Generator selection

I also have a big/heavy/loud 8kva generator and a light/quiet 2kva generator, both with honda engines. The smaller one gets most use out in the field, the big one runs the house whenever the mains is out. The big one will serve as a backup to the off grid solar we will install in the new place.

I use a late 90's early 2000 era 2.2 Honda.

Runs 2 X fridge-freezers (not at the same time) as well as TV, a few lamps and recharges laptops, phones etc.

Worth noting any gen set can be made much more quiet by venting the exhaust into a buried drum. Stations used to do this with their ye olde Lister gensets.

Based on all the remote areas set ups I've seen over the years, I'd get a diesel genset to run top-up on a stand alone solar system.

milwaukee make a nice battery heated jacked as well. It’s good gear and i’m pretty sure there are no plastic gears in their tools like some of the cheaper rivals.

With out going to the shop to check details, our generator is from Costco store brand, purchased with out credit card reward dollars.

It is an electric start, 4000 watt continuous I think. Biggest thing is it is duel fuel. I have never put gas into it, but have test run it several times on propane.

A small generator is more than adequate for us. Running several small appliances at a time. Topping off freezers and the like.

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I like the idea of a diesel set up.
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That to me is a whole different thing. Apples and oranges if you will.
My opinion is many people try to make or think a small generator will power the whole house. If you want whole house seamless power, you can do that. There is equipment and all for that, but be prepared to pay for it.

Diesel units here in the far north would require block heaters, winter blend fuel like any other diesel engine tool. Typically diesel units will be larger capacity. If you have the load requirement for that, it is likely worth the effort.

Every ones need is different.

I get it now, they can handle a brief spike such as a pump start up but can’t sustain a larger continuous load and each generator/inverter has different capacity to handle the initial power spike. Cool.

Tim in my opinion and where i live diesel is the best fuel for a shtf situation. It is economical, stores well and can be produced in the home from waste oil if you are that way inclined. I can run my vehicle, tractor, pumps and possibly in the future a genny, i can also claim tax credits when i set up my primary production status.

But yes horses for courses and everyone will have different needs. 

Has anyone tried a Cromtech generator? The reviews for the Cromtech brumby 3.0 are good. While I realise a Honda or one of the more expensive ones will be better/last longer, that is just not in the budget at the moment.

in the past at my old property i had a 17kva lister genset that was crank start and pumed out 415volt 3 phase and 240volt single phase I had two 44s on a rack that gravity feed the fuel down to it and that 400 liters of fuel gave me 9 days of power i wish i never sold it the whole unit was set up on a heavy duty trailer with a shed on it this unit was wired to my workshop

i also had a 8 kva gentech generator paired with a Honda motor it was great for raw power out around the property and it was part of my firefighting system as back up power for the electric water pumps that ran the sprinklers systems

i aslo had a cheap pure sin-wave inverter and yeah never again ill stick to proven brand name units like Honda

The key thing with selecting a genset is to actually understand the following
1. key role for the unit
2. budget
3. possibility of multi use
4. budget
5. right tool for the role

so many times i've seen people unfortunately try to shoe horn a genset into a budget that leads them to wasting money

If you want a proper standby unit for home for long term power outages that last more than a couple of days then you need to step up to diesel and fork out the money. There is a reason that remote properties used diesel units to provide power
1. longevity of engine life
2. fuel efficiency

you can buy some very sweet silenced diesel standby units that come with good sized builtin fuel tanks after the initial price shock they are something that you can go forward with in confidence plus when you sell or move properties you can take them with you

A hybrid system that's a mix of solar and genny to top up batteries is good as well for standby
The most important thing is though you have to get the right tool for the job don't burn cash buying a unit that will "suffice 'for now then have to spend more money later to get a more suitable unit unless you had plans for the 1st one to be used in another role once you upgraded

Grumble is pretty much spot on.
My considerations

Price - Had to be at or under $1k. It would be rarely used, so no need for a top of the line generator
Capacity - Take the biggest load you need and triple it. You'll need this to cover inrush current. In my case the biggest load is the fridge. This sets the lower limit at 2kVA.
Air Conditioning - This is generally too big to run on a genny unless you buy a very big model or are running a battery.
Portability - Must be a one man carry/drag.
Fuel - I chose petrol so as not to have to store two fuel types. But if you have a diesel car, definitely get a diesel genny.
Use - Mine is to cover temporary outages or to run for a few hours per day to let the fridge run. If your intent is 24/7, get a more expensive one. I also plan to add a battery, for which the genny would be a top-up, not base load.