If you have a little more headroom in the capacity of your generator, there will be less of an affect on the frequency and voltage. The operating speed of my 8 KW (7.2 KW continuous) generator is much more stable than the 2.5 KW (surge) one in the video.
All of my more sensitive electronics are powered through an Uninterruptible Power Supply with filtering and line conditioning. Any so called 120 VAC device will do just fine at 115 VAC. The frequency is not all that critical for most things either. Look at the power requirement markings of the device. Many will work on either 60 Hz or 50 Hz (European AC line frequency).
Many electric motor are frequency dependent, but not all. It depends on the type of AC motor.
Consumers should simply make a habit of running ALL current through a reputably manufactured Uninterruptible Power Supply regardless of whether power comes from a generator or the utility company. Save yourself a lot of headaches that way.
That guy's advice is ok but he didn't even mention the one issue with generators and sensitive electronics - some lack a bonded neutral. Most modern furnaces won't run unless the neutral and ground are bonded. Run your generator and take a multimeter and get the voltage difference between hot and ground - should be 120V or thereabouts - and the voltage difference between neutral and ground - should be zero. On many generators (esp. inverter generators) that's not the case and you'll need to make a bonding outlet to fix the problem or your furnace will not run. Check youtube for the fix.
If you have a little more headroom in the capacity of your generator, there will be less of an affect on the frequency and voltage. The operating speed of my 8 KW (7.2 KW continuous) generator is much more stable than the 2.5 KW (surge) one in the video.
ReplyDeleteAll of my more sensitive electronics are powered through an Uninterruptible Power Supply with filtering and line conditioning. Any so called 120 VAC device will do just fine at 115 VAC. The frequency is not all that critical for most things either. Look at the power requirement markings of the device. Many will work on either 60 Hz or 50 Hz (European AC line frequency).
Many electric motor are frequency dependent, but not all. It depends on the type of AC motor.
Consumers should simply make a habit of running ALL current through a reputably manufactured Uninterruptible Power Supply regardless of whether power comes from a generator or the utility company. Save yourself a lot of headaches that way.
ReplyDeleteThat guy's advice is ok but he didn't even mention the one issue with generators and sensitive electronics - some lack a bonded neutral. Most modern furnaces won't run unless the neutral and ground are bonded. Run your generator and take a multimeter and get the voltage difference between hot and ground - should be 120V or thereabouts - and the voltage difference between neutral and ground - should be zero. On many generators (esp. inverter generators) that's not the case and you'll need to make a bonding outlet to fix the problem or your furnace will not run. Check youtube for the fix.
ReplyDelete