Key information when making a decision on purchasing a portable generator for the whole house. Lots of folks, like me, in Texas are looking into this after the recent artic blast left us freezing in the dark. Many thanks, this is easy to understand.
Thank you for this video...very informative...I have a 3 ton bosch IDS 2.0 and I was curious what generator can run this, fridge and lights and IM thinking both solar and standard generators.
I believe that yours may be an inverter model, which is great because they draw less startup current. If you measured your incoming surge amps when it first comes on, that would give you a good idean on which generator to purchase.
There is a product I would buy that, apparently, nobody has thought to build or even to speculate about. This is a fuel-powered air conditioner, much like a generator or a gasoline welder or air compressor. I would want a 12,000 btu unit with two long hoses for intake from the house and cool air delivery to the house, through a window or storm door. 1 ton of capacity, running full time, should be enough to replace a 3 ton unit running periodically, in an emergency. Running the furnace fan would provide circulation. If a 1-ton window AC typically uses only 900 Watts running, it seems that a very small engine would be needed. A purpose-built gasoline AC could be made very efficient. There are loads of solutions for providing electricity when the grid is down, but to me, the most important appliance is the AC. I appreciate your showing the steps to calculate the power required for central AC.
You are correct in that AC in some areas is needed! There are some products like the ecoflow wave that are making strides in this area, but way more work needs to be done to cool a larger area. The closest I can come is a mini split
Mint... I had an old 2 ton I could start on a 5500w with a hard start no problem.... I just replaced the AC and will be going this route I think... Much less stress on the compressor.
I feel like getting a generator for this type of use should be something everyone does. You never know what might happen, and for example in my state the power can shut off sometime during the summer months, it gets up to 120 degrees and that can be very deadly. Definetly worth investing in a generator like this. So many other reasons as well.
@@SuperRobkar Quick question, I tried contacting hypereng via there US contact form and keep getting error message. Do you have a phone number or link to actually purchase the single phase unit? Or do you know of a alternative brand that is comparable to that unit?
@@informationstationjw micro-air is just as good, in fact may be a bit better as I think theirs now has Bluetooth connectivity, around the same cost too.
I have a Trane 4 ton/ heat pump system, my generator is 8500 watts running on propane. It ran the whole house except the A/C, would not run at all. Voltage was 244 with no variations. I guess watching your vid, I need a soft-start……
Find out the LRA of your AC, (lock rotor amps) then take that number, and times it by .6, that would be about how many watts your generator would need to be with a soft start installed. YMMV. I'm guessing a soft starter would allow that generator to start it. assuming the 8500 watts its rated at is running watts, not starting or surge watts
I would like to do this to run my home air conditioner during the summer months. What kind of cost am I looking at to hire somebody to hook this up to my existing electrical box? Thanks!
So mary variables, like type of generator, will you use a transfer switch or lockout system, length of wiring, wiring size, cost of your electrician, etc, I would expect to shell out a few thousand.
Three electrical storms in Florida within six weeks has left me without power for nine hours altogether. I really want a standby generator but I rent my house so it’s not advisable. What should I get if I want to run refrigerator, microwave, and central air?
Depends on the size of your ac and what you plan to power during an outage. I would get something in the 10-13,000 watt size if you have renters. Might also get a small transfer switch so you can control what gets powered during the outage and not the renters.
@@ovicello61 well you have options as a renter, such as an ecoflow wave 2, and also most large u it’s like ecoflow delta can power the frig and microwave
I just got Fireman 7500 running watts and still cannot power 4 ton ac unit , I have two generators even use divided for only power the AC compressor still cannot start, maybe soft start kit is key? don't know yet, just spent 900 PLUS a whole day work on Sunday to add plug in box still no AC
Yup you must have a scroll compressor. Single stage unit. Not so sure it would work on my 2 stage. My comp uses 40Amp inrush for 1st stage(w Hard start booster for each stage) Then when 2nd stage kicks in 64Amp Inrush.(cooling fan already running)
I have a 4 ton and a Generac gasoline 15k. It actually only has a 50 amp plug so I use 12500 of it. It has a surge of 22500. It works fine. It ran the whole house 2 times after hurricane took down the grid. 13 days and 9 days. Forget about the gasoline bill. Crazy expensive.
I have always been told that portable generators have inconsistent dirty power and it’s very bad for your higher amperage devices like your air conditioner. I am not sure if this is always the case just thought I would mention it.
It's not so much higher amperage when comparing dirty power. This depends on the type of generator. Regular generators have a THD (total harmonic distortion) of around 10 to 15 percent, great for power tools, bad for anything with a circuit board or electronics. Invertor generators (and the majority of stand alone generators) have a THD of around 5 percent. Invertor generators take AC current, change it to DC current, and then back to AC in a much cleaner form. The less THD, the better for sensitive electronics. Portable generator manufacturers have recognized that and have developed invertor generators with much higher wattages these days.
@@theendofallthingsisuponus1575 Not sure, Ive installed these now on two different a/c's and have seen similiar results. Hopefully you will be happy with how hmuch it reduces your inrush as well. Please be sure to report back once you get it hooked up.
You nailed it. Turn off all breakers before switching to generator power. Let the generator run for a minute or two. Turn on your highest load first. Normally AC. Then well pumps, water heater and so on.
@@mitchmintz111 - i'm gonna have to talk to the guys who installed it. my problem is that my unit is only 1 year old. there's a long warranty period left and i'm afraid if i get one of these, and ANYTHING goes wrong, the manufacturer will just say..... sorry, not sorry!!!
Bought 2 inverter gens and 3 window units for emergency. If my central air has problem. If the utility has problem. I run the 2 inverter generators in parallel. Each one power 1600 watt. I use 1 window unit and 1 generator in summer camp every year.
Key information when making a decision on purchasing a portable generator for the whole house. Lots of folks, like me, in Texas are looking into this after the recent artic blast left us freezing in the dark. Many thanks, this is easy to understand.
Thank you for this video...very informative...I have a 3 ton bosch IDS 2.0 and I was curious what generator can run this, fridge and lights and IM thinking both solar and standard generators.
I believe that yours may be an inverter model, which is great because they draw less startup current. If you measured your incoming surge amps when it first comes on, that would give you a good idean on which generator to purchase.
There is a product I would buy that, apparently, nobody has thought to build or even to speculate about. This is a fuel-powered air conditioner, much like a generator or a gasoline welder or air compressor. I would want a 12,000 btu unit with two long hoses for intake from the house and cool air delivery to the house, through a window or storm door. 1 ton of capacity, running full time, should be enough to replace a 3 ton unit running periodically, in an emergency. Running the furnace fan would provide circulation. If a 1-ton window AC typically uses only 900 Watts running, it seems that a very small engine would be needed. A purpose-built gasoline AC could be made very efficient. There are loads of solutions for providing electricity when the grid is down, but to me, the most important appliance is the AC. I appreciate your showing the steps to calculate the power required for central AC.
You are correct in that AC in some areas is needed! There are some products like the ecoflow wave that are making strides in this area, but way more work needs to be done to cool a larger area. The closest I can come is a mini split
Great video. How is the micro soft start holding up since posting this video? Also are you running on a 30ah plug?
Mint... I had an old 2 ton I could start on a 5500w with a hard start no problem.... I just replaced the AC and will be going this route I think... Much less stress on the compressor.
What Soft Start kit I can get for Trane 48000BTU (4-ton)? Thanks
U use this only for emergencies meaning u remove the soft start otherwise? Thanks
No I leave the soft start permanently connected
The soft start is a good idea in general as it extends the life of your compressor. Factoring in a generator is a bonus
I feel like getting a generator for this type of use should be something everyone does. You never know what might happen, and for example in my state the power can shut off sometime during the summer months, it gets up to 120 degrees and that can be very deadly. Definetly worth investing in a generator like this. So many other reasons as well.
were you able to check the hrz. when the a/c kicked in?
On the hypereng soft starter, there are 2 models in your link, which soft starter do you recommend the single phase or the 3 phase?
Depends on your main feed that comes into your house. Most residential houses in USA you would use the single phase
@@SuperRobkar ok thanks
@@SuperRobkar Quick question, I tried contacting hypereng via there US contact form and keep getting error message. Do you have a phone number or link to actually purchase the single phase unit? Or do you know of a alternative brand that is comparable to that unit?
@@informationstationjw micro-air is just as good, in fact may be a bit better as I think theirs now has Bluetooth connectivity, around the same cost too.
@@SuperRobkar ok so do you recommend the 364 or 368?
I have a Trane 4 ton/ heat pump system, my generator is 8500 watts running on propane. It ran the whole house except the A/C, would not run at all. Voltage was 244 with no variations. I guess watching your vid, I need a soft-start……
Find out the LRA of your AC, (lock rotor amps) then take that number, and times it by .6, that would be about how many watts your generator would need to be with a soft start installed. YMMV. I'm guessing a soft starter would allow that generator to start it. assuming the 8500 watts its rated at is running watts, not starting or surge watts
Thank you very much for the instruction.
I would like to do this to run my home air conditioner during the summer months. What kind of cost am I looking at to hire somebody to hook this up to my existing electrical box? Thanks!
So mary variables, like type of generator, will you use a transfer switch or lockout system, length of wiring, wiring size, cost of your electrician, etc, I would expect to shell out a few thousand.
Three electrical storms in Florida within six weeks has left me without power for nine hours altogether. I really want a standby generator but I rent my house so it’s not advisable. What should I get if I want to run refrigerator, microwave, and central air?
Depends on the size of your ac and what you plan to power during an outage. I would get something in the 10-13,000 watt size if you have renters. Might also get a small transfer switch so you can control what gets powered during the outage and not the renters.
@@SuperRobkar i’m the tenant, I can’t contract for a transfer switch. I’ll call the property manager tomorrow to find out what I can do.
@@ovicello61 well you have options as a renter, such as an ecoflow wave 2, and also most large u it’s like ecoflow delta can power the frig and microwave
@@SuperRobkar I just don’t wanna be moving the fridge to plug it in to an extension cord. Also I want to plug-in a mini air conditioner.
I just got Fireman 7500 running watts and still cannot power 4 ton ac unit , I have two generators even use divided for only power the AC compressor still cannot start, maybe soft start kit is key? don't know yet, just spent 900 PLUS a whole day work on Sunday to add plug in box still no AC
You will be amazed!
Yup you must have a scroll compressor. Single stage unit.
Not so sure it would work on my 2 stage. My comp uses 40Amp inrush for 1st stage(w Hard start booster for each stage)
Then when 2nd stage kicks in 64Amp Inrush.(cooling fan already running)
AP514 AP514 you should email hyper engineering and see if it would work for you. I’m not qualified to answer that one.
@@ver151set Mine is a Payne 3ton unit. Will this work on mine?
Soooo, my thought was to make my own system with like 5 capacitors in series, is there any reason why this wouldnt work?
I'd need more information. Are you just thinking 5 caps without any batteries? If so not enough.
I have a 4 ton and a Generac gasoline 15k. It actually only has a 50 amp plug so I use 12500 of it. It has a surge of 22500. It works fine. It ran the whole house 2 times after hurricane took down the grid. 13 days and 9 days. Forget about the gasoline bill. Crazy expensive.
Lol, I hear you on the gas , nice setup!
I have always been told that portable generators have inconsistent dirty power and it’s very bad for your higher amperage devices like your air conditioner. I am not sure if this is always the case just thought I would mention it.
It's not so much higher amperage when comparing dirty power. This depends on the type of generator. Regular generators have a THD (total harmonic distortion) of around 10 to 15 percent, great for power tools, bad for anything with a circuit board or electronics. Invertor generators (and the majority of stand alone generators) have a THD of around 5 percent. Invertor generators take AC current, change it to DC current, and then back to AC in a much cleaner form. The less THD, the better for sensitive electronics. Portable generator manufacturers have recognized that and have developed invertor generators with much higher wattages these days.
Like your explanation I really do, but there a couple things you need improve: your writing, and be more organized; barely I can read in there.
How did you arrive at 17 amps from 72 amps
The soft starter will greatly reduce inrush current.
Is there a math formula or did u discover that 17 amps as an actual reading thanks
@@theendofallthingsisuponus1575 It was an actual reading. The manufactures of these soft starters will only give you approx numbers.
@@SuperRobkar excellent maybe ur ac build quality has contributed to that 72 to 17 also. I have one just have not connected it. Thanks.
@@theendofallthingsisuponus1575 Not sure, Ive installed these now on two different a/c's and have seen similiar results. Hopefully you will be happy with how hmuch it reduces your inrush as well. Please be sure to report back once you get it hooked up.
It will do it without all that just turn the ac unit on first let it level out then turn on the lights in phases as they pull almost nothing
When about when it shuts off and comes back on?? You will have in rush amps
@@Cenlalowell keep your ac turned down low to like 65 so it doesn't turn off. then you don't have to worry about it kicking on and off.
You nailed it. Turn off all breakers before switching to generator power. Let the generator run for a minute or two. Turn on your highest load first. Normally AC. Then well pumps, water heater and so on.
i've looked at many soft start videos, yet no one ever mentions how installing such a device might affect a unit under warranty!..... comments???
I would think you would need to ask the manufacturer of your AC unit, as each response could be different.
One tech said that a soft start units actually extends the life of air conditioners. He routinely puts them on older units.
@@mitchmintz111 - i'm gonna have to talk to the guys who installed it. my problem is that my unit is only 1 year old. there's a long warranty period left and i'm afraid if i get one of these, and ANYTHING goes wrong, the manufacturer will just say..... sorry, not sorry!!!
Just run a portable ac 😊
Normally I would agree, but nothing better than keeping whole house cool.
You also need a 240v genset.
for most people you are probably correct
Just get a window unit
Bought 2 inverter gens and 3 window units for emergency.
If my central air has problem.
If the utility has problem.
I run the 2 inverter generators in parallel. Each one power 1600 watt.
I use 1 window unit and 1 generator in summer camp every year.
Generally not a bad idea. Some people dont have the kind of windows that fit normal window ac's, and some people are older and cant lift them.
😊I wish@@peten8767