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Old 10-16-2019, 11:42 PM   #42
NoLimits
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Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Chicago
Posts: 5
M.O.C. #25117
Lightbulb Generator Recommendations

The OP obviously isn't interested in useful information, hence the top secret capacity of his A/C system which is the limiting factor on minimum generator size pretty much 100% of the time.

I've got a 4500 continuous / 5500 surge Generac, and starting the same 13,500 btu camper A/C unit like On-Wheel mentioned puts a noticeably heavy load on the generator. That's barely a 1 ton unit, and a far cry from what most anyone would consider an "HVAC system".

You can study and calculate all you like using extended performance data from whatever manufacturer, and it ain't gonna tell you a thing about what it takes to start a compressor. That's entirely a function of the Locked Rotor Amperage of the compressor itself.

Funny thing is, if you read the reviews on the generator at niche sites, they're horrible when they come from anyone who attempted to use it at near full capacity. One guy said it has a 14 amp breaker, and when he monitored the actual current draw, he got an instant trip at 14.5 amps. That alone says its unlikely to start anything bigger than a small window unit. Another one said he bought it for charging an off-grid battery bank. He could control the charge rate, and therefore the current draw on the generator, and he was getting consistent trips at 6 amps. Sounds like quality control ain't one of their strong points.

But they're cheap, and sometimes that's all that really matters
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