re: what size generator?

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I have. 30 amp 3500 predator inverter.

Runs my window unit, fridge, freezer.

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It will do so forever but if one or more of the compressors cycle simultaneously you might be a bit undersized. Most inverters will not shut down they will merely "lug" and both compressors will attempt to cycle again, most likely at different times...but if one cycles and another starts to do so within miliseconds of one another you could notice it.


A 3500 240 volt generator will most likely run a central heat pump...most are fed with a 30 amp circuit but if it is a 12 SEER or more efficient unit it would operate on a 20 amp circuit and never be a problem....when the compressor cycles there is a huge spike in current and the generator may not handle that but if it is a newer heat pump even the start up current is decreased with scroll compressors and stepped compressors....and even larger banks of capacitors....

Resistive back up heat, on the other hand, is beyond the means of almost any portable generator, as is a stove with more than one element operating at any time. Modern motors and compressors do not have the start up currents that they used to but there ain't nothing can be done about resistive current...once set with a conductor (element) it will always pull the same load or get higher...it will never go down.

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welding clamp

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This is my plan. Thats the only thing I have that is long enough.

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The bond or grounding conductor is a separate duplicate path to ground for fault current that does not find its way to the grounded neutral.

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This doesn't make sense to me. The ground bar and the neutral bar are connected in my panel IIRC.

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generator’s neutral is floating or bonded.

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I didn't know they made portable generators with a floating neutral? Thats how marine units are typically built but every portable ive dealt with has a bonded neutral.

Eta: but I guess since I haven't been grounding the frame it is running as a floating neutral?

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Electrical work is, for the most part, outside the comfort zone for most home owners.

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facts. best handyman is a guy I know named Mark. Dude will do the wildest, most ambitious jobs and build you the craziest shite you want. can do anything....

...except electricity. he wont touch it

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This doesn't make sense to me. The ground bar and the neutral bar are connected in my panel IIRC.

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It is intentionally connected mechanically and electrically at the first means of disconnect, usually, depending on the requirements of the local authority having jurisdiction. They should not be connected either mechanically or electrically, intentionally or accidentally, anywhere else in the system lest the grounding conductor, which could include water lines and structural steel, become the grounded conductor or primary path to ground. This can still happen if the grounded conductor is compromised somehow and should happen as there is a redundant path to ground for fault current and unbalanced loads but the idea is to not have that redundant system connected intentionally except at one point, as close as practical to the ground system, to provide as near normal path to ground for both fault current and unbalanced loads. If they were connected elsewhere there is a potential difference at all points in the system...theoretically conductive surfaces such as the skin of a refrigerator could become current carrying conductors and carry the unbalanced load which is known to exist in a connected circuit to ground, through a person for example if they were touching the fridge and kitchen sink faucet, for example.

For all practical purposes the ground and neutral are one and the same, as you remember, because they are tied together at a single point....but that single point should be the only place and they should, in theory, carry out there intended purposes "upstream" of that point in the system. And they do for the most part. There are a LOT of knowledgeable electricians and engineers who do not get this and it wasn't uncommon 30 years ago to find neutrals and grounds tied together intentionally throughout a system. This was especially true in residential wiring....I can't begin to count the number of times I have found a bare copper ground wire in a piece of romex used for a traveler in a 3 way switch....not the same idea but illustrative of the kind of things some electricians, using the term lightly, will do.....

Man thats a long arse way to say make sure you have one grounded neutral in the system @ the source

Back 9 has is right- in a storm, few days out situation, all you need is a 5500W. It won’t start the central A/C- but will run most everything else. Just not the iron- ask me how I know.

Get the cheapest window unit from Wal Mart- put it in your master and call it good. Everyone gets a campout!

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A regular generac 5000 watt generator uses about .72 gallons of gas per hour at 50% load. That’s 17 gallons per day and it’s loud as heck.

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I have a 5.5KW Troy Bilt with a 10hp Briggs and it only burns 4 gallons every 12 hours at half load...

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but will run most everything else. Just not the iron- ask me how I know.

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So in the middle of a hurricane, you said, "Think I'll iron some clothes."

1st always check your generator once / year. When doing so I pour just enough to crank and test it at the 1st threat of a hurricane. Unfortunately, because the media overhyped shite I never add a lot of fuel initially. Once hurricane season is finished then I drain the fuel line. It’s usually linked to a small clear bulb on larger units. A regular pair of pliers or needle nose will do it. After that crank it and let the motor run until it’s bone dry. It should take long with the tank drained.

Finally, never use ethanol based gasoline. Pay a little extra for ethanol free.