Thanks for your reply. Your question is one reason I considered Honda.
i.e. Their smallest model uses less fuel than the next size up. So if you buy the bigger one, you're spending more on fuel for the bigger engine, to produce more power, that you may not have needed. But if you get the smaller one - you save on fuel - but it may not produce enough power.
However, apparently, if the smallest one isn't big enough - you can buy a second one and a special cable to link them together. But you certainly pay more for Honda. And another $300/$400 by buying two separate ones, instead of a single larger one (if you even find you need the second one).
This made me think - maybe... Buy one, and if it's not big enough, get the second one. Then I thought if I'm going to do that, maybe buy a cheaper brand - and forget about the link cable. i.e. If one is not enough, buy two, and just power appliances separately. This would also mean, reguardless if I buy a Honda or something else - that I'd have two generators. (So if one died, I can still power - something.)
But I'm undecided. I like buying quality if it's available, and you know there are benefits. And I hate buying 'junk'. And we all know, there's junk products EVERYWHERE - all with covert timers fitted - that turn things into landfill the day after warranty expires. ;-p...
Anyway... Yes - in the case of the house, 1x fridge, 1x box freezer, a desktop computer, maybe an air conditioner. However, I don't need to run the electrical stuff at the same time.
(I have a gas BBQ and small two-burner camp stove for cooking. And mobile home would probably be gas for cooking as well.)
During that big storm NSW had a few months ago, power was out for ~4-5 days. I wedged something between the fridge's freezer section and the sink, to compress the seal tight. And the stand-alone freezer is a top-opening box freezer.
Some guy from the health dept basically said on the radio, throw out all refrigerated food - even from a freezer - on the same day the power went off! But whilst the fridge section was room temp, its freezer section had not even begun melting, let alone drip any water yet - before the power came back on 4-5 days later! And obviously the box freezer was even further from that starting (due to being a top-opening, the cold doesn't 'fall out').
Everything in both - and I mean food AND the thinnest of ice crystals on the walls - looked like the power had not been turned off. (They were both packed full to the brim, which also helped.)
To answer the question more directly... The fridge label states it needs 1 Amp. The box freezer says slightly less, 0.9 I think (very difficult to get to the label). But I know it wasn't more than the fridge, so I remember I just rounded it up slightly.
But I'd only need to power the fridge and freezer if power went out for more than 4 days. Even then, I'd probably only run one at a time for a couple of hours each day to 'recharge' their 'ice battery'.
So when powering the 'house', it would be:
1. One fridge - for a couple of hours AND the desktop computer.
Or...
2. One freezer - for a couple of hours AND the desktop computer.
Or...
3. Air conditioner AND computer.
Or...
4. Just one of those 4 at any one time - whatever the generator can cope with.
Even lights I can do without.
The computer is what I use most. Which would obviously work on the smallest petrol/diesel generator there is. And if necessary I can turn that off too, for the couple of hours the fridge or freezer are 'ice charging'.
If it were really hot, then at night I might run a small air conditioner - alone - to sleep in comfort.
The funny thing is, this means a mobile home would require more power than the house. i.e. A laptop, a typical caravan fridge (which I guess needs to be powered on for more time than a house one does), maybe a small air conditioner, perhaps a lead acid battery charger (neglible). Maybe a small washing machine if I decide to travel long-term. But all of these only need to be used one at a time.
I guess what I'm saying is, I'm more concerned about brand/s at the moment. Because I don't yet own the mobile home, its fridge, aircon, washing machine, battery charger, or laptop.
I'm mainly hoping others can suggest a brand/s that are easy to repair, get parts for, maybe a service manual... So once I own those appliances, I don't buy a generator that's a sealed, unserviceable, problematic, parts-not-avaible, throw-away item. (Within reason though. I mean if it cost $100, provides a few - clean - amps, similar fuel usage to $$$ brands, and lasts a couple of years... maybe then cheap junk is worth considering.)
Does anyone know:
* Are Hondas serviceable?
* Can you obtain parts easily??
* Service manuals???
I also considered Yamaha. And I think I read there's another brand made in the Honda factory? Anyone know if parts/manuals are available for those??
Or something else entirely? LOL.
Last edited by justallan; 11/10/15 11:37 PM.
