Seeking Generator Knowledge

[shibumiseeker]

Do they make a generator that doesn't sound like a jackhammer? The ones I've heard in my neighborhood generally make enough noise to keep everyone around them awake all night.

Sure. The inverter generators are much quieter. Even at full load I can carry on a conversation right next to it.

1800 rpm diesels are also much quieter. The cheaper the generator generally the louder it is.

 

[shftn6]

I am going to suspect it is a 120VAC Blower Motor...

A 1Hp motor should be around 750 watts, roughly...

The Data plate on the motor should tell you either the Wattage or the Amperage then just apply Ohm's Law...

I'm not so sure about that....The starting amperage will be them problem on a motor. I have a 3/4 hp blower motor on my furnace which pulls 55 amps for about 2 seconds on startup, then drops to around 10 amps (roughly 1000 watts) thereafter - all verified with an ammeter. If your generator can't supply the STARTING current, the motor may grunt, but it won't go under load! My 4000 watt generator will not start the blower motor, but my 3000w inverter, which can handle up to a 3 sec surge at 6000w will.

 

[woowoo2]

shftn6,
Is that an 80% or a condensing furnace.
I put a plug on my +90 65KBTU furnace but have not tested it yet.
I have a 10Ga 50' cord to run it on.

I know all about ELI the ICE man.
resistive vs. inductive loads.

 

[shftn6]

That's a wood fired furnace with gas backup. Same blower runs the AC too - won't need that for a while! Just your standard "squirrel cage" blower. The load from the control electronics is very small, comparatively - the blower is your biggest load, of course.

 

[woowoo2]

the blower is your biggest load, of course.

Exactly...

I have a two stage furnace, I thought about forcing it into low stage only mode for use on the genny.

I wish i had the variable speed unit.

 

[VERT]

That's 3000 watts, watch yer cords......


To get the most out of these units, you have to access the twistlock plug.
If you have a 120v twistlock, it is not too hard to make an adapter to break it out to individual circuits.

Yep I figured that out as well. But I had to try. Generator says 4000 watts afterall. When you put a full load on it definately makes a racket. I have an adapter for the twist lock plug. There is a switch marked 120/240 that I assume is for that plug. Problem is the owners manual does not say. Like I said cheap generator. If I can switch it to 120v then it would make sense to run the air conditioner in my popup camper with this plug since I think it is 30amp.

Look in the book and see how many amps you can draw from the 12v outputs.
I am going to take a guess and say no, it wont work.

(800 watts at 12volts is 66 amps)

But you can charge a car battery with those outputs.

That is what I am looking for. Thanks. I suppose I could charge a battery to run the inverter

 

[irishfan]

Knowledge I have is that I will be buying somebody else's impulse buy generator on the cheap here in a few weeks

 

[Icarry2]

Just for giggles I went out to the work truck and pulled out my calibrated Fluke Clamp On Amp Meter and went and played in my load center and found that my Fuel Oil Furnace uses about 6.5 amps of 120 when its running pump and fan both. BUT, it spiked to 16.5 amps for a high at some point when it fired up the pump or when the pump was running and the fan kicked on. So, it means I need at least 2,040 watts of peak power to start the furnace alone..

I know I can run my whole house on emergency power with about 4,000 watts nominal, peaks of about 5,500 watts for a reference.

Thats, the furnace, fridge, a couple CF lights and a TV and my water pump. To get the electric water heater I need to go to a 7000 watt nominal with about 8500 watt peak..

Check out this link for a rough idea of what you will need if everythign was on at the same time..

SIZING A GENERATOR FOR HOME USE

 

[VERT]

Knowledge I have is that I will be buying somebody else's impulse buy generator on the cheap here in a few weeks

Not me! Been wanting one for a while. Storm is just an excuse.

 

[irishfan]

Not me! Been wanting one for a while. Storm is just an excuse.

Suuurrreeee....its ok to admit it. I find it hard to believe that every generator from my town and any other town around me will be used. I am waiting to see how many get returned over the next few days.

 

[Hotdoger]

Suuurrreeee....its ok to admit it. I find it hard to believe that every generator from my town and any other town around me will be used. I am waiting to see how many get returned over the next few days.

The trick will being finding a "good one".
I am looking for the honda 6500 or an 6000 watt diesel one.

 

[woowoo2]

In contrast I just bought a cheap 4000 watt generator for emergencies.

Don't forget to change the oil after the first 20-25 hrs.
Mine was nasty.

 

[moischmoe]

Most electric water heaters have two heating elements. I have had a bad element before, and the water was warm enough to take a shower without freezing me. Has anyone ever disconnected one of the elements so it could be ran with a smaller generator?

 

[kadetklapp]

Most electric water heaters have two heating elements. I have had a bad element before, and the water was warm enough to take a shower without freezing me. Has anyone ever disconnected one of the elements so it could be ran with a smaller generator?

Good question, also, what's the possiblity of hooking up a large 12V squirrel cage to push around some warm air instead of relying on the regular AC power fan? Sort of an auxiliary SHTF fan for your HVAC.

 

[Patrolman1981]

I have a Generac GP5500, and it runs everything just fine. Starts quick and runs quiet(not as quiet as a honda, but there is a considerable price difference). PM me if interested, I am a dealer for them.

 

[Hotdoger]

Good question, also, what's the possiblity of hooking up a large 12V squirrel cage to push around some warm air instead of relying on the regular AC power fan? Sort of an auxiliary SHTF fan for your HVAC.

There are 12 volt systems in some pellet stoves.

Pellet Stoves

 

[Icarry2]

One other practice that I would pass on is shutting down your generator at least once a day. If your on an extended run it might be worth while to shut your generator down and let it cool off. Then refill the fuel, check the oil, etc. I like to let it cool at least 15-30 minutes and then refuel and start back up...

Planned maintenance is better then an unplanned outage..

Also have a spare air cleaner, spark plug and fresh oil on hand.

 

[irishfan]

The trick will being finding a "good one".
I am looking for the honda 6500 or an 6000 watt diesel one.

Back off the honda pal

 

[jeremy]

I'm not so sure about that....

LOL...

The Question was less than defined so was my answer, possibly with a reason behind it...

 

[jeremy]

Hit craigs list up this spring in a couple of months to find all the winter toys on sale...