re: Using portable AC units during long power outages (Laura experiences?)

quote:

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Would the smaller unit power your central AC if you turned off all other non essentials at the panel box?

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An 8,000 running watts might be enough to power a central unit if that's all you have running on it but the problem would come with the surge in usage when it turns on. The starting watts would need to be considerably higher in my opinion (maybe 14,000-15,000 or higher) to safely run it without damaging the generator. I'm not an electrician but I'm going off of what my electrician told me about using mine to run the central air. To be safe, I'll keep my central air circuit turned off and just rely on a couple small window units. They won't keep my home cool but they'll definitely keep it manageable.