New Coleman Generators?

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Saw new type Coleman generator last night Rated 7500 w. OHV Briggs and Stratton engine Large gas tank. spin in oil filter electric start $1450

Looks good. Anyone know anything.

Thanks

-- ho deedo (hodeedo1@yahoo.com), May 02, 1999

Answers

I have had experience with the inexpensive line of Coleman's. I was manager for all construction and service in a company that had several generators in its inventory. The Coleman's were constantly down with assorted problems, all relating to what I would call poor design and or quality. Again I stress that these were the low end models. Perhaps they have changed their design philosophy with respect to this new line.

If my opinion is of value, I would recommend that anyone that has determined they would like to have a generator on hand becuase of Y2K, to get one designed for "continuous" use. You will have to spend additional money to purchase one, but given the purpose it is intended to serve it would seem to me to be a wise strategy.

The Coleman you describe seems to have a price that would indicate that it is not in the same category as those with which I have had experience. My experience with the cheaper Coleman's however, would force me to be "shown" why this more expensive line is worthy of the price.

-- Dave Walden (wprop@concentric.net), May 02, 1999.


The bigger the generator the more fuel it's going to burn and the more fuel you will need to store. We have a 3500w Honda and plan to run it for a few hours each day to keep the freezer and fridge cold. We'll avoid opening either one as much as possible. To accomplish this we're going to freeze gallon size ziploc bags half filled with water lying flat. We'll keep these in a 150 quart cooler with daily use items from the fridge & freezer. We should only have to open the freezer to change out the ice bags every other day or so. Depending on how cold it is outside. We can keep the cooler on the deck and if it's cold enough the ice and contents should be okay for days at a time. Here in NC we have January temps from 20 to 75. By only using the genset a few hours a day the stored fuel should last a month or two. If Cory's WRP article from Rick Cowles is right we'll have intermittent power, brownouts and dirty power (which I take to mean surges). We plan to install a whole house surge protector so that if this is the case we won't have to run around plugging and unplugging everthing if we do have power.

Those big ziploc bags work great. They lay flat on the bottom of the cooler and a layer of them can be put on top too. A big slab of ice like that lasts longer than trying to use cubes and it is refreezable. Have to be sure to remember to turn off the icemaker in the fridge if the water is bad. We don't want polluted ice cubes!

-- mb (mdbutler@coastalnet.com), May 02, 1999.


Just a few more comments. Many of these previous companies have done spin-offs or sales of their divisions. Coleman was bought by Sunbeam a little while back. Generac has spun off its portable generator dept. I don't know if this is good or bad, only time will tell, but I have seen some quality control slippage as well. I bought a Generac 2200 psi pressure washer last year and it came without any oil in the pressure pump. This is not a customer serviced item. The pump tore itself up within 15 minutes. Home Depot took it back and gave me another one, which did have the oil in the pump (you can remove a plug and look) and the replacement unit has worked real good. Still, I wonder what kind of assembly line controls are allowing this sort of thing to get through and into customers hands. I know that many of these companies are running their lines full tilt to meet demands, and that means a lot of new (low wage?) workers being hired. Soooo??

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), May 02, 1999.

ho deedo,

What type of powerplant does it have? One thing you can do is get the make and horsepower rating and go ask a lawnmower repairman what he thinks of the engine.

(If he's really knowledgeable, he'll know if it's enough horsepower to turn that big of a generator reliably -- which directly affects the wear rate.)

The actual load pulled will affect this, too; if you buy 7500 watts, but routinely pull less than 3000, it'll last longer. On the other hand, if you buy a 3,500 watt unit for that same demand, it's going to break down sooner.

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 02, 1999.


mb:

If you want to REALLy improve the effectiveness of your freezer, try blocking it around with 2x6 studs and filling in the spaces with fiberglass insulation. It requires rearranging the kitchen somewhat and you have to figure out a way to allow the radiating coils to vent (either to inside during the winter or to outside during the summer).

The added 6 inches of insulation makes a big difference, especially if you get delinquent and pack insulation infront of the door too.

This is probably impractical for an indoor kitchen but if you keep a fridge outside in the garage it's feasible.

-- dowcorning (pink@panther.com), May 02, 1999.



dowcorning,

Your idea is a great one, but I'd suggest buying the styrofoam insulating sheets and simply glueing them to the freezer. It won't cost nearly as much, and will be just about as effective.

The sheets are very easy to trim (a handsaw works like a champ, if you can stand the fingernails-on-blackboard noise[g]). Plain old stinky silicone caulk (the stuff that smells like a jar or bad vinegar) will work to stick the sheets on there.

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 04, 1999.


dowcorning,

PS - I hope everyone read what you said about not blocking the coils in the back! They need a free flow of air, or the freezer won't work properly.

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 04, 1999.


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