Anyone have any generator expertise - specifically diesel?

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jme5343

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Nov 21, 2003
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So this last power outage here in the NE (I now have power, fwiw) has left me thinking that I'll have an electrician come put a transfer switch in so I can use a portable generator when needed.

If I move, I take the generator and just have a switch put in at my new house too.

All that being said, I don't see a whole lot of diesel generators with good reviews online. I would like 6500 watts or more and don't want to spend 3k. 1500-1600 is about as high as I want to go.

Oh yeah, diesel because of the longer shelf life and the fact that I have a 275 gallon tank of it on hand most of the time for my regular heating needs.
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

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Jun 19, 2004
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Most of the generators in your price range are going to be from China. They make some decent diesel motors but, quality is hit or miss and they typically only have a one year warranty. You might want to look into natural gas or even LP for your needs.
 
Squisher

Squisher

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
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MagnusTheBrewer said:
Most of the generators in your price range are going to be from China. They make some decent diesel motors but, quality is hit or miss and they typically only have a one year warranty. You might want to look into natural gas or even LP for your needs.
Click to expand...

This. On a cold winter night you don't want to be starting any diesel engine after its been sitting unused for months.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

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May 24, 2003
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I second LP or NG. I don't have direct experience with them myself, but Generacs are fairly cheap and can be bought at Home Depot. I actually want to install one at my house some day so I can keep my server equipment up through power outages. A UPS will only do like 15 minutes. I can spend more money on a bigger UPS and more batteries to try to squeeze one hour of backup, or just get a 10kw generator for a bit more money and do the whole house. We don't get outages very often though but my neighborhood specifically seems to get a lot because of all the road construction in the area.

Last outage was 4 hours, and I'm STILL troubleshooting hardware issues because of it, and I've already spent like 1k replacing parts. When you have equipment that's running 24/7, stopping it is bad, especially old equipment.
 
J

jme5343

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Nov 21, 2003
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I don't really want LP or NG. We have little or no NG piping in this part of the country. I do have a large LP tank for my stove, but it's not 250 gallons of diesel, and when / if it were to run out, I can't refill it myself.

I'd keep the generator in the basement during the winter so it wouldn't be a problem to start it.
 
olds

olds

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Mar 3, 2000
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I'd be leery of diesel generators in that price range but if that was my budget I'd look at Northern Tool.

How long does your power go out for? If it's just a day or two here and there, gas may be better/cheaper. You can rotate the fuel through your vehicles. I keep stabilizer in my gas.
 
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skyking

skyking

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Nov 21, 2001
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At that lower price point and size, diesel generators are from china and run at 3600 RPM.
This is the same as a gas generator, and they don't hold up too long in either case.
The only advantage they offer IMO is better fuel specifics and stable fuel, but no real advantage in reliability/longevity.
If you want a good diesel genset at that price, you need to get lucky buying a used 1800 rpm one.
 
E

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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On that budget, you probably aren't going to find much. :( 1800RPM(or slower!) diesel is definitely the way to go if you want longevity though.

I'll have one of these soon enough:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHebEYSsfeo

There are a few satisfactory Chinese diesels. Research Changfa.
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

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jme5343 said:
I don't really want LP or NG. We have little or no NG piping in this part of the country. I do have a large LP tank for my stove, but it's not 250 gallons of diesel, and when / if it were to run out, I can't refill it myself.

I'd keep the generator in the basement during the winter so it wouldn't be a problem to start it.
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I think you're focusing too much on the diesel you already have. Unless you're planning on being a week without power, an LP generator will do you fine. LP is denser than diesel with regards to power output. You've mentioned 6500 watts as needed but, what exactly are you wanting to power with the generator?
 
J

jme5343

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Nov 21, 2003
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MagnusTheBrewer said:
I think you're focusing too much on the diesel you already have. Unless you're planning on being a week without power, an LP generator will do you fine. LP is denser than diesel with regards to power output. You've mentioned 6500 watts as needed but, what exactly are you wanting to power with the generator?
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Understood, but the power has been out most places here for 5 days already.

And need I remind you about the zombiepocalypse?

I was reading last night about power requirements. I have a 1hp well pump, heating oil boiler, upright freezer and fridge that are the main requirements. The well pump requires 3000w when it runs, but I realize it wouldn't be running often.

No a/c or electric heat, which is a positive.
 
S

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
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If your power has been out for 5 days and you have a well pump, heat, and a lot of food that could spoil, you should consider a permanently installed standby generator with a "smart" transfer switch like the Generac Nexus. I'm not sure if you can pair that with a Kohler generator or not, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. They make an 8kW model that sounds like it'd suit you.

Hook it up to the LP tank outside and have power for a few days. Just because power is out, it doesn't mean you can't get propane delivered. Plus, you're not burning what you use for heat. Of course, we're talking at least twice what you wanted to spend. Sorry, didn't read that.
 
J

jme5343

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Nov 21, 2003
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sjwaste said:
If your power has been out for 5 days and you have a well pump, heat, and a lot of food that could spoil, you should consider a permanently installed standby generator with a "smart" transfer switch like the Generac Nexus. I'm not sure if you can pair that with a Kohler generator or not, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. They make an 8kW model that sounds like it'd suit you.

Hook it up to the LP tank outside and have power for a few days. Just because power is out, it doesn't mean you can't get propane delivered. Plus, you're not burning what you use for heat. Of course, we're talking at least twice what you wanted to spend. Sorry, didn't read that.
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Yeah, that's the kicker. I did look at those for a bit, but since I have a history of moving frequently for work, I don't think I want to invest that kind of $$ into something that I can't just take with me. The portable genny and a transfer switch are more suited to what I need.

I know what you're saying about delivery still being available and you're probably right. Thing is, we serve some propane distributors where I work and they can't pump off the railcars full of propane without power, so it's a vicious cycle. They are able to offload from trucks, but it's less than ideal.

I'll kick LP around a little more. Like I say, I do have a large tank that I could use if needed...but if I move, then that's gone, but I would probably end up somewhere that at least has NG.
 
Texashiker

Texashiker

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Dec 18, 2010
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If you want portable, gasoline might be a better option. When you get into diesel, you get into big and heavy.

One option is to look for a used diesel welding machine. Even though you may not use the welding side, its a diesel motor connected to a generator.

Sometimes welding shops will sell off their used diesel welding machines when they get new ones in, people that work construction sell off their machines, check the local pawn shops,,,,,,.
 
H

hdfxst

Senior member
May 13, 2009
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you can also look at light plants,you see them at construction sites.they go pretty cheap at auction.it's already on wheels
 
S

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
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jme5343 said:
Yeah, that's the kicker. I did look at those for a bit, but since I have a history of moving frequently for work, I don't think I want to invest that kind of $$ into something that I can't just take with me. The portable genny and a transfer switch are more suited to what I need.

I know what you're saying about delivery still being available and you're probably right. Thing is, we serve some propane distributors where I work and they can't pump off the railcars full of propane without power, so it's a vicious cycle. They are able to offload from trucks, but it's less than ideal.

I'll kick LP around a little more. Like I say, I do have a large tank that I could use if needed...but if I move, then that's gone, but I would probably end up somewhere that at least has NG.
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FWIW, I've just moved to southern Maine from DC, so I'm new to this but have been doing a lot of research. We're looking for a house now, but when we find one, I do plan to install a standby generator with a smart transfer switch and run it off of LP. My thought is that the 100lb tank will be big enough to provide backup power for probably a week, since in practice we don't really use much power except to run the furnace and the pumps (FHW is prevalent here). A fridge, maybe a TV and a PC, and that's about it. Summers are mild enough here where AC is usually a window unit and completely optional for most people.

LP/NG generators seem to have better life than Diesel - 5000 hr warranties are common. Plus, I'm not burning what I use to heat in the winter. If you ran a diesel generator out of the same tank you use to heat, you're cutting down on how long you can keep heating without power, and let's face it, that's the real reason to have one of these.

If you don't go overboard, you can get a good chunk of your money back when you sell the house. You might not recoup the 10-15k that an installed 20kW generator is going to cost, but you might get most of the costs of a smaller (8.5-10kW) unit back.

I have coworkers without power from the last storm. Some of them had portable units, and most of them won't even run all night. Sometimes they don't start. If I can swing the cost, I think I'd rather have the peace of mind that a standby unit provides.
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
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100 pounds is not a week on any LP gen set. that is the equivalent of 20 gallons of gas.
Those 20Kw gensets would go through that in about 18 hours, tops.
 
S

sjwaste

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Aug 2, 2000
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skyking said:
100 pounds is not a week on any LP gen set. that is the equivalent of 20 gallons of gas.
Those 20Kw gensets would go through that in about 18 hours, tops.
Click to expand...

Sorry, 100# might not be what I meant. I meant something like this, 120 gallons. That'd be about 400#, right? Up here that's what you have in your yard if you use bottled propane for pretty much anything.

552_100_0048.JPG
 
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