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Generac generator usage and tripped breakers
Posted on 9/14/24 at 9:42 pm
Posted on 9/14/24 at 9:42 pm
Wife just called me and told me that the refrigerator and freezer were not working and I suspected tripped breakers. Is this normal if using it during a storm? Or does it depend on the size and if I’m overloading it? (To many lights, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, oven, washer dryer) totally natural gas house.
Posted on 9/14/24 at 10:07 pm to shoelessjoe
quote:
Or does it depend on the size and if I’m overloading it?
This. Your home panel has thermal magnetic breakers, meaning they protect against short circuits or overloads. For example, if you put 25A on a 20A breaker it will trip due to overload but not instantaneously. If you short a 20A breaker and it sees 1000A it will trip instantaneously.
I don't think your power source would have anything to do with branch breakers tripping.
Now I do know that generators vary on the THD (total harmonic distortion) rating, meaning how clean the power is. The cheaper ones may put out dirty power that can screw up electronics. That could be part of it.
I would troubleshoot exactly what the issue is here. I doubt it's a tripped breaker but could be wrong.
Posted on 9/14/24 at 10:38 pm to shoelessjoe
Let me guess she was blow drying her hair while the coffee was brewing and the bagel was in the toaster oven with the house set to 69?
Posted on 9/15/24 at 7:51 am to shoelessjoe
Whole home generator or smaller one?
My fridges and freezers need to be run on my inverter generators.
My fridges and freezers need to be run on my inverter generators.
This post was edited on 9/15/24 at 7:51 am
Posted on 9/15/24 at 9:12 am to shoelessjoe
quote:
Wife just called me and told me that the refrigerator and freezer were not working and I suspected tripped breakers
If either or both have "Eco" modes, make sure they are running in that mode. That turns off the door and defrost heaters which take up far more power than the compressor does while in the cooling cycles. On my fridge for example, the cooling cycle uses 110 - 125W while defrost cycle uses closer to 500W.
Posted on 9/15/24 at 11:18 am to shoelessjoe
Was there a breaker tripped or not? If so, which one? You said you suspected that was the issue and then asked us to troubleshoot based of an assumption.
It could have been a different issue all together, such as dirty power from your generator fried the electronics in the appliances that are not working.
It could have been a different issue all together, such as dirty power from your generator fried the electronics in the appliances that are not working.
Posted on 9/15/24 at 8:33 pm to shoelessjoe
My fridge was doing the same thing on my portable generator with nothing else plugged in. It has GFCI outlets on the generator. I think certain fridge compressors don’t play nice with the ground and cause GFCI to trip. I may have had too long or too small of an extension cord but it didn’t trip the GFCI right away. I did some googling and a possible work around could be to use a plug adapter that switches plug from 3 prong to 2 prong. I didn't love this idea so I’m currently working on using the 30 amp outlet and breaker interlock system to prevent the same problem in the future.
This post was edited on 9/15/24 at 8:35 pm
Posted on 9/15/24 at 9:21 pm to shoelessjoe
Microwave or a coffee pot can sometimes trip my breaker when using a generator.
Posted on 9/15/24 at 9:41 pm to MikeBRLA
quote:
Was there a breaker tripped or not
Yes
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