any generator gurus here?

Just to throw in my .02 worth..

 I currently own a 12KW generator and I must say it has been a real asset.  I live north of Houston Tx. And when the hurricane came through our area we were without power for 5+ days.  During that time the generator kept my house going completely!

 You have a large number of questions and I will try to answer a few of them here..

 First off, to start a refrigerator or any other appliance with a motor, will require a surge current.  Newer items have a lower surge requirement when compared to older items.  For instance an air-conditioner that’s 10 years old will have a higher start up current than a modern one.  Knowing this the manufactures will put a surge rating on the generator.

 For instance, my Generac is a 12KW generator.  Meaning it will handle a surge up to 12,000 watts but it rated to output 10,000 watts.  At this point you have to do basic math to make your determination.  VoltsXAmps (current) = Watts.  110VX4.5A=495Watts.

 I connect my generator to my house directly through the outside breaker box.  I turn off the main power (just incase it comes back on, don’t want a fire) and connect the 50A plug on the generator directly to a 220V breaker.  This allows me to feed power to the entire house and the proper voltage to a central air unit. (remember, some items are 220V and others are 110V)  For safety The 50A plug goes into the breaker box and connects to a breaker.  This also allows me to disconnect he generator from the house by flipping the breaker off.

 Inside my house I have a second breaker panel for all things in the house (I also have a work shop, water well, etc.)  When I am ready to start the generator I turn ALL breakers off (including the one connected directly to the generator) start the generator and generally give it a few minutes to warm up, and then begin turning on the breakers that I need.  Of the items that I operate on the generator, the two with the most surge current are the water well and the air conditioner.  With everything off, I will turn on the AC.  After it has completely started I will turn on other breakers in the house (generally the fridge, freezer are next).  I run the AC full and cool the house as much as possible and then shut it off.  I do not allow it to cycle because if I am running other appliances in the house and it kicks on with a heavy surge it may trip the generator off.

 With my unit during the power outage, I was able to turn on the AC, then my fridge, freezer, all lights, water well, and an extension cord to my neighbor to run her fridge without any problems.  (at night you could see the muffler glowing a orange/red color!)  Note that if you have a water well then you have a water storage tank.  The well pressurizes the tank and after reaching its pressure shuts off.  I would charge the tank and then turn off the breaker.  When I was out of pressure I would charge it up again.  My take provides a reserve for doing this of about 50 gallons.

 For a spare I bought a 4000KW unit to run two window units should by big generator ever fail (got a good deal on a used on).  I figure another hurricane is likely to come and I want to be ready.  The smaller unit is also much more fuel efficient for running smaller items, like window units, fridge, freezer, tv, etc.

 The big unit runs on Gas and this is a bit of a problem.  The tank is 10Gallons and I generally ran 10 Gallons a day.  I would say around 8 hours out of that 10 gallons.  I only ran the appliances as necessary.  On occasion I would turn on the water heater and charge it.  It would last over 24 hours with reasonability warm water into the next day (enough to shower)  I also have an electric stove that I ran (no more than 2 surfaces) while the AC and fridge and freezer (lets not forget the entertainment center) were working.

 You mention having a 1.2KW unit.  This is very small and may not start the fridge pending on its age and surge requirements.  You can try it with and extension cord and see what happens.  If it is able to start it, then you are likely fine, but I doubt you will be able to run much more than a few lights along with the fridge.  Be careful testing it and if it does not start right away, unplug it.  You don’t want to damage the fridge.

 For gas storage I currently have 52 gal in storage for the next disaster, what ever that may be.  I figure that’s 5 days worth of gas.  I keep it in plastic containers with fuel stabilizers added (if you do not add the chemicals, gas will form a gel that will eventually make it worthless.)  The nice thing about small containers is that I can use the gas in my truck every six months and replace with fresh gas.  Don’t worry about not being able to start your car with summer gas in the winter.  The only real difference has to do with pollution reduction and I understand the EPA has lifted those restrictions because of the high gas prices.  (they made it cheaper for the oil companies to make the stuff, imagine that!)  Generators have different motors from cars or trucks.  They are much more like the lawnmower and because of their simplicity, they can often run on bad gas (or gas that is going bad) and work fine.  Just make sure there is no water in the gas!

 For extended use you may want to have oil and filters on hand for long term power outage.  Most have an air filter and some have oil filters as well.  My large one has a spin on oil filter that I could not find during the hurricane, so now I have 3!   My small one has a really weird air filter that’s a bit hard to fine, so keeping them in stock may be important.

 1200 watts is not a whole lot of power.  If you go larger please be careful about the size of the wire you use to connect it to your home or appliances.  My wire to go from the big generator to the house is 6 gauge stranded (only bought stranded to make it easier to roll up, solid is cheaper and just fine).  Use the wrong size wire and you could have a fire or at minimum damage the generator or appliances.  Check with your local hardware store and they can help you pick the right wire for the job.  My cable is 12 foot long with a 50A plug on one end and cost me close to 150.00 to make.  My smaller generator I used a stove connector (sold at hardware stores, stranded, and made for up to 30A, about 6 feet long) to save money.  About $15-$20.

 I wish you luck, and please be safe!

 
Seishin

Hi guys, I had to change my ID for some reason, I was 911bob. The Tri Gas Carb. works great!!