My wife is worried we will have a power blackout this summer and our freezers full of meat will be lost. Need a generator big enough to power 2 freezers and a refrigerator. The on line calculators seem to be very generous in how much wattage is needed. Any of you have any experience in this area?
Get a meter and measure how much power they use.
Purchased Champion 8000 watt tri fuel, connected to natural gas and hooked up to the house through transfer box, have 1 freezer, 2 refrigerators and also hooked up every room except for central Air, tested it and it all works.
4500 should be plenty[would most likely run all three at once even though you won't need to].
Get a 2 - 2.5 K, run each for a few hours and keep the lids closed as much as possible. also, the fuller the freezer, the more efficient it is.
One of these will tell you how much your appliances are consuming and will help you size the generator. 110 only of course...
Kill-A-Watt
Code here used to require a separate 20amp circuit for a fridge, but they might draw 12-15 at most. Getting more efficient all the time. But 110Vx15amp=1650 watts,. So a 5000w gen, minimum could be required to power all 3 units. Chances are all 3 units will not start/run at the same time, but plan for that.
Gens are rated at max output & continuous. Use the continuous rating or number.
All appliances have a nomenclature plate or sticker that indicates amperage draw or power requirements.
Always buy bigger than what you think you will need.
All appliances have a label showing the wattage they use. If it's anything for cooling, double that for startup wattage.
Don't go under a 3500, the 5000 is a safe bet.
A lot of fools will say they run there's on less, what they don't get is they'll run but the voltage will be weak causing your compressors to run hot.
For those that have a little 2000 and find themselves needing to power multible refrigeration devices with what they have on hand
Alternate, run one for 3 or 4 hours then unplug and run another.
If your not opening the doors and they are not sitting in direct sunlight alternating will work out fine. Don't hesitate to throw some blankets or sleeping bags over a chest freezer for some added insulation if needed at times like that as well.
My wife is worried we will have a power blackout this summer and our freezers full of meat will be lost. Need a generator big enough to power 2 freezers and a refrigerator. The on line calculators seem to be very generous in how much wattage is needed. Any of you have any experience in this area?
It’s comforting to have a generator big enough to run all your important appliances but if you’re not home to crank it up, you’re SOL.
I like the idea of putting gallon milk jugs filled with water in a chest freezer to provide cooling if power goes down.
Get a 2 - 2.5 K, run each for a few hours and keep the lids closed as much as possible. also, the fuller the freezer, the more efficient it is.
For emergency running with the load in rotation that is enough. The generator will be far lighter and easier to use and you will find lots of other uses for it. get bigger and it will have just one use as a back-up.
Run your freezers as cold as possible. Stuff in it will keep better, the cost to run it will be lower, and in an emergency the lower starting temperatures will help food remain frozen longer and more easily.
Had a 3500 to run freezer, fridge, sump, stuff like that. Worked but wanted bigger, plus I got sick and tired of extension cords.
Bought a 12K and wired it in with a lockout switch. Not perfect but atleast I can actually run everything in the house if need be. Won't but for what we would run, no problems....for what it is anyway
My wife is worried we will have a power blackout this summer and our freezers full of meat will be lost. Need a generator big enough to power 2 freezers and a refrigerator. The on line calculators seem to be very generous in how much wattage is needed. Any of you have any experience in this area?
It’s comforting to have a generator big enough to run all your important appliances but if you’re not home to crank it up, you’re SOL.
I was done peckering around.
Got a 16kW Generac natural gas standby and a 200A ATS.
2 zones of central AC (2 compressor units)
2 furnaces
2 refrigerator/freezers
1 big upright freezer
Spring pump
All the other little stuff and lights
Never worry again. About anything.............home or not
The "Boss" and me went looking for a generator. We knew lots of folks who had "Onan" generators in their living quarter horse trailers.
Ran good.
Ran quiet.
A tank of fuel would last about 8 hours, give or take.
At a RV dealership, we found an Onan. Checking it out, I noticed it had four 110v outlets...AND...one 220v outlet.
Knowing that having a 220v outlet, it would run everything I'd ever want to plug into a generator, that's what we got.
NOTE: this IS NOT an "Onan" ad!!!
It fit our budget and fulfilled our needs.
ANOTHER note:
Onan is Chinese built. They are good generators and have a good engine........but the coupling between the motor and the generator leaves a lot to be desired. As long as the generator isn't dropped or takes a heavy shock, you're ok.
Our generator sat unused for several years. The fuel tank filled up with crud.
The local small engine shop got it running easily enough, but a new fuel tank was unbelievably expensive and almost nonexistent.
The repair shop left a couple of feet of gas line.
The generator now has a 6 gallon outboard fuel tank, complete with priming bulb and shutoff valve.
This time, the generator gets about a 30 minute workout each month.
Wattage used while running is usually not the problem, it's the starting amps. Typically a large fridge or freezer will require somewhere around 2000-2500 watts to start, but once running, it will only require 700ish-900ish watts. I run a freezer and fridge all the time with a 3000 (3500 surge) watt generator. Plug one in and let it get going and run for a few minutes and then plug in the other. 800 for the running one + 2200 for the starting one = 3000ish watts for a few seconds (until the second one gets running). Then they are both running on about 1700ish watts.
there are kits on line to add the boat tank to most of the smaller gennys.
an extra 3 gal saves you adding adding fuel all the time.
Get a 2 - 2.5 K, run each for a few hours and keep the lids closed as much as possible. also, the fuller the freezer, the more efficient it is.
For emergency running with the load in rotation that is enough. The generator will be far lighter and easier to use and you will find lots of other uses for it. get bigger and it will have just one use as a back-up.
Run your freezers as cold as possible. Stuff in it will keep better, the cost to run it will be lower, and in an emergency the lower starting temperatures will help food remain frozen longer and more easily.
^^^ This ^^^
And might want give some thought to eventually getting a second portable gen set around the same wattage output and run them in parallel in case you decide you want to power more stuff.
Also, if you're powering modern digital electronic appliances you'll most likely be needing to go with an inverter generator.
Get a 2 - 2.5 K, run each for a few hours and keep the lids closed as much as possible. also, the fuller the freezer, the more efficient it is.
For emergency running with the load in rotation that is enough. The generator will be far lighter and easier to use and you will find lots of other uses for it. get bigger and it will have just one use as a back-up.
Run your freezers as cold as possible. Stuff in it will keep better, the cost to run it will be lower, and in an emergency the lower starting temperatures will help food remain frozen longer and more easily.
^^^ This ^^^
And might want give some thought to eventually getting a second portable gen set around the same wattage output and run them in parallel in case you decide you want to power more stuff.
Also, if you're powering modern digital electronic appliances you'll most likely be needing to go with an inverter generator.
Winter time I would grab the 4500 watt generator from our property, that way the 4500 could run the furnace and our 3500 would take care of a few things in the house. Sucked but gas was cheaper then.
Bigger is always better, having said that we have had a few outages over 8hrs and I used our RV Yamaha 2400 (surge to 2800) to power a refrigerator and a large chest freezer and a couple of lights. It's when they start up that is the problem, fridges and freezers pull much more current starting than running. I would look at something in the 5K range.
Always buy bigger than what you think you will need.
That's the correct answer. Plan for the unexpected (desirable). And, use an oil with a higher viscosity than the one recommended in the manual, if running for days at a time.
Get a portable welder/generator and have a welder for when you want it and a generator for when you need it!
Gen fuel is a big deal to maintain. They can suck some gasoline & that stuff seems to go sour after a few months.
The more I think about it, propane seems to be the answer for fuel storage. Although, refilling the tanks at a later de could be a problem. But... if ya have enough of them, refilling is not a concern. I'm slowly gathering tanks now. They can run a big or small grill, & various types of heaters or cooking appliances.
The more I look, the better a dual fuel gen sounds.
Side note here regarding generators and fuel.
About 5 years ago we bought a Honda EG5000(?), it's their basic econo version. Safety for freezers, general backup, nothing fancy.
It sat in our garage for about a year and I got bored one day and thought I better test this thing out. Added oil and a gallon of NON ETHANOL gas, of course it fired right up.
Shut off the gas valve and ran the engine until it ran dry.
It sat 3-4 years unused until I recently got bored(rainy afternoon). Turned valve on and it started and ran perfect on the first pull.
I was looking at welder generator combos just yesterday... kinda a bonus to have both I reckon...
There are many brands...
My guess is 99.9% are from China.
50 Amp to 210 Amp DC welding is nothing to sneeze at.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/40636877https://www.harborfreight.com/weldi...ven-stick-welder-ac-generator-57167.htmlGood luck.
Buy bigger than you think you might really need as the investment cost difference isn't really that big.
I run an entire 2400 ft house with 2 fridges, a freezer, air, & a well pump with all normal accessories on an 8500/9500 watt unit.
If you can afford it, buy a fixed install natural gas unit................if you ever can't get NG, things are so far gone that whether you have a genset or not won't matter much. Butthe wait time to get one right now is loooooong in most cases.
Non-ethanol gas will keep for a year+ if treated with stabilizer when new.........but unless you have a storage tank, keeping enough for a week or so is a PIA as you do have to use it & cyle through fresh gas on a planned schedule. But you have to do that with a storage tank as well.
MM
There was a post a few weeks (months?) ago about generators and I was saying how I bought a 12k portable but hadn't used it yet. That also includes not having it hooked up to the breaker box. We had a bad storm a few weeks ago and I had to drag out extension cords to the fridge/freezer and deep freezer downstairs. We also had 2 portable ac units plugged in along with lights and other oddball things. It worked great but I learned two things: They are expensive to keep gas in when your house has no NG and they are also pretty loud when the neighborhood is quiet as a church mouse.
Always buy bigger than what you think you will need.
Good advice for generators, chain saws, tractors.
Always buy bigger than what you think you will need.
Good advice for generators, chain saws, tractors.
..., Barns
Always buy bigger than what you think you will need.
Good advice for generators, chain saws, tractors.
..., Barns
Gun safes
Humidors
Regarding the subject of reserve fuel for generator -- the larger the generator the higher the fuel consumption -- the higher fuel consumption the more reserve fuel needed.
Point is, widespread power outages can last days, weeks and sometimes even a month or longer and fuel can be hard to find if at all as fuel retailers within the outage area likely won't have power needed to transfer fuel for a while either.
Same goes for electronic payment methods -- credit/debit...
Cash in hand rules during widespread power outages, especially early on.
Side note here regarding generators and fuel.
About 5 years ago we bought a Honda EG5000(?), it's their basic econo version. Safety for freezers, general backup, nothing fancy.
It sat in our garage for about a year and I got bored one day and thought I better test this thing out. Added oil and a gallon of NON ETHANOL gas, of course it fired right up.
Shut off the gas valve and ran the engine until it ran dry.
It sat 3-4 years unused until I recently got bored(rainy afternoon). Turned valve on and it started and ran perfect on the first pull.
Always non-ethanol and run the carb dry. I also like some Sta-Bil or even Seafoam in the gas too,
Side note here regarding generators and fuel.
About 5 years ago we bought a Honda EG5000(?), it's their basic econo version. Safety for freezers, general backup, nothing fancy.
It sat in our garage for about a year and I got bored one day and thought I better test this thing out. Added oil and a gallon of NON ETHANOL gas, of course it fired right up.
Shut off the gas valve and ran the engine until it ran dry.
It sat 3-4 years unused until I recently got bored(rainy afternoon). Turned valve on and it started and ran perfect on the first pull.
I've got one still in the box that is about 8 years old now. Just bought a Champion duel fuel a few weeks back. I guess I better get it out and get it fired up.
Always buy bigger than what you think you will need.
That's the correct answer. Plan for the unexpected (desirable). And, use an oil with a higher viscosity than the one recommended in the manual, if running for days at a time.
Maser, where did you get that tip on the oil? From Happy Camper?
I have a Champion 7500W running, 9000 peak. It powers well pump,2 freezers, refrigerator, two fans on gas fireplaces, power vent on a gas water heater, lights and electronics in the house and a 1500 watt tank heater in the winter.Yes it is big and heavy , but it doesn't get moved around much.
Added.This is when we have a power outage. Some times for 3-4 days
This spring,I bought a Powersmart 1800W running, generator/inverter. It powers my little camper, and I can tote it around the place for jobs that need electric away from my house. Less than 50 pounds, as quiet as a Honda, but 1/3 the price. Mostly I put in the bucket of the tractor.
About $450 on Amazon but you can get one on Ebay for about$225.
https://www.amazon.com/PowerSmart-Portable-Generator-Inverter
Freezers are not a big deal.
Let it cycle, get as cold as it gets. Leave the [bleep] door closed, once
A day on the generator will keep your [bleep] frozen. Twice if it's hot where it sits. They sure as heck do not need to be on a generator 24/7.
But, keep the dam door closed!
Friend worked for the REA. When we had big storms folks would call
him about "My freezer full of meat". Like that meant something to him
When there were hundreds of customers without power.
He never knew of anyone losing food in a freezer.
Except, the Ftards who keep checking the freezer.
Funny that. "Let's check it"
WTF you gonna do if it's thawing? Turn it on?
The Chinese change brand names faster than you can change shirts and these cheap welder/generators are junk. We've got one that was given to the fire dept. and it was used 2 times before it broke. Got a good diesel engine, but it wont gen and you cant find the parts to fix it. It needs an AVR (automatic voltage regulator) and there are hundreds if not thousands on the market, but none are wired like this one.