Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Well I finally broke down and purchased a Honda EM6500SX Generator for my house. Last year was brutal with power outages. The first one in September lasted for close to 4 days and the October outage caused by the fluke nor'easter lasted almost 6 days. I'm on well water so no power means no water (I think no water is worse than no power). We usually lose power several times each year and it seems to be getting worse and last longer each time. I heat with wood so that at least is never a problem.

Got my 10 circuit transfer switch all wired up on Friday with my licensed electrician buddy so I'm ready to get let down by National Grid this year. I caught a 0% for 18 months finance offer from Honda plus all generators and transfer switches were on sale (saved $600.00) so it worked out well. I don't usually feel good about spending a decent chunk of $$$ but knowing my family will have power when (not if) it goes out is a good feeling.

The generator only runs on gasoline so I plan on having about 20 gallons on hand plus a full onboard tank. This would provide about a week of intermittent usage if used mainly during the morning and evening hours. I looked into stationary propane powered units a few years ago and while it would be nice to have the power come on automatically a few seconds after losing the grid, it was quite expensive.

Frank,

congrats on your new gen.  I have a Honda em3500sx that I have as a backup to my Lister Diesel backup generator.   The Honda units while pricy compared to most, are very well built and should give you years of trouble free service as long as you take care to keep the fuel system clean.  The only thing i dislike about all of the high speed generator sets running at 3600 rpm is they are quite loud and its the kinda of noise that can go right through you.

I am looking at running 2 eu 2000 Honda that is much cheaper than a eu 6500. The only thing with that set up is I will have to wire it to my 220 breaker. From there I do not know how or if the amps will split, 1600 watts x 2 = 3200 running watts / 120 volts = 26.6 amps. The big question is will I get 26.6 amps on each bus bar in my electric panel or 26.6/ 2 = 13.33. 13.33 amps is nothing 13.33 x 120 = 1600 watts. I'm not sure how it works. If I can get 26.6 amps on each bus bar It should work fine. I hope it will. Your 6600 watt will give you 56 amps at full load. Are you getting 56 amps on each bus bar in your box of are you getting 28 amps???

http://www.uscarbs.com/ has kits for most portable generators. You can make your generator run on whatever fuel you choose.

Update: I just logged 35 hours on my new generator after we lost power when Sandy rolled through. A huge tree took down a pole and all the wires last Monday mid day and we did not get grid power back until Wednesday at 10:15 pm. The EM6500SX performed flawlessly and was relatively quiet, especially compared to some of the generators my neighbors were using (fortunately the houses are far apart from each other). The last thing I wanted was a jackhammer outside my house and the Honda did not let me down. My neighbors even commented on how much quieter my generator is compared to theirs.

I changed the oil at the 13 hour mark (manual says do this at 20 hours) and used about 15 gallons of fuel in total over the 3 days. I have about 90% of all my requirements tied into the transfer switch so aside from a few lights in a couple rooms, it's like not losing grid power. Still had no TV service but that was not a bad thing - it was nice to get a break from all the political ad's. Got some DVD's for entertainment at night and that worked out good. I'm on well water so no power means no water. Losing power for a total of 10 days during Irene and then the freak October nor'easter last year was an ordeal I did not want go through again. Being able to have a hot shower is priceless!

how quiet is the EM6500? can you give a relative comparison with other household items? I'm considering that or the EU6500is.

raysmd wrote:

Besides all the good attributes that go along with the honda brand,they are the QUIETEST portable generators out there by far.

raysmd wrote:

The spec's list the sound level at 73 decibals, which is pretty quiet compared to some others.

I bought a cheap Chinese built 4000/3000 watt Champion generator from Chinadian Tire a couple years ago for emergency purposes.  I was thoroughly impressed how quiet it is.  Both mechanically and exhaust wise.  Seems like a nice little unit but who knows how long it will withstand extended use.  Fortunately, I haven't had the need to use it yet.  I just fire it up every year or two to make sure it will run.  

I thought long and hard about spending the $$$ for a Honda vs. a BB store generator. I lose power so often and for such long periods of time that I decided reliablity, quietness and confidence in the product line when needed was worth the extra dough. I would have bought a lower priced unit if we only lost power for a few hours a few times a year. When I lose power it is generally for a minimum of 3 days to a maximum (so far) of 6 days, except of course for those little blips of an hour or so here and there that most experience. I did end up getting somewhat of deal as I caught a $500.00 off list special offer price on the EM6500SX, $100.00 off the transfer switch and 18 months zero% financing through Honda when I was ready to make my purchase. The special offers eased the pain a bit and losing power for close to 4 days a week ago validated my purchase decision even further.