Quote:
Originally Posted by mswlogo
Right. And you might want to rotate circuits. Say you have a freezer and a fridge. You could run each for say 4 hours at a time but not both at once.
One thing you do need to be careful of is going above 80% of designated amps. Which is possible even with a sub panel. For continuous load you probably want to keep it under 50% capacity of the generator. Leave the rest of the headroom for appliances that will surge.
Like someone said in the other thread. You do have to have some understanding of what’s going on. How some appliances surge. How much surge the generator can handle etc.
What ever you do, don’t run a microwave.  Even small one would make my 4000 watt (non inverter type) generator go nuts. It’s a very odd load.
If the lights dim (or watch the volt meter going under say 105V) or generator is straining , back off on the load. |
I agree on needing some basic idea of what is going on, what kind of loads certain items are. I've also advised people to get a bigger generator than they first are thinking. The fuel burn of an 8,000 watt at 40-50% load is not much different from a 5,000 at 70-80% load. I realize the initial purchase cost is higher but gives you a ton of flexibility to have more capacity available. I think people tend to think about overnight outages, I'll unplug the fridge off and on like someone suggested. But in the rare occurrence of a multi day outage it's awful nice to have nearly everything available, be able to run a hot water heater or a burner on the stove, without worry.
I've always run a microwave during outages, with no problem.