Not ready for a standby? Portables, done the safe way.
Eighteen DuroMax portables in stock in the Houston area, from a 2,300-watt inverter you can carry to a 28,000-watt unit that runs the whole house. Pick one up at the showroom, or let us install a transfer switch so it powers the house without a single cord through a window.
No prices on the site. Call, or come by 13910 Alice Road, and we'll tell you what it takes.
Generac Prestige DealerGenerac's highest dealer designation. We sell, install and service Generac home standby generators.
Generac generatorsGenerator Interlock: How It Works
Portable generator owners ask about interlocks more than anything else, so here is the short version.
Generator interlock how it works
A generator interlock is a metal plate that fits on your main panel next to the main breaker and the generator breaker. It slides so only one of the two can be on at a time. With the main off, you can switch the generator breaker on and power the house through a permitted inlet. To go back, you turn the generator off first. Because the main and generator can never both be on, power cannot flow back to the street. Whether a kit exists for your panel varies, and it needs a permit, so call us at (713) 467-1125 for a free visit.
The quiet ones.
Inverter generators make steady power that is easy on TVs, computers, and the furnace board, and they throttle down when the load is light. The tri-fuel ones hook to your natural gas line.
DuroMax XP2300iHCamping, tailgating, the TV and a fan.
Small enough to carry with one hand. Quiet. Runs on gas or a propane bottle.
- Propane
- 1,700 W running · 2,150 W to start things
- Gas
- 1,800 W running · 2,300 W to start things
- Engine
- 80cc
- Start
- Pull start, with remote
- Runs
- about 7 hrs on a tank at half load
- Noise
- 52 dB
- Weight
- 53 lb
- Warranty
- 3 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP7000iHTThe quiet one for the essentials.
Fridge, lights, Wi-Fi, a window unit. Inverter power, so it is easy on electronics, and it runs on gas, propane, or your natural gas line.
- Propane
- 5,225 W running · 6,650 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 4,750 W running · 6,000 W to start things
- Gas
- 5,500 W running · 7,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 320cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 8 hrs on a tank at half load
- Weight
- 147 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP9500iHEssentials plus a small central AC.
Quiet inverter power with enough starting muscle for one AC. Gas or propane.
- Propane
- 7,200 W running · 9,025 W to start things
- Gas
- 7,600 W running · 9,500 W to start things
- Engine
- 459cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 11 hrs on a tank at half load
- Weight
- 226 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP9500iHTEssentials plus a small AC, on your gas line.
Same as the 9500iH with a natural gas hookup, so no refueling during a long outage.
- Propane
- 7,200 W running · 9,025 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 6,500 W running · 8,200 W to start things
- Gas
- 7,600 W running · 9,500 W to start things
- Engine
- 459cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 11 hrs on a tank at half load
- Weight
- 226 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP11000iHMost of a house, quietly.
Inverter power for a fridge, lights, and a central AC together. Gas or propane.
- Propane
- 8,550 W running · 10,450 W to start things
- Gas
- 9,000 W running · 11,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 459cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 9 hrs on a tank at half load
- Weight
- 226 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP11000iHTMost of a house, on natural gas.
The 11000 with a natural gas connection. Hook it to the house line and stop hauling fuel.
- Propane
- 8,550 W running · 10,450 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 7,700 W running · 9,500 W to start things
- Gas
- 9,000 W running · 11,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 459cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 9 hrs on a tank at half load
- Weight
- 258 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP16000iHWhole house, still an inverter.
Two ACs or one big one, plus everything else. Clean power for electronics. Gas or propane.
- Propane
- 12,350 W running · 15,200 W to start things
- Gas
- 13,000 W running · 16,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 744cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 10.5 hrs on a tank at half load
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP16000iHTWhole house, on natural gas, quiet.
The 16000 with a natural gas hookup. The closest thing to a standby you can wheel around.
- Propane
- 12,350 W running · 15,200 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 11,200 W running · 13,800 W to start things
- Gas
- 13,000 W running · 16,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 744cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 10.5 hrs on a tank at half load
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP28000iHThe biggest portable inverter DuroMax makes.
Big house, multiple ACs, a shop. Gas or propane.
- Propane
- 20,000 W running · 25,000 W to start things
- Gas
- 22,000 W running · 28,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 999cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 9 hrs on a tank at half load
DuroMax XP28000iHTThe biggest, on natural gas.
Twenty-eight thousand watts through a transfer switch. Gas, propane, or the house line.
- Propane
- 20,000 W running · 25,000 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 16,000 W running · 20,000 W to start things
- Gas
- 22,000 W running · 28,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 999cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 9 hrs on a tank at half load
The workhorses.
Louder than an inverter, cheaper per watt, and built to run a lot of house through a transfer switch. Electric start on every one.
DuroMax XP5500HXThe starter open-frame unit.
Fridge, lights, a window unit, the garage door. Electric start, gas or propane.
- Propane
- 4,275 W running · 5,225 W to start things
- Gas
- 4,500 W running · 5,500 W to start things
- Engine
- 210cc
- Start
- Electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 9 hrs on a tank at half load
- Noise
- 69 dB
- Weight
- 131 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP13000EHThe workhorse.
Thirteen thousand watts of gas or propane power. Runs a lot of house through a transfer switch.
- Propane
- 10,000 W running · 12,500 W to start things
- Gas
- 10,500 W running · 13,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 500cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 8 hrs on a tank at half load
- Noise
- 74 dB
- Weight
- 248 lb
- Warranty
- 3 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP13000HXThe workhorse, with CO Alert.
Same power as the EH, with the safety shutoff that stops it if carbon monoxide builds up.
- Propane
- 10,000 W running · 12,500 W to start things
- Gas
- 10,500 W running · 13,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 500cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start
- Runs
- about 8.5 hrs on a tank at half load
- Noise
- 74 dB
- Weight
- 246 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP13000HXTThe workhorse, on natural gas.
Gas, propane, or the house line. Hook it up once and it runs as long as the gas does.
- Propane
- 10,000 W running · 12,500 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 9,000 W running · 11,250 W to start things
- Gas
- 10,500 W running · 13,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 500cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 8.5 hrs on a tank at half load
- Noise
- 74 dB
- Weight
- 246 lb
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP15000HXFifteen thousand watts, gas or propane.
Whole-house territory through a transfer switch. A 670cc engine that does not strain.
- Propane
- 11,400 W running · 14,250 W to start things
- Gas
- 12,000 W running · 15,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 670cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 12 hrs on a tank at half load
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP15000HX+Fifteen thousand watts, fuel-injected.
Electronic fuel injection: easier starts in the cold, steadier power, better fuel economy. Gas or propane.
- Propane
- 11,400 W running · 14,250 W to start things
- Gas
- 12,000 W running · 15,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 500cc, fuel-injected
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 10 hrs on a tank at half load
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP15000HXTFifteen thousand watts, on natural gas.
The 15000 with a natural gas hookup. As close to a standby as an open frame gets.
- Propane
- 11,400 W running · 14,250 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 10,260 W running · 12,825 W to start things
- Gas
- 12,000 W running · 15,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 670cc
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 12 hrs on a tank at half load
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
DuroMax XP15000HXT+The top open-frame: fuel-injected, tri-fuel.
EFI plus gas, propane, or natural gas. The most house you can run off a portable, without refueling.
- Propane
- 11,400 W running · 14,250 W to start things
- Natural gas
- 10,500 W running · 13,000 W to start things
- Gas
- 12,000 W running · 15,000 W to start things
- Engine
- 500cc, fuel-injected
- Start
- Push-button electric start, with remote
- Runs
- about 12 hrs on a tank at half load
- Warranty
- 5 Year DuroMax warranty
The safe way, which is also the legal way.
This is the part most people skip. Don't.
- A manual transfer switch or an inlet box, installed by us. One heavy cord from the generator to the side of the house. Flip a few switches and the circuits you picked come alive. No cords through windows, no "suicide cord" into the dryer outlet.
- Outside, 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from doors and windows. Never in the garage, even with the door up.
- CO Alert on the units marked for it: the generator shuts itself off if carbon monoxide builds up around it.
- Tri fuel on natural gas means no gas cans at 2 a.m. We run the gas connection when we install the switch.
- Start it once a month and keep the tank treated or empty. We'll show you how at pickup.
Portable generator hookup, done safely
A portable generator is only as safe as the way it is connected to the house.
Portable generator hookup
A permitted inlet and a transfer switch or interlock, installed by a licensed electrician. Never a cord into a wall outlet.
Generator interlock kit
An interlock fits some panels and not others. See transfer switches and interlock kits.
Ask us anything. These come up most.
Portable or standby?
A standby is bolted to a pad, runs on your gas line, and turns itself on. A portable you wheel out, start, and plug in. Standby costs more and you never think about it. Portable costs less and you do the work during the storm. Plenty of people start with a portable and a transfer switch and move up later. The standbys are here.
What does "inverter" mean?
An inverter generator makes cleaner, steadier power and runs quieter, and it throttles down when the load is light, so it sips fuel. Better for electronics and better for the neighbors. Open-frame units are louder and cheaper for the same watts.
Dual fuel or tri fuel?
Dual fuel runs on gasoline or a propane tank. Tri fuel adds a natural gas hookup, so during a long outage you connect it to the house line and stop hauling gas cans. Around here, tri fuel is worth it.
How big do I need?
Add up what you want running at once. A fridge, lights, and Wi-Fi is a few thousand watts. Add a central AC and you are at 9,000 to 13,000. Two ACs and the whole house, 15,000 and up. Call and we'll do the math with you.
Can I plug it into the house?
Not with a cord through the window, and never through a dryer outlet. The safe, legal way is a manual transfer switch or an inlet box that we install. Then it's one heavy cord from the generator to the side of the house and a few switches to flip.
Where do I run it?
Outside, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from doors and windows. Never in a garage, even with the door open. The units marked CO Alert shut themselves off if carbon monoxide builds up around them, which is worth having.
How does a generator interlock work?
It is a mechanical plate on the panel that blocks the main breaker and the generator breaker from both being on. That keeps generator power from flowing back to the utility lines. A licensed electrician installs it with an inlet, and a permit is needed.
When you're ready, the standbys are in stock too.
Ten to one-fifty kilowatts, on your gas line, on by themselves in about ten seconds.
Townhouse or a smaller home. Fridge, lights, Wi-Fi, one AC.
See this one →The starter. Fridge, lights, one AC, in a smaller home.
See this one →Most 2,000 to 2,500 sq ft homes. Essentials plus a second AC.
See this one →Best sellerThe one. Whole-home for a standard 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft house.
See this one →Whole-home with a bigger AC load or a pool pump.
See this one →Larger homes. 3,500 to 4,500 sq ft, two big ACs.
See this one →Big house, multiple ACs, EV charging. Don't want to think about it.
See this one →Ask about a portable.
Tell us about the house and we'll tell you which portable is the right one, what the install involves, and what the payment options look like. No pressure, and the visit is free.
(713) 467-1125 13910 Alice Road, Tomball, Texas 77377wired@wiredes.com · Open 24/7 · Showroom on Alice Road, come see the units
Rather see it first?
Some of these are on the showroom floor at 13910 Alice Road in Tomball. Come by, or call and we'll tell you what's out there right now.
Call (713) 467-1125Portable generator hookups.
We install the inlet box and a manual transfer switch or interlock, so a portable generator can run the circuits you pick, safely and to code.
- Safe Setup: We install it according to safety guidelines, preventing hazards like back-feed and carbon monoxide near the house.
- Customized Solutions: We tailor the hookup to the circuits you want on during an outage.