Welding Machine/ Generator for Hurricane outage?

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Who is using which machines to run their home power needs in case of hurricane outage? Amperage/ hook up/ usage, etc. I have a generator at my home in Florida for storm outages, but for the ffuture (retirement)  i'm considering getting a welding machine/ generator combo to run the works.Howboutcha?
Reply:I have a Hobart/Miller ( both the same co.) 10,000 watt gen/welder with a Kohler engine that has worked great since 2007. Cost about $3500.00Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:I used my TB 302 to run stuff in my house for a few days after the Derecho last year.  It did fine, but was overkill for what was needed.  Burned between 1.25 and 1.5 gallons an hour.  Even with running for a few hours, shutting off for a few hours it was expensive, and gas was nearly impossible to find locally.However, the TB 302 also doesn't have enough capacity to power my whole house, with an electric water heater and heat pump with electric backup being the main draws.  My electrician friend said I'd need 20,000W plus to run the whole house.  So there I was running a 12KW generator and putting a 2KW load on it (refrigerator and lights).After that I started doing some research on generators and picked up a Honda eu3000is a few months ago in used but good shape -- paid $600 for it.  It's quiet, much lower capacity (3000W vs 12,000W), and doesn't burn nearly the fuel that the TB does.  It'll run the refrigerator and some lights, and that's all I really need.  I've got a wood stove in the shop and we can live in there if necessary.  A creek runs through the property so no trouble with water.My electrician friend said he fixed and replaced a lot of refrigerators and other appliances that were run on overloaded generators after the Derecho -- so be careful to buy a generator with more capacity than you need, and even if it's tempting, don't overload it.  Oversizing your extension cords would be smart, too.Best fuel type for a whole-house generator in my opinion would be a toss-up between propane and diesel.  Propane won't degrade but doesn't have as much "power" per gallon as diesel.  Over time (several years), diesel will degrade.  Gas is a distant last choice, because it won't do as much work per gallon as diesel, doesn't last very long in top shape, and is the first fuel to disappear from the area.  So if you're going to run a gas welder as a generator, have a decent-sized storage tank (assuming your welder's a 10KW to 12KW capacity, you can use my gals/hr usage example as a rough estimate to figure how much fuel you need to keep on hand), find a way to rotate that stock of fuel through your vehicles so it doesn't get stale, and be sure the fuel that's in the welder itself isn't old.What I do for my little generator is keep a couple 5 gal containers full of gas that I empty into the car and refill with fresh every month or so.  The generator sits completely drained of fuel until needed.Last edited by tbone550; 12-10-2013 at 09:38 AM.
Reply:@ weldertom - related to my goal in searching out a pre-owned, low-hrs, Trailblazer 301.  Plan to employ her for mission-critical loads during power outages.  Freezer/Reefer and lighting.  For domicile heating and cooling applications --> no dice.  In generator mode with the Kohler delivering max output, her burn rate approaches 1.5 gph. Equates to 7 hrs of operation with the 10 gallon tank, prior to refill.  Good to go for short-term outages.  Plus, the unit's mobility provides a dakine solution for nearby family and friends.Having a mobile BLUE genny that'll supply limited power for emergencies.....AND......rock some 7018s is awesome Last edited by ManoKai; 12-10-2013 at 10:01 AM."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Originally Posted by ManoKai@ weldertom - related to my goal in searching out a pre-owned, low-hrs, Trailblazer 301.  Plan to employ her for mission-critical loads during power outages.  Freezer/Reefer and lighting.  For domicile heating and cooling applications --> no dice.  In generator mode with the Kohler delivering max output, her burn rate approaches 1.5 gph. Equates to 7 hrs of operation with the 10 gallon tank, prior to refill.  Good to go for short-term outages.  Plus, the unit's mobility provides a dakine solution for nearby family and friends.Having a mobile BLUE genny that'll supply limited power for emergencies.....AND......rock some 7018s is awesome
Reply:I bought a 302 TRAILBLAZER and told the wife it is a generator too. It is 3 years old and since I bought it, never had to use it for emergency power. .   Used it lots for welding.    As stated it will consume more fuel then a stand alone generator. If you are considering a generator for whole house use and natural gas is available that is the best option.
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1I bought a 302 TRAILBLAZER and told the wife it is a generator too. It is 3 years old and since I bought it, never had to use it for emergency power. .   Used it lots for welding.    As stated it will consume more fuel then a stand alone generator. If you are considering a generator for whole house use and natural gas is available that is the best option.