New England, prepare for rolling blackouts this winter...

Ok, so I'm getting 30A (240V ?) split across two 15A breakers on the panel. If I draw more than that 30A how do I not flip the breaker(s) on the panel ?

He was clear that I could use it, as you say, as a whole house backup *with* the limitations that I could not run something like my oven (1 burner on the stove would *probably* be ok) or the clothes dryer and also try to keep the lights turned on down to only the most required.

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Ok, so I'm getting 30A (240V ?) split across two 15A breakers on the panel. If I draw more than that 30A how do I not flip the breaker(s) on the panel ?

He was clear that I could use it, as you say, as a whole house backup *with* the limitations that I could not run something like my oven (1 burner on the stove would *probably* be ok) or the clothes dryer and also try to keep the lights turned on down to only the most required.

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It doesn't calculate like that. You can draw up to 80% of the 30 amp breaker, 24 amps at 240 volts which is approximately 5,800 Watts. That's why I had said you could only run a single burner on the stove, rather than the oven or an electric dryer. A coffee maker draws approximately 1,000 Watts at 120 volt. If you stagger the load in your house, meaning you leave a room shut the lights off. Don't have six TVs on, Etc. No one with a 6500 watt or above generator should have a problem
 
I have a Westinghouse 7500DF (9500 peak/7500 normal) and it appears to only support a 30amp output.

Also, my house was already wired for a portable generator and when @Palladin swapped out the existing 6 circuit 'switch' and installed the transfer switch he only 'reserved' two breakers (for a max 30amps I presume). Whether that was because of the limitations of the generator or the existing wire from outside I have no idea.

Regardless, even if it were setup for 50amp that still means that you can only simutaneously run devices that total up to 50 amps, right ?
The generator only puts out 31 amps at full load. The 30 amp breaker back feeds that entire panel, so that you can walk through the house and selectively turn things on and off. That's the idea of having an Interlock system rather than a small dedicated six circuit panel
 
The generator only puts out 31 amps at full load. The 30 amp breaker back feeds that entire panel, so that you can walk through the house and selectively turn things on and off. That's the idea of having an Interlock system rather than a small dedicated six circuit panel
Yes, I understand the limitations (descriptively, if not the electrical science behind it)- now and when you first explained it. If you go back, I was really trying to figure out how Rockrivr1 could run Central Air if he was running gas instead of propane (because of the increased power density). It just seemed to me that Central AC would draw too much juice. Pretty sure you also mentioned that I couldn't run my 12k window unit either :)
 
Yes, I understand the limitations (descriptively, if not the electrical science behind it)- now and when you first explained it. If you go back, I was really trying to figure out how Rockrivr1 could run Central Air if he was running gas instead of propane (because of the increased power density). It just seemed to me that Central AC would draw too much juice. Pretty sure you also mentioned that I couldn't run my 12k window unit either :)
In my old house my 10 KW natural gas powered whole house generator, could run my two and a half ton central air unit. But not the five ton unit. It all depends on what else he has running at the time
 
In extreme cold I’ve been told that the lack of surface area in the bottle can have an issue on a large draw down.
IANAGF

They make a blanket for smaller propane tanks due to this issue. It has a plug that you can plug into the generator to keep the tank warm and the propane flowing. Also a good reason to store tanks in the garage instead of the shed.
 
In my old house my 10 KW natural gas powered whole house generator, could run my two and a half ton central air unit. But not the five ton unit. It all depends on what else he has running at the time
Ok, so when he said 'I could run "everything" in my house' he didn't mean at once.... That's all that I was trying to discern and exactly how I was describing the way you told me how to use my setup. Thank you :)

Now, thread drift over and back to your regularly scheduled programming :cool:
 
I was shocked when looking at the list of what draws how much in an average house and the damn coffee maker was right at the top of the list.
Get out. If that is the case, I'll just break out the Coleman on the back step. I would think a coffee maker, a couple lights, and a toaster would not amount to much. A hair dryer is more, sure, and of course an oven, stove, or washer/dryer/dishwasher for sure.
 
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Get out. If that is the case, I'll just break out the Coleman on the back step. I would think a coffee maker, a couple lights, and a toaster would not amount to much. A hair dryer is more, sure, and of course an over or washer/dryer for sure.
It'll depend on the coffee maker, but at its core it's just a resistive heating element. Turning water into steam can be a pretty big draw. Same with the toaster or microwave, honestly. They're all potentially on par with your hair dryer. (To be clear, microwaves work differently, but 1kw is 1kw)
 
Was the same same. Upping my game this year. Another 10 or 20 gallons will be onhand. Have emergency wood heater in basement and a couple of chords of wood.
We use propane so not dependent on nat gas.

Find an airport that allows the public to access their gas pumps - and buy gas with no ethanol pollution in it. I go to the North Hampton NH airport. Used to be that the airport gas was priced quite a bit higher than "regular" automotive gas with the ethanol crap in it. Filling up my jugs a few months ago though - I found that that there wasn't such a big price gap any more. If "car" gas was $4.50 - then the av ethanol free gas was like $5.69 or something like that. Use to be like a $2.00 difference.

The ethanol free gas DOES last a lot longer than the ethanol polluted junk does.
 
Find an airport that allows the public to access their gas pumps - and buy gas with no ethanol pollution in it.
There's a really good app out there, Pure Gas, that shows where one can buy corn-free gas nearby. Free, seems to be up to date.
 
Find an airport that allows the public to access their gas pumps - and buy gas with no ethanol pollution in it. I go to the North Hampton NH airport. Used to be that the airport gas was priced quite a bit higher than "regular" automotive gas with the ethanol crap in it. Filling up my jugs a few months ago though - I found that that there wasn't such a big price gap any more. If "car" gas was $4.50 - then the av ethanol free gas was like $5.69 or something like that. Use to be like a $2.00 difference.

The ethanol free gas DOES last a lot longer than the ethanol polluted junk does.

One advantage of my area in Florida is many gas stations sell Rec90- it's 90 octane gas with no ethanol, main purpose is for boat fuel. I use it in my lawn mower and generator.

It's usually about 40 to 50c more per gallon than premium.
 
WSJ today.

“Generac Holdings Inc. said its dealers are strug-gling to keep up with orders for backup generators, leading the company to lower its sales forecast while customers wait months for installations.

The Wisconsin-based manu-facturer opened a new factory in South Carolina last year and has overcome supply-chain bottle-necks and labor shortages that constrained generator produc-tion during the Covid-19 pan-demic. Now, the company says it needs more dealers and electri-cians to install its generators as customer orders pile up.

Demand for Generac’s products has been rising in recent years, supercharged by hurricanes, floods and wildfires that have undermined electric service in several states, the company and dealers said. In California, precautionary power outages created to stop sparking electric lines from igniting fires in drought-parched forests have turned the state into one of Generac’s best markets, after having almost no business there.”
 
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