About to bite the bullet on a portable generator, then I ran across a website talking about high THD and the potential of harming "sensitive" electronics. Sepcifically mentioned were LG and Samsung refrigerators. We have a Samsung that has had issues with various components. Probably wouldn't have anything other than a TV or two that I would maybe be concerned about.

I was pretty much settled on the Westinghouse WGen9500DFc or WGen10500DFc until I read that the THD ratings were 23%… There is an 11500 inverter model that is not a lot more expensive with a THD less than 5%, but is impossible to find anywhere.

The immediate plan is to use it as a truly portable generator just to run creature comforts in an outage, but eventually have a transfer switch etc. put in and take advantage of the "whole home" capabilities, or at least the ease of not having to run cords for the basics.

Goal is to keep this around or just above $1000, so talk me into or out of what I'm looking at. Thanks in advance.

Microprocessors and control boards don't like high THD. It might not kill it right away, but it will shorten life expectancy. 25 years ago, not a big deal. Today, name a major household appliance without one. My house has a chip in my HVAC controls, thermostats, microwave, oven, fridge, dryer, water heater, not to mention router and smart tv. Why risk it?

Get the whole home surge protector and that'll pull the harmonic disturbance down.

IMO, most of the concerns about THD are a little oeverblown by manufacturers that sell UPS and Line Conditioners. Anything that has a circuit board is going to have an AC to DC converter that will filter out a lot of the harmonics. That said, 23% THD is pretty high, and I'd go for the 5% model if you can find it.

The same model is available if I want to go with gas only, but I was hoping for gas/propane.

Forgot about that, May hold out for awhile and see if it becomes available then.

I think THD is very important if you intend to run every electronic device in your entire home. For me, my old school dirty diesel generator does me well. I don't even know what the THD is on it, but my approach has been that it is for emergencies. As such, it does not need to power my entire home. It needs to power a well, a stove, and maybe a portable AC unit, as well as my freezers or fridges. Yes, these probably could stand to have a low THD, but it is what it is and if it kills them, so be it. I guess my point is, you should be able to find a low THD genset that is big enough to do the necessary equipment during an outage. Personally, I have never understood the mindset that "I need a 50,000W generator so I can power my 6,000 sq ft home and watch youtube TV if the power goes out."

I'm sorry, you are correct it's not a surge protector, it is something else that was installed with the system, that is supposed to limit electrical fluctuations going to the fuse box.

OnlyForNow said:

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I'm sorry, you are correct it's not a surge protector, it is something else that was installed with the system, that is supposed to limit electrical fluctuations going to the fuse box.

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I'm sure you're talking about a whole house surge protector. But that won't help with harmonics. You'd need a whole house inverter which would cost you thousands. It would be cheaper to buy a better generator.

If I were to attach an inverter to a portable generator, as stated, what type would I look for that I could use for my refrigerator and a TV? I would assume 2000+ watts, but I'm finding a lot of automotive versions with battery connections and not one that simply plugs in to a standard socket or even a 30A/120v connection.
TIA

I don't think you'll find an inverter that's meant to be attached to a 30A generator. It'll be much easier to find an inverter generator (certainly cheaper). And the reason you're finding automotive versions is because they're true inverters (converting DC to AC). In reality, you're looking for an AC to AC converter (AC to DC to AC). A UPS is closer to this set-up, but way too expensive for what you're doing.

You might have better luck looking for something like a line conditioner. Unlike an inverter, it filters out harmonics and noise without converting to/from DC. While I think they'd work for you, the problem I have with them is they are hard to find good specs on how they really manage harmonics and what their performance is. - Example

1208HawkTree said:

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About to bite the bullet on a portable generator, then I ran across a website talking about high THD and the potential of harming "sensitive" electronics. Sepcifically mentioned were LG and Samsung refrigerators. We have a Samsung that has had issues with various components. Probably wouldn't have anything other than a TV or two that I would maybe be concerned about.

I was pretty much settled on the Westinghouse WGen9500DFc or WGen10500DFc until I read that the THD ratings were 23%… There is an 11500 inverter model that is not a lot more expensive with a THD less than 5%, but is impossible to find anywhere.

The immediate plan is to use it as a truly portable generator just to run creature comforts in an outage, but eventually have a transfer switch etc. put in and take advantage of the "whole home" capabilities, or at least the ease of not having to run cords for the basics.

Goal is to keep this around or just above $1000, so talk me into or out of what I'm looking at. Thanks in advance.

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I have the Westinghouse 11500 and it's fine. (Typing this on my phone so I'll keep it short) but get the Westinghouse and you're good. (I slept at a holiday inn express….and have a EE so I might have a little knowledge on this LOL)

We have the Duromax inverter generator big enough to run our whole house, including variable speed AC. We didn't want to take any risks with the AC given how sensitive it is and how many different circuit boards it has.

For what it's worth, my FIL has a non-inverter generator for their whole home. They live somewhere that loses power often. Within 5 years of building their brand new home with all new appliances (not builder grade), they've already had to replace the fridge, the control panel on their dishwasher, control panel on one AC, and generator circuit board itself all gone bad.

Ok, ended up going smaller and got the wgen5300Dfcv and will just connect the outdoor fridge when the time comes. Now, on to more specific questions.

It has a pair of 120v 20A "household" receptacles, one 120v 30A TT-30R, and a 240v L14-30R. In the 120v setting only the first two are powered. In 240v, only the third one is powered.

Most likely setup will be using the 120v setting so I've been looking for an adapter/extension cord for the TT-30 plug to add additional outlets. I'm not finding anything online, but I am finding a LOT of TT-30P models like the one in the link below. Are 30R and 30P compatible?

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/201433-2-ft-30a-125v-generator-adapter-cord/#specs

EDIT: I'm now reading the 30R is the female receptacle, and 30P is the male plug. Correct?

1208HawkTree said:

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EDIT: I'm now reading the 30R is the female receptacle, and 30P is the male plug. Correct?

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Yes

Man, this has become a comedy of errors. First, I unknowingly bought the pull start model thinking it was an electric start. Filtered specifically for electric start in my search and this one was in the results. Anyway, not a huge deal. Finally arrives and I fill it with oil and gas to start it up for the first time and go through the break in process. Pull cord won't go more than 12 inches, and it's a hard stop, not just resistance. I then notice it's leaking fuel right at the fuel shutoff. Of course, these are non-returnable through Amazon, so I contact Westinghouse directly.

In a nutshell, they are already throwing new parts and repair ideas at the issues. On a brand new generator… I took off the starter pulley and it seems like the teeth that extend as you pull the cord aren't lining up and engaging with the openings on the starter itself. New pulley is on the way. Their solution for the fuel leak is to "push the fuel line onto the nipple further…" as if I hadn't already tried that. Then they said "feel free to cut off some of the fuel line and re-attach."

Just venting at this point…