Small generators

[fried1765]

For less than $200 (usually way less) you can find these old Coleman 4000W generators used on e-bay and craig's list all day long. This one is $125.

33 amps @ 110V
16 amps @ 220V
I've had one since 1995 and it works fine to this day.
Cheap, affordable portable power to get some work done.

COLEMAN GASOLINE GENERATOR - 4000 WATT | eBay

I knew you had one of those Colemans running up there in South Bend.
I can hear it all the way down here in Florida.

 

[ArlyA]

The original poster asked about small gens. I've worked on job sites with less $$$$ generators operating at normal outputs. My ears do have a value, and I'll not do that again.

 

[MossRoad]

I knew you had one of those Colemans running up there in South Bend.
I can hear it all the way down here in Florida.

Finally got new batteries in your hearing aids, eh? :laughing:

Yes, it is loud. I'll agree with that.

But the OP just spent $950 on two generators that still won't start his air compressor. And he already had a $450 generator from a few years ago.

The task was to paint a shed. That should only take a couple hours at best.

- $125 for a used 4000W generator.
- You can buy 80 pairs of foam earplugs for $15, or a decent set of earmuff style for $30.

I always wear hearing protection when operating power equipment anyway, so no different.

 

[radios1]

When I built this house I ran 200 some odd feet of extension from my other house.
What I did was purchase a spool of 12 gauge (red) heater line as I'd be needing it anyway for the baseboard heaters).
Wired it thru the proper breakers and that served me well as it handled all my power tools that I needed.
At night I'd power up a small heater to keep the chill out as during the day I had installed an old pot belly that I had kicking around.
Day heat was via pot belly and cut off scraps of studding and furring strips.

With #12 gauge no power tools complained.

you must have used low current tools. "1 conductors per phase utilizing a #10 Copper conductor will limit the voltage drop to 7.00% or less when supplying 20.0 amps for 200 feet on a 120 volt system.
For Engineering Information Only:
30.0 Amps Rated ampacity of selected conductor
1.1417 Ohms Resistance (Ohms per 1000 feet)
0.05 Ohms Reactance (Ohms per 1000 feet)
12.0 volts maximum allowable voltage drop at 10%
8.395. Actual voltage drop loss at 7.00% for the circuit
0.9 Power Factor" Voltage Drop Calculator and THIS is for a 20 amp load, if you needed to start a capacitor start motor, like a compressor, it could, depending on the motor, draw 100 amps for starting!..(check the LRA, which is the locked rotor amps) you'd get much too much voltage drop with 12 gauge wire!.. I have a friend that tried starting his 2 HP compressor with a 4000 watt generator, and all that happened was the compressor slowly turned, but never started, and it was plugged in directly to the generator!.. for a compressor, it's better just to put an engine on it, or buy one with an engine already installed..

 

[LittleBill21]

Finally got new batteries in your hearing aids, eh? :laughing:

Yes, it is loud. I'll agree with that.

But the OP just spent $950 on two generators that still won't start his air compressor. And he already had a $450 generator from a few years ago.

The task was to paint a shed. That should only take a couple hours at best.

- $125 for a used 4000W generator.
- You can buy 80 pairs of foam earplugs for $15, or a decent set of earmuff style for $30.

I always wear hearing protection when operating power equipment anyway, so no different.

I'm not so sure why your confident that a used 4k genny is going to run the compressor, his surge rating is 4600 on the 2 he currently has.

i had a 4k genny with parallel windings, it would barely run a Lincoln welder on its highest setting and it had a 13.3a input on it. surge is a big deal for generators.

 

[Threepoint]

I think we're making this way more complicated than it needs to be for the OP's issue. :laughing: Michael just wants to paint his shed with a Graco Ultra 395 PC airless sprayer. I'm no sparky, but I can use an online voltage-drop calculator well enough. If he plugs a 100-foot 12AWG extension cord into a residential duplex receptacle producing 120v at his house/garage, the voltage drop will be slightly less than 5%. So usable voltage will still be slightly more than 115v. The specifications of the Graco Ultra 395 PC call for a voltage of 115v. That assumes that the useable line voltage delivered by the Utility in Michael's area, Colorado Springs, is the typical 120v/240v (nominal) for residential service.

If he uses a 10AWG extension cord, voltage drop will be only 3v, resulting in 117v at the sprayer. In addition, that Graco sprayer is a commercial unit, intended for all-day-long professional use on construction sites. Michael can call Graco and speak with a tech rep if there's any question about this, but I'm virtually certain it can be used on a 100-ft 12AWG extension cord on a 20A residential circuit to paint his shed with no problems.

16 years ago, a couple of helpers and I painted my barn with a 5/8 hp Harbor Freight airless sprayer in a couple of days, running on 300 feet of 12AWG extension cords plugged into a 20A receptacle in my tractor garage! Even that $250 HF sprayer didn't complain. :laughing:

 

[kirkawilson]

I just purchased a Briggs & Stratton Q6500 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Briggs-...h-Briggs-and-Stratton-Engine-030675/301871650 generator for my house to replace a loud All-Power unit that developed valve problems. It has 240 volt plug that is compatible with my transfer switch. Caught them on sale at Home Depot for $999 in November 2018. It is very quiet, compared to the All-Power unit and has sufficient power to run 6 circuits that include a microwave oven and both gas heaters. It meets my needs for 1/4 the price of the Honda EU7000. Many hours was spent shopping and the Q6500 came out the winner.

 

[radios1]

I think we're making this way more complicated than it needs to be for the OP's issue. :laughing: Michael just wants to paint his shed with a Graco Ultra 395 PC airless sprayer. I'm no sparky, but I can use an online voltage-drop calculator well enough. If he plugs a 100-foot 12AWG extension cord into a residential duplex receptacle producing 120v at his house/garage, the voltage drop will be slightly less than 5%. So usable voltage will still be slightly more than 115v. The specifications of the Graco Ultra 395 PC call for a voltage of 115v. That assumes that the useable line voltage delivered by the Utility in Michael's area, Colorado Springs, is the typical 120v/240v (nominal) for residential service.

If he uses a 10AWG extension cord, voltage drop will be only 3v, resulting in 117v at the sprayer. In addition, that Graco sprayer is a commercial unit, intended for all-day-long professional use on construction sites. Michael can call Graco and speak with a tech rep if there's any question about this, but I'm virtually certain it can be used on a 100-ft 12AWG extension cord on a 20A residential circuit to paint his shed with no problems.

16 years ago, a couple of helpers and I painted my barn with a 5/8 hp Harbor Freight airless sprayer in a couple of days, running on 300 feet of 12AWG extension cords plugged into a 20A receptacle in my tractor garage! Even that $250 HF sprayer didn't complain. :laughing:

the problem lies in the current required to START a Capacitor start motor, using a rope start or 12V starter to bring the motor up to speed, but most people don't do that!.. your calculations don't take account the starting current..

 

[Michael Aos]

I bought the little A-iPower SUA2300i's from Sam's Club when they were on sale for $249/each. I also have an A-IPower SC2000i from Costco. I think it was ~$450 on sale in store.

Painted the inside of the shed today. Wound up using a 100' 10ga extension cord connected to mains electricity. I didn't notice any difference -vs- a 25' extension cord.

I strongly suspect the two little generators in parallel could have handled it. I might do some more testing when I'm not pressed for time.
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[Michael Aos]

I sort of mixed two different electrical loads into the same topic.

I'd been thinking it would be "nice to have" more generator capacity than the single SC2000i. I've been watching the price of the SC2000i, thinking I'd snag another one if they ever went on sale from $550 to $450 again.

I needed to paint the distant (about 125' from the house) AND I noticed the SUA2300i's on sale for $249/each at Sam's Club. I assumed the two SUA2300i's in parallel would be fine for the paint sprayer, but I decided to "test" them with my heaviest single load -- the Dewalt D55153.

I figured if they could run that Dewalt compressor, they could run anything.

When they ultimately couldn't run the Dewalt compressor, I started 2nd-guessing whether they could even run the paint sprayer.

I wound up using a 100' 10ga extension cord and 50' of paint hose.

I may still look for a ~5000W (running) or larger generator just to have around for larger jobs.

I noticed a Champion 4375/3500W running dual-fuel at Sam's Club for $300, and a Honda-powered Black Max 7500W running for $1000.
Costco has a dual-fuel Champion 9000 / 7000W running for $700 and a Generac 10000W / 8000W running EFI for $1000.

The EFI is especially appealing as it automatically adjusts for altitude. No carb.
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