Tailgate Generator Question

[gatorhater1509]

Mods move if necessary...Thought I'd receive more replies here.

I've been looking to get more serious about tailgating and investing in an inverter generator due to noise and powering sensitive electronics. After much research I'm considering buying a Wen 56200i (I know it's made in China) due to reviews on multiple websites, being comparable to the Honda eu2000 as far as specs, and obviously the price.

Admittedly, I'm a Honda fan boy, but I can't justify dropping $1000 on something I'll use a handful of times out of the year. Reliability of the Wen or any other "knock off" is my main concern; however, if I get half the life span of a Honda then it was an ok investment IMO. I've heard that Honda's last forever if you keep up on the maintenance, and you get what you pay for, but $1000 is a lot to spend on just powering a tailgate. I would use it around the house for emergencies or other misc things if need be also (I'm able to justify purchasing a generator to my wife since we're about to close on a house).

What say you VN? What are some of your experiences with inverter generators and what could you recommend?

 

[VolBricks]

You get what you pay for. I've had the Honda generator for over 6 years and I have not had any issues with it. It sits over the winter/spring and starts every time in the late summer/fall.

Edit: I do use fuel stabilizer every winter and I change the oil yearly.

 

[midtnvol2]

To me one of the things to consider is where you are buying it from. What is their policy is it is defective or issues. Will they swap it out or tell you you are on your own? For a few more dollars you may want to look at the Generac brand from Home Depot. See what their return policies are.

 

[Smokey X]

Love my Honda 2000 inverter. Where you buy it does matter to me. In the event you do need service its good to be able to take it where you purchased it for parts or service. Places like home depot only ship it somewhere else. Bought mine at the local Northern Equipment which has a service shop.

 

[volunsteer]

I have a Generac IQ2000 and it performs great. It is rated as quieter than the Honda equivalent although both are very quiet and the difference probably wouldn't matter. It is a couple of hundred less than the Honda. Don't confuse the IQ with the old Generac IX series. Those were loud but the new IQ series is great.

 

[brandonco05]

I have a Ryobi 2200. It's pretty awesome and was a good price. Very quiet also.

 

[InVOLuntary]

I have the Honda 3000. I got the larger one because I use it for more than just tailgating. I use it for a camper to pull the AC and I use it to power some of my circuits at home during power outages. It is heavy and obviously more expensive than the 1000 but I can tell you I love this thing. It works awesome. It is electric start and you just have to touch it. I don't know about the off brands or Chinese models but I can tell you the Honda is the best.

On a side note, If it is all possible, run only 100% gas without ethanol. Ethanol is terrible for small engines. Never store your generator with gas containing ethanol. And even with 100% gas, use a fuel stabilizer. Also, every now and then, start it and let it run for 5 or 10 minutes.

 

[kiddiedoc]

Generac. Significantly less expensive AND orange.

 

[VOLatile]

... AND orange.

The most important detail right there.

 

[1725gatorhater]

What are you are using it for? Just a tv? If so you only need a good battery jumper Like Schumacher 12-Volt 1200-Peak Amp Portable Power Station it is $113 at Home Depot or a good deep cycle battery and a decent inverter that you can clip on battery post for less than $200.00 all together. If you are using multiple devices like slow cooker, fans, etc get a Westinghouse WH2000ixlt... very good ratings I use to have Honda EU2000 which was nice but sold because I needed money. Second time I bought generator I shopped around and bought Westinghouse WH2000ixlt it has been great and very quiet. Actually has bigger gas compacity as Wen and better fuel consumption and slightly lighter. Both Wen and Westinghouse around $475.00 which is half price of Honda EU2000i so I can put $500 in my pocket.

 

[1725gatorhater]

Generac. Significantly less expensive AND orange.

Loud as hell too. Westinghouse house and Wen is 51 and 52 db.

 

[kiddiedoc]

Loud as hell too. Westinghouse house and Wen is 51 and 52 db.

Mine is not loud at all. Very comparable to the Honda 2000. The newer iQ models claim to be even quieter than the Honda.

And it's Orange.

 

[1725gatorhater]

Mine is not loud at all. Very comparable to the Honda 2000. The newer iQ models claim to be even quieter than the Honda.

And it's Orange.

When I was shopping I was looking for good quiet 2000 watt generator comparable to Honda and Yamaha. There was Wen at 51 db, and Westinghouse 52 db and both under $500. I checked generaciq and has it listed at 68db and could not find db on most sites so I got the Westinghouse WH2000ixlt. I may be wrong but just researched by reviews and happy with Westinghouse.

Here is one of my research list.
http://generatoradvisor.com/best-quiet-generator-reviews-quietest-portable-generator-on-the-market/

 

[gatorhater1509]

What are you are using it for? Just a tv? If so you only need a good battery jumper Like Schumacher 12-Volt 1200-Peak Amp Portable Power Station it is $113 at Home Depot or a good deep cycle battery and a decent inverter that you can clip on battery post for less than $200.00 all together. If you are using multiple devices like slow cooker, fans, etc get a Westinghouse WH2000ixlt... very good ratings I use to have Honda EU2000 which was nice but sold because I needed money. Second time I bought generator I shopped around and bought Westinghouse WH2000ixlt it has been great and very quiet. Actually has bigger gas compacity as Wen and better fuel consumption and slightly lighter. Both Wen and Westinghouse around $475.00 which is half price of Honda EU2000i so I can put $500 in my pocket.

I've looked into all the options you listed and none really appealed to me for misc reasons. I'd like to have the freedom to power multiple devices if I wanted which is why I'd like to have a generator. Also, as I said in my original post, my wife and I are about to close on our first home and would like to have it in case of a power outage or doing things around the house.

My thoughts are always you get what you pay for which makes me skeptical about the longevity of a Wen. I've read so many good reviews I'm about to pull the trigger but wanted other opinions from people who may know what the hell they're talking about.

How long ago did you buy the Westinghouse?

 

[kiddiedoc]

I tried the deep cycle battery+inverter setup years ago and despised every minute of it. Very finicky, had to worry about charging the battery, danger of shock/liability if somebody touched both terminals or spilled a drink...

I would never, ever, ever recommend going that route with more affordable quiet generators available now.

 

[kiddiedoc]

Also, as I said in my original post, my wife and I are about to close on our first home and would like to have it in case of a power outage or doing things around the house.

We were very thankful to have ours when we lost power for two+ days a couple winters back.

 

[1725gatorhater]

I've looked into all the options you listed and none really appealed to me for misc reasons. I'd like to have the freedom to power multiple devices if I wanted which is why I'd like to have a generator. Also, as I said in my original post, my wife and I are about to close on our first home and would like to have it in case of a power outage or doing things around the house.

My thoughts are always you get what you pay for which makes me skeptical about the longevity of a Wen. I've read so many good reviews I'm about to pull the trigger but wanted other opinions from people who may know what the hell they're talking about.

How long ago did you buy the Westinghouse?

Yep. If it lasts me 8-10years I got my money worth because I doubt I would get 16-20 out of a Honda and half price. I had mine for 6 months but check out reviews and this is not Westinghouse 1st rodeo because they are a well known name.

 

[InVOLuntary]

I tried the deep cycle battery+inverter setup years ago and despised every minute of it. Very finicky, had to worry about charging the battery, danger of shock/liability if somebody touched both terminals or spilled a drink...

I would never, ever, ever recommend going that route with more affordable quiet generators available now.

You're not doing the inverter right. I offer inverters as an option to what I produce. If you choose the correct inverter and batteries and it's installed properly, it is far superior to a generator. The trick is for it to be installed. I can see the issues if you were trying a portable setup.

 

[InVOLuntary]

I don't know if you have a harbor freight near by but I just go a mailer that shows their Predator 3500Watt that they compare to the Honda 3000 for $649. I think they have smaller one's too. Might check their website. It shows it weighs only 100lbs vs the Honda at 131.

Here's the link:

Looks like it is a touch louder than the Honda.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-62523.html

 

[UT_Dutchman]

I tried the deep cycle battery+inverter setup years ago and despised every minute of it. Very finicky, had to worry about charging the battery, danger of shock/liability if somebody touched both terminals or spilled a drink...

I would never, ever, ever recommend going that route with more affordable quiet generators available now.

If you know what you are doing there is really no hassle and no danger. We've used this set up for years along with a generator from time to time. The generator was more trouble overall.

 

[kiddiedoc]

You're not doing the inverter right. I offer inverters as an option to what I produce. If you choose the correct inverter and batteries and it's installed properly, it is far superior to a generator. The trick is for it to be installed. I can see the issues if you were trying a portable setup.

Yes, I kind of shot from the hip with the battery and inverter. I'd love to see how it actually SHOULD be set up.

You do still have to charge the battery each time, though, right?

 

[InVOLuntary]

Yes, I kind of shot from the hip with the battery and inverter. I'd love to see how it actually SHOULD be set up.

You do still have to charge the battery each time, though, right?

It's hard to do it portable but it can be done. I'll post some ideas later.

 

[InVOLuntary]

As to an inverter setup, many choose to go the cheap route and purchase a small inverter from their local walmart. The cheap ones do one thing, they take DC current, from a battery and convert it to AC current (household) that can run TVs, blenders, and such. They will typically use a technology called square wave. While square wave will work sometimes sensitive electronics don't like it. Real household current is sine wave current and works better. Many get along fine with squarewave though.

With this type of inverter, you still need some way of charging your battery when it gets depleted. Obviously, you wouldn't want your battery to die during your tailgate so you must size your battery appropriately. I'll get into batteries later. To charge your batteries, you can just purchase a battery charger and hook it up when you get home using alligator clips. The better solution is to purchase a battery charger that is permanently hooked up where you just plug your setup into a wall outlet and leave it so it will be ready to go when you need it.

These inverters are rated in wattage so you need to figure up what you want to be able to run simultaneously. All your items you want run will have a rated wattage so you need to just add up all the wattages. Some things will have a starting wattage which will be higher. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that has a high starting wattage that would be used for tailgating but you need to keep this in mind. Most inverters will allow for some over wattages for a brief amount of time, under one second. Again, starting loads typically are not found in a tailgate situation so I wouldn't worry too much about those. I do think it's important to over size the inverter slightly, like 10-20%. So if you add up everything you want to use and it comes to 500W, go ahead go with the 750W model.

Now to batteries. Remember that the batteries are your fuel tank. Just like in a generator your fuel will eventually run out. Obviously you can't pour fuel into the batteries like you can a generator's fuel tank. So, having enough battery (fuel) to last all day is crucial for a good setup. This can be calculated as well. Batteries have an amp/hr rating, (similar to gallons of fuel in a tank). Each appliance you want to hook up has an amp rating as well. There are formulas on the internet to help determine how much battery capacity you need. One 12V Marine deep cycle will probably not get it done. Most of the nicer setups use 6V golf cart battery setups wiring two golf cart batteries in series and then multiple pairs in parallel. I prefer AGM batteries because of their long life span and how well they perform with many charge/discharge cycles. They do cost a lot more though. My guess would be if you had four 6V golf cart batteries that would make for an adequate setup.

Another thing often overlooked is battery cable size. You have to use big wire. I would use #6 stranded wire at a minimum. I use 4/0 for most of my setups but the inverters I use are typically 3000W setups. Also, it is important to fuse the main battery leads. On my big setups I use 400AMP fuses. In a small setup 50AMP should be sufficient. You can purchase a 50AMP auto-resetting circuit breaker at most autoparts stores. It is also important to use crimp or solder on terminals on all your connections. Simply stripping the wire back and shoving it under a wingnut is not the way to do it. Alligator clips suck as well.

If you really want to do it right, you can purchase a inverter/charger. They are significantly more expensive but they do everything. You can just plug them in and they charge the batteries and maintain them as well when not in use. You can also get a remote panel to monitor the status of everything.

The secret to a good setup though is permanently mounting the whole system. Batteries should be strapped down in battery boxes. The charger and inverter should be screwed to a board or something. They can get warm during operation so ventilation is a key as well. I've seen some really good systems mounted to one of those baskets that slide into a receiver hitch on a car. While quite heavy it worked really well and was very portable.

I realize this is probably not as convenient as a generator but having a power source that is almost completely silent and not having to deal with gasoline is pretty cool. Anyone interested in putting a system together, I'll be happy to offer advice.

 

[kiddiedoc]

As to an inverter setup, many choose to go the cheap route and purchase a small inverter from their local walmart. The cheap ones do one thing, they take DC current, from a battery and convert it to AC current (household) that can run TVs, blenders, and such. They will typically use a technology called square wave. While square wave will work sometimes sensitive electronics don't like it. Real household current is sine wave current and works better. Many get along fine with squarewave though.

With this type of inverter, you still need some way of charging your battery when it gets depleted. Obviously, you wouldn't want your battery to die during your tailgate so you must size your battery appropriately. I'll get into batteries later. To charge your batteries, you can just purchase a battery charger and hook it up when you get home using alligator clips. The better solution is to purchase a battery charger that is permanently hooked up where you just plug your setup into a wall outlet and leave it so it will be ready to go when you need it.

These inverters are rated in wattage so you need to figure up what you want to be able to run simultaneously. All your items you want run will have a rated wattage so you need to just add up all the wattages. Some things will have a starting wattage which will be higher. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that has a high starting wattage that would be used for tailgating but you need to keep this in mind. Most inverters will allow for some over wattages for a brief amount of time, under one second. Again, starting loads typically are not found in a tailgate situation so I wouldn't worry too much about those. I do think it's important to over size the inverter slightly, like 10-20%. So if you add up everything you want to use and it comes to 500W, go ahead go with the 750W model.

Now to batteries. Remember that the batteries are your fuel tank. Just like in a generator your fuel will eventually run out. Obviously you can't pour fuel into the batteries like you can a generator's fuel tank. So, having enough battery (fuel) to last all day is crucial for a good setup. This can be calculated as well. Batteries have an amp/hr rating, (similar to gallons of fuel in a tank). Each appliance you want to hook up has an amp rating as well. There are formulas on the internet to help determine how much battery capacity you need. One 12V Marine deep cycle will probably not get it done. Most of the nicer setups use 6V golf cart battery setups wiring two golf cart batteries in series and then multiple pairs in parallel. I prefer AGM batteries because of their long life span and how well they perform with many charge/discharge cycles. They do cost a lot more though. My guess would be if you had four 6V golf cart batteries that would make for an adequate setup.

Another thing often overlooked is battery cable size. You have to use big wire. I would use #6 stranded wire at a minimum. I use 4/0 for most of my setups but the inverters I use are typically 3000W setups. Also, it is important to fuse the main battery leads. On my big setups I use 400AMP fuses. In a small setup 50AMP should be sufficient. You can purchase a 50AMP auto-resetting circuit breaker at most autoparts stores. It is also important to use crimp or solder on terminals on all your connections. Simply stripping the wire back and shoving it under a wingnut is not the way to do it. Alligator clips suck as well.

If you really want to do it right, you can purchase a inverter/charger. They are significantly more expensive but they do everything. You can just plug them in and they charge the batteries and maintain them as well when not in use. You can also get a remote panel to monitor the status of everything.

The secret to a good setup though is permanently mounting the whole system. Batteries should be strapped down in battery boxes. The charger and inverter should be screwed to a board or something. They can get warm during operation so ventilation is a key as well. I've seen some really good systems mounted to one of those baskets that slide into a receiver hitch on a car. While quite heavy it worked really well and was very portable.

I realize this is probably not as convenient as a generator but having a power source that is almost completely silent and not having to deal with gasoline is pretty cool. Anyone interested in putting a system together, I'll be happy to offer advice.

Wow, cool info. Thanks!

Looks like I'll be sticking with Big Orange. Nobody has ever complained about the noise, anyway.

 

[gatorhater1509]

Yep. If it lasts me 8-10years I got my money worth because I doubt I would get 16-20 out of a Honda and half price. I had mine for 6 months but check out reviews and this is not Westinghouse 1st rodeo because they are a well known name.

I'm now seriously considering the Westinghouse igen2500. I like the 2200 running watts and the warranty. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Westinghou...Generator-with-Westinghouse-Engine/1000279493

I have a Lowe's coupon I've been needing to use also.