Backup generator pole.

skyhighZJ

skyhighZJ

Gov retirement < needs to live
Joined
May 31, 2012
Location
Aberdeen, NC.
I rent here in Louisiana where I'm stationed. It's out in the sticks on an old farm and no I'm not buying a generac or other permanently wired in backup but would like something to run the fridge and our pump in the pump house in case a storm blows through (like it did 2 days ago) and knocks out the power. Luckily the outages have been short but I'm sure my luck will run out. The stove and water heater are on propane so that's a non issue. What do you have for a portable gas / diesel genny in the 6,000-7,000 watt range. Will this be enough for these 2 items and maybe a string of LED Christmas lights (or something similar that could be thrown up quickly) for in the kitchen/living room (where we spend most of our time during storms).

Also it would travel with us in the camper trailer in case a hookup isn't available.
 
Honda! And regardless of brand, turn off fuel and run till it quits before storing so it runs when you need it without having to clean the carb. And run non ethanol fuel with stabilizer. (Assuming like most gens it will be stored more often than ran)
 
Look up the specs on the fridge and pump. Fridge is no problem, but the pump could draw a lot at startup depending on what kind it is.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Look up the specs on the fridge and pump. Fridge is no problem, but the pump could draw a lot at startup depending on what kind it is.
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could that be avoided with a battery bank, like a capacitor works? let it draw from the bank then run from the current from the generator?
 
I run our house for days at a time on a 5500 watt mobile generator, which is in no way suited for big loads like water heaters, but it does fine. It can run the water heater and the well pump at the same time. It'll run whatever basic plug loads that we want. The only time it kicked out was when we tried to run the coffee pot, the microwave, and a toaster oven on top of whatever other stuff (probably well pump and WH) were running at the same time.

Plug load stuff is relatively easy. You can run an extension cord in the house, unplug the fridge from the wall, plug it into the extension cord, and it'll "work" for short-term usage. Where you're going to run into issues is trying to power 240V stuff (like probably the well pump) without a transfer switch. A lot of smaller generators won't have the ability to do 240V, too.

Other than that, any 240V 5500-7000 watt generator should do what you're asking. It's just a question of how much money you want to spend to get a quiet(er) generator.
 
With a rental you have to think about how you are going to connect the genset into the house grid. The easiest way would be to make a 240v male to male extension, and connect to an outlet in the house/garage. You are then limited by the wiring for that outlet as to max safe wattage you can provide. If you are able to connect directly into the panel, you will be better off.
 
shawn said:
I run our house for days at a time on a 5500 watt mobile generator, which is in no way suited for big loads like water heaters, but it does fine. It can run the water heater and the well pump at the same time. It'll run whatever basic plug loads that we want. The only time it kicked out was when we tried to run the coffee pot, the microwave, and a toaster oven on top of whatever other stuff (probably well pump and WH) were running at the same time.

Plug load stuff is relatively easy. You can run an extension cord in the house, unplug the fridge from the wall, plug it into the extension cord, and it'll "work" for short-term usage. Where you're going to run into issues is trying to power 240V stuff (like probably the well pump) without a transfer switch. A lot of smaller generators won't have the ability to do 240V, too.

Other than that, any 240V 5500-7000 watt generator should do what you're asking. It's just a question of how much money you want to spend to get a quiet(er) generator.
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Do you have yours wired to your panel?
 
shawn said:
I run our house for days at a time on a 5500 watt mobile generator, which is in no way suited for big loads like water heaters, but it does fine. It can run the water heater and the well pump at the same time. It'll run whatever basic plug loads that we want. The only time it kicked out was when we tried to run the coffee pot, the microwave, and a toaster oven on top of whatever other stuff (probably well pump and WH) were running at the same time.

Plug load stuff is relatively easy. You can run an extension cord in the house, unplug the fridge from the wall, plug it into the extension cord, and it'll "work" for short-term usage. Where you're going to run into issues is trying to power 240V stuff (like probably the well pump) without a transfer switch. A lot of smaller generators won't have the ability to do 240V, too.

Other than that, any 240V 5500-7000 watt generator should do what you're asking. It's just a question of how much money you want to spend to get a quiet(er) generator.
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Ive fgot the same unit Shawn has. Unfortunately that manufacturer doesn't make those anymore.
And there are goods and bads of all the other brands. Honda is everyone's fave but they dont make anything big enough.



This would do what you need.
Generac Power Systems | Portable Power | Generac Power Systems

Depending on that pump this MIGHT do what you need
Generac Power Systems | Portable Generator | GP Series | GP5500 | Generac Power Systems
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
With a rental you have to think about how you are going to connect the genset into the house grid. The easiest way would be to make a 240v male to male extension, and connect to an outlet in the house/garage. You are then limited by the wiring for that outlet as to max safe wattage you can provide. If you are able to connect directly into the panel, you will be better off.
Click to expand...

Just make damn sure you have enough brains, common sense, and memory to flip the main disconnect before you kill a lineman.
 
I run my entire house (less AC) off my Honda 5500 thru the clothes dryer plug (and shutting off the main). Had to do this earlier in the week when a storm knocked over a tree and killed power monday afternoon thru tuesday morning. It's the same generator I use on camping trips to power the slide-in as well as aggravate the Clemons Family quiet time. Of course...they usually find a way to combat MY ruckus with their own noises

hammer.jpg

But we kept lights, Direct TV, and all normal power on....though I shut off the overhead ceiling fans, as they do NOT like anything but direct consistent power.

I NEED to get a 15k or larger for AC because it seems we have more power outages in the summer than winter (Gas heat, gas water heater)
 
CasterTroy said:
I NEED to get a 15k or larger for AC because it seems we have more power outages in the summer than winter (Gas heat, gas water heater)
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FWIW I run a 3 ton and a 2 ton HVAC unit simultaneously on my 6500...I dont know the size of castle chez troy, but I doubt a 15,000 is necessary
 
Ron said:
FWIW I run a 3 ton and a 2 ton HVAC unit simultaneously on my 6500...I dont know the size of castle chez troy, but I doubt a 15,000 is necessary
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I'm 3 and 2 as well. I meant 10k....not sure why I typed 15k o_O Likely do a permanent unit with a switch. Maybe not at this house, but definatly the next
 
Like I said due to it being a rental I'll only be running an extension cord to the fridge and one to the well pump. The pump is a 110v that plugs into a gfci on the wall in the pump house so those are both easy. I don't want to dick with a transfer switch or any of that as this would be emergency only and just to keep the food cold and the water running. Beyond that it would be primitive living as far as AC and lighting.
 
Get a decent 240v generator. You could plug it into the dryer outlet. Turn off main breaker. Turn on generator and backfeed your panel for power everywhere without a transfer switch. :D

It's not the "right" way but works in a pinch/emergency.
 
This thread is very timely, as I just had my electrician wire up my panel for my 8kw generac today. It runs the entire house less the AC. @Ron , does your 6500 run the 3 ton with any other load on it? I remember you telling me that it draws the most power when it first kicks on.
 
My math says that my 4ton unit only uses 3,700 watts when it's running.
 
CasterTroy said:
Running load amps is one thing. Initial in-rush is another
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This, I have a 5 ton unit and i was told i needed upwards of 15kw to get it spinning then it is nothing after it starts running
 
locked rotor, vs full load amps....plus overcoming moment of inertia.

Hard to do math after moonshine.

Yes my 6500 will run the 3ton and the rest of the house.
I cant have the water heater active, the HVAC and the stove. any 2 though.

Now the thing most units have overload capacity available beyond published for very short durations.
Then there is a yoyo. Lets play pretend numbers because...math.

Shawn's 3 ton uses 3700 watts running.
It may require ...8000 watts in rush to get the motor spinning up for a short duration. So when it kicks on the field consumes the current, the generator voltage sags, the voltage regulator kicks in...but it isnt enough. THe lights dim as voltage sags. The HVAC didnt get the theoretical 8000 watts it needed. A protective contactor may open, depending on how low the voltage sags. But the dead still compressor is now moving, albeit slowly. So the contactor sucks back in as voltage recovers. Since we arent coming from a dead stop that 8000w requiremetn is now maybe 6900. Maybe the gen can pull that, if not it will speed it up some moe and the next time this cycle repeats it surely will.

Now a few points.
1) This cycling is happening VERY fast. That sequence I described probably plays out over 3-4 seconds, max.
2) This cycling is VERY hard on electric motors. You would not want to live this way for months and years...but a few times during an outage....not a big deal. Though if your compressor is on its lat legs, an undersized gen may take it out. I popped a stove element running on a gen a while back. Very posible it was a voltage sag induced issue. But we at fine during a 3 day outage
 
You can always do the RV trick and oversize the starting caps.

The trick is getting the AC running. Let's say it's August. A tropical storm has just come through, and all that warm, humid air has rolled in behind the storm. It's 9pm, and it's 82* and 85% RH in the house. Shut everything else off, set the thermostat to 60*, and let it run for a couple of hours non stop until it dehumidifies the house to a point where its comfortable again.

I'd shut off everything else to make that happen. And hell, the max breaker size is 40A per the manuf, so even with slow trip, the numbers can't be far off.

It gets a lot easier if you have two smaller units, too. Maybe you can't get both of them running, but you can get the smaller of the two, or get the one that goes to the bedrooms.

Just make sure the condensate pump has power. :lol:
 
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