Generator/welders recomendations?

[Jim_cellarshop]

Hi, I may be in the market for a generator for power outage backup. I only need about 1kw continuous (looking @ 1.5-2.5kw machines). But as my wife wants this it may come out of the house fund instead of the hobby shop fund, so I am considering a generator/welder to get better use out of it. I recently moved & gave up my ox/acel setup, new shop is in my basement. I still have my Hobart 130mig but do not use it much as I have stopped car projects (for now). With out the O/A torch a Plazma and Tig would be nice, esph the Tig. I have used a Plazma a few times & had Tig welding done on projects that were beyond Mig, athough I have not Tig welded. As long as I may be spending $1,000-2,000 on a generator I was thinking about getting welding capacity as well. But the larger units that are $5,000 plus are out of my budget. So is this a practical idea? I could sell my Hobart to help fund it if needed. Are there any specific units that are better than others? The generator part must be reliable as I can not afford alimony. Thanks for all your help! Jim.

 

[bvd1940]

Take a look at the Miller generator/welders, I used one when I moved to the backwoods of Idaho for our main power while building our house & it worked great.
Wish I had kept it after I was done building

 

[Rbeckett]

Miller offers a smaller welder generator unit and Hobart offers a 10KW gen set with welder but it is pricy. Tractor supply usually has them about the cheapest and you can get gas bottles from them too. That makes a sunday crap!!! "I need gas" a non issue. Either one of the units would work but I think the Hobart can do better with a suitcase type attatchment for the Tig side of the equation. Also 1KW wont run much and will not start a compressor on an AC unit or a refigerator. If you run a well with a 1 HP pump it will not start that either. What are you planning to power? Just my .02 FWIW.
Bob

 

[Jim_cellarshop]

OOps, forgot about the well pump, Thanks. I was just going to backup the pellet stove & the blower for the gas fireplace, about 900w. But my wife wants the fridge, lights & a few other things. So now I am up over 6kw and climbing. I was trying to keep the fuel GPH down in case power was out a few days. I would not have to run it 100% duty, but if it was cold I may have to run it quite a bit. Not bad if the roads are clear and the gas stations open, but sometimes everything is shut down. I miss Fla sometimes, born & raised there. Good news is this comes out of the house budget, not my hobby shop budget Thanks. Jim

 

[Rbeckett]

Jim,
Thats a good thing that the house is paying. Have you given any thought to converting whatever you get to propane? It never goes stale or cloggs the carb and is actually cheaper than gasoline right now. One of those mid sized cylinders would work for a long time. Or you could just go with the BBQ size that are available prefilled for exchange everywhere. If the power stays off a while you can still be cozy warm and have the lights while you get a cold beer. Could work nicely if you get snowed in.
Bob

 

[Jim_cellarshop]

I did not think of that. I will have to look into propane or maybe a dual fuel setup. One reason I wanted a welder/gen was that way I'd be using it occasionally and a Tig is in my long range plans. Thanks, Jim.