Starting With The Very Basics

[Headache]

If my plans don't go awry I'm leaving in December.  I'll need to buy a generator or use a simple solar set up to tide me over until I can get hooked up with a better solar set up.  Help me decide and spend my money(within reason)!

Right now the ONLY thing I have is an old folding solar panel that BP made.  I'm assuming it is 100 watts which means as old as it is I'm assuming it's 75 watts at best now.  It was enough to keep batteries on a truck charged so I know it still works, the question is how well.  I'm also assuming it will be cheaper to start with using this and buying a battery and inverter but I don't know.

I've been eyeballing this Briggs and Stratton generator for quite awhile now(which means buying gas) and I'd like your thoughts on it, what I'm most concerned with is electronics.  The description claims I'd be able to use my laptop.  What about other electronics?  I also like it because I could run it in parallel with another 2200 watt(4400 watts) unit for the $30 more than the 3000 watt unit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A6I1WUC/

But!  There are more choices!  There is also this Westinghouse:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NHACROW?psc=1


and this WEN:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SMNLF4M/

Where I'll be staying for most of the winter has bathrooms, showers and laundry so I won't have to be too concerned with that.  What I want to do is use the computer for most of the day and an LED lamp when it's dark.  I have both a laptop and PC.  The PC uses an 800 watt power supply, I think the monitor was around 25 watts and this is the lamp I need for not only light but other hobbies but it doesn't list wattage or amps.  I'm waiting for an answer from the seller.  I also have a 24" tv and Roku.  I need the lamp for light at night as well as learning knitting and crocheting but need to watch videos to learn those things.  I need to keep my mind busy.

As I stated, this is just the bare minimum to get started with.  I'll expand once I have enough money saved up to do so.

Edit: found out the lamp is 2 watts, .9 amps.

 

[highdesertranger]

none of those can be shipped to CA which means they are not CARB approved. even though the WEN says it is. I really have no experience with any of those. am I right that you are trying to save money by not looking at the Honda or Yamaha. highdesertranger

 

[wagoneer]

Become a craigslist troll you will find an older Honda or Yamaha for a couple hundred.

 

[29chico]

Few things are more frustrating than a cheesy generator.  If there is any way that you can swing a bit more for a genny I think that you would be very well served by a Yamaha EF2000is.  I have one and it is a superior machine.  Yes, better than Honda for several reasons.

If you had less of an power hog of a computer I'd suggest an EF1000is instead.  Must be one ripping computer.  The up side is that your computer will heat your rig nicely in the winter.

Yamaha makes better motorcycles and generators than Honda these days as far as I am concerned.  I used I bought a new Yamaha WR250R motorcycle in 2014 and the above mentioned genny in 2015.  Very happy with both.  The Yamaha Y.E.S. factory extended warranty is a great option as well, see the link below.  The extended coverage warranty can be bought at any time as long as the original 3 year warranty is still in force.  I have the extended coverage on both the moto and genny.  

Y.E.S. link:   http://www.yamaha-motor.com/home_yes.aspx

I used to make my living fixing motorcycles, generators and outboards back in the day when one dealer sold and serviced all of them.  Honda was the king of quality back then.  Sadly not anymore.

I have heard that Yamaha gennys that are bought on Amazon do not get warranty coverage.   Not sure if that is true.

If you decide to buy a used genny pull out the air filter and make sure there is no trace of dirt or dust in the intake tract.

 

[cyndi]

What do you have to run that you need solar or a generator?

There's plenty of us out there without. It's a pain but very doable. I'd save my $$$ for what's going to work long term; rather than spend money just to make do.

 

[SwimSoCal]

Im in San Diego if youre nearby I have a 1200 Watt Pulsar that runs great I would sell ya for $80. I have it on offer up

 

[SternWake]

The PC uses an 800 watt power supply

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I am not familiar with desktop computer capability these days, but Is this a typo?[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]That is a huge number.  [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The 800 watt is likely the maximum the PC could ever need, with perhaps a big buffer.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Actual running wattage  in intended usage 'might' or perhaps 'likely', is a fraction of that 800 watt figure.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]No reason to guess though:[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Ele...8337610&sr=1-1&keywords=p3+kill+a+watt[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Seems what you really require hinges on the number the Kill a watt spits out when powering your PC and laptop as your 2 watt light is almost a non factor.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]My laptop requires a 90 amp power supply.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]it is consuming an average 30 watts to type this with the laptop battery already fully charged.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]If i were watching a DVD and editing photos with a dead laptop battery, well , in the past I have seen it go slightly over 90 watts, but that could be within instrument error factor.[/font]









[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] [/font]

 

[jimindenver]

That would be a large power supply to say the least. I think the systems to provide the power would cost less than a laptop with the same capabilities using far less power.

For a generator I would stay away from the B&S and don't know much about the other two except the Wen is newer. personally if you can't afford the Honda and Yamaha's in the world I would go with Champion. Same low price, better rep and service. You will need some sort of battery charger to pair with any generator. RV's usually come with a converter that takes care of it.

I think it's good to start out with the portable you have. Outside of your desk top your needs seem pretty small at this point. I'll miss my DT with it's multiple screens and huge drive but it takes up too much space and power when my laptop is nearly as fast for intense work and the tablet is perfect the rest of the time.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I am not familiar with desktop computer capability these days, but Is this a typo?[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]That is a huge number.  [/font]

Probably not a typo.  Go to someplace like Tiger Direct and plug "computer power supply" into the search box, and you will se that they sell Corsair power supplies with ratings of 650 and 750 watts.  Usually used for the high end gaming machines.

 

[Headache]

am I right that you are trying to save money by not looking at the Honda or Yamaha.

Yes

Become a craigslist troll you will find an older Honda or Yamaha for a couple hundred.

If I could rely on that I might've had one by now, and it's not what I was asking.

Few things are more frustrating than a cheesy generator.  If there is any way that you can swing a bit more for a genny...

If I wasn't being almost abruptly kicked out of where I live I would but I can't.  I'm already very familiar with Yamahas and Hondas and again, not what I was asking.

What do you have to run that you need solar or a generator?

In my first post.

There's plenty of us out there without. It's a pain but very doable. I'd save my $$$ for what's going to work long term; rather than spend money just to make do.

I am trying to maintain my education and some sense of normalcy.  It's important for mental health but that is a topic for another thread. If I waited to save the money I could be waiting 6 months or more. It wouldn't be possible for me to maintain a decent level of mental health like that. I'm not embellishing that making sure I can keep some of my previous commitments and hobbies would keep me alive.

Im in San Diego if youre nearby I have a 1200 Watt Pulsar that runs great I would sell ya for $80. I have it on offer up

I won't be in AZ until next month.  I'd need more information than that to consider it.  A link would help.

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I am not familiar with desktop computer capability these days, but Is this a typo?[/font]

Not a typo and I made a mistake, it's an 850 watt.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OVCJKWC?psc=1

Like Optimistic stated, it is in a gaming computer(not high end though) that I built and I do push it sometimes when uploading large files or gaming but no, it doesn't sit maxxed out.  I'm taking web development and coding classes as well as keep up with my friends via gaming.

I would go with Champion.

Crap!  Thanks for bringing up Champion!  I've used a bigger one and it was so damned loud I didn't include them.  I completely forgot about the stacking generator!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041K09D8?psc=1

That's the one I'll order after I get down to AZ.  My juicer will be spared!  My laptop is nowhere near the power and space of my PC, not even close.  I'm bringing it as backup.  If I stay at that RV park I can tap into the wifi during the day when I can run the generator and use the laptop at night.  Then I can charge it back up in the computer lab the next day.  I have to make do as best as I can until I figure out everything. If I would have been able to wait until next spring like I had planned I wouldn't be doing this.

 

[Headache]

Okay, now that I have decided on a generator I need to figure out how to get it in and out of my van when it isn't being used. Fifty pounds isn't light! Any suggestions? I'm going to get one of those cargo carriers that plugs into the hitch but I was going to put lighter stuff on it(I have a 1/2 ton van) so I could keep the heavier and more expensive stuff inside.

 

[ldmccain]

<snip>
The PC uses an 800 watt power supply, I think the monitor was around 25 watts and this is the lamp I need for not only light but other hobbies but it doesn't list wattage or amps. 

<snip>

Have you researched changing the power supply to a 12v one?
 
http://www.powerstream.com/DC-PC-12V.htm

They are pricey but use less battery power.  There are also some newer monitors that use a wall-wart and are really 12v, not listed as 12v so you have to inspect the wart to see output. Getting as many things using direct 12v without an inverter will save power loss and heat buildup. 
(wall-wart - the little box that plugs in the wall.  used to be most common on cell phone chargers. but now being used all kinds of things, (just in case for those that call it something else))

I have had both my work and personal laptops using 12v power cords for the past year 10 hours a day with no issues.  With 2 advanced auto parts 6v golf cart batteries and 300w solar think I've run the generator 90 hours in the past year.  If I stayed in cloudier areas I would have had to run it more often, but 2 days without sun didn't make me run the generator.

 

[Headache]

Have you researched changing the power supply to a 12v one?

They are pricey but use less battery power.

I'm broke and have to start out with next to nothing.  I have no batteries or anything, just an old used folding solar panel that maybe puts out about 75 watts.  As I titled this thread and described in my first post, I have to start with the very basics and that was either using and/or expanding on the use of the solar panels or buying a generator.  Everything else will have to wait.  Flying by the seat of my pants here.