With winter coming on and a big ice storm just hit it got me to thinking once again about getting a generator. What size generator do you recommend for running just the basics. I'm not wanting to power up the whole house, just fridge, freezer, a few plug in heaters and some lights, mabye a tv and some other minor stuff.

If you are serious about purchasing a generator for backup power, don't go anything less than 5kW for what you've listed. Consider installing a proper transfer panel so that connection is quick and safe.
Read through my home generator page for ideas and suggestions.

http://members.rennlist.org/warren/generator.html

service.
Some of you are down right paranoid !
Hidden agendas, ulterior motives LOL !
I'll bet Victoria would know

I'm not a feminist but I can tell you this, it doesn't matter what size your home is what matters is how much a load you want to put on the generator. Will you be running bare necessities? Or will you want things up and running like normal? If it's short term it's best to run bare necessities, that's what we do here and we have a rather small gas generator.

i bought a 1000 watt generator and the generator part is burned out i just wanted the engine its a 2.4 hp how do i get it apart do i beat it off or does it unscrew from the engine i have it fully took apart except for the shaft and cant figure out if it screws out and which direction it screws

It likely uses a tapered shaft to hold the rotor to the engine shaft. Remove the covers to expose the end of the rotor shaft. It should have a threaded rod which tightens into the engine shaft.
I've had to remove the rotor from a Coleman Powermate generator and have pictures on my web page.

I have access to a small gas-powered generator that can run a few appliances. It doesn't run anymore, so I was wondering if I could put windmill blades on it. If it is possible to do it, could i plug it right into an outlet and feed power into our system? I know it can't run the whole house, but it could reduce our elec. bill right?

Mr Tippy is right about the speed issue but you can overcome this by getting an inverter. Most wind turbines run at variable speeds so they use an inverter to convert the "wild ac" current to a usable form normally 240 volt for home systems. These inverters come in many different sizes to match your generator and can be purchased from many of the online green energy supply places. Sunny boy is a popular brand.

You will also need to figure out how big the blades need to be for your size generator. My wind turbine is 20kw and has a 31 foot diameter blade span. This is huge for a home system and I often get a check from the power company. So you will probably need to research the proper blade size.

One concern that I would have is the bearings in the generator, are they heavy enough to handle the weight and stress of the blades.

We also want to know how to choose the size for a normal sized house with air conditioning running most of the time in summer.

There are many choices of generators that operate on Nat. Gas. First you must decide what appliances that must be on the generator. Add up all the nameplate ratings of these loads and any other lighting, computers etc. Motor loads generally draw up to 10 times the nameplate rating upon startup, so allow for this by doubling these loads and add to the total. Most generators in the 12KW range and up will have the transfer switch, time clock for exercise, auto start and other features. A weather proof enclosure or a fire proof shed is needed, along with two conduits from main panel to transfer switch. This generally is not something the average homeowner can do. Most electricians should be able to complete this for you.

if you don't need a really quiet one try Pep Boys

$320 w/tax for a 3500 watt (surge) generator.

"Power Pro by Wen Power" made in China.

For the money, you could by two Power Pros for the cost of one Honda and still have cash left over.