🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello:

I'm looking into getting a standby generator for my home up in the
Santa Cruz Mountains (CA).  I want something that can run for a week
straight, be relatively fuel efficient and fairly quiet.  I've looked
at a number of different brands, and have heard a number of opinions
over the months.

Anyway, I recently got ahold of a Northern catalog, and they have a
Northern Pro brand of generator.  Northern told me that those
generators are manufactored by Gillette.  The generators in the
catalog look like a pretty decent deal, but I really have no idea
about their quality.  The Northern guy, of course, said they were
high quality, but I've never heard of them (or Gillette outside
of razors) before.

The one of most interest to me is the 10,500 watt 18HP propane
or NG fuel generator (item# 161453-C098).  It is priced at $2600
plus $120 for shipping.  It is attractive because it does not need
to be converted to run on propane, and 10KW is more than adequate
for my needs, for a pretty low price.  There are other 6, 9, 12,
and 15KW models, but they are gasoline or diesel powered.  The
Northern guy said I'd need to talk with the manufacturer about
propane conversion.  They don't deal with it directly.

Does anybody own one of these generators and have good or bad thing
to report?  I've heard bad things about the reliablity, particularly
for extended periods of run time, of Briggs & Stratton engines, but
I've also heard that the Briggs Vanguard is pretty good (which the
propane generator has).

Also, is it a very good idea to mail order such a thing?  If
something (is or) goes wrong, then it's not an easy thing to return.
It weighs 241 lbs.  Has anybody dealt with Northern, for any purpose?
Are you happy with the service and prices?

Before seeing the Northern catalog, I was leaning toward the
Honda ES-6500 (6.5KW).  I can buy this locally for about $3200
plus about $500 more for the propane conversion (P&L).  This is
significantly more expensive, but I know Honda is highly reliable,
and if something goes wrong, there is a local dealer.  Also, it
looks like derating 10% is common for a propane conversion, so
I'd end up with much less generating capacity than the Northern Pro,
though it would still be adequate.

BTW, Northern sells the ES-6500 (Item #1676-C098) for $2684 (gasoline).
I looked at the ES-6500 at the dealer and it is pretty quiet
running, reportedly reliable, and can be used for days at a time.
It is liquid cooled and well insulated for noise reduction.

Any advice is appreciated!  Thanks a lot,

Jeff

-- 
Jeff Schmidt          Detente Technology, Inc.
(415) 967-2922 x111   444 Castro St., Suite 501
jas@detente.com       Mountain View, CA  94041