OT: Need Portable Generator Recommendation

All loads drop. (there will be no auto transfer or giant clutch/flywheel lashup - saw one of those once on a 25kw diesel, gauwd almighteeee)

Again, nothing - no connection to the genset until the load is dropped completely. Genset load is then pull-rope started and the load walked-in. When genset needs fuel it also goes completely down, load switched off and then walked back in again after a restart. This is a poor man's riggin'. All we need most of the time is lights and cold beer and the TV.

I calculated the total locked rotor requirement as a tad over 50A but these will not all be fired up at once so I'm thinking I should be able to bring it all online by walking it in load by load without stalling the genset. If there's an issue it might be how to address the possibility of all 3 refrigeration loads deciding to kick in their compressors concurrently. There's enough there to run 'em all concurrently, but starting them all at once is a whole other matter and something that may need to be dealt with. (ideas welcomed) I was actually thinking about the possibility of a timer on the freezer. The deep freeze can stay off for at least 6 hrs if we can stay out of it then let it have juice for a couple hours to recover, i.e., 2 hrs on/6 hrs off then repeat. - wife had another thought, drop all the refrigeration loads at bedtime and trade the load for a 10k btu window A/C in the master BR. It gets pretty sticky down here during hurricane season. Lotta load switching around I agree, but see my previous about "po' folks and po' ways"

You're blowin' smoke. No residence I've ever seen w/3 ph panel.

No auto xfr for (1) and read my remarx above to (3)

Know better than to even attempt to buck. This will be a manual disconnect. This isn't a hospital, it's my residence ;-) - we'll know when the commercial power is back because the AC will come on (wheee!!)

Daughter (and her thrice daily showers) is her husband's responsibility nowadays, thank goodness. You're right, a 5KW genset maxes out around 40A continuous (8300 KVA assuming PF of .6) *AND* assuming it really is 5 KW....... We all know about assumptions, which is why I'm looking for a 5KW and not 2½ - I'd love 7½ just don't want to have to feed it. Full load vs half load on 7½KW genset not much difference in fuel consumption compared to full vs ½ with a 5kw unit.

Reply to
RamMan
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The concept of GFCI is a good one, but depends on a good ground. If you intend to place the genset in the same spot, it might be worth driving a good ground rod and pre-wiring a Burndy connector and a good hunk of 3-0 or 4-0 cable.

Most commercial transfer switches will switch each phase, as well as the neutral. In your application, if you are intending to pipe the connections (and I hope you do...no Romex) you can use the existing neutral. This is called a non-separately derived system. The only problem with this is usually caused by poor grounding in the existing home wiring, and that problem is ground loops due to parallel grounds at differing potentials.

Here is a good article with illustrative pictures:

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Reply to
Langerhans

Sounds like you have thought it through.

BTW, up here, us Yankees *do* get 3 phase power in areas newly rewired. My old house had 2x400A 3ph panels. Actually, it made the gen installation easier.

Good luck with the project.

Reply to
Langerhans

You can get 3 ph here too in the new suburbs but it comes with $500 monthly minimum billing. Too rich for my blood. With 2x400A 3 Ph panels you obviously had more house than most. I'm guessing 6k+ s.f. (?)

Thanks for your assist & thoughts. Now waiting for someone to -answer- my original post and recommend for or against specific brand(s) >>smileSounds like you have thought it through.

Reply to
RamMan

I had to order them online. I also replaced its main breaker to upgrade it to a 70 amp (since it is running on propane) and the breaker Generac uses for that is also hard to find. Fortunantly, the online supplier had both.

I had to make some modifications to both the gen unit and the house wiring to make it work and having that done by someone else would have cost me a fortune. The only problem I had was a short (pintched wire) on the control lines between the gen unit and the external box which is what blew the fuse. Fortunately, it blew the fuse on the voltage sense side so I knew about it right away when the gen always wanted to run. After repairing the short, there were no more problems.

It does seem to run well and remains stable regardless of the load although it doesn't like it much when the AC first comes on. During the break-in, I had it pretty loaded down and it seemed to handle it with no problem. Hopefully, I will never need it but I'm glad it's there if I do and it also gives me another selling point on the house.

Reply to
TBone

------------------------------------------------------------- I'm on the Florida Gulf Coast -- bought a DeVilbiss genset just after Opal in '95, and finally used it after Ivan this past year. It was the brand that Lowe's was selling at the time, but I expect that it (or similar) is probably on the market with other badges as well.

It's a gas unit -- 10hp Briggs engine that puts out 5.5kw -- probably in the 7.5 yo 8.5 kw peak range. It's got a BIG gas tank that will let it run continuously for 10 - 12 hours. When you stop it to add gas, it will almost always need some (less than a half quart) oil.

I ran the thing non-stop 24hrs per day for 5 days, and powered nearly everything in the house (two different legs). The only things I didn't run were washer/dryer, and central air. It happily powered the fridge and freezer as well as all of the lights and ceiling fans. I had pulled the main breakers so as not to fry the local lineman, and a neighbor had to come over and tell me when the power was back on.

I'm a happy camper -- but it's time to go check the thing and make sure it's ready to run if needed.

Mark

Reply to
Mark Sparge

Thanks Mark. Yours is the post I was looking for, someone w/experience with one of the over-the-counter/lumber-yard/home improvement store models.

I've had generally good experiences shopping at Lowes' with the lone exception when we had them lay a ceramic tile floor in our kitchen. Big mistake! It had to be ripped up not just once, but twice because their low-bidder contractor didn't know how to "float" an uneven floor. The first job turned out like a cobblestone road; kitchen table even rocked, all 4 chairs wobbled, some adjacent tiles out of plane by as much as .375" Second attempt was only slight improvement. (spec is 0.02 max between any

2 adjacent tiles). After 3rd lay it's still not perfect, but a far cry from what we started with. In their defense, Lowes did stick by us and even offered to rip out again and let us bring in a professional flooring contractor at their expense. I think had we not had fully enough of the mess & dust for four whole weeks that we would have - and in retrospect probably should have - but that was a learning experience for everyone (Lowes included).

IMO Briggs & Stratt>I'm on the Florida Gulf Coast -- bought a DeVilbiss genset just after

Reply to
RamMan

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