Groundhog Day Blizzard
 

The Chicken Little weathermen are certainly hyping this one.

Around here, they're calling for maybe 1/2" of ice and maybe 15" of snow, not to mention high winds and -0 temps.

I actually went out and bought some gas for the generator.

Hope they're wrong.

Chas

I hope so too. I had to break out the generator for the last one. Actually, that was the first time I've used it since Hurricane Isabel.

At any rate, it never hurts to be prepared. Have you ever run the Hi Fi rig off of the generator, Chas?

Dave

More snow on the way?


Do me a favor. Would ya'll huff, puff and blow it any direction besides the south? I hear the Canadians won't mind as they are real used to it. :D

Naw, never used it for anything besides running saws and compressors.

And I've never measured the line voltage fluctuation so I'm not familiar with how much drop/surge you get when a load comes on line. I'm a little hesitant to use it on the hi-fi rig or a computer, just run the fridge, freezer, and the HVAC...once I install a pigtail. If I want tunes, I'll use the YB-400.

I figure I'll run it for a couple of hours, then shut it down for awhile. Besides, it's 8,000 watts and a real gas hog. Hope I don't have to use it at all.

Chas

Yeah, I just ran the fridge, one of those little oil radiator type heaters, a lamp and my Tivoli Model One off of it. I was nervous about running any sensitive (Expensive) electronics off of it. It's a nice little generator though...5,800 watt, I believe. Ran it for about three hours and used less than a 1/4 of that 5 gallon tank. Not too bad, I don't think.............

Dave

That should handle a good 45 amps @ 120 VAC. Fair sized portable.

Last ice storm we had I brought my Teac R-1 in from the porch. Kind of like a Tivoli PAL I think, has a built in battery. Has a pretty good sound, better than the Grundig.

Also have a Cambridge Soundworks 730?, it really kicks it out for a clock radio. Actually, it's pretty damned impressive.

Chas

It was getting so that I could not start the recoil start 6000 watt unit so it is sitting in the barn with only 72 hours on the 11 HP Honda.

Got an electric start 8000 watt Northern Tool unit with a 13 HP Honda. During the five days we were without power after hurricane Isabel with extension cords all over the place and a jury rig to the water pump, I installed a manual transfer switch. This new generator has enough balls that I might look for a new transfer switch so I can add the HW tank.
Waveform is clean enough that I can run the computer with no problems. Hell, when you see the waveform from the local flicker and flash the generator is prolly better.

They make a transfer switch which kills the service at the meter and feeds the entire service panel in your house. An 8K generator will probably run your heat pump.

As far as running it along with you HW at the same time, that might be a little much. But there's no reason you couldn't flip breakers and run different things at different times.

I'm using a B&S 16 HP commercial motor, plenty of power but God awful noisy. I would imagine that Honda mill pretty much purrs like a kitten in a cream can.

That said, I hope neither of us have to listen to one.

Chas

Same forecast for here with 24-30 inches snow pack already on the ground.

If we have the snow predicted it will be the most ever recoded in a season her in southern NY.

Was that under full load? All I know about generators is the more you load them the harder they have to work, so they use more fuel.