has a good rep, and inverters are really good on fuel - not sure about the dual fuel options for that particular one though. Very infrequent outages also would play a part - no big deal to run a couple cords in that case. Frequent long outages I'd think about something tied in more permanent - and maybe also tied to a big fuel tank, either furnace oil or LP, whatever is on hand.
 
Whenever you are looking at sizing a genset for home use you have to consider what you want powered. If appliances that have compressors, like freezers, refrigerators, A/C units, you can't just look at what they draw when running. You also need to consider surge current which could be double what the normal current draw is.
 
I have one of the Champions from Costco. I like it. I have not put gasoline in it, but it’s nice to know that I can if I need to. I have a 6 or 8 circuit distribution switch, so I can easily switch loads around. I don’t have the whole house on the switch, just the essentials.
 
One must consider many things before buying a generator. Do you want full power like you have when the grid power is up or do you need to go with less power and manage it.
Since you brought up using it for fridge, and freezer use, lets look at that. fridge and freezers only cycle on and off as needed to keep things cold. They don't run all the time. So you don't need a gen if the power only stays off for a few hours.
Next you said the power went off when it was below freezing. freezers don't run if the temp falls below 32 degrees.
Type of power, are you running sensitive electronics or just basic appliances. You want to stick with a gen with a power inverter to protect those sensitive electronics, like PC's,TV's.
Most all small motors can be converted to run on multi fuels so any gen can be converted to run on gas or propane.
Fuel availability, in an emergency, what fuel is the easiest to find and the most common.
One other thing to remember is propane does not have any lubricating property's to it and has no lubricating additives. With propane you may run into lubricating issues that may reduce the life of the generator.

I have run Honda gens for over 15 years on gas.
 
Next you said the power went off when it was below freezing. freezers don't run if the temp falls below 32 degrees.

How many people keep their freezers outside?
 
4 stroke gens propane fuel lubrication is not a limiting factor. You need to look no further than Winnebago's. Thousands of hours on propane gens with no issues. Regular maintenance like oil changes and valve adjustments(if any) are more limiting than running propane.

I'm partial to Yamaha but to each his own.
 
sb47 said:
One must consider many things before buying a generator. Do you want full power like you have when the grid power is up or do you need to go with less power and manage it.
Since you brought up using it for fridge, and freezer use, lets look at that. fridge and freezers only cycle on and off as needed to keep things cold. They don't run all the time. So you don't need a gen if the power only stays off for a few hours.
Next you said the power went off when it was below freezing. freezers don't run if the temp falls below 32 degrees.
Type of power, are you running sensitive electronics or just basic appliances. You want to stick with a gen with a power inverter to protect those sensitive electronics, like PC's,TV's.
Most all small motors can be converted to run on multi fuels so any gen can be converted to run on gas or propane.
Fuel availability, in an emergency, what fuel is the easiest to find and the most common.
One other thing to remember is propane does not have any lubricating property's to it and has no lubricating additives. With propane you may run into lubricating issues that may reduce the life of the generator.

I have run Honda gens for over 15 years on gas.
Click to expand...
Are you saying that regular gasoline has lubricants or lubricating properties? Really? Not being a wise guy but I don't think so or I'd be saving a lot of money on 2 stroke oil.
Also one thing people never mention is that gens that run on different fuels also do NOT run at the same wattage rating. A tri-fuel gen will be listed at its highest rating while running on GASOLINE, if you run propane or natural gas the wattage rating drops due to the BTU of the paticular fuel due to engine efficiency. Another thing to consider about fuel is sourcing it during a power outage. I'm on Long Island, NY and when Sandy came it knocked out all power, but a select few gas stations had backup propane systems and were able to pump gas and at those stations you would of thought Armageddon was upon us. So if you have a home that has a large propane tank.......get a gen that etheir runs on it or get a good adaptor kit. A gas gen is NO good if you can't buy gas.
 
jr27236 said:
Are you saying that regular gasoline has lubricants or lubricating properties? Really? Not being a wise guy but I don't think so or I'd be saving a lot of money on 2 stroke oil.
Also one thing people never mention is that gens that run on different fuels also do NOT run at the same wattage rating. A tri-fuel gen will be listed at its highest rating while running on GASOLINE, if you run propane or natural gas the wattage rating drops due to the BTU of the paticular fuel due to engine efficiency. Another thing to consider about fuel is sourcing it during a power outage. I'm on Long Island, NY and when Sandy came it knocked out all power, but a select few gas stations had backup propane systems and were able to pump gas and at those stations you would of thought Armageddon was upon us. So if you have a home that has a large propane tank.......get a gen that etheir runs on it or get a good adaptor kit. A gas gen is NO good if you can't buy gas.
Click to expand...

Yes regular gas has lubricating additives added to it.
 
During an extended outage, preparing ahead and management of fuel/power is key. You would be wise to also keep in stock, oil, spark plugs and a spare carb for your generator. Keep a constant eye on the oil level and hour meter. It does not take a long time to rack up hours. Redundancy is always a good thing to have which is why I recommend the 2 Honda suitcase option. In the event one dies, you still have some power.

Last outage here was a microburst that knocked power out for 3 days. It was summer and I did not even bother to start the larger generator. Used the little suitcase with 2 extension cords running into the refrigerator and chest freezer. Set the eco throttle and as I recall it burned about 1 gal of gas per 8 hours or so. Cooked outside on the propane grill or inside on a little iwatani portable butane stove.
 

Similar threads

muddstopper
Backup generator opinions.
8 9 10
Replies
199
Views
9K
Husky Man
H
J
Generac or Kohler whole home standby generator?
3 4 5
Replies
87
Views
9K
SCMtnHaul
S
jkim13
Westinghouse Generator Model No: WGen9500DF review
Replies
11
Views
2K
jkim13
jkim13
E
Two stroke fuel ratios
8 9 10
Replies
185
Views
20K
bwalker
B
Husky Joe
Portable Inverter Generator to Power Deep Submersible Well Pump
2
Replies
33
Views
5K
CJ1
C

Latest posts

Back
Top