Best Emergency Generators
On The Market Today
Coming face to face with a natural disaster- earthquakes, floods or hurricane can be terrifying. And being left without electric power due to a downed power grid further adds to the nightmare. Having an emergency back-up generator for when the power goes down is essential to power your air conditioner or heater, refrigerator and your electronic devices.
This is even more critical if you live in disaster-prone areas. A power outage could last for any number of days, so make sure you have a reliable backup power generator that keeps your place running and minimize the impact of an emergency. I hope the following will allow you to find the right source of power to keep your family safe when the grid is down.
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Best Emergency Home Generators: Our Top Picks
1. Champion 3800 Watt Portable Dual Fuel Generator
The Champion 3800 Watt generator is duel fuel and can run on gas or propane. It has an easy electric start button, and can run up to 9 hours on a full tank of gas and 10.5 hours on propane, at 50% load.
The Champion 3800 has a reliable 224cc Champion engine. It comes with 3 year limited warranty and lifetime support.
It is fully Carb compliant so if you are looking to the future, a great buy. It also has low oil automatic shut-off for engine protection.
Pros
- Starts easily
- Powerful and reliable
- Dual Fuel: Gas or Propane
- CARB compliant in 50 states
Cons
- Not so quiet
The Champion 3800 Watt Portable Generator has an easy touch start electric button and overall is a great value for the money. It runs on both Gas or Propane, making it perfect for backup generator power.
- Dual Fuel: Operate your 3800-watt portable generator right out of the box on either gasoline or propane, plus the unit holds 0.6-quarts of oil (included) and has a low oil shut-off sensor
- Electric Start: Power up the 224cc Champion engine with the handy toggle switch, battery included
- Intelligauge: Keep track of voltage, hertz and run-time hours to easily monitor power output and track maintenance intervals. Dimensions-26.3 x 24.8 x 22.9 inches
- Outlets: One 120V 30A RV outlet (TT-30R), one 120V 30A locking outlet (L5-30R) and two 120V 20A household outlets (5-20R) - trust Volt Guard built-in surge protector to prevent overloads
- Champion Support: Includes 3-year limited warranty with FREE lifetime technical support from dedicated experts
< Click Here For A More In-Depth Champion 3,800-Watt Review >
2. Westinghouse WGen7500 Gas Powered Portable Generator
The Westinghouse WGen7500 generator produces sufficient portable power to run almost all your appliances simultaneously and for a long time. This will really come in handy during an emergency allowing your household to live uninterrupted.
It also is transfer switch ready, so just needs to be fired up and plugged into your power board. Couldn't be easier!
Pros
- Easy to assemble and use
- Excellent fuel efficiency
- 3-year Warranty and Excellent Nationwide Customer Service and Support Network
- Transfer Switch Ready
- EPA, CARB, and CSA Compliant
Cons
- Not so quiet
The Westinghouse WGen 7500 Portable Generator is a powerful, durable, efficient and easy-to-use & sturdy unit. And it represents great value for your money!
- 3600 Rated Watts & 4650 Peak Watts (Gasoline); 3240 Rated Watts & 4650 Peak Watts (Propane); 4 Gallon Fuel Tank (with Fuel Gauge); Electric Push Button and Remote Start
- Intuitive Control Panel Features a 5-20R 120V Duplex Outlet, an RV-Ready TT-30R 30 Amp Outlet, and an L5-30R 30 Amp Outlet
- 212cc Westinghouse 4-Stroke OHV Engine; Long Lasting Cast Iron Engine Sleeve; Automatic Low Oil Shutdown
- Plug-and-Play! Comes With Oil, Oil Funnel, Tool Kit, and User's Manual; Minimal Assembly Required (Wheel Installation and Battery Hookup)
< Click Here For A More In-Depth Westinghouse WGen 7500 Review >
3. Westinghouse WGen5500 Gas Powered Portable Generator
This Westinghouse generator delivers a solid 5500 Running Watts and 6850 Peak Watts, the Westinghouse WGen 5500 packs sufficient portable power to run two refrigerators, a freezer, gas-heater, two sump pumps, lights, phones, a router, a computer, and a TV simultaneously.
It features the cutting-edge Pulse-Flo muffler- a huge muffler and catalyst which keeps the operating noise levels at 72 dBs. This is about as loud as a vacuum cleaner and will let you carry out a conversation without raising your voice.
And of course it is transfer switch ready, so able to be connected straight to your residence's breaker box.
Pros
- Easy to assemble and use
- Excellent fuel efficiency
- Unmatchable manufacturer support
- Transfer Switch Ready
- CARB Compliant
Cons
- No push button electric start
The Westinghouse WGen 5500 is an ideal & affordable portable generator for backing up the power to your place during outages because it runs quietly and is durable & easy to maintain.
- 6000 Running Watts and 7500 Peak Watts; Electric and Recoil Start; Up to 13 Hours of Run Time on a 6. 6 Gallon Fuel Tank With Fuel Gauge
- Features Two GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) 5–20R 120V Household Duplex Receptacle and One Transfer Switch Ready L14-30R 120/240V Twist-Lock Receptacle; All Outlets Have Rubber Covers for...
- Plug-and-Play. Comes With Oil, an Oil Funnel, a Tool Kit, and a User’s Manual to Get You Started Right Out of the Box (Minimal Assembly Required)
- Powered by a 420cc Westinghouse 4-Stroke OHV Engine Featuring a Long-Lasting Cast Iron Sleeve With Automatic Low Oil Shutdown and Digital Hour Meter
- All Westinghouse Portable Generators are Functionally Tested in the Factory and May Contain Minimum Residual Oil and/or Fuel Odor; EPA and CARB Compliant; Backed by 3-Year Limited Service, Labor, and...
< Click Here For A More In-Depth Westinghouse WGen 5500 Review >
How To Choose A Great Emergency Generator For Your Home?
There are two broad categories of generators that you can use during a power outage:
- home standby generators and
- portable generators (conventional and inverter generators)
Your choice will depend on how much power you need during an outage. For example, the number and power usage of your essential appliances. For more information on the size of generator you might need check out this post. Note: we haven't included solar power stations in this analysis as they may not be appropriate if the weather is bad and the sun is not shining!
Home Standby Generators (aka Whole House Generators)
A home standby generator is installed (by professional electricians) outside your property and can be powered by propane, natural gas or gasoline. A whole home generator is always connected to your house on standby and these generators are designed to detect loss of power, which triggers an automatic power up and switch over, seamlessly replacing lost power. This feature is especially useful if you use life-preserving medical devices that need to be constantly powered.
Standby or whole house generators can produce lots of power from 5,000-watts to over 50,000-watts without breaking a sweat and powering just about anything you can think of.
Uninterrupted power means that your household might never notice the power grid has been knocked out. However, this comes at a cost as they can be quite pricey.
But if you live in areas that have constant power outages, investing in a standby generator will be worth it in the long run. Apart from allowing you and your family to enjoy all the comfort of modern conveniences in an emergency outage, it can also be used to power your heater to prevent frozen pipes in extremely cold weather.
Portable Home Generators
For a more affordable emergency power solution, consider a good portable generator. These normally generate less power but offer more usage versatility.
Portable generators are better suited for smaller homes or if your area only suffers the power going out infrequently.
They come in different sizes and power ratings - from a puny 1,000-watts to a beastly 18,000-watts – to cater to any application.
Transfer Switch Ready
You should also look out for transfer switch ready portable generators. Transfer switches allow you to connect your portable generator straight to your breaker box to power your residence during a power outage. For emergency back-up for dwellings, bigger models are preferable because of their larger tanks and therefore longer running times.
Power Requirements
Consider what appliances and devices you do need during an emergency black-out and tally up their cumulative rating using a power calculator. This will give you a good idea of the ideal generator for your situation. Remember though, your sensitive electronic devices will require the purchase of an inverter generator. Read about the difference between a conventional and an inverter generators here.
Quality
Apart from power needs and cost considerations, a good emergency generator should also be durable and reliable because they might need to provide power non-stop for prolonged periods.
Noise Levels
They should be soundproofed enough to comply with existing local noise ordinance.
Easy Operation
They should also be very easy to start and operate; you wouldn’t want to be fiddling with a pull cord in the dark and in freezing weather.
Every year we seem to have at least one major natural disaster that robs us of our power for extended periods of time. And of course depending on where you live, the power can go out for hours at a time. Without a reliable emergency generator that can take over in times of need you are going to be without lighting, heating or cooling, throwing out all your food and not having a power source for your devices so you can keep in contact with the outside world.
Our #1 Recommended Emergency Generator is…
When it comes to an emergency situation you need a generator that won't let you down and that is why we recommend the totally reliable and rugged Champion 3800 Portable Generator.
- Dual Fuel: Operate your 3800-watt portable generator right out of the box on either gasoline or propane, plus the unit holds 0.6-quarts of oil (included) and has a low oil shut-off sensor
- Electric Start: Power up the 224cc Champion engine with the handy toggle switch, battery included
- Intelligauge: Keep track of voltage, hertz and run-time hours to easily monitor power output and track maintenance intervals. Dimensions-26.3 x 24.8 x 22.9 inches
- Outlets: One 120V 30A RV outlet (TT-30R), one 120V 30A locking outlet (L5-30R) and two 120V 20A household outlets (5-20R) - trust Volt Guard built-in surge protector to prevent overloads
- Champion Support: Includes 3-year limited warranty with FREE lifetime technical support from dedicated experts
