I own a ridgid portable generator.It's rated at 6800 running watts and 8500 start up watts.It has a Yamaha MZ360 11hp engine and an "armour heavy duty alternator" (whatever that means).I used it during Hurricane Irene for 10 consecutive days,22 hrs/day.I would shut it down for 1 hr in the morning prior to refueling and 1 hr in the evening before refueling.It ran my whole house.I had a 10 circuit manual transfer switch installed.It ran a sump pump,deep freezer,sub zero refrigerator,flat panel tv,computer,toaster,micro wave and never did my generator feel overworked.It has a auto voltage regulator so I guess an inverter gen is not needed. My comp and all the electronic appliances worked perfectly.And I bought it at home depot for $900 + tax. Winco and Gillette make great products as does yamaha and honda.But I cant see spending 2 to $3000 on something that I will use once every 2 to 3 yrs.So far my $900 gen has proven to be reliable and safe to use with electronic equipment.
I guess I'm trying to just get a generator that works. I don't want to spend $1000 on a generator to have it not do the job (UPSs and Well Pump) then have to fight with the retailer to take it back as a used item.
Maybe I'll see if I can rent a 8 or 10kW generator and see how it fares.
