Mike Humfreville - 8-27-2006 at 11:24 AM
Anyone have experience with the Honda GX390 13 horsepower 7000kW generator?? I have seen one on sale for $900.00 and this seems like a good price.
We will use this generator to supplement solar power in our Baja home. I project that we will use it an average of 3 hours/day 2 or 3 days per week,
i.e., a max of 9 hours/week. I hope to get many years of use out of whatever we end up with.
Does anyone have personal experience with this generator?? Does it sound like it will fill my application???
Thanks for any/all information.
comitan - 8-27-2006 at 11:32 AM
Mike it sounds to cheap to be a Honda that size, its probably one of the Honda copies.(Made in China.)
Comitan -
Mike Humfreville - 8-27-2006 at 11:59 AM
Once I saw it (@ Costco) I went on line with a number of Honda sites and it seems, while this is the best price I could find, most sites had it
advertized at $1200 - $1500. How can I tell if this is a Chinese spin off? Thanks for your help.
comitan - 8-27-2006 at 01:15 PM
Mike
That model number is for the motor only, the motor is good but the Generating section has to be also, I found a 6KW eith that motor !@2150.00 better
check somemore Bob says no chinese.
BIG Generator
MrBillM - 8-27-2006 at 01:19 PM
? " Anyone have experience with the Honda GX390 13 horsepower 7000kW generator?? I have seen one on sale for $900.00 and this seems like a good
price." ?
7000KW would be a bit of overkill, especially considering the fact that a 7KW would suffice for most needs.
Besides, a 7000KW would probably taken a Diesel 18-wheeler to haul around. Not to mention what they might say at the border. That is one Helluva
price, though.
MrBillM -
Mike Humfreville - 8-27-2006 at 01:40 PM
Sorry - I meant 7000W (or 7kW) You're absolutely right - I could power the entire village with 7000kW. Any further thoughts? Thanks for the input.
Bob and Susan - 8-27-2006 at 01:43 PM
noise is the MOST important item not wattage
it would probably be better to get two smaller units in case one fails at an important time
i'd buy more batteries and solar panels instead
More Specifics...
Mike Humfreville - 8-27-2006 at 02:01 PM
House is about 2000 Sq Ft and we run TV for ~4 hours daily, a computer several times a day for a few minutes each. We have a microwave that is seldom
used, a clothes washer (for which I always start the existing generator) and the normal contingent of lights etc with which we are very conservative.
We presently have 6 standard solar panels (3-4 Sq Ft each); these are linked via a controller to 6 Trojan T-105 6v batteries (we have 8 but I took 2
offline until I get more solar panels). On cloudy days and in the winter we use the generator as described above - our existing generator is ~6kW but
old and noisy.
My 22 Centavos
MrBillM - 8-27-2006 at 02:12 PM
It is difficult to beat Honda for Reliability, however the premium paid for that reliability is sometimes not cost effective. I've used many Gensets
powered by Briggs & Stratton engines for hundreds of hours without problems. They ARE louder, but I've found that even the Honda, including
water-cooled, are noticeable for a long distance (hundreds of yards) at night when things are quiet.
IF the Genset is to be used as a stationary power supply, I would concentrate on building a sound-dampening enclosure and ducting the exhaust into a
more effective muffler. I've built and seen other installs that were pretty effective, including routing the exhaust through a large Auto Muffler
BURIED in the ground with the tailpipe routed back above ground, of course.
Bob and Susan - 8-27-2006 at 02:16 PM
i wouldn't "cheap out" on solar or inverter
washer takes a lot of startup power then not too much
I'd buy 12 more trojans ~$100 ea
and more solar panels...
what size do you have now (50w)
newer solar panels have more wattage for the same size
I just bought another 6 130w for ~$3500
keep the old generator for back up and store more power in the battery banks
Mike Humfreville - 8-27-2006 at 02:32 PM
The generator will be used in a stationary environment and I do plan on building a small cinderblock building attached to our garage. The extra
exhaust pipe sounds like a great idea; I guess I'd have to be careful to use a muffler system large enough to not cause any additional back-pressure.
The solar panels I'm using are ~65w each and I have two more on order.
Thanks for the info. It's all good for a "newbie" in solar power generation & consumption.
El Camote - 8-27-2006 at 04:14 PM
Mike,
Bob and Susan make an excellent point about upgrading your solar system vs purchasing a new generator. If your panels are only 65w, chances are they
have a few years on them and my understanding is, even though they are good for 20-25 years or more, they become less and less efficient through the
years. Adding a couple new 135w panels will make a huge difference and, coupled with more battery capacity, will give you a nice reserve for the
short, cloudy winter days or when those watt-hungry guests come to visit. 
Also, Trojan is not the only brand out there and certainly not the cheapest. When our Trojans went on a death march, I replaced them with a competing
brand called Powerstride which has an identical size as the Trojan T-105 as well as larger. I think Mexray reps this brand and they have outlets in
San Diego as well as Ventura. I paid $125 per pair with tax or about $62.50 ea.
It might come out a little cheaper, initially, to buy the new genny than upgrade the solar but you've got to factor in the cost and aggravation of
purchasing, hauling and storing of the gasoline. Hmmm, buying and hauling 5 gals of gas at a time vs. adding a few ounces of distilled water to
extra batteries - which sounds better?
Thanks to all...
Mike Humfreville - 8-27-2006 at 09:37 PM
I have made arrangements to add two solar panels and put the 2 Trojan batteries back into the battery bank (for 8 total.
Also, I did a little digging and found out that most folks feel that the engine of a generator can be Briggs & Straton (sp) as long as the
generator itself is Honda all is well.
So I'm upgrading both the solar system and the generator as you have all suggested.
Russ - 8-28-2006 at 06:12 AM
Honda has a qulet genset EU3000ls. More than enough for your needs
Bob and Susan - 8-28-2006 at 06:14 AM
maybe not...
it may not have enough umph to start up his washer
Diver - 8-28-2006 at 06:39 AM
Honda makes a generator with a Briggs engine ?????
Bajalero - 8-28-2006 at 07:47 AM
Mike ;
Here's a watt usage chart that may be helpful in determining what you need .
http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/genwat.asp
There are Honda generators and "honda powered" generators . The generator portion is what you should be most concerned with but know that most
inexspensive sets are very noisy
Bob and Susan is right , the most important thing to consider when purchasing a generator is how noisy it is.
I've known several generators meet a mysterious untimely quik death that were just a little too irritating
Be considerate to your neighbors.
The eu3000i mentioned can't be beat; good quality , very quiet and pumps out "clean" levels of AC needed to safely run your computer
Washer Load
MrBillM - 8-28-2006 at 09:19 AM
I have no problem at all running my Washer (full-size Whirlpool), along with other items i.e. a couple of fans and a water pump, on a Honda 3KW
genset. I also use a Honda-Powered 2700 watt (Northern Tools) to run my 6K BTU A/C when needed.
I would agree that the Generator head is the more important unit in terms of reliability. I have never worn out the engine component, whether it be B
& S, Tecumsah or Honda on ANY Genset. in fact, I've got a Coleman 5500W (10HP Briggs) under my genset bench with a destroyed Generator component
caused by doing TOO much Arc Welding. The engine is like new. I attempted to purchase a replacement Gen head and it was around $300. Instead, I
went to Home Depot and Bought a 6KW Coleman with the same 10hp engine for $479.00.
BTW, something I've been doing for years is to run a 120VAC Box Fan ($14.00 at Walmart) directly on the genset to aid in cooling. There is, of
course, no way of determining whether it makes a difference, but it certainly can't hurt and the currrent draw is low.
comitan - 8-28-2006 at 10:02 AM
Bill wouldn't be good to take that good 10HP engine and hook it up to an alternator to charge your house batteries. I did this before with a 5HP
worked great but worked the engine too much I think I had to put a different resister in the circuit. Or maybe it was the pully.
[Edited on 8-28-2006 by comitan]
DC Alternator Gensets
MrBillM - 8-28-2006 at 12:35 PM
Comitan: Probably the Pulley. Since the easiest place to experiment is the Engine Pulley, I've got a number of pulleys I bought at Ace Hardware
(about $5 each) for testing purposes.
Over the years, I've built quite a few of those Alternator setups. My first battery-charging system was an OLD Briggs and Stratton 3.5hp driving a 30
amp Delco Alternator. A friend had built it to use at his house in Gonzaga and was going to throw it away. I rebuilt it and would charge my batts
once a day. The max charge with the 3.5 was 20-25 amps.
After that, I started building them with a 5.0 B & S driving a 50 amp Delco, including one that I gave to my landlord. Last year, I was down at
the Cantina and one of the workers was rebuilding the Carb on it. Lupe asked me if I remembered it. I said, sure, I built that 20 years ago. Also
last year, I bought a New B & S 5.5 OHV engine from Northern Tools and coupled it to an 80 amp Delco. I built it on a wooden frame to test out
before welding together a frame, but it's still there on its temporary base. Max output is around 50 amps.
The "Dead" Coleman underneath my bench is sitting there partially disassembled because the Rotor is a press-fit onto the engine's tapered shaft and I
haven't been able to pull it apart. The problem with trying to use a conventional puller is that it appears the only place to grip are the "Plastic"
cooling fins on the rotor. I'm sure there is some technique to removing it, but I haven't yet figured it out. Another reason why it was easier to
buy a replacement.