Thank you for all the comments, definitely did not think this would get viewed this much. 95% of the comments have been useful, and very civil. I have learned a lot from y'all. From gas storage ideas, when to use the generator to solar additions and maintenance. Thank you for all the advice. I really appreciate it.
Greetings. I hope all is well. There are videos showing how to connect an external gas tank and extend the run time of your Honda Gen. Maybe you would be interested in that?
Personally I would go with a propane generator. The propone fuel can be stored for extremely long periods of time in 20lb.tanks. You can always keep several around filled. Plus you can use them for fueling a grill for cooking and a heater if the power is out. You can also buy propane operated refrigerators and freezers. Just putting my tow cents in.
It is a waste of fuel to operate a generator all night. Your Fridge / Freezer will hold its temperature over night, especially with the door being closed and not opened all night. One other thing you can do is to keep some frozen jugs of water in the freezer and place them in the fridge overnight to keep the fridge cooler (essentially turning the fridge into an icebox fridge). In the morning when the generator is restarted, place the melted jugs back in the freezer to "recharge". Source is my experience with the ice storm of 1998 in the Thousand Islands, no power for 28 days!
I agree with your statement somewhat, but as somebody who lives in Florida and dealt with Helene and Milton it’s hard to sleep when it’s 90° plus in the house. We run ours through the night to keep a room cool for our animals and family. Thankfully the weather after Milton has cooled to the 70s.
This is exactly what I felt when I watched this video. Just a normal person navigating a disaster. No "you should have already bought this 20 years ago" energy.
@@frustratedalien666 sometimes i find "preppers" (and I am one, living in a really isolated rural area you have to be prepared for longer periods unable to access power, phone...) have a kinda "crazed" energy and way of thinking about them i find mildly irritating. there is also a somewhat smug "i told you so" that makes me think one of my neighbours is a complete jerk.
When hurricanes hit home in my experience neighbors are the first line of support. You helped your neighbors and that is what it is all about. Thanks for sharing.
I have the previous generation of this generator (actually 2 of them I bought in 2006). A couple of tips for you. When you go to put it back in storage, run the tank dry, dump any residual gas in the tank out, and drain the carburetor. You drain the carburetor by loosening a screw in the bottom of the fuel bowl. The gas will drain through a clear plastic tube that exits the bottom of the generator, just behind that removable panel. Second tip is that generator has a fuel pump. That allows it to be connected to an auxiliary fuel tank using something called the BERGS system from IPI Industries. We have actually set some up using surplus NATO jerry cans using a pickup system from Lexington Container and immersible hose from McMaster Carr.
A Duel Fuel Generator is a must have. Growing up in Hurricane Country (South Florida) I learned how difficult and dangerous it can be to Get Gasoline (when everyone is Panicking), and then having to Store the gasoline safely. Having a 5 gal can of gas for vehicles and chain saws is important but you don't want to have to store too much. Propane is EASY and while it is not a good as gas in a generator.....it is Good Enough and you can store ALOT of propane much easier and more safely.
Aussie in Thailand here. Well done on donating the generator once you had power restored. That's what all humans should do, look after you and yours first and then help out the local and wider community. Great to see. Those little honda generators (and brush cutters and anything with a little honda engine) cost more than some of the other options, but will rarely let you down....as four years without unboxing showed!!!!!
@@Ulbre it’s amazing how many people have watched this video. Thank you for the kind words. I realize now I took a chance never opening it. I have also learned a lot from the comments
It's good to see someone thats prepared but not overdoing it and considerate of others. Congratulations and thank you for looking after others as well as yourself.
Thanks for the info, everyone's prep is different and it's nice to hear other people's experiences in these situations. I think I'm pretty well prepared however you video and others like it always touch on a topic or two that I missed.
Also if you buy an expensive ext cord like a 100 foot 10 AMP use electrical tape around it and maybe even have a wire stick out as well, they won't steal a bad extension cord. I just purchased a 175 dollar cord.
Thanks for the info, and still hoping for the people still suffering effects from these storms to find relief. A nice thing to do when prepping is to consider the likelyhood of events to prep for. You can get stuff for the more likely events (short power outages) first, making your life better/easier, and get stuff for less likely events (space alien invasion, zombie apocalypse) later.
I learned that I need to make sure and TEST my generator so It works AND make sure my 375gal propane tank is full. I needed a low pressure part and It took 3 weeks to get it. I had the systems to be just fine not having power for over a week, but I didn't test to make sure they actually worked.
This is a great advertisement for Honda. Clearly the guy making this video is a wonderful person and quite intelligent. It appears his normal world is NOT power equipment or making everyday things work. Even so, he was able to unbox a generator, operate it safely, and have excellent results for both him and his community. I grew up with a farmer for a dad and have been playing with engines and making things work since I was a small child. It’s interesting to see someone without a similar upbringing getting things done and doing them well. Even though off brand generators can be purchased for cheaper, a Honda is the best generator for emergency power because of their legendary reliability and clean consistent power.
@jacuzzibusguy that’s fair. Small engines are not my specialty. So I’m learning a lot from all the comments. But I camp a lot, so all that gear was useful.
@@jaystusit’s a good idea @gregoryclark3870 has about painting them. those Honda gens are worth every penny and after a big disaster like what you guys have had they suddenly become prime targets.
That’s sad-disaster victims struggling to survive in such disasters have been through enough already! Then they have to concerned about thieves and dangerous people stealing what little they have to survive with? 🤦 😒
My Jackery 1000 plus was a lifesaver during Beryl, as was my cobb flashlights from dollar tree, and my midea window AC (that I could run on the Jackery) as well as box fan. I only ran the Midea u-shaped window unit for 20 minutes to cool down my bedroom so I could go to sleep here near Houston. It is better to run your laptop and your router than to run a tv off your Jackery--uses less power. Turn your fridge to the coldest setting before the storm and to the lowest after the storm, then chill for a few intermittent hours---like one on and 3 off. I am glad I came across this video as it reminds me that I still need to pick up that timer to make it automatic on the fridge. The freezer only uses like 50 watts when it runs which is probably less than 100 watts in a day. I want to add another 1000 watts in second battery for my Jackery as then I could leave the house for a day or two and go where there is power without worry.
Thank you for making this video. You are the first person who demonstrated and explained how to use a generator and I completely appreciate that. Everything you mentioned makes so much sense and I will be able to be better prepared, when our power goes out…AGAIN. 🤔 Thank you!
You found a great solution. A small little inverter-generator is all you usually need to run critical items that make life easier without utility power. Conserving gasoline is important. I have a similar setup but with the addition of a beefy power station (2000Wh of LiFePO4 storage, 2000W inverter), and I have a bit of solar too. So in power outages I charge the power station from the generator and solar, and the power station runs the fridge. That way the generator only needs to run 2-3 hours a day and can be physically turned off the rest of the time... which uses even less gas. The power station's inverter stays on 24x7. -Matt
Having moved from FL recently, I know this drill more than I care for. Longest times without power was 9 and 11 days. Definitely, a midrange battery generator (2kw) is a great upgrade to the plan, with possibly some solar panels(and great for camping). Also, consider a duel fuel generator, such as propane/gas. Propane stores better than gas. I suggest shopping during black Fri.
Thats exactly what we did with Milton. Generator for like 1 to 1.5 hours the morning and evening to top off the batteries quick. Then solar throughout the day to charge and cover everything. Batteries running stuff like 21 hours.
That’s my plan unless I need AC or even worse heat. If I need those the gas generator is likely going to be the go to for heat, if I’m out of propane for the little buddy heater. I have two smaller A-iPower 2000 watt generators that can be run in parallel if needed.
I'm happy you and your family made it through this disaster safely, and I pray for those missing and the families that have been devastated. I'm glad to hear there are people like you who are willing to help their neighbors. Keep up the awesome work and God Bless you and your family.
I'm a huge fan of USB power banks, we have the USB fans and lights as well. We purchased a Bluetti for our outages. We have a generator, but if the outage is less than 3 days we don't need it. We also got one for my Mom, the AC180, which has enough power to run a microwave. She lives in a high-rise and appreciates the ability to make warm food. Thanks for sharing your experience, it's good to know what was used.
Glad you and your family made it through safely! And thank you for sharing your story and tips. Lots of people have ideas, but real world experience teaches valuable lessons. One tip I have - when you're done with the generator, run it until the fuel runs out. Even with stabilizer in the gas, even with non-ethanol gas, it can gum up your carb and you might not be able to start it when you need it. Oh, and a second tip - a good camping cooler half filled with ice will keep milk and meat safe and cool for several days. If you can get ice, that can be a better solution than cycling the fridge with the generator. Great call on using the camping stoves off the 20lb propane tanks. Great call on keeping the generator away from the house!
I’d run that Honda on eco all the time if I were you. An inverter generator will automatically throttle up and down to adjust to the load applied to it, that is one of the main advantages to an inverter generator, they can maintain 120v at 60 hz at any throttle position while still putting out clean power that is safe for sensitive electronics. The only time you would need to turn the eco throttle off is if you are trying to start a large motor like an air compressor. The eco throttle will save you a lot of fuel, which is a crucial thing in an emergency when fuel is hard to get. We recently lost power for 2 days and I had a full size refrigerator and 2 full size freezers running on our 2000 watt inverter generator on eco throttle. The generator was able to start the compressors and run all three at the same time on eco as long as I plugged them in one at a time so the compressors weren’t all trying to start at the same time. A small generator is a game changer when the power is out for days at a time. Every time we get a major storm I see people out buying the biggest generator they can find and I have to wonder if they have any idea how much fuel it’s gonna take to run that thing for a day. At best it’ll get expensive quick and at worst they’ll be out of fuel quickly and unable to get more.
Thank you, I’m really learning a lot I noticed the eco was very efficient. I ran it on eco almost the whole time. Except when I ran the washing machine
Most electronics run on switching power supplies. They filter the electricity on both sides of the switch so it really doesn't matter if the power is "clean" or not.
The Honda eu3200i is the most fuel efficient generator on the market. However a dual fuel gives you the most options, which the eu3200i is only gasoline.
Kudos to you for having some basic preparedness. One thing I might suggest - take a look at the propane conversion for the 2200i. I have converted my two 2200s to run on either gasoline or propane and keep ~240lb of propane on hand to run them. A few 100lb tanks and the regular 20lb grill tanks makes for a soundlevel of preparedness, but ultimately it is just a nice to have the ability to run off a fuel source like propane and not have to worry about stabilizing gasoline. Stay safe and glad you and yours were able to ride out the storm and its aftermath. **And I agree - the battery chainsaws are pretty convenient for us folks who don't use them frequently. Out west I appreciate that I don't have to deal with jetting issues since mine is used at altitudes ranging from 4200-10000 feet.
We have a multifuel generator and solar power systems. I prefer propane too for stability. We keep 5 full 20 lb tanks at all times and 2 extra tanks for our grill. We also have a cool little stove that you can charge phones and laptop off of while you cook.
I would advise to keep 10-15 gals of non-ethanol gas on hand for the generator. Use Sta-Bil, as well, to extend the shelf life of the gas. Rotate the gas, ie use in the car, every 6 months to keep fresh. I rotate mine, 10 gallons at a time, at the year mark.
I have a 14 gal fuel caddy that I stupidly let get low. It had about 4 gallons in it, which was very useful, but it would have been MUCH more useful had it been full. I may get another one. 28 gallons would be even more useful.
Diesel lasts 2x as long, but you can't get small diesels. They just don't really exist under 10kw. Propane will last indefinitely - and more importantly, you can get dual fuel inverter generators in more convenient sizes.
I have lost power for five days and nine days and have a 5500 watt generator. I have learned that after a few days, you are spending more in gas to keep the refrigerator running than what the food is worth. Refrigerators will keep food cold for four hours without power, freezers for 24. To save fuel, maybe run the generator every three hours to get the fridge back down to temp. Charge phones and portable battery packs during that time.
Have a Wen 4000w gas/propane gen, and EcoFlow max 2 solar gen. This got us through Ian in 22, no pwer 9 days, and recently Milton. Just run solar at night, and propane during day,topping off solar before dark. Fridge, lights and coffee is all. As other comments, propane stores better, and no need to continuously run. 2 hours on 4 hours off is fine. Did add Coleman camp stove, and small propane spares. Store water and food. Charge everything ahead of time for no bad surprises. Solar gen now better and cheaper than when I got. Great vid.
Just my opinion but putting all your eggs in one basket is foolish, even if the basket says Honda on the side. For the price of a Honda you could get two or three cheaper brands to have as backups. Even Hondas breakdown and then you're boned.
Nice video! I bought my Honda generator after a Derechio that happened up here in NJ right before Hurricane Sandy thank goodness. Funny how we always get things After suffering.
During Hurricane Michael, I was without electrical service for 27 days. If you only open the refrigerator to remove food once, each morning, running the generator a half hour twice a day will keep things cold, as gasoline was hard to get. Propane refills were out of service. I duct taped the freezer door sealed. Individual solar lights ( I have a Luci) worked well. An inexpensive Harbor freight 55 watt solar system and one deep cycle battery kept communication phones and radios working for several families. The charge controller has 3V, 6V, 9V, 12V, and USB outlets and one 12 volt light bulb. A liquid fuel Coleman stove and a gallon of gasoline kept me cooking, including pressure canning meat. Old time kerosene lamps and lanterns worked well, and modern diesel fuel burns well with acceptable odor, if you run out of K1 kerosene. And I agree with you on this: You can find cheaper generators than a Honda, but none better. I had 2 1/2 gallons of no- alcohol fuel to run at the end before storage, but used ethanol for the most part, due to price and availability.
You can convert a chest freezer into an incredibly efficient refrigerator. Use a temperature controller (a simple plug-in is fine) to force the temperature to 37F or so (35-40) Condensation will be an issue, but chest freezers will have a drain outlet (most aren't frost-free). Just pop it open and put a drain pan underneath When you open the lid from above, all the cold air stays inside
@@sparkywilson1405 I have an upright freezer that has a refrigerator mode setting built in. It is also rated "garage ready" which means it functions efficiently in a wider environmental temperature range than a standard household refrigerator.
We used our huge battery bank to power our refrigerator for the 12 hours we were without power in Hudson, FL. I used my Ryobi One + battery fan for my wife. We did not need to cook because our power came back rather quickly.
Recently lost power for 3 days form Milton. Have the Honda 2000 generator. Best use case is run it for a few hours, have the fridge plugged in during that time so no drain on battery system. Also top off your big battery systems when running. Then run solar throughout the day. Then Honda again at night to top off. With that combo of enough batteries and solar panels can minimize the use of the generator to like maybe 2-3 hours a day total and still run a fridge full time and other items. Have had that Honda for 15-20 years maybe. It's been clutch.
Yes, we’re also in upstate SC, and we were blessed compared to so many others. Generators, with fuel already standing by, were awesome. Refilling gasoline or propane was very difficult or impossible the first few days. We lost public power early on Sept 27, regained it about 10AM on Oct 07, 2024. No problems with water or sewer, and our home itself was undamaged. Cell phones and WiFi were down. No direct 911 for some time. Once the main highways and other roads began being cleared of trees & debris, then repairs began. Radios (9 volt, ham, etc..) were the only source of real-time information. Our local radio station 98.9FM was up & on air, and great. A maintained generator, with fuel, became an important part of life.
@@BoomerMutt55 yup, we had the same experience. Now I’m just collecting fire wood. Natural gas water heater was nice. And thankfully nice weather after.
I dont think anyone has mentioned the oil change intervals yet, but you might want to do a 1-2 hr initial oil change ahead of time to get all the metal particles out of the engine before running it long term. I did the 1st change after 1 hour and then another well before the manual recommendation because that oil comes out dirty and full of particals you dont want swimming around your engine for 15 hours. There are always people complaining that their generator didn't last very long, and I'm willing to bet most of the time it's lack of maintenance or understanding how it should be done to extend its life. I think of it like this. Many car manufacturers claim 100,000 mile transmission services and 100,000 spark plugs, but if you follow those guidelines, you're really setting yourself up for premature failure and expensive repairs down the road. Great video. And try to use the shortest length power cord necessary for the job. The other commenters are correct. Voltage drop, heat build up, and potential wear to the items being underpowered is a thing.
Thanks, definitely a lot of good information in the comments, they have been very useful. I did my first oil change after 15 hours. So hopefully it helped.
I agree with you, especially on smaller engines, oil changes, more frequently, are a worth while, nominal expense, compared to the price of the equipment. Less than $20 most of the time
most generators "don't last long" because they leave gas in the tank and carb after using it,water condenses in the tank and rusts it,and the gas in the carb gums up the jets,if the rust doesn't clog the fuel filter. engines don't run very well with water in the gas.
I live in Asheville. The surprise for me was communications. After Food and Water, comm goes to the third spot. We lost power, internet, water, and cellphones. The generac is worth its weight in gold, thank god we didn't lose natural gas too or we would have been SOL. Make sure you maintain your generac, we had a neighbor that was depending on it but wasn't doing enough maintenance, it failed to start. Once we jump started it, it blew oil all over the place from a broken sensor, not the time to find this out. I used a battery powered radio to find emergency status discussions, don't forget to try your radio in your car. Many neighbors had no idea what was going on for several days until temporary cellphone towers were up. I located a Starlink mini and it was a life saver too, highly recommend looking into it, it works (still using it until Spectrum decides to fix stuff) Also I learned next time a major weather event is coming, fill up the bathtubs and fill the car up with gas.
I hope you’re recovering well. I spend so much time camping up there. It’s so hard to see all the damage. I think starlink might be the future of internet after this. We still don’t have much charter working in Greenville. I’ve learned a lot from the comments about maintenance . This has taught me a lot. I saw some of Asheville is starting to now get water again.
@@somethingclever1234 get a baefang UV5R and learn how to use it legally. In an emergency, no-one cares if you have a Ham or GMRS license or what wattage you are broadcasting on. I bought most of my family and friends one and have it programed, with beginner instructions. And for news get a shortwave radio and batteries(dont store batteries in the radio). Learn how to cook in a cast iron dutch oven and buy charcoal. Survival skills are perishing skills, so you have to practice. Its not good enough to have the equipment. Know how to use it.
For anyone else reading this, starlink service is being provided at no charge for hurricane areas until the end of the year. You do need to purchase the equipment though
Tampa, FL. Lost power for a full 5 days after Milton. Used about 12 gallons of gas running generator for 45 minutes every 3 hours or so. Used a gas camping stove for cooking some things. Used quite a few candles. Used a battery backup that could charge phones about 3x. The generator is most important because of the refrigerator and rechargeables. We liked having bread and meat for home made subs. A portable AC would have been really nice because the heat makes it miserable - that’s the next item I’m getting.
WELL DONE, sir! My wife and I have a 600 Watt Solar Array on our storage Shed. That feed our 5 KWH Battery Bank that connects to a 1000 Watt PURE Sine Inverter. This Battery Bank is used to charge all of OUR USB devices, as well as light every room in the house, Charge Our Ham Walkie Talkies, and run our 100 Watt HF Ham Station, AND the Entertainment system and Phones WITHOUT the need for a Gas Generator. Very LITTLE of our food depends on the fridge; most of it is dry goods and canned. I DO NOT agree with having a huge freezer where ALL of that food would be lost without electricity. We have Two One-burner Camp Stoves and just over 100 Fuel Canisters put back for them. We heat with Kerosene and we strive to keep a 100 Gallon Kerosene reserve(Which we have not been able to do this year). We had a windstorm in 2007 that killed our power for six days. By day Two, I had the entire emergency system running at our home. My wife came home from work to a WARM House, Lights on, the TV & DVD had a movie going, and she had a warm dinner waiting for her. On the Evening of day Four, a Line Crew chief stopped by the house and asked me HOW we had lights and heat. All I told him is that we had a Big Battery backing us up. A LOT of folks around here DO have Kerosene Heaters, so he did not ask about our heat. Back then I only had 200 Watts of Solar and just ONE 100 Amp Lithium Battery. Web are MUCH better prepared now! I opted for Solar over a Gas Generator, because I did NOT want that noise drawing unwanted attention. We were VERY comfortable during that event compared to our neighbors. My efforts caught the attention of the Adventist Church we attend which resulted in my now being in Charge of Disaster Response for our Congregation.
I think if I was looking now, a battery version would definitely be considered. They have come a long ways in 4 years. And they have a lot of benefits.
Here in Texas being relatively close to the coast we invested in a whole house generator due to frequent and multi-day outages because of Hurricanes, freezes, and storms. It runs on the natural gas line to our home and it is like you never lost power. It starts up 5 seconds after power goes out and is worth it if you can afford it and have frequent enough multi-day outages. Otherwise if power outages are rare a portable generator is all you need, just make sure take it out and start it once a month or it can lock up and won't work when you need it. This happened to our neighbor during Hurricane Beryl, they had not started it in a year and it did not work.
@@AD-rl4jv definitely worth it. Thankfully this isn’t normal for us, but also what made it bad. I’ve definitely learned a lot from the comments. Thank you.
i wondered about using a machine heavily for a week or two then storing it unused (unmaintained?) for a year or so and what effect it would have. dad has a decent honda and he runs it every thirty days - tops up all the jackeries and the 24 volt tractor-trailer batteries in his "Power House" - well away from his house and anything flammable. so far it hand-cranks perfectly every time and usually runs for about 40 - 50 minutes. everything is topped up. i noticed he checks oil level and cleanliness before pulling it every time. if there's something i learned in my life from him it's never abuse a machine by trying to make it do what it was not designed to do. i figured out on my own after my first car maintenance is a repair BEFORE the fact. maintenance after the fact is usually - what? x dollars to the power of 3 - much more expensive than if i had checked something first before use. motto: check and test, check and test. 😁
@@Scriptorsilentum so a person made a comment that I should sell it and buy a new one. Then I don’t have to worry about any maintainer. Because it might sit for another 4 years. And it didn’t seem like a terrible idea.
We're in the SC Midlands, and I used to stay prepared for hurricane season, but got rid of a lot during a move 6 years ago. Thankfully our home didn't receive any significant damage (including extended power outages), but Helene was an eye-opener at how complacent I've gotten and a kick in the pants.
@@ceezer373 for sure. And then I think I will probably never be without power for almost a week again. Maybe a few days here and there. But I admit. Probably the wrong thinking.
That’s a great generator. I have two Champions that can be linked together like your Honda. Living in Florida I get a lot of use out of mine. So glad you have that on hand to help you through. And glad you are helping your neighbors. One piece of advice with your generator: Do not plug your things into your generator until AFTER you start the generator. Not sure why…but…your manual will heavily stress that it’s important to start the generator..let it run a few minutes…THEN plug in. Thank you for the video! 💜
Florida man here. We store non ethanol gasoline with stabil in it for hurricane supplies. I have found that as long as the container is sealed air tight, the gas will stay good for years. I label the cans with date and year when I fill them. I then use my hurricane gas to mow the lawn so I am cycling the cans. I used gas from 2018 last year in my mower and weed whacker with no problems. After Milton I used gas from 2022 for four days in my generator. I typically store 30 gallons of gas. Obviously store you gas outside your house. Mine lives in a shed.
@@jaystus as long as you don’t learn some of the negative stuff like getting blind drunk at hurricane parties during the storm. We’re praying for you guys that were affected by hurricane Helene. The damage is just shocking to us having never seen a storm go through mountains like that.
I HIGHLY recommend everyone look into getting a battery power station like an Ecoflow, Bluetti, Anker or something JUST SO you don't have to run your generator all the time. You can even get some solar panels to help make your gas generator last just a little bit longer per full tank of gas. We have a Delta Pro and it saved our asses down here in Florida for the 3 days we didn't have power. We could have gone much longer too. Also, a lot of these battery stations accept a DC input as well as an AC input at the same time, so you can supercharge them fast if need be.
Another real-world video, very useful, thank you for taking your time to do this. It is a service to the community. I have generators, a 1,600w and 2,800w running on propane. Easier to store fuel for it and propane serves as fuel for multiple devices. Gasoline when needed. Propane stores forever. I also have 1,200w of solar panels. I have two 5200w DIY battery storage, a 2400w DIY system and two EcoFlow solar generators, 700w and 1024w, and finally a Bluetti 1500w unit. I have a single hose portable AC that I can run for 4-5 hours per day, take the edge the hottest part of the day. I am thinking about getting a window unit. I will use it to cool down one room. Uses way less power. Between solar and the generators, I can keep them charged, sun cooperating. I am going to replace my garage upright fridge with a chest freezer. Uses way less power and when you open the door, the cool air does not rush out, it stays within the freezer chest. I have many power banks and I use the older, USB A type power these little light: JacobsParts 10pcs 3 LED USB Portable Night Light Bright Mini Keychain Camping Car Lamp Module Check them out, they are surprisingly bright and can be placed on your key ring if desired. When storms hit and power may be out, I deploy the power banks with one of two of these little lights in each. They will stay lit for up to 3 days when used at night time before the power bank has to be recharged.
@@jaystus Yes, that is how I found your video, I look for these videos from people that have been through "it". I have had power out but only for a few hours, so I have never really been tested.
Great video. Almost all generators with name brand engines, are easily and safely convertible to propane. The kits include a manifold that sits on top of the carburator and a regulator. If the generator shuts off, the regulator turns off the propane. Propane can easily and I definately be stored, unlike gasoline. Propane is clean burning and will not gum up the generator's carburator, so the next year, will be ready to go.
Consider a tri-fuel kit. At my house, we have plenty of natural gas and we have never lost gas, even though we've lost power for up to a week. Best of all is that you don't need to store it, which is a bit of a hazard in itself with propane, and especially gasoline.
Glad to hear you were prepared from the last Hurricane and you weren’t affected as bad as the other locations. Hopefully, supplies and road repairs and electricity is returning back to those areas. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I love my EU200i. I used to have a pair of them and still have the parallel kit that joins them for double the amps. I'm out west here in Oregon.. so my prayers go out to all who were affected and those peeps like yourself that reach out and help others. God bless you..
@jaystus I'm here in Oregon but recently purchased some land in Arizona. I have 2 ecoflow Delta's. The Delta 1300 and the 2nd version the Delta 2 with 2 extra batteries. They make great portable power and are gonna be good for the shop, camping, emergency power amd road trips. I'd recommend getting something similar and either some flexible or rigid panel. No gas, super quiet, very efficient for the money.
@@OFFGRID_Trucker I purchased mine in 2020. Batteries have improved since then and will continue to. I think if I was looking now I would definitely look at alternative. Safer, quieter. Many benefits.
We had no power for 8 1/2 day due to the same hurricane. Our small generator was powerful enough to run both our up right freezer and 20' frig. Only needed to run the generator about 16 to 17 hours per day. We used solar powered landscape lights in the house and recharged them outside everyday. My suggestion is to keep at least 10 gallons of fuel for your generator on hand. Just remember to put either fuel stabilizer in the gas can or dump it into your car's gas tank every other month.
Good informative video. I hope everyone affected is able to get the help they need. I don't know if you are able to use one because of fuel availability but after fires that knocked out our power for several days I purchased a Champion Tri-fuel generator. It is large enough to run our entire house minus the air conditioning. The best thing is it will run on natural gas (my preferred method), propane and gasoline. Natural gas and propane have an indefinite shelf life and you don't have to worry about the carburetor gumming up and the generator not starting. I added a transfer switch to my main electrical panel that allows me to just plug in one cord to that switch panel and it automatically engages all of the circuits in the house I want to power. When I purchased everything it was less than $2,000 total.
Suggestion: Get a kit/hose that allows you to siphon gas from you car/truck gas tank. That way if you have full tank of gas but none for the generator, of course make sure you leave enough in the car
almost all vehicles for 20 yrs+ are built to defeat fuel theft by siphoning. i'm uncertain it could be done without having to cut something beneath the vehicle.
I run one of those Honda EU2000 generators and it is the most fuel efficient generator on the market. Several friends bought those 12kw generators and they run out of gas, besides being incredibly loud - never needing the amount of power being created…. Such a waste. In an emergency most people can adapt just fine with keeping food cold in the fridge, a window AC unit for night (sleeping) and small battery powered fans (Ryobi type).
This is very true. All I needed was my fridge and a few other things. Thankfully we had good weather so it wasn’t too hot or cold. The ryobi fans and accessors like others have said are very useful.
I live near downtown Greenville and lost power for eight days. On the Monday after the storm I ordered a Ryobi fan that uses the same 18v battery that my lawn equipment uses. It was delivered in two days, so it was great on my nightstand.
@@GreggAlley-lw7km I’m just north. And downtown had the big storm earlier in the week. They are useful especially if use batteries that you already have.
Good video. Sounds like your situation was very similar to mine. I'm in upstate SC, and lost power for 5.5 days. Didn't have a generator at the beginning. Was able to order one on the day the storm hit, but that didn't get delivered in time to save the contents of the fridge & freezer. I was able to borrow a generator on day 4, but that was too late for the fridge. The #1 most beneficial item for us was a generator and enough fuel to run it for 3 days. Around here, the craziness and panic buying had died down a bit by the end of day 3. Once we got a generator, things improved A LOT. We could at least keep our phones charged, which gave us access to information. We still need to obtain a means of cooking.
@@gearhead366 that’s where I am too upstate sc . Yeah after a few days I calmed down. Just had to wait for power. Thankfully we had natural gas and water. So still had hot water. I hope you’re recovering well.
@@jaystus Things are almost 100% back to normal now. We have power. Never lost water (thank God). There are still some storm cleanup and utility work going on. My wife and I are planning a renovation that will include gas (LNG) heat and water heating. And a whole house generation system that runs on LNG.
I gave a 7KW DuroMax, a 3kw Honda and a 2k Honda. Oil changes and proper oil level are essential. A clean air filter and fresh fuel are a must. Run them dry so no fuel remains in them, best to only use non-ethanol gas. This store put us offline for power 10 days, I ran the 7KW about 70% of the time. Every third night I would shut it off, fill and start it in the morning to keep fans and fridges going. I loaned the smaller Honda to my neighbor. Our internet came back in day 6 or 7. Having a home built TV antenna to pull in over the air stations for news kept us informed and gave us a way to have some entertainment. We used an electric grill, electric fry pan, coffee maker, toaster, etc. used a kids pool warmed by the sun to take baths on the deck. We were in good shape.
@@jaystus I gave a 3500 watt generator to a friend in Bakersville, NC. He has had it first several years now. He waited till Hellene hit to think about hooking it. He is happy to have it but should have been more prepared. He still is without power.
@@dellalderman8011 lol even more crazy I paid 2.3k for a 11kw inverter gen. they paying 1K for 2kw capacity. ( ill concede running vs peak). yea kinds speaks for itself
Being prepaired means opening up the box, taking the generator out, putting even a small amount of gas in it (fill the oil) and making sure that it not only runs, but that it powers up items you intend to use it on. Then you should occasionally run the generator for a short period of time to keep it ready and lubricated. The Honda is a great generator....
@@japanham5973 you’re right. I definitely took a chance not opening it prior to an emergency. And that was in the back of my mind, but I guess I didn’t want to start the maintenance yet. I did borrow a generator after the last power outage, which is why I decided I better buy one.
Great video and agree with everything you went through - One comment, only because I didn't see it mentioned, a recommended upgrade would be a transfer panel for the generator. You could run most of your house off that little generator if you had one installed. If your panel is located somewhere convenient, a cheap version should be less than $500 if it's hired out, or just a $100 or so in parts if you're able to take it on yourself. It will change the experience of using a generator even more.
That generator is a quality piece of hardware. Eco mode provides enough speed to keep what every you needed powered at the right voltage and amperage. So run it in Eco after you plug everything in. Gas, Plan to stabilize and maintain ~20 gal on hand year around. Then you will never be without power. All the gas can be put through the car, so it is never wasted. Propane, Just have an extra tank on hand. If you go to garage sales/estate sales, sometimes you can pick up one very cheap. Then just fill it and put it away. As for generator storage for the next event, read your manual and pay attention to the long term storage mode so that it can be put away for the next event in a few years.
We are in Kentucky and were without power for 4 days. I bought an Ecoflow Power Station after Hurricane Helene. Definitely the power banks were of extreme importance. A neighbor brought us their gas generator which helped a lot.
I've had an earlier version of the same Honda generator for 15+ years, so I'll give you a few tips. 1) Stop using the Honda oil, Use Mobil 1 full synthetic instead. I believe mine takes 5-30. You could hang on to your Honda bottle, pour the Mobil 1 into it, and fill it from there. 2) You must drain the carb using the set screw when you're done using it. 3) After the carb is drained and the generator is set to off, pull the starter cord a half dozen times, then drain the carb again. 4) Regarding fuel, I store gas for years in the garage with no issues; however, I do a few things differently than most people. I don't buy 87 octane, I buy 91 or 93 octane. I was told as gas ages the octane level can drop, hence the higher octane. Next, I add a splash of StarTron fuel preserver to negate the effects of the ethanol. 5) To keep the generator primed for use, I will start it once a quarter for 15 minutes, then repeat the draining instructions. I've run the generator for a week plus with Mobil 1 without any concern for the oil. I go well more than 100 hours between changes with zero issues. I hope this helps.
Honda generators and Onan have a low oil switch. When I worked construction, our boss only bought Honda generators. They would only start when they were level because of the low oil switch. When they were sitting off the chamber, they wouldn't start. We also would keep them dry and covered and ran the hell out of them for about 6 months solid before they would break. Other generators just didn't last as long.
Good list. We're in SC too, and were out of power about 1/2 a day. I just have a non-inverter generator that's enough to run the refrigerator and a light or two. Something I learned is that the power they produce depends on the speed the engine runs, so it was putting out about 150 volts until I adjusted the carburetor. But on the positive side it only uses about a gallon of gas a day. I have a power bank that we bought for long airplane trips. I think it's 10,000 mAh. It's really convenient because it's about the size of the phone and has short charging cords and Qi built in, so you can just hold it with the phone. We have a little fan for camping that has a battery built in. It has lights too. That was handy.
@@bob-rogers all the camping stuff definitely comes in handy. We camp with less in the mountains then what we had at home. (can’t wait to go back) with still having water and gas we had hot running water. You are right. Power banks really are useful.
I bought the same Honda eu2200i first day Helene took out our power here in Ohio, great litttle generator. might get the companion and linking cable, could run the whole house with both in tandem.Planning to store minimum 5, 5 gallon nonethanol gas cans from now on. The small anker power bank (pocket sized) we have worked well, could get several cell phone charges with one fill. outdoor cooking sucked since it was nonstop rain throughout the outage, might build a little bbq shelter for our deck. Also need to get a few more propame cylinders and keep them filled on standby.
@@simonsrattanroom crazy it made it up that far. We got lucky, it cleared out really quick. Also we have had any rain since then. That’s seems smart, adding batteries is smart.
I purchased a dual fuel Wen generator right after Hurricane Beyrl. I went with Dual fuel because I did not want to keep multiple filled volatile 5-gallon gas containers in the garage. I caught the 20-pound propane tanks on sale and purchased three and had them filled and they are sitting at the ready. In the event of another Hurricane, I will buy a couple of more and at last resort will use gasoline if the propane runs out.
Another great tool for power outages is a solar generator. I have a Eco flow delta (there's plenty of other good brands too) and when i had a 3 day outage i would plug in everything i needed into the eco flow. There's enough battery capacity to power the fridge and a few other things for about 6-8 hours. When its low i start the generator and charge it for about 2 hours then shut off the generator. this saves a lot of gas and also you and your neighbors can enjoy some quite time. You can also hook up solar panels to it and charge from the sun for free.
I agree. I purchased several for redundancy. I have the same Honda and a ALP propane generator as well. Took me while to get everything but I kept at it until I got it all. Life really is different.
If you need to run the generator in the rain, You can fabricate a roof to put over it like ply wood or tarps or buy something like gentent running cover.
Good to have a small quiet generator like that. It can run most things. Making use of USB is great. I have USB fans, USB string lights that only use 4 Watts which will run a long time on a battery pack. Also a thing to consider is Dewalt accessories... or knock off ones. I have a Dewalt blower, drill, and weed whacker, so I bought Dewalt battery lights, multiple sized fans, a converter to use USB from the Dewalt battery. This way I can make use of the multiple batteries I already had. I'll have to check out the chain saw, I didn't know they made one of those that runs off the battery packs.
@tempest-523 the chainsaw is really impressive, and no work. That’s smart, having some other dewalt lights is something I should look at even for camping. It ran everything I needed. I doubt I’ll ever be without power for 6 days again. Now I need to learn maintenance.
I have the dewalt battery chainsaw with the 1 foot bar on it. It has served me well over the years that I have had it. One thing I will note is to store it on its side, where the chain bar oil cap is on top; otherwise the oil will leak out of it.
A 9 or 18 watt usb solar panel recharges the small batteries without using the generator. I lean toward solar because my mom is paranoid about the fumes also gas is sometimes impossible to find. We had no power for a day after Milton so we just had a pressure test of our stuff. Surprisingly the crank radio flashlight was something we were very happy to have after the storm. Unsurprisingly the usb fan was a huge plus. We never got to needing to cook but the solar cooker was ready to go.
Me too. When I got this 4 years ago solar and batteries were not as good. But I would definitely look at them if I was in the market again. We had good weather after to charge solar.
I have had a solar panel in the windshield of my truck charging a USB battery many times when on the road. Locked inside a truck parked to pick up the sun through the windshield protects it from the weather and those who think it should be theirs!
Re the electric chainsaw, I bought a Makita one a year ago along with a reciprocating saw and honestly, I've found the reciprocating saw to be way more convenient than the chainsaw! The chainsaw blades need constant sharpening as well as the oil being topped up, whereas the reciprocating saw cut through hundreds of tree limbs with zero maintenance at all. The chainsaw is definitely nice to have if you get one with a longer bar for larger limbs (> 30cm/1ft) but for anything smaller than that the recipro saw is much faster and more convenient. Of course you want to have some regular garden use for it to justify the purchase but if you do, I can totally recommend one. Just make sure you get a decent blade because the ones that came with it went blunt in less than five cuts, but I found a Diablo brand "pruning blade" that works really well for tree limbs and lasts for hundreds of cuts without going blunt.
If I may add my 2 cents, having a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery or "generator" along with a couple of solar panels comes in handy. I have a couple that I generally use as UPS for my router but are meant for emergencies. I never bothered with preparedness till I moved into the Tornado alley in the Midwest. My first tornado season nearly 13 years ago, we lost power for a couple of days and I realized we actually had no way to survive without electricity, with even our kitchen being fully electrified. My first purchase was a propane stove and cylinder, then a generator.
Love my Jackery 1000 plus with its two solar panels. Unfortunately, after Beryl, we did not have sunshine for 2 days and I would suggest to anyone using a battery system to locate places within your community to use as charging stations should your city go down. Our small town had only 2 places where I could charge the fire station ( that I really couldn't utilize as it was just a simple gas powered generator) and the senior center which had a massive generator that kicked on when the power went out. Those were the only 2 places in town with power---not city hall, police station, nor hospital. Yeah, it was a pitch black place for almost a week before stores got backups going.
@@rusticgardenretreat4892this is why people have 4 or even 6 Topcon panels. Yes the yield is still low, but 20 % of 3000 kWp is still 600W. We had cloudy weather for several days now and the yield from only two panels is really low. If we had space, we'd double or triple their number. It is roughly 10-20% what you get in cloudy weather.
Good to see you thought ahead. Only 1 thought myself (if not mentioned already). You keep 1 can of fuel for the generator. Maybe should not expect that you will be able to get more when you need it. Keep more at home, use that in the car when it needs more, then go to the station to refill the can instead of the car.
I have the older version, eu2000i. I got an extended run tank for it. It's a 6 gal marine gas tank with a honda fuel cap that fills the tank using the internal tank vacuum. It will run for days with that. Since the generator is way to small run the central AC I keep a window AC unit take can run off the generator.
These Hondas are excellent for survive with a fridge and some electrical items connected. In Puerto Rico people used last to 6 or 9 months of use. Because in 2017 power restoration was too heavy and slow. Keep in mind in preparation buy some spark plugs, oil and proper tools for maintenance. KEEP STRONG, KEEP SAFE!!!
One suggestion I have on using a generator with freezer and refrigerators. You only need to power these a couple of times a day to keep them cold and therefore save gas and generator time. You like can charge your USB items while running the freezer and refrigeration. You need to run the generator at max when plugging in these two units as they require max power when they start. Then reduce to eco mode and the generator will reduce to required power also saving gas and wear and tear on the generator.
One tip for using that generator is to run it on some plywood or cement blocks. The air intake for the engine and cooling is through the bottom. So operating it on the ground or gravel will get the inside much more dirty and plug the air filter faster.
Great video. After surviving Irmaria - two back-to-back Cat 5s in St. Thomas - my friends there would generally run their generators just once a day, especially since our laws state that you can’t run them before six a.m. or after 10 p.m. Six hours is more than enough to keep the fridge and freezer cold. And thermal mass in there is important. Just big jugs or pots and pans of cold water will help keep it cold. Bear in mind that most folks didn’t have power for six months because all the power poles were gone, so running a generator all day wasn’t a good option on many levels. But great video. I always watch these kinds of things after storms because technology changes, or someone comes up with a great idea. I’ve barely used my generator and didn’t realize there’s kind of a schedule to changing the oil. Now that I learned that from you, I’m going to find out what that is for mine! Also ordered spark plugs for mine today since that’s a known possible issue for not starting. Keeping the generator as far as you did is probably way, way overkill. But it doesn’t hurt anything. Thanks for the video!
@@nitanice thanks! Yeah I have learned a lot from all the people commenting too. I probably overused it, maybe part of me was excited to actually use it. I could have turned it off at night. Now I’m learning all the maintenance.
@@jaystus Oh, I understand! My brother and I both just ordered Jackery 1000s (Jackery has a sale through October). And I just want to use it just to use it! Ordered a propane heater because I’m more likely to lose power when it’s cold. Practiced using it. Fired up the gas generator, like you, since the first time I got it in 2018. I want to be proficient with all the gadgets so I don’t miss a beat when there’s a real emergency! So I totally get it! Good on you for looking out for you and you family!
