# Help please! Need advice on what portable generator to buy



## SunRayinCT (Mar 2, 2021)

Hello experts! I recently moved to the suburbs from the city and am clueless when it comes to portable generators. We were told by a person doing work on our house that it's "plug and play" ready and we should be able to just connect a generator directly to it via an outlet that's on the outside of our house. Here is a picture of our outlet. We need a generator that will run at least the basics (fridge, an outlet for a computer, heat our home, etc.) but would like to buy the most powerful gas generator we can. I've looked on Amazon but I'm confused by the 125/250V wattage b/c all the generators I can find seem to 120/240V...will those work for this kind of an outlet? I am trying to avoid buying a 100 lb+ generator off of Amazon then realizing it doesn't work for us! Our house is about 5,800 sq ft. if that helps. Any advice would be appreciated!!


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

That is a standard Nema L14-30 connection. Most 240VAC generators will have that connector available, or you can get an adapter if needed. My Honda EU7000is has that connector and in my opinion (and most others based on reviews) is the best portable inverter generator in the world. It's not cheap. Here's a good recent video review of it's features:






You'll need a cable like this one:


https://www.amazon.com/Generator-Locking-L14-30P-Extension-Yodotek/dp/B079D3LH8P/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=nema+l14-30+cable&qid=1614734275&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-4



A much cheaper unit with the same connection and even more output would be this one by Champion:





Since I don't have this generator, I can't recommend it. It's made in China, but the price is lower by a factor of 4. Technical support for this brand is supposed to be good.


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## SunRayinCT (Mar 2, 2021)

This is so helpful -- thank you!!


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## ronskal (Feb 18, 2021)

Sun you will need to give the experts here (not myself) more info:
It's great that your house has the 240 Volt receptacle, unfortunately it looks like a 30 amp type which rules out running air conditioning. You need to re-wire with a 50 amp to utilize a big generator which would run air conditioning.
It gets cold in CT, what type heating system? Nat. gas, oil, heat pump? Heat pumps run your air conditioning in reverse so back to item 1.
I would also say the Honda EU7000 would be my choice. Nothing better or more expensive, but it's the Gold standard- quiet, efficient (also fuel injected), reliable, will make its rated power all day. They are $4500 or more. It's an "inverter" style which has smooth, clean power and can throttle down under lower loads.
Another inverter style for about $3600 is the Yamaha EF6300. Yep they make good generators too.

Take your time and browse the forum, there are some real knowledgeable folks on here.


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## agksimon (Jan 25, 2021)

Browse Deweb said:


> That is a standard Nema L14-30 connection. Most 240VAC generators will have that connector available, or you can get an adapter if needed.
> 
> A much cheaper unit with the same connection and even more output would be this one by Champion:
> Since I don't have this generator, I can't recommend it. It's made in China, but the price is lower by a factor of 4. Technical support for this brand is supposed to be good.


I have the Champion 100520 and gave my daughter the 100519. Both are excellent generators at a very reasonable cost that we have used during outages without any problems. For the few times and length of duration of outages, they are perfect for their use and I would not hesitate to buy another. I did the five hour run of both and changed the oil to full synthetic 5W30 as recommended in the instructions.
The only difference between the two is the 100519 has 5000 running watts and manual start and the 100520 has 7000 running watts and manual and electric start. I keep a trickle charger on the battery when it's not in use. for the $225 difference in price, get the 100520 for the larger capacity and electric start. Either will power the essentials and lights, but not the A/C system. They are fairly new and hard to find, but I ordered mine from Supergen Products and had it shipped to me. They are a great company to work with.

Both are inverter generators and I would recommend you spend the extra to get one. Some of your newer furnaces have sensitive electronics and a non-inverter generator will not run them.


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