I am looking for a new portable generator in the 7-8kw range and wondering what you guys use. I have had a 5kw Coleman for 23 years but it decided to die and was a little undersized anyway. I only use it for the occasional power outage so I'm not looking to spend a ton for one. I like the idea of inverters but I need 240v for the water heater and ac. 

I have a Generac XG 8000E. Runs the whole house when the power is out ( which is a lot ) Electric start, low oil shutoff, power is clean enough to watch TV etc. I've run it for three days straight without a hiccup.

If you want to run the AC, and an electric hot water heater you'll need a beefy generator.  Is your kitchen range electric?  You should check with your local generator dealers.

 

We've just installed a 20,000 KW  Kohler for backup power.  We have a double built in electric oven.  Our kitchen range and dryer are gas, so there is not a substantial draw for them.  But the built in double oven and the two AC units could be a problem.  Should the load exceed the unit's capacity it will kick off the circuits for the double oven and the AC units.

 

Prior to this, we had a Coleman vertical 7500 kw generator for backup.  It provided enough power to keep us in heat, the fridge, the well pump, and lights in each room.  We had six circuits operating in the house and six in the garage.  Had a Generac switch that controlled whether the electicity would come through the "line" or the "generator".  You could not backfeed into the outside source of power.

 

The only 240 volt circuit was for the well pump.You'll need to do some homework.  I'd have serious concern regarding the electric hot water heater, electric range, and the AC units on a 7000 - 8000 kw unit.  

I have a 5000 Generac and a 6 circuit switch box. We chose the 6 most important circuits and put them on it. We have fridge, furnace, microwave, and teh rest lights and outlets. Got to try it last summer in a wind storm for 4 days; worked out great.

Would I like to have one that would run my whole house without having to decide what not to run? Sure; but I only have around $500 in the whole thing; generator, wiring,  outside plug box, switch box...everything

Thanks for suggestions. I currently have a dedicated breaker and main lock out for the generator. I would never run everything at once, just flip the breaker for what I need at that time. 5kw works for us but it would be nice to have a little extra at times.

Just remember, generator requirements have changed greatly in this modern high efficiency generation.  If you have a refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner made in the past several years, check with the manufactures on backup power requirements.  Many, if not most, newer units run variable frequency/speed motors and compressors and can easily be damaged by the wrong power source.  They must have a clean, pure sinewave, something not all generators produce.

I used to run my Miller Legend welder, which gave 10KW AC, but not any more.  I finally had to break down and buy me a good Generac.