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Started By
Message
How to measure Hertz output of portable generator?
Posted on 7/6/23 at 12:15 pm
Posted on 7/6/23 at 12:15 pm
Do I need some sort of meter device?
3
Posted on 7/6/23 at 12:17 pm to 2BRKnot
Either a DVOM that can measure frequency or something like this that you can simply plug in.
Posted on 7/6/23 at 1:04 pm to 2BRKnot
any reason to think your generator is not outputting 60Hz?
Posted on 7/6/23 at 1:44 pm to notsince98
Many don't right out of the box. Mine would be dead-on 60 Hz under 50% load, would drop to about 57 Hz at 80% and higher. Adjusted the governer for about 62 Hz at light loads.
Posted on 7/6/23 at 10:26 pm to notsince98
quote:
any reason to think your generator is not outputting 60Hz?
Yes. My 5.8 Kw portable generator was originally gasoline powered. I installed a converter kit to run it on natural gas. It is my understanding that the output is lower with natural gas. My concern is that major appliances that require 120V and 60 Hertz like refrigerator, microwave, window AC, could be damaged if the power source is lower than 60 Hertz. But, I admit that I know very, very little about this subject matter. I ran these appliances for about 8 hours during Ida. Everything worked fine, but I worry about damaging my appliances if I had to run them for an extended period of time with the lower output from natural gas.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 1:21 am to 2BRKnot
Get a multimeter that tests Hertz. Every house needs a decent multimeter. I would suggest a Fluke but $$ for IMO a step down the Klein CL320 clamp-on for about $80.
If you want cheaper and are OK with Chinese then Harbor Freight has a clamp-on with freq for about $45.
If you want cheaper and are OK with Chinese then Harbor Freight has a clamp-on with freq for about $45.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 6:11 am to notsince98
Most do not run isocronous 60hz. You really need an electronic speed governor or an invertor to do that. Most air cooled engines have droop governors and will decrease frequency as load goes up. That's generally fine as long as the speed isn't bouncing around all over the place.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 8:03 am to Obtuse1
Agree on getting the Klien clamp!
Posted on 7/7/23 at 8:33 am to 2BRKnot
quote:
How to measure Hertz output of portable generator?
Drop it on your toe; you'll figure out the hertz real fast
Posted on 7/7/23 at 11:13 am to 2BRKnot
quote:
My 5.8 Kw portable generator was originally gasoline powered. I installed a converter kit to run it on natural gas
I would be interested in what kit you used. I have an old 6k gasoline powered generator I might convert if the kit works well.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 11:45 am to Zappas Stache
Go to uscarburetion.com and figure out which kit is needed for your generator. Call them for help. You will also need to figure out if you have enough natural gas volume and pressure to provide your generator with enough BTUs to run it. This involves distance and internal diameter of the supply pipe and terminal hose.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 11:58 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
That's generally fine as long as the speed isn't bouncing around all over the place.
Thanks, that’s good to know. My generator purrs steadily like a big kitten when running on NG, unlike the fluctuations with gasoline.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 12:04 pm to Zappas Stache
To Zappas: I installed the conversion kit myself. If I can do it, so can you. Believe me.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 2:37 pm to 2BRKnot
Basically anything from 58-62 Hz is perfectly fine as long as it's smooth. Lots of stuff you buy these days will run just fine on 50 or 60Hz, anywhere from 90 to 250 volts, dirty arse power, etc without any special considerations. A lot of it is built to be sold in the majority of countries worldwide usually just with a different power cord.
I'm not an advocate of dirty power by any stretch, but I don't stress out about it either. My portable makes filthy power and I just run my whole house on it and don't think about it.
I'm not an advocate of dirty power by any stretch, but I don't stress out about it either. My portable makes filthy power and I just run my whole house on it and don't think about it.
Posted on 7/7/23 at 2:59 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Roger that. Thanks for the input. 
Posted on 7/7/23 at 3:25 pm to EF Hutton
Ordered a Fieldpiece SC440, wanted something similar to my old Ideal clamp meter but with inrush current capability.
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