MasterMech said:
steeltowninwv said:
dont know that im gonna go this route...but i have the task force 5 ton splitter..electric....if i were to come across a generator at a flea market or something...what size would i require to run this thing?
Look on the motor of your splitter, it should give a rating in Amps.
Amps x Volts = Watts
Your generator's continuous (not surge) rating should exceed the watts the splitter draws by some margin.
Example:
15 Amps x 120 Volts = 1800 Watts
I would say a generator rated to output 2000 watts
continuously would handle that load just fine.
That sort of capacity matching would work fine for resistive loads (lights/heaters) but can be waaaaay off for motors.
Motors draw a surge of current on starting, that can exceed their steady-state run current by a factor of 2.5.
Single-phase motors are much more pronounced than three-phase.
For the example given, you might need 40a. for starting.
If you can find a Grainger catalog, they routinely contain advice on this for sizing generators to loads.