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Generator Question
Posted on 4/30/24 at 3:59 pm
Posted on 4/30/24 at 3:59 pm
Thinking about getting the champion Tri Fuel generator for $1100. I want to utilize my NG so I don’t have to worry about gas cans and fighting the lines. It’s 8750 starting and 7000 running watts on NG. Is that good enough to run my fridge, freezer, and a window unit?
8
Posted on 4/30/24 at 4:07 pm to Tiger328
Yes, plenty.
Posted on 4/30/24 at 4:30 pm to Tiger328
I think you would need to be concerned if you had to run central air, which would take about 4000 watts IIRC. Refrigerator and A/C should be no more than 2000 and window unit no more than 1500. Your running wattage is what you want to pay attention to.
Does it say 7000 running on NG or with propane?
Does it say 7000 running on NG or with propane?
Posted on 4/30/24 at 4:37 pm to Tiger328
I have this exact generator. Runs my whole house except for central AC unit. I hook it up to the natural gas hookup under my patio.
This post was edited on 4/30/24 at 4:38 pm
Posted on 4/30/24 at 4:51 pm to BilbeauTBaggins
My 4 ton AC unit runs at 12.3-13.1 amps. The surge is what you need to compensate for. Most 4 ton units are around 115-120 amps inrush. You can get a soft starter to drop the inrush around 60% though.
Icebox and freezer will be around 350-500 watts each with a small surge for both. The window unit power draw will depending heavily on the size, but you still not talking about a huge draw.
Ideally a good running load is about 60% or lower, so around 4,200 watts to maintain longevity of your unit and allow for certain temporary power draws (microwave, dishwasher, etc..) some people will tell you 70-80%, but I'm more comfortable keeping it closer to half.
You really shouldn't have a problem running your whole house minus any big 240 loads. Just be smart with load management.
Icebox and freezer will be around 350-500 watts each with a small surge for both. The window unit power draw will depending heavily on the size, but you still not talking about a huge draw.
Ideally a good running load is about 60% or lower, so around 4,200 watts to maintain longevity of your unit and allow for certain temporary power draws (microwave, dishwasher, etc..) some people will tell you 70-80%, but I'm more comfortable keeping it closer to half.
You really shouldn't have a problem running your whole house minus any big 240 loads. Just be smart with load management.
Posted on 5/1/24 at 7:54 am to TheBoo
The soft start on an A/C unit allows a portable generator to run most everything on a house. Remember anytime you heat with electricity, that’s your biggest draw. Dryer, heat strips, hair dryer, electric water heater. There is a Facebook page on portable generator usage for entire homes.
Posted on 5/1/24 at 10:57 am to Tiger328
I have that generator, and run it off NG. With the EasyStart soft starter on m y central unit, it will run my 5 ton unit.
Posted on 5/1/24 at 12:33 pm to Tiger328
Mine is a Harbor Freight predator 8750/7000 inverter. It ran my whole 2800sq foot house except dryer and oven. Water heaters, cooktop is NG. 2 ac units (2.5 ton and 3 ton) with no soft starts, I was able to run my 2.5 ton ac and the fan on the 3 ton in addition to everything else. Gonna put a soft start kit on both of them soon.
Posted on 5/1/24 at 1:08 pm to Tiger328
i run a 4 ton unit with a soft start on a 7000W run inverter generator 
This post was edited on 5/1/24 at 1:09 pm
Posted on 5/1/24 at 1:16 pm to DVinBR
Can you recommend what kind of soft start to get? I have a 3 ton unit
Posted on 5/1/24 at 1:30 pm to Tiger328
I always recommend MicroAir. Customer service is great if you ever need it. I've been very happy with mine.
Posted on 5/1/24 at 1:36 pm to Tiger328
quote:
Can you recommend what kind of soft start to get? I have a 3 ton unit
There’s a Facebook Page that answers this and all questions. The group was started by a friend from Tigerdroppings.
The group: “ generators: “ generators: portable generator to power entire house!
Posted on 5/1/24 at 2:09 pm to LSUDad
Excellent! I just watched a video of someone installing the MicroAir 368-48 to his. Looked simple. I won’t try since I’m colorblind, but I have an HVAC friend who could help. So with this, my AC would always start up soft? Just would allow my generator to run the AC? Seems like a no brainer to have that just for the longevity of the unit anyways
Posted on 5/1/24 at 3:29 pm to Tiger328
quote:
Excellent! I just watched a video of someone installing the MicroAir 368-48 to his
Glad to help. It’s a good page to follow. It handles a number of questions over a day. Depending where you live, it gives subs that can help, at fair prices.
Posted on 5/1/24 at 3:35 pm to LSUDad
Just for clarity, with the soft starter and the generator I purchased (8500 starting and 7000 running) I’d be able to run my central AC, fridge, freezer, and some lights? Or would I need a separate generator for just my AC? If don’t mind load management. That’s easy enough
Posted on 5/1/24 at 7:54 pm to Tiger328
you also need an inlet and panel interlock
Posted on 5/2/24 at 8:07 am to Tiger328
quote:
Just for clarity, with the soft starter and the generator I purchased (8500 starting and 7000 running) I’d be able to run my central AC, fridge, freezer, and some lights? Or would I need a separate generator for just my AC? If don’t mind load management. That’s easy enough
It depends...
How big is your AC unit, what SEER, etc..
As a reference, I have a 4 ton 14 SEER unit and it dropped my inrush from 117 amps to 46 amps. 46 amps is still stout. Your results may be different.
If your generator is 7000 watts running on gasoline, then it won't be 7000 watts running on natural gas. You'll need to be mindful of that.
Also as stated above, you should install a generator breaker and plug-in on your breaker panel, and an interlock safety on it, to feed your whole panel.
Posted on 5/2/24 at 8:54 am to TheBoo
I have a 3 ton unit. Unsure of the seer.
And the generator is 10,00/8,000 on gasoline and 8,500/7,000 on NG according to the spec sheet. I watched a video of a guy installing the micro air 368-48 and it changed his starting amps from 72 to 30 after installing that soft start and he had a 4 ton unit
Again, sorry for my ignorance on all this. Been debating a generator for a few years now, but with a newly pregnant wife I don’t want to go through hurricane season without one, and can’t pull the trigger on a whole home
And the generator is 10,00/8,000 on gasoline and 8,500/7,000 on NG according to the spec sheet. I watched a video of a guy installing the micro air 368-48 and it changed his starting amps from 72 to 30 after installing that soft start and he had a 4 ton unit
Again, sorry for my ignorance on all this. Been debating a generator for a few years now, but with a newly pregnant wife I don’t want to go through hurricane season without one, and can’t pull the trigger on a whole home
Posted on 5/2/24 at 9:48 am to Tiger328
With a 3 ton unit and a soft start, with a 7000 / 8500 generator on NG, you should have no problems running it with the other things you mentioned.
A few tips:
Don't ever run this thing under your roof, including car ports, garages, etc.. and don't run it with the exhaust pointing toward your house. Ensure it's a safe distance away with exhaust pointing away from your house.
Don't skimp on oil and other maintenance items. Only use top quality synthetic / synthetic blend small engine oil. Small engine oil has higher levels of zinc and can withstand the heat of an air cooled engine better than car engine oil. Honda, Kawasaki, and John Deere make some great small engine oils that can be bought at most box stores.
At 8000 watts it probably has a splash oil system with no oil filter. Would be worth looking into getting a magnetic dipstick.
Be sure to follow the break-in process per the manual.
THD on that generator is a little high, at 12%-20%, so if you have any sensitive electronics they may not operate well being powered by it. You may want to consider getting a UPS if you do.
Your spark plugs should be gapped to around 0.20 for natural gas, instead of the normal ~0.30 for gasoline engines. This will advance the timing a bit and allow for a better compression and fuel burn.
If you intend to run this thing in the weather, get a running cover for it.
Natural gas burns extremely clean in these engines. I do a maintenance run a couple times a year, instead of every few months, mainly to ensure everything's working right and that I "know the drill". There's no gasoline to go bad, carb to gunk up, etc..
ETA: Congrats to you and your wife!
A few tips:
Don't ever run this thing under your roof, including car ports, garages, etc.. and don't run it with the exhaust pointing toward your house. Ensure it's a safe distance away with exhaust pointing away from your house.
Don't skimp on oil and other maintenance items. Only use top quality synthetic / synthetic blend small engine oil. Small engine oil has higher levels of zinc and can withstand the heat of an air cooled engine better than car engine oil. Honda, Kawasaki, and John Deere make some great small engine oils that can be bought at most box stores.
At 8000 watts it probably has a splash oil system with no oil filter. Would be worth looking into getting a magnetic dipstick.
Be sure to follow the break-in process per the manual.
THD on that generator is a little high, at 12%-20%, so if you have any sensitive electronics they may not operate well being powered by it. You may want to consider getting a UPS if you do.
Your spark plugs should be gapped to around 0.20 for natural gas, instead of the normal ~0.30 for gasoline engines. This will advance the timing a bit and allow for a better compression and fuel burn.
If you intend to run this thing in the weather, get a running cover for it.
Natural gas burns extremely clean in these engines. I do a maintenance run a couple times a year, instead of every few months, mainly to ensure everything's working right and that I "know the drill". There's no gasoline to go bad, carb to gunk up, etc..
ETA: Congrats to you and your wife!
This post was edited on 5/2/24 at 9:50 am
Posted on 5/2/24 at 2:12 pm to Tiger328
quote:
can’t pull the trigger on a whole home
i couldn't do it either knowing i could comfortably ride through a outage that rarely happens with something i don't have to buy again if i move houses and i don't need to run literally everything in my house in the short time, why spend like 10k on something that might run at most a week for something that happens so rarely?
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