Generator's??

[INSANELY CRAZY]

i see so many watts out there, what would be a good wattage to get to run say 2 fridges,table light,tv and maybe small electric heater???

can a generator run a powerstrip w/o overload?
i see 2prong and 4 prong generators, which is better?

thanks for any info.

[INSANELY CRAZY]

someone told me i could the power company to install an external outlet from my box outside so i could just plug in the generator there and still have power threwout the whole house..

is that true????

[95DropTop]

If you want to power anything significant, get a generator with a 240 Volt output - probably what you are referring to as a 4 prong generator.

You can find calculators online. Here is one sample:

http://www.gillettegenerators.com/sizing/sizing02.html

There are two general kinds of generators - an emergency generator and a standby generator. Within the emergency generators (they are cheaper) there are a couple of types. One is a standard type and one is an inverter type. The standard ones are cheaper and the inverter types are more expensive. The standard types are not only cheaper but generally come in more wattage than do the inverter types. The largest relatively affordable inverter type is about 6000 watts. Kipor makes one and Honda makes another. The inverter types clean the power and are appropriate for sensitive equipment like computers and today's larger LCD or Plasma televisions.

Standby generators typically hook up to natural gas or propane and are ready to go automatically when the power goes off. These are much more expensive generators. Generac is a popular one and also Briggs and Straton makes a great one.

As for your needs you will most likely need at least a 4000 watt generator or higher. Do NOT be tempted to go the cheap route and use a "suicide plug" which is a home made male-to-male cord that you just put into a 20 amp garage circuit. That kind of thing could kill a power line worker and/or will burn down your house. You can get relatively inexpensive manual transfer switches (kits which include the switch, the cable and an inside or outise connector socket) that will allow you to kill the main breaker and take the feed from your emergency generator when you need it. You put 4-6 circuits onto the transfer switch and you can pick the appliances/rooms/lights that you want to power up in an emergency. This is the device that you mention above in your post and any electrician can hook one up for you. You will need a 30 amp if you want to run your furnace blower motor. Here is a link to some: http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect....er-systems.php They are not dirt cheap new but you can find some on E-Bay sometimes cheap and electricians can get them cheaper locally.

By the time you get a decent generator and a transfer switch you could drop anywhere between 600-1000. The little things add up. You can probably find generators pretty cheap at pawn shops if you are patient. They will probably do just what you need.

I actually own two generators:

1. http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CDYQ8wIwAw# (emergency inverter generator)

2. http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect....tor/p2674.html (large standby generator)

The second one can run my whole home including the central A/C but I decided not to use it. I may be listing this one for sale for around half price of new soon. I just didn't quite have a good place outside to put it where it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in my side yard so I just got the smaller portable inverter generator instead. The big generator is new and was never installed.

Good luck

[map351]

watch Craig's list there's some good buys pop up, I bought a 9500 watt Winco electric start 50 amp breakers 2/220, 4/110 20 amp. $250.00 Bux. It's not the cheap Aluminum generator head these are the cast iron big bearing head generator.

I have a 3500 watt Winco cast iron head for sale i had over 4K draw on it and never a beat.It has 2/110 & 1/220.
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/grd/2148023792.html

Or if you feel ambitious.
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/tls/2138683394.html

[INSANELY CRAZY]

ok thanks for that info,ill be looking around for 1 that fits my needs. just wanna get one that will keep me up and running in a power outage.

if anyone has anymore info post it up..
thanks

[phillysrt4]

ok thanks for that info,ill be looking around for 1 that fits my needs. just wanna get one that will keep me up and running in a power outage.

if anyone has anymore info post it up..
thanks

All the information here is pretty good. Another way to go if you want something in case the power goes out is to go with what is, in essence, a "battery backup" system. You set up a string of 12V deep cycle batteries designed for PV (photovoltaic) systems so that you have a 24V output. From there you can hook it to a sine wave inverter of appropriate size which then ties into your house via the switching that 95droptop discussed. You use your house current to keep the batteries "topped up" and if/when the power goes out the batteries kick in.

A "quasi-cheap" route would be to do this battery system to an inverter to key dedicated outlets in the house. These outlets are always run by the inverter exclusively, and if the batteries use more than a specific DoD (depth of discharge) the charging unit comes on to top the batteries back up. Since these outlets are isolated from the grid you don't have to worry about electrocuting PECO employees.

Sinewave inverter references:
http://www.samlexamerica.com/pure_si..._inverters.htm
http://wegosolar.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=93 (has info on sine wave vs modified sine wave inverters)
http://puresinewaveinverters.com/


I am also a BIG fan of alternative energy resources (wind turbines, photovoltaics, etc) and have been following active and passive solar technology since the 80's. So if you're interested in getting completely off the grid shoot me a PM.