Engine welder generator question

[monsoon-mech]

But it's a nice peace of mind knowing when the power DOES go out for whatever reason, you are prepared and set up to deal with it properly, IN ADVANCE. Having the other half's approval keeps thing smoother at home, too.

Oh no doubt... I was a boyscout before I spent almost 2 decades with Uncle Sam (heavily armed boy scout with a parachute) , I'm a firm believer in bein prepared for any situation, I used to import and sell military surplus arms and vehicles... theres a 50KW container mounted multi fuel generator sitting behind my truck shop just in case... its been there awhile gets fired up twice a month and runs through its cycle but has only actually been needed once when a flooded Santa Cruz river took out 3 power transformers.... power was out for 6 hours while they switched everything to the secondary transformers...

[Bistineau]

As I am watching the news about the power outages in California, I am interested in setting up a backup generator for my house. We don't have natural gas at the property so propane or gasoline/diesel.

Now the exciting question is to get an engine welder that can be used as a generator in an emergency. The house main panel is 150A so 18kW is the peak usage, but in a pinch we can do probably with ~12kW.

Any suggestions? Would a Trailblazer 325 do? Other recommendations? Thanks.

Did you ever follow through and get an engine drive welder??

[koenbro]

No i am considering my options for a 10kW unit. Interestingly up your generator without any welding function is not substantially cheaper than one of the Miller units.


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[Bistineau]

No i am considering my options for a 10kW unit. Interestingly up your generator without any welding function is not substantially cheaper than one of the Miller units.


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That's why, to me, the welder/generator makes more sense, as it is a dual purpose unit and is likely to be used more often than a stand alone generator. I can power the house with it or take it to a remote location and weld with it or power up something there. Not something you can do with a Generac or other installed generator only rigs. I mounted my BC on small trailer I fixed up and can easily tow it with my riding mower or my Tacoma P/U if I need to take it on the road.

[Oscar]

https://www.amazon.com/A-iPower-SUA1.../dp/B01E54MPKE

Best value in a portable clean-power gasoline generator.

[acoresair]

What is a quiet brand in a generator?


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[scsmith42]

What is a quiet brand in a generator?


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MQ Power has a division called “Movie Quiet” or something like that. I stood next to a 100KW unit (close enough to put my hands on it) and other than seeing the heat waves coming out of the exhaust, I could not tell that it was running.

Koehler and Onan both make very effective enclosures for some of their generators. It all depends upon the size of the generator and how quiet you want it to be.

In general, the lower the operating RPM, the quieter the unit.

[Willie B]

Generac also makes a quiet series. They are not cheap.

I was working on a new 9 Killowatt Generac earlier this week. I had to step 20 feet into a walk out basement through a sliding door to turn off utility power to test it. I didn't think it started until I went back out.

Most all of the newest standby units are pretty quiet from inside the house.

[monsoon-mech]

No i am considering my options for a 10kW unit. Interestingly up your generator without any welding function is not substantially cheaper than one of the Miller units.


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the difference is that the dedicated generator is designed to run continuously and the welder is not, a propane or natural gas generator will not have any issues caused by fuel going bad from sitting while the welder if not ran regularily will turn into a major PIA as the carb/FI becomes fauled most generators are not dependant upon expensive circuit boards either which if allowed to sit tend to start having issues... while that welder is entirely dependent on them etc... because of this the generator becomes much cheaper to operate in the long run also remember out here in AZ we have a problem with the good ol packrat who loves to eat electrical wire insulation so be sure to setup whatever ya choose accordingly...

[G-ManBart]

the difference is that the dedicated generator is designed to run continuously and the welder is not, a propane or natural gas generator will not have any issues caused by fuel going bad from sitting while the welder if not ran regularily will turn into a major PIA as the carb/FI becomes fauled most generators are not dependant upon expensive circuit boards either which if allowed to sit tend to start having issues... while that welder is entirely dependent on them etc... because of this the generator becomes much cheaper to operate in the long run also remember out here in AZ we have a problem with the good ol packrat who loves to eat electrical wire insulation so be sure to setup whatever ya choose accordingly...

Since this thread isn't about liquid-cooled prime power generators, none of the systems discussed in this thread are intended to run continuously.

I have a 20Kw Generac on natural gas and it has to be shut down for an oil level check every 24 hours and an oil/filter change every 200 hours.

I also have a Hobart Champion Elite 11Kw unit (9.5Kw continuous) and they list no limitation on continuous running other than a daily oil level check and 100 hour oil/filter change and the fact that it'll probably only go about 12 hours on a full tank of fuel. If you connected it to a bigger fuel tank you could go 24 hours between oil level checks just like with the standby generator. I keep ethanol-free fuel in the Hobart and it sometimes sits 6 months or more between uses...no problems at all, but that's the only fuel it's ever had in it.

What are you basing the comment that generators don't rely on circuit boards to start? Maybe the kind that you roll around and pull start might not, but a standby generator sure does.

[BillE.Dee]

the difference is that the dedicated generator is designed to run continuously and the welder is not, a propane or natural gas generator will not have any issues caused by fuel going bad from sitting while the welder if not ran regularily will turn into a major PIA as the carb/FI becomes fauled most generators are not dependant upon expensive circuit boards either which if allowed to sit tend to start having issues... while that welder is entirely dependent on them etc... because of this the generator becomes much cheaper to operate in the long run also remember out here in AZ we have a problem with the good ol packrat who loves to eat electrical wire insulation so be sure to setup whatever ya choose accordingly...

I live in the middle of nothing with ancient power lines bringing that thar electric stuff to the teepee. I purchased a standby generator big enough to operate the teepee. My wife developed copd and now needs a controlled environment. I now have a 22kw generac auto generator big enough to operate the whole teepee and the barn for me. I also have the portable large standby unit. I'm waiting for the "neighbors" to appear when the power goes out for the winter.
When I was a flyboy, I learned two things for sure....the runway behind me aint squat and redundancy is a good thing.

[monsoon-mech]

What are you basing the comment that generators don't rely on circuit boards to start? Maybe the kind that you roll around and pull start might not, but a standby generator sure does.

just a reference to the welder he's looking at getting which I have 3 of (Trailblazer) and 2 of em have smoked the circuite boards with very low hours on both.. he's in Phoenix I'm in Tucson (well I have a house and a shop in Tucson I actually live 30 miles west out in the desert, with what libs would consider way too many guns and alota space around me...) I used to be a military surplus importer and firearms manufacturer and class 3 dealer... I still have alota toys from my prior life.. including several military generators one is a 250KW multifuel built in a shipping container 2 50kw units setup for natural gas one at my truck shop the other out here and several lil 10kw units setup to run on propane used at a few permanent hunting camps... non of these have ever had a circuite board failure the occasional packrat incursion yes... as far as "on wheels" ya know it only takes me 30 minutes to put wheels under the 250kw (it loads onto a container transport) so is that what your refferin too? that big ol engine would be fun to watch someone pull start though

BTW with our fuel blends out here in AZ if I don't fire up the trailblazers at least once a week and run em, they tend to get skitish and start missin and bein general PIA... I'm very picky bout fuel quality with my engines as the combination of alota heat its already hard on air cooled engines as it is without adding low grade fuel to the mix... yea that heats another problem for air cooled stuff running continuosly it tends to wreak havoc on em when the air they are pullin past the engines already 114 degrees.. those are the days I drag out the Big 20 insteada onea the trailblazers its hard on air cooled generators too BTW

[Willie B]

Since this thread isn't about liquid-cooled prime power generators, none of the systems discussed in this thread are intended to run continuously.

I have a 20Kw Generac on natural gas and it has to be shut down for an oil level check every 24 hours and an oil/filter change every 200 hours.

I also have a Hobart Champion Elite 11Kw unit (9.5Kw continuous) and they list no limitation on continuous running other than a daily oil level check and 100 hour oil/filter change and the fact that it'll probably only go about 12 hours on a full tank of fuel. If you connected it to a bigger fuel tank you could go 24 hours between oil level checks just like with the standby generator. I keep ethanol-free fuel in the Hobart and it sometimes sits 6 months or more between uses...no problems at all, but that's the only fuel it's ever had in it.

What are you basing the comment that generators don't rely on circuit boards to start? Maybe the kind that you roll around and pull start might not, but a standby generator sure does.

That depends on your definition of "circuit board" Current production Generac use Programmable Logic Controllers, and solid state modules instead of the boards they used to have. You don't diagnose the module, you rule out everything else, then condemn a module.

[monsoon-mech]

As I am watching the news about the power outages in California, I am interested in setting up a backup generator for my house. We don't have natural gas at the property so propane or gasoline/diesel.

Now the exciting question is to get an engine welder that can be used as a generator in an emergency. The house main panel is 150A so 18kW is the peak usage, but in a pinch we can do probably with ~12kW.

Any suggestions? Would a Trailblazer 325 do? Other recommendations? Thanks.

hey, if your still wanting a generator option... check out this CL ad from our Tucson CL might be worth ya takin a 150 mile drive

https://tucson.craigslist.org/for/d/...027525876.html

[smithdoor]

I purchased a generator this due power outage. I Live in California.
I pickup a Predator 4000 it will run my welder.
If you running stick it take a 10,000 watt 240 volt at lest.

I changed my to propane low cost and propane has a better shelf life than gasoline.

Dave

As I am watching the news about the power outages in California, I am interested in setting up a backup generator for my house. We don't have natural gas at the property so propane or gasoline/diesel.

Now the exciting question is to get an engine welder that can be used as a generator in an emergency. The house main panel is 150A so 18kW is the peak usage, but in a pinch we can do probably with ~12kW.

Any suggestions? Would a Trailblazer 325 do? Other recommendations? Thanks.