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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 00:15
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After mulling the options, my specific needs, and my budget realities, this one was the winner! Because I conveniently have a gas station very close to my land, I decided against duel fuel. Remote start has suddenly become more important in my price point, lol.
One question, and probably a stupid one but oh, well. What are "starting watts" and is that similar to "surge watts?"
Cabelas had a fantastic sale a couple of weeks ago. I got this genny for $399 with free shipping. I haven't tried her out yet but I'm very impressed with the packaging, instructions, and everything included. She came with a battery, oil, funnel, oil pan, and spark plug tool. The remote control is solid, too. 
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 00:23
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Crap! Sorry the photo is upside down! No clue why -- it posted fine elsewhere. Anyhoo, it's 4000 "starting" and 3500 "running" watts. Remote and electric start, low oil shutoff, voltage guard, digital displays, etc. 68 dB. RV ready, 30 amp receptacle.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 01:24
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...
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 01:43
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Thanks for the assist, MtnDon!
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 08:34
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Congrats Julie. Hope it serves you well.
I think 'starting watts' and 'surge watts' are the same thing. When you start an electric motor it pulls a very high wattage as it starts and speeds up, then when it is up to speed the wattage settles out at a lower level. So the generator has to be able to handle that initial surge. My 5000 watt generator claims to be capable of 8000 surge watts. But the thing is that I couldn't run the generator at anywhere near 5000 watts for any length of time and expect it to last. So it's partly marketing. With your generator don't turn on two motors at once and don't run it constantly at more than 1000-1500 watts.
Remember that the battery needs to be maintained. If you let the generator sit for 9 months thru the summer the battery will get low. Just start it a few times in the summer and let it run 10-15 minutes to charge the battery and keep the oil moving.
Did you drill a well?
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:12
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That's a pretty good deal you got there Julie and should handle most everything. I'm really glad you got the one with the Low Oil Shutoff VS the "sister" which only has a Low Oil Warning light (lights can be missed and poof goes Genny). Your Well Pump depending on type etc may have a pretty high startup draw. My King Canada 3000 Watt Inverter Genny handles my pump but it is a Soft Start 120v unit so the surge is minimal.
Only one point to consider when on Genny Power, that is not an Inverter Generator ad therefore not generating Pure Sine Wave power, rather it creates Mod Wave power which is not terribly good for Electronics.
Here is a Good Article from Alt-E related to Pure Sine VS Mod Sine Inverters BUT the same applies to power from a Generator : https://www.altestore.com/blog/2015/10/pure-sine-wave-vs-modified-sine-wave-whats-the -difference/
I do have a bigger Champion 7200/9000 to run my Table Saw and heavier stuff which is not Pure Sine and it roasted a Battery Charger (DeWalt for 20v Batts) and a Radio which sounded quite funky and buzzed... No loss on the Radio but upset on the charger unit. Hence my words of Caution
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:12
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bldginsp
Thanks! Sounds good! I doubt I'll run more than 1,000 watts at a time. It's mostly for the chest freezer and a small light or two. I've got the solar shed lights for the kitchenette and the loft so I'll only have 2 small lights in the bathroom and little living room. It doesn't look like my TV atenna will be picking up anything, geez. I can't even get channels 6 miles outside of town. I won't get satellite anything until the main cabin is built so I'm busily downloading a lot of books onto my Kindle before the move, heh.
Good point on the battery. In fact, I need to check the one it shipped with somehow and make sure it's not dead!
No, the well isn't drilled. In fact, I haven't even gotten the drillers out to my land yet. We've had a lot of rain over the past few weeks and they've gotten behind on their current work so they're supposed to call me back this week to set up a day.
I'm getting a bit worried, not even having an estimate yet. The shabin will be built in 3 weeks and I need water out there. I guess there are always rain barrels. (And then it won't rain, with my luck, hahaha!) 
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:39
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Steve_S
I'll actually be going with a deep well hand pump for now. And what I'm hoping to do with the main cabin, even, is gravity feed to pressure tanks and have something like a Shurflo pump inside. The topography, setbacks, and other stuff lend itself perfectly to this.
And then there's the fun, bureaucratic fact that because my property is comprised of 2 parcels, I would have to go through months of having photos and crap compiled and attending planning board meetings to have the lots officially joined into one parcel. OR I could simply put the septic system on one lot and my buildings and well on the other lot and pay the On-Site Department $50 to basically grant myself some sort of immediate easement and get my permits quickly. Guess which one won? LOL.
The last few weeks have been interesting, haha. The folks in the county departments are really nice and helpful, though.
Anyhoo, back to the generator! The manual recommends using a surge protector on the outlets if you're going to plug in electronics like that. Would it help? Champion has a little, stackable inverter generator now for about $400. I got the main one so cheap that I suppose there's room on the credit card for that little guy, if I had to do it. But I'd rather not, unless I could resell one of them after I was in the main cabin.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 10:14
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Quoting: Steve_S Only one point to consider when on Genny Power, that is not an Inverter Generator ad therefore not generating Pure Sine Wave power, rather it creates Mod Wave power which is not terribly good for Electronics.
Not quite true. That generator spins an armature in a magnetic field. Spinning an armature in a magnetic field is the original method of producing AC power. That is the same method the power company uses, only on a larger scale. The smooth curve of the AC sine wave is produced as the rotor segments enter and leave the stationary magnetic field.
We invented square wave and modified wave AC power when we designed the first DC to AC inverters. Until then, at least in modern times, our power company and small generator produced AC power all had a nicely formed sine curve.
In both cases the speed that the armature spins determines the frequency, in our systems that is 60 Hz. If the speed varies the frequency changes. The little Champion uses a governor to maintain the engine speed and hold the frequency stable. The sine wave is produced by the way the winding are made, how the magnets affect the power generation.
If the generator has poor control of the engine speed then the frequency may vary and that could cause other sorts of problems with some electronics. But that is not quite the same as having a cheap DC to AC inverter that produces a square wave. The cheap inverter will likely maintain the frequency very well but produces the rough wave.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 17:12
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Looks like the same one I got for mothers place.
Plop the poster on the wall where you can easily see it,
keep the feather duster close by (it's part of the bonding process)
Fire it up and awaaay you go....you'll like this one....don' t forget to
keep her sparkly!
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2016 22:20
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Haha, groingo, will do! Gary O installed her wheels for me today so she's rolling!
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 26 Oct 2016 00:01
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Julie.cabi here.that generator rocked.gary o cant wait to get one too.i cant wait to get one with an electric start.
oh praise be.thanks for letting us see it.it was gars pleasure to put it together so we could see it.it rocks.
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 26 Oct 2016 00:03
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Julie.cabi here.that generator rocked.gary o cant wait to get one too.i cant wait to get one with an electric start.
oh praise be.thanks for letting us see it.it was gars pleasure to put it together so we could see it.it rocks.
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 26 Oct 2016 03:42
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cabingal3
I am so grateful you guys gave it a lookover and got it set up! I'm behind the learning curve on mechanical equipment, haha, and have some reading to do! That remote start feature is going to be magic when it's awful outside!
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old greybeard
Member
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# Posted: 26 Oct 2016 10:19
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I run my genny 2x a year, usually in winter to watch football when my panels are covered. I have a 4k Champion.
I get no interference in my TV, radio, lights, PC, digital 12v charger. Used to get hum lines in a old analog tube set, the new flatscreen is clean, and uses less power.
I did have a gas on/off valve fail. And the genny is not the best quality. But for $299 its worked great for 5 years. And champion has good cust service with a real live American answering the phone.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 26 Oct 2016 17:04
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One warning if you are planning to use the remote start per manual...if you don' t plan to use the remote start over the next 30 days be sure the Battery light on the genny is off otherwise it will drain the battery.
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