By Mark Clement
If you're a new home builder in a busy or rural market, you're probably well-versed in powering up your sites with portable generators. If you're a remodeler used to working with easy access to electricity or your power department is quick to get a box off the pole to your sites, then maybe it's been a while since you shopped for a generator.
However, it doesn't matter what kind of builder you are if a hurricane, tornado, blizzard or other disaster knocks out utility power for days or weeks. You'll need a generator to do clean-up, re-build or even keep your office or home moving.
To run everything—from a wormdrive to a laptop—you need "clean" power, and that can only be provided by an inverter generator like the RG4300iS from Subaru Robin. The current produced by the inverter voltage regulator is as clean as the power that comes out of a wall socket, says the company. Older style generators have "dirty" power, meaning the current fluctuates and makes it bad news for sensitive electronics. But Robin's RG4300iS has more going for it than just clean current.
This is the first unit of this size to hit the market with both inverter technology and ultra-quiet running. Thanks to rubber gaskets, a smooth running overhead cam with chain drive engine, mufflers and sound attenuated bodies, these units are about as loud as a vacuum cleaner.
Originally developed for the recreational vehicle market, the unit has built-in features builders need on their jobsites. It meets all the latest emission standards, is GFCI protected and has an hour meter so you know when to change the oil. It also has a low-oil shut-off to keep the engine from seizing, in case you forget to change it.
The RG4300iS even has an overload shut-off. If you plug something in that it can't turn over, like a mondo compressor on a cold day, then the unit signals the amp draw is too high and shuts down. This protects both the generator and you.
The wheel kit leaves a little to be desired for gnarly jobsites or long walks from the truck, but with two carry handles and at 163 pounds, it's an easy round trip from truck to final location with two guys. And, if your site isn't 4x4-access only, the wheel kit it comes with will get you from A to B.
The unit is also as fuel efficient as they come. Not only will it idle down when not in use, but it'll ramp up engine RPM to match the draw. In other words, it ramps up to a higher RPM to run a chop saw than to flick on a work light. Nothing is wasted and when you're in clean-up mode after a big storm and need your generator working day and night, efficiency is a key feature.
www.SubaruPower.com/Generators
Mark Clement is a remodeler and author of The Carpenter's Notebook and The Kid's Carpenter's Workbook, Fun Family Projects! Find out more at
www.TheCarpentersNotebook.com.
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