Generator on sale at Costco

[Werk]

Firman 2900w/3200w dual fuel inverter generator on sale at Costco online only. Regular price $849.99 instant savings $200.00 so final cost $649.99 which is a pretty good price compared to other dealers. Checking the reviews it seems to be a pretty good generator with a 58db rating according to the Lowes website. Large enough to run your A/C which is nice. Weighs just over 100lbs.

[SeaDog]

The only comment I will make not having looked at the specs is at my age I have found the switch to two smaller portable generators that weigh in at 49lbs was a better choice for me. 100 is doable tho. JMHO

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

The only comment I will make not having looked at the specs is at my age I have found the switch to two smaller portable generators that weigh in at 49lbs was a better choice for me. 100 is doable tho. JMHO

Yes, the 50 pounders are manageable, nice to move them around without help. My younger self would say, "it's only a hundred lbs". My older self wants to go back in time and kick my younger self in the ass for busting up his body, lol.

[njfishing]

I have the non dual fuel version of this generator. Got in on sale at Costco for $489 2 years ago and it’s been flawless. Runs my 13.5 AC and microwave at the same time and starts on first pull every time.

[tc cruiser]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Yes, the 50 pounders are manageable, nice to move them around without help. My younger self would say, "it's only a hundred lbs". My older self wants to go back in time and kick my younger self in the ass for busting up his body, lol.

Nick,
That there is some funny $h-t. Made my day.
TC

[B and B]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Yes, the 50 pounders are manageable, nice to move them around without help. My younger self would say, "it's only a hundred lbs". My older self wants to go back in time and kick my younger self in the ass for busting up his body, lol.

But my younger self would look after Sunnydale better that my older self has done in a fog.

[U.S.ArmyVeteran]

Originally Posted by tc cruiser

Nick,
That there is some funny $h-t. Made my day.
TC

Funny but so true....ughhhh:-)

[aircommuter]

Firman made generators for several other companies for years before deciding to sell direct. They are proven quality. I bought the gas only model just because it could be handy. My rv and home have built in types.

[Daniel.mullins4]

I purchased the Furman dual fuel 2900w/3200w at Costco a few months ago, I believe around $550, tested at camping, ran AC and microwave at same time on propane, nice thing don't need to smell the gas fumes, don't worry about lifting just leave in truck bed. It is an awsom generator for camping and home power outage. I will never use gas in this generator, Why would I

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by Daniel.mullins4

I purchased the Furman dual fuel 2900w/3200w at Costco a few months ago, I believe around $550, tested at camping, ran AC and microwave at same time on propane, nice thing don't need to smell the gas fumes, don't worry about lifting just leave in truck bed. It is an awsom generator for camping and home power outage. I will never use gas in this generator, Why would I

One reason would be if you needed the maximum power rating, considering that the power drops as you go higher in elevation. Propane engines also have an undesirable odor.

[Timtation1]

Not sure what the oil change instructions are but with propane and 100% synthetic oil you probably could never need to change the oil. Not a big savings but maybe a big headache.

[aircommuter]

You can at least extend the interval. Of course the manufacturer warranty and recommended change interval is in effect. Since a certain amount of oil always reaches the combustion chamber the engine isn’t burning just pure propane.
My home backup generator is a Kohler Fast Response ll , 50kw 3ph powered by a Ford industrial running 1800 since it is a 6 pole unit. I have good success changing it at 50% less than gas units per my oil analysis. However I have an old Clark forklift that gets the oil pretty dirty due to more engine wear and burning more oil. I have been rebuilding engines 50+ years.

[Timtation1]

On my 1968 boat my genny is a 6.5 KVA Kohler. About 3000 hours and few bad habits. Save a few bucks on oil analysis, get some blotter paper draw grid lines for 3 inch squares label 0, 10,... at the appropriate hour add a drop of oil from the dipstick to the center of the square. The oil will wick and at some point a dark spot will form at the center. This is from oxidation products. This is "dirt" and is captured by the detergents which generally are the first to fail. So long as the spot carries color Uniformly the oil is good. The detergents are first to fall.

[Timtation1]

I would have given a better response but interference from ads gave conflicts

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Timtation1

I would have given a better response but interference from ads gave conflicts

Not sure what you're talking about but i don't get any ads while on FRF. Not on my PC nor the green app for my devices.
but i have AdBlockers.

[samTummo]

I love my Furman. Got it at Costco online. 3000/3500 Only problem can’t run electric HW or microwave with AC on.
Samtummo

[samTummo]

Originally Posted by samTummo

I love my Furman. Got it at Costco online. 3000/3500 Only problem can’t run electric HW or microwave with AC on.
Samtummo

What I don’t understand is, if I have a 30A gen and a 30A TT, shouldn’t I be able to run everything?

Samtummo

[5picker]

Originally Posted by samTummo

What I don’t understand is, if I have a 30A gen and a 30A TT, shouldn’t I be able to run everything?

Samtummo

Well... if you have a generator that truly puts out 30a you would think so.
A 30a connection on a generator needs to output 3600w (30a x 120v = 3600w) for it to be a true 30a connection. That 3600w can't be the 'surge' rating of the generator.

The in-rush current needed to start many appliances is often higher than 3600w for a few seconds. You'd need a generator rated at something like 3600w/4200w surge (or higher) not 3000/3500.

Shore power handles this in-rush much better than a generator.

Besides, even a 30a R/V on shore power needs to have some power management. Often times running the A/C, the water heater and/or the microwave/fireplace will trip the main breaker so you do need to be aware of your amperage usage even on shore power.

[Werk]

I did order the generator and I'm glad to hear the positive responses. Even at the sale price, it might seem a little high but I believe every thing associated with the RV industry has had price increases. I have had a WDH ordered from Amazon for about a month now and still won't get it till next month. Not a problem though because my new trailer will not be built till January, if all the parts are available. As for the generator I did read in one review that he contacted Firman regarding high altitude and they sent him a kit with additional jets for the carburetor at no charge but not sure how easy they are to change.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by samTummo

What I don’t understand is, if I have a 30A gen and a 30A TT, shouldn’t I be able to run everything?

Samtummo

Short answer: No.

Shore power has essentially an infinite momentary (starting) reserve. Momentary surges to much higher amperage...pulled from, say, a 200 amp panel...won't trip the 30 AMP breaker.

So, while you're pulling high, steady-state loads- e.g. the resistive heat in your hot water tank, perhaps resistive heat for your 2-way fridge (you don't know if it's running or not), and a running microwave pulling nearly 800 watts, your genny won't have the RESEARVE power to light up the AC...which is a huge power hog to get started. Most nominal 2KW gennys can't even start an AC unit...with no other loads. That's what your AC needs...2KW++ to start. Your genny only delivers RATED watts/amps for a few seconds to start things, then it's steady state delivery is less...usually 200 to 500 watts less than rated power. So if you are already sucking 1500 watts from your genny for other stuff, there just isn't enough left over to launch your AC.

Unlike shore power, your genny, at 3500 watts surge, doesn't quite make 30 amps, and it only makes 25 amps continuous at it's rated 3000 watts. It may have a 30 amp outlet on it, but it NEVER quite delivers 30 amps. While your household shore power socket rated for 30 amps can momentarily deliver FAR more, and can deliver 30 amps ALL DAY.

Run the numbers: https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/ele...alculator.html

I confess that I have an old (7 seasons) 2200 watt peak genny, and I don't run AC in CO. But when I am off the grid, I don't even run the fridge on 120 volts (auto) when the genny is running. I "force" it to run on "gas." This prevents the fridge from unexpectedly loading the circuit while I'm trying to run the micro...a guaranteed overload requiring a shut-down-restart on my genny. I wouldn't think of making hot water with the electric element while on generator. That's what the propane is for.

This is a regular rant that some may have seen...forgive me.
Propane is best for heat. A typical 5 gallon tank of propane contains about 4.5 gallons of fuel. A gallon of propane contains 45,000 BTU of energy. Put two of these on the tongue of your rig, and that comes out to 405,000 BTU.
Some quick math - https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/...U_to_Watt.html - shows that your two puny tanks of propane contain 119 kilowatt hours of energy.
Convert that into amp hours at 12 volts, it's 10,000 AMP HOURS!! If you have god's own battery bank, say 4 x 6 volt golf cart batteries, or a couple of Battleborns, you might have about 230 USABLE AMP HOURS in your batteries. What's that got to do with genny power? Multiply X 10 the AH, and your genny can only deliver 25 to 30 amps per hour until the fuel runs out as it struggles to perform the "heating" duties best left to propane.

The electric heating element in your hot water heater will a) save you money if you are sucking the juice from a "free" (unmetered) campground pedestal, AND; b) it will also heat the water more quickly if combined with propane. But making electricity with a genny to then turn around and make heat is the wrong way to go about it. Just ask anyone who heats a home with resistive electric baseboard heat. When you're boondocking, make heat with propane, and run motors and appliances and lights with your genny...and leave a bunch of power untapped so you can top off your battery bank while the genny's running.

End of rant.