Generator PTO Generator

[JB4310]

As far as timing the meter, anytime you start using letters in math equations, like in that wykpedia account, it's time for someone to bring me home!

After looking at that formula again I figured it's not that complex even for me, so I went out to look at my meter and discovered it's digital, no wheel, Came with the service upgrade I had done 5 years ago. Does that make it easier or harder to use the meter to figure actual real time draw?
JB.

 

[gemini5362]

A lot of posters on here talk about having an emergency generator just for emergencies. I agree they are on the right track. Where I live we have Ice Storms that break lines and cause havoc. Longest I have been without power is 8 days usually average is two or three max. I dont need to wash clothes during that time period if I do I can go to a laundromat or one of my kids house that lives in town ( I have bought the washer and dryer for them I should get to use it) My generator can just run my hot water heater by itself If i need it so far I have done the same thing for showers I do for clothes. (one of my kids lives in one of my rent houses any complaints about dad using the facilities gets a lecture and increased rent) I can run my refrigerator and freezer plus some lights off of the generator. Since my generator does not mention in the owners manual that it is computer power grade I dont use the tv or computers ( I have a lot of books I have not read yet.) I have a wood stove that can heat up the living room and several other rooms so I can keep warm. I luckly am on city water so I have running water. For an emergency I can get by. I like the gas powered generator because I can use it other places and not have to drag along my tractor to do that. To me the real question is whether or not the OP wants to be able to run his whole house or just be able to survive until power becomes available again. I figure the 13 hp gas generator I have is going to be cheaper to operate than running my 49 hp diesel tractor at almost maximum RPS's in order to get 540 pto rpm. Plus my generator has a kickdown that when their is not any power draw it kicks down to an idle. then kicks back up as current needs increase.

 

[Soundguy]

will a 16/15k pto generator be enough to power my house. Average size ranch house, propane furnace and water heater, electric stove and oven. would I be able to run multiple items. almost all of the lights are compact flourescent. This is what I am looking at

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Just add your wattages up.... 15kw runs a whole lot of household appliances... I have a 12kw, and it runs all but the large air handler / compressor.. I'm betting I could actually get them running by getting one started and then getting the other going.. etc.. but have never felt the need to have ac during emerency power outtages so far!

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

If it takes you 45 minutes to hook up a pto generator, maybe you should buy some Red Bull or Monster. Good grief, Charley Brown, how long does it take you to put your shoes and underwear on ?????

Park the dang thing in a dog house behind the meter, back the tractor up, hitch the shaft, run the cable, throw the mains, and turn on the TV.

If getting the old Lady's help or permission to do the work is holding you back, move out...

I also wondered about that.. but then i know guys that take 30 minutes to hitch up a box blade or mower.. Heck.. i can be 2.5 ac nto a 10ac mow job by the time 30 minutes goes by!

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

You guys all want to avoid the obvious question because you want to see something spinning on the PTO. You got money burning a hole in your pocket.

If the power is out... you may need your tractor for other things.

Jake

And while using the tractor for those other things.. does the tv and lamps need to be on?? no.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

The web site says 21, the handout (pdf) says 22 and I have heard from the Mahindra forum that they are under rated. I doubt that I would use the full load and even if I did, That's a good excuse to buy a bigger tractor.

With an oversized genny... you won't have to worry about thermal overloads.. it's not a bad matchup really.. and if you do ever get a bigger tractor.. you are set.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

One word of caution reguarding the harbor freight and most other cheap geneartors. Most use capacitor voltage regulation which is not a good way to stabilize current. AVR regulation is much better, but more expensive. Electronics are very sensitive to dirty power, which is what you get from a cheap generator. Before running one of these I'd run around and unplug all computers, tv, etc... last thing you want to do is burn up the $3,000 flat screen because you bought a cheap generator.

Unfortunatly.. lots of myth here.. and not as much fact.

Reality is.. that -MANY- common electronics with switching based power supplies ( triacs ) are EXTREMLY fault tolerant when dealing with over/under frequency and voltage.

the average cheapy computer power supply with run +/- 10hz and not brown until under 90vac.. that's a huge operting range. Compute rmonitors and many new tv's set their own operating scan frequencies with a bult in oscilator and do not rely on line cycles for raster sync.

all yer toaster and heating element and simple motorized stuff like can-openers won't feel a thing.

About the only thing I wouldn't run with fairly clean line is a microwave.. and that's mostly an efficiency / wattage issue with rspect to curent usage as line voltage drops.

Wall warts that are transformer equipped won't be as effected by dirty power due to mssive inductance.. plus the new breeds of wll warts are all switchers and run 90-250vac natively.. it's al window timing issue on the triacs triggering for onstate.. etc.

old mechanical clocks will keep incorrect time.

Just because a unit does not hve an active vreg.. doesn't men it's a lightning storm on the output.. invest in a graphing o-scope with storge capabilities and run a comparison with history on your utility line throughout the day... I think you will be amazed what your utility sells you as power.. depending on the motor loads in yor house.. and the age of those appliances.. and where on the line you are in your grid.. you can get some pretty scarry stuff.. like 130v line voltages.. and up to 2hz excursions.

I did a similar test on my 12 kw northern genny using a variety of electronic, inductive and motor loads as well as incandescent and heating element loads.. best i could get was a 1hz drop tht corrected so fast the meter only graphed it on one cycle.. I was testing with up to 10kw loads.. voltage output stayed in a +/-2v range... IE.. much cleaner than anything florid power was selling me at the time of the test..

for all interested.. do your own tests... local power distribution systems will vary based on age and equipment used.. and load management of your provider.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

That is an interesting idea. Never thought of that one, I will have to try it. The wheel is graduated and along with a watch, you should be able to time it's rate of turn for a fixed ammount of time and get something that can be multiplied into the load in KW/HR at that particular load. This of course won't show surge loads very well, but you should be able to get a reasonably accurate average. Your electric bill should also help in getting an average use reading.

just get your elec co to install a neato digital readout meter that will just tell you power conumption straight out.

soundguy

 

[zzvyb6]

Here's 50kw with 35hp diesel tractor. It would take 100+ hp to be maxed out, but I even do air conditioning. The best part of this setup is the ability to travel to the neighbors to give them heat and a few flushes. Believe it or not, highest need for tractor genset is summer when the horses are thirsty and the trees have dropped a LOT of power lines from high winds or worse. Winter is cruel, but summer is nasty without water for the critters.

 

[Soundguy]

I've heard of the same horror stories. A frined is a gc.. he bult a storm room in the middle of his house, and had a huge sandby system put in ( generac ).. it failed to come onwhen needed.. this was in the bad florida storms of 04.. he paid huge money for all of that..


I couldn't help but think about that whle watching storm coverge on my tv powered by my 1000$ 12kw genny hooked to one of my antiques parked out beside the house purring away.

now that's my idea of a standby system.. when needed pull the tractor and gen around and run the wires and go...

soundguy

I agree, it's all about power management. unless you really don't want to know, and spend well over $20,000. for a auto stand by system that a Doctor I recently worked for had installed, and guess what the first time the power went out it didn't kick in, when he called them they told him to go down the basement and push the reset button on the refrigerator sized control box!

The hourly average over a months time is just that, average, and worthless for calculating what size gen you would need. as it's taking into account the over night periods when nothing is on.
If you really wanted to run everything at once with a gen then you need to know peek demand and you'd have to do like you said and turn every possible load on for some set period of time and do the math using the numbers off the meter.
I think it would be easier to walk thru the house and add up all the possible loads, it would be tricky figuring those 3X start surges of motors using the meter method, I would think.
JB.