Generator feed back

[300UGUY]

I put in Generac 15kw propane unit several years ago. Very happy with it. I have the auto transfer switch, but I don't let it run 24 / 7. I run for 3 or 4 hours, get the house warm, take showers, etc. The whole house unit is nice. Less sacrifice. Never lugs down. I had a 6.5KW gas generator, but the 220 well pump would lug it down pretty good. One day, it threw a rod. Size matters!!

 

[some zilch]

i am very seriously considering a 20kw unit, powered by a detroit diesel engine.

after 3 days w/o power after the recent ice storm, i will never be in a situation again where i cannot flush my toilet. i have a 5500w gas genny, and a portable diesel-powered light tower that can make 6000w of electricty. niether of these units would run my well pump, and neither could come close to running my 9000w elec water heater. i had lights and could watch tv, but had no water. granted, my kubota-powered light tower ran 58 hours straight on 7 gallons of diesel, but the unit could not meet my demands. around here, when the power goes out, it goes out for days, and i dont know how many times you can ask a single cylinder small gas engine to run 50 hours straight, and it seems like they are always having some kind of problem, namely irratic running and tempermental with stale gas.

i am planning on spending a good chunk of $$ on a generator, but it will be the last one i ever buy, and i want something capable of running nonstop for days, without worry, if need-be

 

[ray66v]

i am very seriously considering a 20kw unit, powered by a detroit diesel engine.
and neither could come close to running my 9000w elec water heater.

Your 9kw water heater probably only uses 1 element at a time, (4500 watts). This is they way most are wired, and you can simply replace the elements with a lower wattage, to cut that in half. (I ran mine for 21 years on 1500 watt elements).

But hey, if you can spend the money for the 20kw have fun.

 

[smitty9266]

If you want a 20kw gen to be the last you will ever buy don't buy a air cooled Generac. They are by design a limited life unit. They will last hundreds of hours of use but will not last for the long haul. I still own one...and I knew it going in. My reasoning is when it wears out I will replace it with a newer better model, the advancements in technology in the generator market allow me to do this. With things like load shedding switches, better transfer switches, and metering of the line loads.

So you have to weigh the money factor and decide do I spend $4,200 on a air cooled or 15,000 on a water cooled? I guess the real factor is will you have the money latter to replace the gen when it fails and you need it.

Jeff

P.S. I live in Hurricane Alley and also participate as a local Emergency Coordinator......people forget, most 220 well pumps very can
easily rewire to 110v !

 

[atgreene]

P.S. I live in Hurricane Alley and also participate as a local Emergency Coordinator......people forget, most 220 well pumps very can
easily rewire to 110v !

But at 110 they draw much more amperage.

 

[RonMar]

You can also do the same thing with the heating elements on a hot water heater. In 240V mode they draw about 4500W or 18.75A of current. That makes the elements about 12.8 ohms. If you feed 120V across this 12.8 ohm resistive heating element, it only pulls 9.4A of current. 9.4A @ 120V is 1128W. It will heat a lot slower, but it is a much more maneagable load for a small generator.

Another issue with large loads, particularly when making your own power, is that a generator can only deliver half of it's rated capacity thru each 120V output. IE: a 10KW generator can only deliver 5KW down each of it's two 120V output legs. In this situation, the only way to power a single device that requires more than 5KW, is to wire it to the 240V output of the generator...

Now if you have a generator that is only wired for a single 120V output, it may be an acceptable way to get some water out of the well, provided it's 120V capacity is large enough to meet the needs of the well pump wired in that mode...