2000 watt Hybrid inverter as generator

[colinl]

See that's the thing.....I feel the same exact way, but when talking about a classic gas/propane generator. As you said, "you also have potential problems such as fumes from idling in the garage, the security of leaving it running with garage open, or in the driveway, and a lot more."

Unless you have a plan to chain your generator to a tree or something, it is going to be stolen a lot quicker than a truck. If you run it in your garage, you will kill your family just as fast as idling your Mav in there.

Totally not ideal situation either way. But I feel like the "Mav as a generator in my driveway" is preferable to the "running a 2k watt generator in my driveway" scenario.

this is all so region- and person-specific, of course.

if I leave my garage open 24 hours, I am certain something valuable will get stolen from within it. it's a safe neighborhood but eventually someone will drive by and take something; it's happened to neighbors who forget shut their garage overnight.

if I leave my truck running in the driveway or garage, I'm pretty certain eventually someone would break into it and try to steal it. they might or might not succeed at stealing it, but I bet they would grab the inverter if it's not bolted down, and anything else in the truck. plus, there is a local ordnance against leaving vehicles idling, in order to reduce/deter theft.

however, I have a fenced yard with a locking gate. no one is likely to get into the backyard without me seeing them on a battery-powered camera, I've never had an intruder in the backyard at all, and yes it would be rather easy to devise some means of securely locking a generator in place. if you shop around a little, it is not hard to find generators that are under 70db when loaded: https://generatorbible.com/blog/quietest-portable-generators/

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[The Real Maverick]

It's a good over-all setup.

More positives than negatives.

But like a Swiss Army knife, not the best tool for any job, but an OK tool for a wide variety of jobs.

 

[TheWizziard]

I like DIY projects myself, but why build your own when a prebuilt generator is cheaper and easier?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sportsm...-Gasoline-Inverter-Generator-806687/318154202
Also, I wouldn't want my transportation tethered to the house during an emergency.

You are assuming we are installing the inverters just to power our houses. I have a 9000/7000w generator for that purpose. I will use the Maverick as a back up.

My main purpose for my installation was to have a portable 115VAC power source to work on projects where wired AC is not available.

• Run power tools
• Charge power tool batteries.
• HAM radio field operations.
• Etc.

 

[Phimosis]

About 5 years ago, I pondered this “emergency power outage” scenario and this is what I came up with:

I picked it up around 5 years ago for $429 and is sitting in the closet of a spare bedroom, box never opened, oil and gas never put in it. My gas furnace and gas hot water use 120v and are supplied by typical wall sockets. My furnace uses 250 w continuous, 500w on startup. Nearly identical to my fridge. 55” tv uses 220 W, LED lights about 7w each. Natural gas stove can be started with a butane lighter rather than plugging it in. With just a few 100 ft indoor/outdoor extension cords and a really small generator that makes 1,850 W continuous, I can run everything in my house that I need and keep the generator safely in my back yard. Yeah, I want AC, but in SoCal I don’t need it because the low humidity is survivable when it is hot. I keep 2 Jerry cans of gas in my garage and once a year I empty them into a car and refresh the cans with new gas. Super simple system, low cost, super low effort and I haven’t experienced any power outages since 2017, so even the small generator feels like overkill.

 

[Phimosis]

however, I have a fenced yard with a locking gate. no one is likely to get into the backyard without me seeing them on a battery-powered camera, I've never had an intruder in the backyard at all, and yes it would be rather easy to devise some means of securely locking a generator in place. if you shop around a little, it is not hard to find generators that are under 70db when loaded: https://generatorbible.com/blog/quietest-portable-generators/

Exactly this!
I have a 6 foot wrought iron fence around my yard and a gate that locks on the inside with a 5/16” lock on it. My Ring camera in my back yard alerts me in seconds, every time I step out on the back patio. I have zero worries about my generator getting stolen.

 

[Phimosis]

You are assuming we are installing the inverters just to power our houses. I have a 9000/7000w generator for that purpose. I will use the Maverick as a back up.

My main purpose for my installation was to have a portable 115VAC power source to work on projects where wired AC is not available.

• Run power tools
• Charge power tool batteries.
• HAM radio field operations.
• Etc.

Nobody was assuming that the inverter was
used to power the house.

It was explicitly stated that the inverter would be used to power the house.

The thread starter literally said, “This is basically their design with some more pictures. I plan to use this as an emergency generator if/when we lose power for a while”.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Nobody was assuming that the inverter was
used to power the house.

It was explicitly stated that the inverter would be used to power the house.

The thread starter literally said, “This is basically their design with some more pictures. I plan to use this as an emergency generator if/when we lose power for a while”.

It does NOT say power the WHOLE house. The use of a small generator to power individual appliances like fridges , freezers and sump pumps is nothing new. Nobody is claiming that this is a replacement for a 20-30KW whole hose genset.

Heck, I have a nat gas generator, 11KW, that is wired to provide power to the critical circuits. AC ain't one of them.

HRG

 

[Phimosis]

It does NOT say power the WHOLE house. The use of a small generator to power individual appliances like fridges , freezers and sump pumps is nothing new. Nobody is claiming that this is a replacement for a 20-30KW whole hose genset.

Heck, I have a nat gas generator, 11KW, that is wired to provide power to the critical circuits. AC ain't one of them.

HRG

Back up generators never are intended to power the whole house (well, unless you’re a multimillionaire that lives in a mansion). I didn’t say anything that would imply that.

 

[The Real Maverick]

In the end ANY vehicle with a decent alternator and inverter can power a few household items.

The hybrid is not dramatically better than an eco-boost at doing this.

However, at light loads the hybrid gas engine will run part-time, and will adjust cycle time, automatically, based on changing loads.

The EcoBoost you'd have to run the engine full time, unless you micro-manage the engine on time yourself, and who wants to do that.

The emissions from the hybrid will probably, almost certainly be less than any portable gasoline generator, and probably will make less noise than some, but not all generators.

 

[TheWizziard]

In the end ANY vehicle with a decent alternator and inverter can power a few household items.

The hybrid is not dramatically better than an eco-boost at doing this.

However, at light loads the hybrid gas engine will run part-time, and will adjust cycle time, automatically, based on changing loads.

The EcoBoost you'd have to run the engine full time, unless you micro-manage the engine on time yourself, and who wants to do that.

The emissions from the hybrid will probably, almost certainly be less than any portable gasoline generator, and probably will make less noise than some, but not all generators.

The hybrid has a slight edge. The DC to DC converted is about 3Kw. Much more than most alternators. And the ICE cycles automatically as long as there is gasoline in the tank.

 

[not null]

It does NOT say power the WHOLE house. The use of a small generator to power individual appliances like fridges , freezers and sump pumps is nothing new. Nobody is claiming that this is a replacement for a 20-30KW whole hose genset.

Heck, I have a nat gas generator, 11KW, that is wired to provide power to the critical circuits. AC ain't one of them.

HRG

Plugging in the whole house... now THAT would violate the warranty!

 

[Bushpilot]

Will this void the inverter warranty?

 

[not null]

About 5 years ago, I pondered this “emergency power outage” scenario and this is what I came up with:

I picked it up around 5 years ago for $429 and is sitting in the closet of a spare bedroom, box never opened, oil and gas never put in it. My gas furnace and gas hot water use 120v and are supplied by typical wall sockets. My furnace uses 250 w continuous, 500w on startup. Nearly identical to my fridge. 55” tv uses 220 W, LED lights about 7w each. Natural gas stove can be started with a butane lighter rather than plugging it in. With just a few 100 ft indoor/outdoor extension cords and a really small generator that makes 1,850 W continuous, I can run everything in my house that I need and keep the generator safely in my back yard. Yeah, I want AC, but in SoCal I don’t need it because the low humidity is survivable when it is hot. I keep 2 Jerry cans of gas in my garage and once a year I empty them into a car and refresh the cans with new gas. Super simple system, low cost, super low effort and I haven’t experienced any power outages since 2017, so even the small generator feels like overkill.

Sounds like a good plan. What do you consider is the shelf life of a small gas motor? I.e. how long the rubbers and plastics will stay good? Maybe sometime soon sell it on craigslist/marketplace and buy it's replacement for the next X years. Just like keeping fresh gas.

 

[The Real Maverick]

^ good question.

Not forever. And probably shorter than people think.

You'll go to use it after 3-5 years and I bet it's unreliable / leaks either gas or fumes or won't start. Something. Maybe ants or spiders got inside.

 

[Phimosis]

Sounds like a good plan. What do you consider is the shelf life of a small gas motor? I.e. how long the rubbers and plastics will stay good? Maybe sometime soon sell it on craigslist/marketplace and buy it's replacement for the next X years. Just like keeping fresh gas.

Not sure on the answer to that, but I also have a 2012 harbor freight predator 4,000 watt open frame generator. I fire it up once a year or so and it still works just fine. And I have a 2010 Honda pressure washer that I use 3-4 times a year and it is still working just fine as well. I don’t see any cracking of fuel lines or anything like that and these have continuously had fuel and oil in them for 12 and 14 years, sitting in a garage that gets up to 130 degrees in the summer. I bought the inverter generator because it has a closed frame with sound deadening and they rev up depending on load, instead of sitting at 3,600 rpm loaded or unloaded. The inverter generator is just much quieter and more serene, which is good in your backyard. The open frame generators are better suited to construction sites.

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