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Originally Posted by PSM

I discovered that RVers have found that Honda genets cloned by the Chinese (Chondas) are inexpensive, reliable and reasonably quiet (68 dB at 7 meters according to the manual).

I bought a Champion 4450k/3500k unit at a local auto parts store for $300.

Thanks for this, Pat. I looked at these on the net and the 6.5 hp and 11 hp Chinese copies of Honda's engines do indeed get decent reviews. I'm assuming that at $300 these are not inverter-style generators and therefore produce less-than-perfect AC, but I'm sure it's good enough for keeping the sump pump running as well as laptops/lights/etc.

While rooting around I found the web site below, which sells a $189 kit (Kit 'C' is a "no-drill" adapter kit) that allows these Chonda engines to be tri-fuel: gasoline, natural gas or propane. They claim that switching between fuels is as simple as closing a valve and that running off natgas/propane extends engine life.

In this neck of the woods, if power is off for an extended period (and anything that exceeds the life of your sump pump's battery backup constitutes "extended") you are looking at a flooded basement. It looks like I could pop the natural gas line off of my grill, attach it to the generator, and keep the thing running as long as necessary.

http://www.propane-generators.com/a-c_kits.htm

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