MNMG7926

Are you looking for a generator to power your outdoor living activities

Camping, cottage living, RV trips, tailgate grilling parties, public gatherings involving video or sound systems, beyond the reach of the grid

These activities and more are all made better with electric power. The thing is

buying a generator to support an outdoor lifestyle is quite a bit different than buying one

primarily as a backup for household power or for off-grid construction. Generators for outdoor

living can be used for any application that needs electric power of course, but outdoor living

demands five particular qualities that you don't find in all generator models. And this would

be quiet operation, purity of power, a range of different power outputs, ease of portability, and

reliability. All of these are key. So ignore these points as you set out to buy and you could

end up with a generator that's far less than ideal for your outdoor living situation. But on the

other hand, choose well and you'll enjoy better outdoor living as well as backup power for

indoors when you need it. So I'm going to start with a really important issue and that's noise

Parameter number one, noise output. Sound intensity of all kinds is measured in

decibels and that's abbreviated DBA and the loudness of generators varies a lot a quiet running

model is a big advantage as you're sitting around a campfire or enjoying life in an RV park

but how can you tell how loud a particular model is when you're buying it it's not like you can

start the thing in the store or anything most generators create noise in the 55 to 75 decibel range

and this might not sound like a widespread but it is a huge difference in practice

So as you shop, look for decibel ratings on shipping cardins or online, and if you can't find a decibel number, don't buy that generator

What's the point of having a generator if it bothers everyone because it's too loud

Here are the guidelines I use for assessing generator sound output. Category 1 generators have a sound output between 53 and about 55 decibels at full throttle

This is as quiet as generators get, and it's suitable for camping and

RV parks no problem. Category 2 generators put out 56 to 60 decibels approximately and

they're still quiet and suitable for most camping in RV parks. They're certainly

louder than group 1 but quiet enough for most outdoor living situations. Category 3

generators emit 61 to 70 decibels and that loud enough to disturb outdoor activities if the generators nearby and it really is too loud for most camping situations

Category 4 generators put out 71 decibels and more and that's pretty loud

Suitable for construction sites and certain kinds of renovations and emergency backup power

this kind of generator is not advisable for outdoor living, especially in a trailer park

As important as noise is, there's more to choosing a generator for outdoor living than just quiet operation

You also need to look at the quality of electricity that each model puts out too

And that's what I mean when I talk about purity of power. Parameter number two, power purity

Although it's a popular idea these days that generators are capable of powering sensitive electronics without issue

this is not entirely true in my experience. If I connect a modern but ordinary generator to electronics

The items hum and act strangely and that's a sign of less than pure power and this is one reason they invented something called inverter generators

If you plan to power sensitive electronics as part of your outdoor living plans and many people do

The only way you can be absolutely sure things will work properly is if you use an inverter generator. So let me show you

show you exactly what I mean. The oscilloscope you see here is connected to grid power and

you can see a nice, smooth sine wave pattern. This is what's called pure power with the smooth

rising and falling of voltage. This is what alternating current, commonly known as AC power

is all about. But now take a look at the screen again. This is the output of an ordinary

non-inverter generator. Can you see the difference in wave patterns? The deviation you see from

the pure sine wave pattern is what can and does cause trouble with sensitive electronics

especially equipment involving audio. Now look here at the waveform created by an

inverter generator. It's just as pure as grid power and even better sometimes and smoother

depending on your electrical utility. For many applications, an ordinary non-inverter generator

works just fine, but I have yet to see any non-inverter generator that can power sensitive electronics

properly all the time, especially those items involving sound systems. And as important as this is

there's something else you need to understand about inverters too. Besides delivering clean power

inverters offer two more advantages that spring from one single design detail. Unlike conventional

generators, inverter generators have the ability to vary engine speed depending on electrical

demand So let say you only need 1 watts of power from a 3 hence watt inverte The engine will automatically throttle down roughly two from full blast Same goes when you need say 2 watts of power except that in this case the engine will run about

one-third slower than full speed. Slower engine speed means less fuel burned, less wear and tear

and less noise created. Remember those nice quiet 53-decimal Category 1 generators I told you about

earlier? That's a full-speed noise rating. Actual noise rating will be even

lower when less than full power is being demanded from an inverter

Clean and quiet power are essential for any generator you'll be sitting near outdoors, but

weight and portability are important factors too, as you'll see coming right up

Parameter number three, portability. Generators for outdoor living are designed to be moved around more than generators are intended

for household power backup only, so lightweight is a real virtue. This is why accurately sizing a generator for your outdoor living is so important

You don't want to lug around any more weight than needed. All else being equal, the smaller the wattage output, the lighter the generator is

In addition to this, some generators are specially designed to be lighter than average for

their power output, so pay attention to weight figures as you shop

So how many watts do you need? Begin by adding up all the wattage figures of all the items you intend to use at the same time

But this isn't as simple as it seems. The power draw of different items is not always as straightforward as simply adding up watts

And it all comes down to something called an inductive load. Any electrical load that involves an electric motor, for instance

will draw 200 to 500% more power for a few seconds during startup compared with running at a steady state

And any generator you choose must be able to provide this peak power output even for a short time

If it can't, the integral breaker on the generator will trip, and you won't get any power at all until that breaker is reset

That air conditioner, on your RV, for instance, it has a motor, and so do most fringes and freezers

Water pumps are all motorized, too, of course. Items like these all create inductive loads, drawing a spike of power every time they start

So how do you accurately add up total wattage? Most electrical items have a nameplate

that shows how much power they consume, but this does not include startup surges

You'll get more accurate numbers more easily with an online generator selection tool

One of the best I've seen is at champion power equipment.com slash generator-hyphen selector

This tool automatically displays the running wattage requirements of various items, as well as the startup draw when this is applicable The best generators for outdoor living also have another feature that particularly useful You can connect two generators together in parallel with a special connection

kit combining the total power of both. This is an advantage on three counts. First, it's a lot easier

to lift, carry and stow to 3,000 watt generators in and out of your truck or RV than it

is a 6,000 watt model. Second, if you've already got one generator but realize you need more

power adding a second unit is as easy as connecting with a cable provided the generators are of the

type that can be coupled together. The third advantage of dual generators is reliability. If one

unit goes down, at least you still have the power of the other one while you get the broken one

fixed. All this brings us to the next parameter for choosing an outdoor living generator

and that's power variety. Parameter four, power variety. If you're using a generator only for household power backup during emergencies

all you need is 120 volts AC and possibly 240 volts AC as well

Now you'll certainly be able to use 120 volt AC power for outdoor living

but the ideal outdoor living generator will also give you other types of electrical power

Want to charge your phone for instance? Generators are best suited for outdoor living

when they include a place to plug in a USB charging cable. Also

providing 12 volt DC power for plug-in accessories and for charging automotive-style batteries. Now the farther from the grid power you are, the more

you'll rely on your portable generator and that's why a track record of

reliability is also key when choosing a model for outdoor living and that's

what I want to talk about now. Parameter 5, reliability. All generators need to be

reliable of course but when you're on a road trip or camping deep down

on a backwoods logging trail somewhere, reliability becomes vital. I've owned, used, and tested many brands of generators over the last 30 years

and as I've said in other videos, Champion offers the best value for the money that I've seen so far

Their prices and reviews tell the whole story. Champion also has a unique remote repair policy

Factory trained technicians are standing by 24-7 to troubleshoot problems with you by phone

Have your generator fixed at a service? center if you want or do it yourself with parts shipped directly to you and along

with one-on-one guidance from a tech support person as you make the fix do your

homework consider noise power purity weight power variety and reliability records and you'll end up with a great generator that'll improve all your outdoor

living activities plus give you basic backup power at home when you need it