Generator for home during power outages

[billtool]

I've installed a Micro-air Easy Start on the A/C and it reduced starting amps from 79 to 37 according to the amp clamp the A/C guy was using. Water heater, dryer, stove/oven and furnace are all NG, so the A/C is by far the biggest current draw followed by microwave, coffee maker, toaster oven, fridge, freezer.

That Firman might be able to run all that, I just don't know how to calculate all those watts.

My math says the Firman can’t run my 5 ton AC unit as well as the bottom floor of my house. I invested in a window unit for our bedroom if I need defilade.

 

[billtool]

Yeah, those QT stores are going in everywhere around here. Decent food also.

Especially the sushi.

 

[diesel1959]

My math says the Firman can’t run my 5 ton AC unit as well as the bottom floor of my house. I invested in a window unit for our bedroom if I need defilade.

Yep. This is one of the reasons I'm very happy that we have two central AC units--a 3-ton unit and a 5-ton unit. When the Line power is out, our Gen power setup runs the 3-ton unit and furnace blower, along with seven other important circuits. That 3-ton unit cools our Master Suite (on the ground floor), and the upstairs, so we're good.

If we wanted to go the "whole house" route, we'd have needed to buy something along the lines of a 10kW to 12kW unit instead of the 7kW unit we did buy. I'm quite happy with our choice and will save fuel at the same time.

 

[pronstar]

Just got my generator all hooked up to power my home in an emergency.

7500 running watts, 220v, 50 amp propane/gas generator. It’s loud as shit, but I’ve got a 40-foot cord so can put it a bit away from the house.

Sensitive electronics already run thru a Panamax line conditioner/UPS with three large lead-acid batteries.

It’ll power my entire first floor including HVAC. I did install a soft-start kit on my AC compressor.

Total cost:
$1000-ish for the generator
$650-ish for the power cord, panel/transfer switch
$475 for my electrician buddy to install…took him all day.

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[pronstar]

Just got my generator all hooked up to power my home in an emergency.

7500 running watts, 220v, 50 amp propane/gas generator. It’s loud as shit, but I’ve got a 40-foot cord so can put it a bit away from the house.

Sensitive electronics already run thru a Panamax line conditioner/UPS with three large lead-acid batteries.

It’ll power my entire first floor including HVAC. I did install a soft-start kit on my AC compressor.

Total cost:
$1000-ish for the generator
$650-ish for the power cord, panel/transfer switch
$475 for my electrician buddy to install…took him all day.

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[SA_Steve]

Nice work. I've looked at some of the soft/hard start AC kits. Some look to be difficult to figure out the proper install.

 

[pronstar]

Nice work. I've looked at some of the soft/hard start AC kits. Some look to be difficult to figure out the proper install.

I paid my HVAC guy to do it.

I’ve replaced the blower motor myself, but the soft start kit looked too complicated for me to attempt.


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[avvidclif]

Just got my generator all hooked up to power my home in an emergency.

7500 running watts, 220v, 50 amp propane/gas generator. It’s loud as shit, but I’ve got a 40-foot cord so can put it a bit away from the house.

Sensitive electronics already run thru a Panamax line conditioner/UPS with three large lead-acid batteries.

It’ll power my entire first floor including HVAC. I did install a soft-start kit on my AC compressor.

Total cost:
$1000-ish for the generator
$650-ish for the power cord, panel/transfer switch
$475 for my electrician buddy to install…took him all day.

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How to piss of ALL of the neighbors. In the RV world we called those jackhammers. On a serious note a sheet of plywood cut to build a baffle around it will help immensely. Open top. It will direct most of the noise up.

 

[pronstar]

How to piss of ALL of the neighbors. In the RV world we called those jackhammers. On a serious note a sheet of plywood cut to build a baffle around it will help immensely. Open top. It will direct most of the noise up.

Yeah we ran Honda’s and Yamahas in the desert when we camped. But some yahoo always managed to show up with an unmuffled harbor freight 2-stroke gennie…

But $1k doesn’t go far when it comes to a gennie from those brands.

All the houses where I live are on acre+ lots, so it’s still pretty far away.


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[diesel1959]

Just got my generator all hooked up to power my home in an emergency.

7500 running watts, 220v, 50 amp propane/gas generator. It’s loud as shit, but I’ve got a 40-foot cord so can put it a bit away from the house.

Sensitive electronics already run thru a Panamax line conditioner/UPS with three large lead-acid batteries.

It’ll power my entire first floor including HVAC. I did install a soft-start kit on my AC compressor.

Total cost:
$1000-ish for the generator
$650-ish for the power cord, panel/transfer switch
$475 for my electrician buddy to install…took him all day.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I notice you've got two two-pole 220V circuits. One for AC and then you must be running either an electric dryer or electric stove or electric water heater. Nice setup!

We had a gas water heater already, but about eight years ago, we switched to a gas dryer. Sunday, we're having a gas cooktop installed. We've been in the house for 31 years and we're FINALLY making the jump!

 

[pronstar]

I notice you've got two two-pole 220V circuits. One for AC and then you must be running either an electric dryer or electric stove or electric water heater. Nice setup!

We had a gas water heater already, but about eight years ago, we switched to a gas dryer. Sunday, we're having a gas cooktop installed. We've been in the house for 31 years and we're FINALLY making the jump!

Yeah the other one is for our electric ovens.


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[diesel1959]

Yeah the other one is for our electric ovens.


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Plural, eh? I like yer style.

We've still got an electric oven as a built-in and won't be changing that out, but it's not on one of our chosen emergency circuits.

Once our gas cooktop is installed tomorrow, it will be on a 110v circuit that is on one of the emergency circuits. With power out and the Kubota running, we have use of the microwave, a toaster, and a small toaster oven. So, along with the gas cooktop, that's good enough for us for emergencies, seeing as it's just the wife and me.

 

[Ranger60]

I just had one delivered this morning. Went with a Champion 4500 Dual Fuel Inverter. Main reason was the big Texas Freeze this past winter. Basic need is keep the fridge running, just turn it on for a bit every couple hours, electric heaters, be able to run TV and computers. Pretty much all I need in cold power outage. If hot I have a window AC in the hobby room behind my detached garage. Can go hang out there or run the whole house fan. 1950 vintage house and small. Propane company will put a outlet on my big tank. When the freeze hit I had like 60% in the tank. Do not plan on ever running gasoline in it. It is like really quiet also.

 

[pronstar]

Plural, eh? I like yer style.

We've still got an electric oven as a built-in and won't be changing that out, but it's not on one of our chosen emergency circuits.

Once our gas cooktop is installed tomorrow, it will be on a 110v circuit that is on one of the emergency circuits. With power out and the Kubota running, we have use of the microwave, a toaster, and a small toaster oven. So, along with the gas cooktop, that's good enough for us for emergencies, seeing as it's just the wife and me.

Our house is a bit of a fixer upper, and it was here when we bought it…we’ll probably stick to the same when we get around to remodeling the kitchen. It’s a pretty nice JenAir double oven.

We lucked out, our entire first floor doesn’t take too many spots in the panel (because the kitchen/appliance outlets aren’t on their own breakers / up to current code) so we’ll probably have to revisit it when we remodel the kitchen.

So basically the number of breakers on the transfer switch currently matches the number of first-floor breakers in the panel


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[Axxe55]

Good looking set-up @pronstar .

 

[diesel1959]

Plural, eh? I like yer style.

We've still got an electric oven as a built-in and won't be changing that out, but it's not on one of our chosen emergency circuits.

Once our gas cooktop is installed tomorrow, it will be on a 110v circuit that is on one of the emergency circuits. With power out and the Kubota running, we have use of the microwave, a toaster, and a small toaster oven. So, along with the gas cooktop, that's good enough for us for emergencies, seeing as it's just the wife and me.

When my brother installed a brand new breaker box, we didn't break it down by upstairs vs. downstairs. We opted for non-emergency circuits on the left side of the box and the ten emergency circuits on the right side of the box. It makes it pretty simple, actually. The only downside I've noticed is that when switching off LINE and then switching to GEN, every one of those arc fault breakers trips. It makes no difference while you're running the generator; however, you MUST reset them after you switched back to LINE.

 

[Havok1]

Not sure if I’ve posted this in the thread before but figured I’d share it anyway since the subject of transfer switches has come up. This is an alternative method that people can go with. I installed a seperate breaker and manual interlock that prevents the main from being on when the generator is hooked up. It cost me maybe $100 between the two and I have the flexibility to run any breaker id like off the generator as opposed to wiring only certain ones into it. Only other costs are wire and plug inlet.

 

[easy rider]

I just had one delivered this morning. Went with a Champion 4500 Dual Fuel Inverter. Main reason was the big Texas Freeze this past winter. Basic need is keep the fridge running, just turn it on for a bit every couple hours, electric heaters, be able to run TV and computers. Pretty much all I need in cold power outage. If hot I have a window AC in the hobby room behind my detached garage. Can go hang out there or run the whole house fan. 1950 vintage house and small. Propane company will put a outlet on my big tank. When the freeze hit I had like 60% in the tank. Do not plan on ever running gasoline in it. It is like really quiet also.

Worked for me during the last Texas ice age.

 

[pronstar]

When my brother installed a brand new breaker box, we didn't break it down by upstairs vs. downstairs. We opted for non-emergency circuits on the left side of the box and the ten emergency circuits on the right side of the box. It makes it pretty simple, actually. The only downside I've noticed is that when switching off LINE and then switching to GEN, every one of those arc fault breakers trips. It makes no difference while you're running the generator; however, you MUST reset them after you switched back to LINE.

Since the only things upstairs are bedrooms and bathrooms, and we can only run one HVAC off the gennie, we figured just electrify as much of the first floor as possible.

This way all of the necessities - kitchen, washer/dryer, etc - have power.


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[Axxe55]

One thing that I kind of thought was rather funny were people worried about their fridge having power during the power outages during the Texas Freeze!

We never lost power, but if we had, I'd have put food outside on shelves in the garage to keep them cold. We had several days that the temperature never got above 20 degrees. Which is way colder than the temperature of 40 that I keep the fridge at.