Considering a Generac XG8000E for home backup--anyone ever hear one run?

I have a Champion 3500W for a home backup but it's not adequate to starting my well pump so I'm going to upsize. Anyone have any experience with the Generac XG models? Generac doesn't state the noise level--and won't divulge it even in a call to CS. Everything looks great up to that point but I don't want to get it home to find out it sounds like my mower. Can't find a dealer that will demo. I'm hoping someone here has first-hand experience with these newer models.

Also--I recall reading long ago about NG & LPG conversion kits for gasoline engines but I can't find the post. Anyone have this info? Ever install one?

 

It MUST be a quiet generator...NObody has ever heard or seen one

 

lol... can't say that I have, or recall what it sounded like if I did.

 

I'm not sure where to get one, but it is just a different carb. And if you do go with one, you will lose some of your out put power. NG & LPG, doesn't develop as much power as gas does.

 

Hi.


This the Gen?
Generac Power Systems - XG8000

What size well pump? Amps? Voltage? The 3500 watt should start it no problem.

Generators are loud, unless you get one of those quiet Honda jobs. I think all gens are around 60 db at idle and up to 75 db at load.

Since your getting more HP with the generac it will may be louder, but its not always true. It all in the muffler quality.

You can get one of these for $900 bucks...

Gentran Corporation: Generator Transfer switches for home & business

Mike NJ

 

Both Honda and Yamaha make quiet generators. The "inverter technology" models are the quietest and they have an idle down feature that allows the engine to run slower (and quieter) when not producing full output. Biggest downside is the price.

Using gaseous fuels is, in my opinion, the only way to go. There are two methods generally used, the first is to make a dedicated gaseous fuel change and the second is to make a combo where either gaseous fuel or gasoline may be used. A gaseous only change generally does NOT result in any loss of power output but the dual-fuel change often does have lower output on the gaseous fuel.

I made the straight gaseous fuel change to my Yamaha iSE3000 and couldn't be happier. I used a kit from US Carburetion along with some locally obtained parts and I think the total cost was around $200 to $250. It runs at full output on either propane or natural gas with just a single screw adjustment. The actual conversion of the carburetor is very easy but it destroys it as far as ever going back to gasoline.

 

That’s the one. My 3500W should have worked according to calculations but I guess well pump specifications don’t include the load on the pump from a 100 foot head. I’ve been advised that it takes a good-sized generator with plenty of rotating mass to get over the inrush demand—and cheap Chinese gennies don’t have the mass. My Champion stopped like I shoved a crowbar in it!
I don’t understand inverter generators. A rotating AC generator naturally produces a clean sine wave so why the need (and loss of efficiency) of producing DC first & then chopping it up into square waves, then filtering it back into a 60Hz sine wave? I’d love to hear a rational explanation of this technology instead of the hype I’ve seen on websites selling them.

 

Some info is here http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-inverter.html and a whole lot of indepth info is also here ScreenLight & Grip E-Mail Newsletter - Use of Portable Generators in Motion Picture Production

Also...I think a simple answer is that when a regular generator bogs under load or for whatever reason...the frequency drops and that can be very harmful. And even though its a sine wave...the power put out by a straight generator can be very dirty. Freq and voltage are ok...but the power is not "clean". Look at the first O-scope display on the second link above. I remember when the engineers would be switching gennies on the ships I was on...if they didn't do it right, the blowers would all slow, lights would start flickering and my electronics start going crazy, all frequency issues. I never understood why they tried to save it instead of just shutting down. Prob more work for them to come back from dark and dead in the water...but it would have made my life a lot easier..lol.

 

WOW that Lighting article is a lot to take in--but full of good advice and well presented. Thanks. In his article he references a "How's & Why's" article written by a Bellsouth engineer. I put the link to that paper in the inverter thread since it seems a better place than here.

In comparing equal-priced synchronous generators to inverter generators it looks to me like you get a cleaner output from a simple AC synchronous generator. That first waveform you mentioned is the current waveform, not the voltage output. Current demand by highly reactive florescent ballasts can be difficult for any generator to manage as the florescent tubes spark on/off 120 times per second.

These are 'scope photos I took when testing my 3500W chinese generator into various loads:


Nothing as brutal as the transformers in florescent ballasts but still much cleaner than the modified square waves output by inverter generators of the type listed in the Bellsouth article. This is a $300 AVR type generator. I can assume the $1200 AVR type generator I'm considering would be even cleaner.

I still haven't found any useful information on the noise from the Generac but I figure since I plan to permanently mount it in a cabinet if it's louder than I like I can swap out the small muffler for a better one. Space isn't much of an issue since it doesn't need to be portable. This suits my budget better than spending an additional $2000 for a quiet Honda.