Generator running Fridge& deep freeze question.....

[njoynit]

will a generator run a deep freeze& a fridge If I keep switching them every hour back & forth?and have everything come through??I'll also un the TV& sattilte& ac if power outage.Thats why asking about switching them back& forth.I live in woods.I KNOW i'll have a power outage& "normal response time is 4 hours.

[mango man]

I would probasbly do a two hour cycle , before switching .

heres a link to a good site o generators , maybe you can find something there more difinitive

http://members.1stconnect.com/anozira/S ... torFAQ.htm

[brubert]

We usually run them during the day and turn them off at night.

[njoynit]

I have over 50 milk jugs filled with water in deep freeze and those will be next to food to keep cold inside fridge.I'll cook whats inhouse freezer 1st.all other food is in deep freeze under milk jugs .we filled a 50 gallon drum for 139.50....just for generator.also filled 15 cans 5 gallons to 25 gallons.3 wheeler is filled& chainsaw is tuned up and 2 new blades and current blade sharpened and dude at place gave us 2 to borrow,we just have to return them gave us 30 days useage(I thought that was kewl& ones 2 times size of ours)

[olddude]

Depends on what size genny you have. During Katrina and Rita my 4500 watt ran both freezer and fridge at the same time. If your gen doesn't have the capacity, I agree with the 2 hour time frame. Ice blocks in the fridge also helps to keep the the compressor from kicking in as frequently, thus reducing load. I also turned the thermostat back up( from the coldest setting, pre storm) to reduce load yet keep an acceptable temperature

[Recurve]

Check the wattage/amperage of the fridge and freezer, it's only way to know for sure. Example:

Fridge: 12 amps = 1440 watts
Freezer 8 amps = 960 watts

Total 20 amps at 120 volts = 2400 watts.
(amps times volts = watts)

For the example, you would need at least a 3,000 watt (3 kw) generator, which may be rated for 2,500 continuous output watts and 3,000 peak output watts.

The figures above are purely arbitrary. Check your appliances, either the manual or a metal plate on the frame somewhere; it's the only way to know for sure what power they require.

[Persepone]

I'd go for at least 2 hours on--probably more like 3-4 and then switch to the other appliance--provided, of course, that you leave them CLOSED and are not in and out of them...

If you make sure that freezers (big one and the one on top of frig) are FULL, you can probably leave them sealed shut literally for DAYS before you get any melt. And, as another poster points out, if you have them full of milk jugs, other containers of ICE, then they are "full." It does not have to be all "food." Do put a few baggies full of ice cubes in the freezer as "tell-tales." If they melt, then you know temperature was above 32. If they don't melt, it was not.

And yes, Recurve is right--do the math! For everything you plug into your genny. Don't forget that these things go to "peak" to turn themselves on and off... If both start at the same time, you risk damage--good reason to run one and then the other unless you've a huge genny.

[kranki]

Don't forget to allow for the starting current necessary for the compressors. This creates a much larger load than the normal operating load.

After Hurricane George, I used a 4.5kw generator to run a pretty standard fridge and freezer. The fridge malfunctioned after about 30 hours and we had to revert to freezing ice in the freezer and using a cooler. We were without power for 10 days on that hurricane.

I have since been hearing that it is important that the Hertz stay very close to 60 for the compressors to operate correctly. I bought a TrueRMS Meter to monitor the hertz. You can find them on the internet for $40. It is my understanding that the hertz fall as the load climbs towards or exceeds the generator's capacity.

Personally, if you are thinking about getting a 4.5kw then I would buy a 6.5kw. You will not regret the extra power. There are some water cooled ones that are quite nice like the Honda and that run well in a Hurricane's aftermath (hot, muggy weather). In my opinion, they are well worth the investment.

Also, I would recommend to pull the generator out every couple of months to a well ventilated place, start it up and put a decent load on it. Run it for at least 1/2 hour so that it fully warms up. At least in the Keys, anything that sits around without use seems to become useless after a short period of time.

If you plug the generator into the house such as through a dryer plugin, remember to shut off the main power until you shut down the generator. Here in the Keys, you are responsible for anyone that you injure with your power especially the linemen repairing the lines.

With all the outages that we get during the year, I have switched to a standby generator with an automatic transfer switch. It is much more convenient, but a lot more $$$. For me, it was worth it. This year, we have been without power for 8 days total from Hurricanes, Dennis, Katrina and Rita; and the season isn't over yet.

Last, if you want to run any decent electronics such as a computer, stereo, tv, etc on a generator, put them on a UPS. You can get a decent UPS for a little over $100 and they are much better protection than a surge protector. All my electronics is on a UPS. We get a lot of lightening and power surges and nothing has gotten through them yet.

Those are my experiences running a variety of generators for the past 6 years in the Keys. Sorry that this was a little long and maybe more than you wanted to know.

[njoynit]

Just to update ya'll.Me& Gen are now quiet good friends.I dealt with 4 days of all them stupid extension cords/surge bars& was ready to LEAVE by then.much nicer& normal with it being wired direct now.it cost me almost 2 cans a day(15 a can sucks) the 220 are switched off.the constants are the fridge/deepfrreze(deep freeze is packed to top has ice bags...some mine /some other neighbors...cost ya a can of gas store)& fish tank.I usually run a window fan but cool front arrived.so just the one ceiling fan.we watch some TV at night& when use the lights its just 1 bulb on on ceiling fan.I shut all off to wash clothes in cold water,but the fridge.I never would have thought to survive with out power for 13 days& pitty the ones doing it with no generator.
I gave her an oil change& a new plug Tuesday.her oil looked fine,but we run her pretty much all time.the electric start has gone out& the pull start will just about snap a back in half and make your chest hurt.you don't know how excited i was it started on 1st pull yesterday,but my back feels it today.i think it got worse sleeping.

Anyone read any good books?

[rtd2]

After Katrina I ran my Big Screen-Dish network ,1 lamp A 110v Window A/C unit-ONLY at bed time(What A LIFE SAVER!) my refrig/freezer (4hour cycles) and the Pump on my saltwater aquaruim. Generator Never Quit -24/ 7(Bought 4 -55 gallon Drums of Gas B4 landfall!) for 13 days. (Except twice when it ran out of fuel during the day while I was gone.---6.5kw

[GeneratorPower]

Hello! This is my first post. My name is Greg and I'm the owner of a Honda and Yamaha generator dealership in North Alabama. I am very interested in hurricanes because that's where a lot of my livelyhood comes from. On the generator load swapping question: Most of my customers seem to find that swapping refrigerators/freezers around on a portable generator is pretty tedious and can lead to spoiled food and temps inside the freezer above acceptable levels. However in a pinch, it's definately possible to do it. A little thought beforehand on generator sizing will eliminate the problem entirely as even a quality 2500W or 3500W generator should handle three refrigerator/freezers without much problem. But the key is a quality generator. Remember the three ratings of a generator: Continuous (days at a time) Maximum (generally up to 30 minutes) and Surge (generally about 1 second).[/i]