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Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:56:02 -0400, John H.
wrote: I can't think of anything in the garage that I'd hang a comealong on. Ramps take up too much space, especially if the bed is loaded with a fifth-wheel hitch, tool box, blue boy, etc. Easier to ask for a hand. === You can make an improvised gantry crane with two stepladders, a 2x10 plank, and a few C-clamps to steady the plank. I've done that a few times for hoisting heavy stuff onto the tailgate. |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:56:02 -0400, John H.
wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:49:13 -0400, wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:00:35 -0400, John H. wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 13:40:02 -0400, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 08:56:33 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: What we are discussing is a convenient way to hook up a small, portable generator to feed a limited number of circuits, the most important being for heat in the winter. As I've mentioned before a whole house system is nice but we really haven't had enough long term outages to justify it right now. In five or ten years it would have more "running" time on it as a result of the weekly 10 minute battery charging exercise they are programed for than providing power to the house. If the day comes that I can't physically wheel or carry out a 43 lb generator and plug it into the outside transfer switch, I'll consider a whole house genset. To be honest I originally started looking into this to help out my neighbor. He's 81 years old, has limited funds but can still heft his little Honda around. You know, they invented this thing called a "wheel" about 10,000 years ago and they still work great ;-) Anything I have that is heavy, has wheels on it. Maybe your neighbor just needs a wheeled cart to move his generator. My briggs came with big wheels that roll pretty good even in the grass. It is 250 pounds or so tho. I put wheels on my drain snake. That sommich is 75# or so and I can lug it around but I really don't want to. It is one of those things that I have only used 3 or 4 times in a dozen years but it pays for itself every time. I feel the same way about the generator that I have only used once in 8 years. It is actually 13 years old and still only run once for 8 days, pretty much 24 hours a day. The guy I bought it from still had the factory tags on it. I don't think he ever started it. It might take a lot more outages to feel the same way about a generator that costs as much as my car. Wheels are great 'til you have to pick it up to put in or get out of a pickup. Then an extra pair of hands is very nice to have. or a ramp ;-) I also have a ring in the ceiling over my garage door for a come along. That is how I have rigged 4 outboards by myself. It is all that geometry stuff tho. Yay Euclid ;-) I can't think of anything in the garage that I'd hang a comealong on. Ramps take up too much space, especially if the bed is loaded with a fifth-wheel hitch, tool box, blue boy, etc. Easier to ask for a hand. I suppose it depends on the design of the garage but I hung a chain around the bottom chord of the truss, right next to the tie beam over the garage door. I end up working by myself a lot and my neighbors all seem to have bad backs. I need to use a lot of 20th century (BC) technology. ;-) |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 20:12:01 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote: On 10/5/2018 7:45 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 15:33:33 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 3:24 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 14:15:49 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 1:27 PM, wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:08:36 -0400, John H. wrote: On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 21:08:56 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: Been doing it for years. The outside transfer switch just makes it more convenient. Actually, my point was that there are many devices available today that weren't around years ago. I had never heard of an outside transfer switch like the one we are installing. My son-in-law, being current on this stuff suggested it. You're talking about something like this, right? http://tinyurl.com/yaecwjem I wonder how much an electrician would charge to install one. Might be a nice Christmas present for the kids. Installing the switch is not the expensive part. It is swinging over the 6 (or more) circuits you want to transfer. Your mileage will certainly vary on that one depending on where you want the generator and where the panel is. Also be aware generators may be putting out 115 volts and not 120 so voltage drop can be an issue. That feeder from the generator may have to be up sized if it is very long. I know it was a problem for my. The fridge in the kitchen was only seeing 106-108v on start up. I now have one of these for it. (a gift from Henk, my dutch friend) http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Henc%20Variac.jpg It lets you adjust the voltage up or down. Greg, I think you are making this far more complicated than it really is. The unit John found has a 10 foot long whip with 10 awg wires for each circuit to be transferred. More than enough for typical household circuits. The idea is to mount the transfer box as close to the indoor power panel as possible. If that can't be done, then another method should be used. I had a voltage drop problem in Florida when I ran power down to a slab that I put in for the RV we had at the time. The slab was about 75 feet or so from the house panel. I used 6 awg wire but the voltage at the RV drooped to as low as 104 volts sometimes mainly because the whole service to the community drooped at times to under 115 volts. I got a Hughes buck/boost autotransformer that cured that problem. https://autoplicity.com/ImageLoader/12268501 How is my variac "too complicated" It is essentially what your buck boost transformer does, it was free and it is adjustable. The only thing I had a problem with was the fridge in the kitchen and that is because it is a long way from the generator. (Using existing house wiring) I was not commenting on your variac. I was commenting on how detailed and involved your comments are regarding hooking up a simple little outdoor transfer switch that is specifically designed to be located near (within 10 feet) of the house power panel. Voltage drop isn't an issue. It's really not all that complicated if you install and use it in accordance with what it is designed for. My comment about the autotransformer was simply an example of long runs and the voltage drop that may occur. I agree with you there but that's not the issue with the Reliance outdoor transfer switch we are talking about. The point was PoCos usually give you 120v or more (mine is 123-124) and a lot of generators are more like 115 so an existing voltage drop issue may show up at 115 but not at 120+. I agree 10' of #10 will not be an issue at all but if the generator ends up a ways away because of noise or CO concerns, that feeder to the generator may be an issue. Especially if you are starting at 115v. In my case, it's not an issue but agree it could be in some cases. The "feeder" I will use is 12 awg. Last year when I did the extension cord thing I used a 25' heavy duty, 12 awg extension cord. I monitored the voltage and current using a "KillaWatt" meter. https://tinyurl.com/y6vtmrqe Voltage was 123vac with no load and the same (123 vac) at about half load (6amps). The Honda's max output is just over 13 amps so any voltage drop is negligible. Noise is not an issue. Honda eu2000i's are very quiet. Last winter when I was using it to run the heat and refrigerator it was sitting outside about 12 feet away from the house but within sight of the bedroom window. If I woke up in the middle of the night I often had to get up and make sure it was still running and not out of gas. Barely audible from inside the house. As long as your generator is putting out that kind of voltage you will be fine but those old school "contractor" generators seem to be stuck with 115. There are threads about how to crank it up but not a lot of successes. Nobody has found the magic adjusting pot ;-( I remembered I had the Variac and I gave up on the generator voltage thing. Everything else seems OK except this one fridge. It works but it sounds like it is struggling to start sometimes. I ended up running a 12ga cord from the receptacle in the bathroom (dedicated 20a circuit) and it was better but that is what we were trying to avoid. That 14 ga circuit goes almost all the way to the far end if the house and comes back to pick up the fridge. (the back bedroom circuit). It used to also pick up that bathroom behind the fridge. I did get the bathroom off that circuit in the remodel but the bedroom is still on it. All that ever runs on that circuit is a lamp, an overhead light and the clock so it wasn't worth fixing. It is about 100' of 14ga wire tho. |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 21:21:36 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:56:02 -0400, John H. wrote: I can't think of anything in the garage that I'd hang a comealong on. Ramps take up too much space, especially if the bed is loaded with a fifth-wheel hitch, tool box, blue boy, etc. Easier to ask for a hand. === You can make an improvised gantry crane with two stepladders, a 2x10 plank, and a few C-clamps to steady the plank. I've done that a few times for hoisting heavy stuff onto the tailgate. That is similar to how the screen guys did the screen over my pool. They had a scaffold plank on two 10-12' step ladders spanning the pool. It was pretty scary looking but they don't call them screen monkeys for nothing. (No Harry, these are skinny little white guys.) They do climb around on that 2" framing like monkeys tho. |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
|
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On 10/5/2018 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 20:12:01 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 7:45 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 15:33:33 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 3:24 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 14:15:49 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 1:27 PM, wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:08:36 -0400, John H. wrote: On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 21:08:56 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: Been doing it for years. The outside transfer switch just makes it more convenient. Actually, my point was that there are many devices available today that weren't around years ago. I had never heard of an outside transfer switch like the one we are installing. My son-in-law, being current on this stuff suggested it. You're talking about something like this, right? http://tinyurl.com/yaecwjem I wonder how much an electrician would charge to install one. Might be a nice Christmas present for the kids. Installing the switch is not the expensive part. It is swinging over the 6 (or more) circuits you want to transfer. Your mileage will certainly vary on that one depending on where you want the generator and where the panel is. Also be aware generators may be putting out 115 volts and not 120 so voltage drop can be an issue. That feeder from the generator may have to be up sized if it is very long. I know it was a problem for my. The fridge in the kitchen was only seeing 106-108v on start up. I now have one of these for it. (a gift from Henk, my dutch friend) http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Henc%20Variac.jpg It lets you adjust the voltage up or down. Greg, I think you are making this far more complicated than it really is. The unit John found has a 10 foot long whip with 10 awg wires for each circuit to be transferred. More than enough for typical household circuits. The idea is to mount the transfer box as close to the indoor power panel as possible. If that can't be done, then another method should be used. I had a voltage drop problem in Florida when I ran power down to a slab that I put in for the RV we had at the time. The slab was about 75 feet or so from the house panel. I used 6 awg wire but the voltage at the RV drooped to as low as 104 volts sometimes mainly because the whole service to the community drooped at times to under 115 volts. I got a Hughes buck/boost autotransformer that cured that problem. https://autoplicity.com/ImageLoader/12268501 How is my variac "too complicated" It is essentially what your buck boost transformer does, it was free and it is adjustable. The only thing I had a problem with was the fridge in the kitchen and that is because it is a long way from the generator. (Using existing house wiring) I was not commenting on your variac. I was commenting on how detailed and involved your comments are regarding hooking up a simple little outdoor transfer switch that is specifically designed to be located near (within 10 feet) of the house power panel. Voltage drop isn't an issue. It's really not all that complicated if you install and use it in accordance with what it is designed for. My comment about the autotransformer was simply an example of long runs and the voltage drop that may occur. I agree with you there but that's not the issue with the Reliance outdoor transfer switch we are talking about. The point was PoCos usually give you 120v or more (mine is 123-124) and a lot of generators are more like 115 so an existing voltage drop issue may show up at 115 but not at 120+. I agree 10' of #10 will not be an issue at all but if the generator ends up a ways away because of noise or CO concerns, that feeder to the generator may be an issue. Especially if you are starting at 115v. In my case, it's not an issue but agree it could be in some cases. The "feeder" I will use is 12 awg. Last year when I did the extension cord thing I used a 25' heavy duty, 12 awg extension cord. I monitored the voltage and current using a "KillaWatt" meter. https://tinyurl.com/y6vtmrqe Voltage was 123vac with no load and the same (123 vac) at about half load (6amps). The Honda's max output is just over 13 amps so any voltage drop is negligible. Noise is not an issue. Honda eu2000i's are very quiet. Last winter when I was using it to run the heat and refrigerator it was sitting outside about 12 feet away from the house but within sight of the bedroom window. If I woke up in the middle of the night I often had to get up and make sure it was still running and not out of gas. Barely audible from inside the house. As long as your generator is putting out that kind of voltage you will be fine but those old school "contractor" generators seem to be stuck with 115. There are threads about how to crank it up but not a lot of successes. Nobody has found the magic adjusting pot ;-( I remembered I had the Variac and I gave up on the generator voltage thing. Everything else seems OK except this one fridge. It works but it sounds like it is struggling to start sometimes. I ended up running a 12ga cord from the receptacle in the bathroom (dedicated 20a circuit) and it was better but that is what we were trying to avoid. That 14 ga circuit goes almost all the way to the far end if the house and comes back to pick up the fridge. (the back bedroom circuit). It used to also pick up that bathroom behind the fridge. I did get the bathroom off that circuit in the remodel but the bedroom is still on it. All that ever runs on that circuit is a lamp, an overhead light and the clock so it wasn't worth fixing. It is about 100' of 14ga wire tho. Problem with trying to increase the voltage on contractor type generators by increasing engine RPM is that doing so will also increase the frequency. They are designed by virtue of the number of coil windings and number of poles to produce an output voltage at a frequency of 60 Hz. That's a big advantage that inverter type generators have. They can produce a fixed voltage at 60Hz at virtually any reasonable engine RPM with a reduction of current capacity at the lower RPM scale. |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On Sat, 6 Oct 2018 07:23:54 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote: On 10/5/2018 10:28 PM, wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 21:21:36 -0400, Wayne.B wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 19:56:02 -0400, John H. wrote: I can't think of anything in the garage that I'd hang a comealong on. Ramps take up too much space, especially if the bed is loaded with a fifth-wheel hitch, tool box, blue boy, etc. Easier to ask for a hand. === You can make an improvised gantry crane with two stepladders, a 2x10 plank, and a few C-clamps to steady the plank. I've done that a few times for hoisting heavy stuff onto the tailgate. That is similar to how the screen guys did the screen over my pool. They had a scaffold plank on two 10-12' step ladders spanning the pool. It was pretty scary looking but they don't call them screen monkeys for nothing. (No Harry, these are skinny little white guys.) They do climb around on that 2" framing like monkeys tho. Reminds me of my trip to Wuxi, China (PRC) back in 1986. They were building new, "high rise" buildings in the city. The Chinese construction workers were on bamboo scaffolding, some built up 10 stories high. Bamboo is actually a pretty good structural element until it starts to rot. I agree in the 3d world they don't have OSHA tho. Not that OSHA is the be all, end all of safety. Did you see that story the other day about OSHA fining the USPS over $200k because their electrical panel directories were not properly labeled (and a few other fairly minor, unrelated issues)? They were investigating a fork lift accident were a guy fell off of it. |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On Sat, 6 Oct 2018 07:44:48 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote: On 10/5/2018 9:42 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 20:12:01 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 7:45 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 15:33:33 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 3:24 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 14:15:49 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 1:27 PM, wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:08:36 -0400, John H. wrote: On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 21:08:56 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: Been doing it for years. The outside transfer switch just makes it more convenient. Actually, my point was that there are many devices available today that weren't around years ago. I had never heard of an outside transfer switch like the one we are installing. My son-in-law, being current on this stuff suggested it. You're talking about something like this, right? http://tinyurl.com/yaecwjem I wonder how much an electrician would charge to install one. Might be a nice Christmas present for the kids. Installing the switch is not the expensive part. It is swinging over the 6 (or more) circuits you want to transfer. Your mileage will certainly vary on that one depending on where you want the generator and where the panel is. Also be aware generators may be putting out 115 volts and not 120 so voltage drop can be an issue. That feeder from the generator may have to be up sized if it is very long. I know it was a problem for my. The fridge in the kitchen was only seeing 106-108v on start up. I now have one of these for it. (a gift from Henk, my dutch friend) http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Henc%20Variac.jpg It lets you adjust the voltage up or down. Greg, I think you are making this far more complicated than it really is. The unit John found has a 10 foot long whip with 10 awg wires for each circuit to be transferred. More than enough for typical household circuits. The idea is to mount the transfer box as close to the indoor power panel as possible. If that can't be done, then another method should be used. I had a voltage drop problem in Florida when I ran power down to a slab that I put in for the RV we had at the time. The slab was about 75 feet or so from the house panel. I used 6 awg wire but the voltage at the RV drooped to as low as 104 volts sometimes mainly because the whole service to the community drooped at times to under 115 volts. I got a Hughes buck/boost autotransformer that cured that problem. https://autoplicity.com/ImageLoader/12268501 How is my variac "too complicated" It is essentially what your buck boost transformer does, it was free and it is adjustable. The only thing I had a problem with was the fridge in the kitchen and that is because it is a long way from the generator. (Using existing house wiring) I was not commenting on your variac. I was commenting on how detailed and involved your comments are regarding hooking up a simple little outdoor transfer switch that is specifically designed to be located near (within 10 feet) of the house power panel. Voltage drop isn't an issue. It's really not all that complicated if you install and use it in accordance with what it is designed for. My comment about the autotransformer was simply an example of long runs and the voltage drop that may occur. I agree with you there but that's not the issue with the Reliance outdoor transfer switch we are talking about. The point was PoCos usually give you 120v or more (mine is 123-124) and a lot of generators are more like 115 so an existing voltage drop issue may show up at 115 but not at 120+. I agree 10' of #10 will not be an issue at all but if the generator ends up a ways away because of noise or CO concerns, that feeder to the generator may be an issue. Especially if you are starting at 115v. In my case, it's not an issue but agree it could be in some cases. The "feeder" I will use is 12 awg. Last year when I did the extension cord thing I used a 25' heavy duty, 12 awg extension cord. I monitored the voltage and current using a "KillaWatt" meter. https://tinyurl.com/y6vtmrqe Voltage was 123vac with no load and the same (123 vac) at about half load (6amps). The Honda's max output is just over 13 amps so any voltage drop is negligible. Noise is not an issue. Honda eu2000i's are very quiet. Last winter when I was using it to run the heat and refrigerator it was sitting outside about 12 feet away from the house but within sight of the bedroom window. If I woke up in the middle of the night I often had to get up and make sure it was still running and not out of gas. Barely audible from inside the house. As long as your generator is putting out that kind of voltage you will be fine but those old school "contractor" generators seem to be stuck with 115. There are threads about how to crank it up but not a lot of successes. Nobody has found the magic adjusting pot ;-( I remembered I had the Variac and I gave up on the generator voltage thing. Everything else seems OK except this one fridge. It works but it sounds like it is struggling to start sometimes. I ended up running a 12ga cord from the receptacle in the bathroom (dedicated 20a circuit) and it was better but that is what we were trying to avoid. That 14 ga circuit goes almost all the way to the far end if the house and comes back to pick up the fridge. (the back bedroom circuit). It used to also pick up that bathroom behind the fridge. I did get the bathroom off that circuit in the remodel but the bedroom is still on it. All that ever runs on that circuit is a lamp, an overhead light and the clock so it wasn't worth fixing. It is about 100' of 14ga wire tho. Problem with trying to increase the voltage on contractor type generators by increasing engine RPM is that doing so will also increase the frequency. They are designed by virtue of the number of coil windings and number of poles to produce an output voltage at a frequency of 60 Hz. That's a big advantage that inverter type generators have. They can produce a fixed voltage at 60Hz at virtually any reasonable engine RPM with a reduction of current capacity at the lower RPM scale. I agree, inverters are a far more elegant design but for the once a decade use I am looking at, I am not sure I want to pay for a 5.5kw inverter generator. If I didn't have a deal I could not refuse, I wouldn't even have this one ($300 new in the box) I did play with the engine speed and I could get the voltage up a little but the frequency seemed to increase faster than the voltage so I went back to getting a steady 60 hz. There are a bunch of holes in the bracket that the governor spring hangs on so you have a lot of options. I ended up being the next hole up from the one it was shipped at, adjusting speed/frequency to a full load and that is a minor change. (~59.8hz - 60) |
Ford's Ex-boyfriend Opens Up
On 10/6/2018 1:27 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 6 Oct 2018 07:44:48 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 9:42 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 20:12:01 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 7:45 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 15:33:33 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 3:24 PM, wrote: On Fri, 5 Oct 2018 14:15:49 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: On 10/5/2018 1:27 PM, wrote: On Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:08:36 -0400, John H. wrote: On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 21:08:56 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote: Been doing it for years. The outside transfer switch just makes it more convenient. Actually, my point was that there are many devices available today that weren't around years ago. I had never heard of an outside transfer switch like the one we are installing. My son-in-law, being current on this stuff suggested it. You're talking about something like this, right? http://tinyurl.com/yaecwjem I wonder how much an electrician would charge to install one. Might be a nice Christmas present for the kids. Installing the switch is not the expensive part. It is swinging over the 6 (or more) circuits you want to transfer. Your mileage will certainly vary on that one depending on where you want the generator and where the panel is. Also be aware generators may be putting out 115 volts and not 120 so voltage drop can be an issue. That feeder from the generator may have to be up sized if it is very long. I know it was a problem for my. The fridge in the kitchen was only seeing 106-108v on start up. I now have one of these for it. (a gift from Henk, my dutch friend) http://gfretwell.com/electrical/Henc%20Variac.jpg It lets you adjust the voltage up or down. Greg, I think you are making this far more complicated than it really is. The unit John found has a 10 foot long whip with 10 awg wires for each circuit to be transferred. More than enough for typical household circuits. The idea is to mount the transfer box as close to the indoor power panel as possible. If that can't be done, then another method should be used. I had a voltage drop problem in Florida when I ran power down to a slab that I put in for the RV we had at the time. The slab was about 75 feet or so from the house panel. I used 6 awg wire but the voltage at the RV drooped to as low as 104 volts sometimes mainly because the whole service to the community drooped at times to under 115 volts. I got a Hughes buck/boost autotransformer that cured that problem. https://autoplicity.com/ImageLoader/12268501 How is my variac "too complicated" It is essentially what your buck boost transformer does, it was free and it is adjustable. The only thing I had a problem with was the fridge in the kitchen and that is because it is a long way from the generator. (Using existing house wiring) I was not commenting on your variac. I was commenting on how detailed and involved your comments are regarding hooking up a simple little outdoor transfer switch that is specifically designed to be located near (within 10 feet) of the house power panel. Voltage drop isn't an issue. It's really not all that complicated if you install and use it in accordance with what it is designed for. My comment about the autotransformer was simply an example of long runs and the voltage drop that may occur. I agree with you there but that's not the issue with the Reliance outdoor transfer switch we are talking about. The point was PoCos usually give you 120v or more (mine is 123-124) and a lot of generators are more like 115 so an existing voltage drop issue may show up at 115 but not at 120+. I agree 10' of #10 will not be an issue at all but if the generator ends up a ways away because of noise or CO concerns, that feeder to the generator may be an issue. Especially if you are starting at 115v. In my case, it's not an issue but agree it could be in some cases. The "feeder" I will use is 12 awg. Last year when I did the extension cord thing I used a 25' heavy duty, 12 awg extension cord. I monitored the voltage and current using a "KillaWatt" meter. https://tinyurl.com/y6vtmrqe Voltage was 123vac with no load and the same (123 vac) at about half load (6amps). The Honda's max output is just over 13 amps so any voltage drop is negligible. Noise is not an issue. Honda eu2000i's are very quiet. Last winter when I was using it to run the heat and refrigerator it was sitting outside about 12 feet away from the house but within sight of the bedroom window. If I woke up in the middle of the night I often had to get up and make sure it was still running and not out of gas. Barely audible from inside the house. As long as your generator is putting out that kind of voltage you will be fine but those old school "contractor" generators seem to be stuck with 115. There are threads about how to crank it up but not a lot of successes. Nobody has found the magic adjusting pot ;-( I remembered I had the Variac and I gave up on the generator voltage thing. Everything else seems OK except this one fridge. It works but it sounds like it is struggling to start sometimes. I ended up running a 12ga cord from the receptacle in the bathroom (dedicated 20a circuit) and it was better but that is what we were trying to avoid. That 14 ga circuit goes almost all the way to the far end if the house and comes back to pick up the fridge. (the back bedroom circuit). It used to also pick up that bathroom behind the fridge. I did get the bathroom off that circuit in the remodel but the bedroom is still on it. All that ever runs on that circuit is a lamp, an overhead light and the clock so it wasn't worth fixing. It is about 100' of 14ga wire tho. Problem with trying to increase the voltage on contractor type generators by increasing engine RPM is that doing so will also increase the frequency. They are designed by virtue of the number of coil windings and number of poles to produce an output voltage at a frequency of 60 Hz. That's a big advantage that inverter type generators have. They can produce a fixed voltage at 60Hz at virtually any reasonable engine RPM with a reduction of current capacity at the lower RPM scale. I agree, inverters are a far more elegant design but for the once a decade use I am looking at, I am not sure I want to pay for a 5.5kw inverter generator. If I didn't have a deal I could not refuse, I wouldn't even have this one ($300 new in the box) I did play with the engine speed and I could get the voltage up a little but the frequency seemed to increase faster than the voltage so I went back to getting a steady 60 hz. There are a bunch of holes in the bracket that the governor spring hangs on so you have a lot of options. I ended up being the next hole up from the one it was shipped at, adjusting speed/frequency to a full load and that is a minor change. (~59.8hz - 60) I've noticed that there are now several manufacturers offering inverter types. Back when I bought mine I think Honda was the only game in town and they only had three sizes in terms of power ... 1kw, 2kw and 3kw, all with 120 volt outputs only. Now you can get them much bigger in capacity and they offer 240v outputs in addition to the 120v. I was just looking at a 5kw (6.5Kw peak) made by Briggs and Stratton that costs about what a Honda eu2200i goes for. |
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