> I don't care about running everything at once - I just want to be able to
> start the a/c. we can rotate everything else around that.
Rule of thumb (not a very good one) ... takes twice the current to start as
to run. There should be a nameplate on the compressor itself (inside the
housing) that gives ratings; or you could just buy one of those cheap
clip-on AC ammeters from HF and measure the running current yourself.
Don't forget that the compressor will most likely cycle off/on again ... you
need to have enough excess capacity to start it even with everything else
running. And there's always the chance that something else will decide to
start at the same time (refrigerator, freezer, etc.) ... obviously you
shouldn't leave the setup running unattended.
> just looked on the breaker. double-wide breaker with "50" on it. so
> that's 50 * 240 for 12,000? which means the surge == the a/c start
> load. sounds to me like it'd trip.
Home circuit breakers are generally designed to carry slight overloads long
enough to start motors. However, your generator set may or may not be
designed to carry an overload for long. Some of them actually have two
ratings, but generally it's hard to find.
Just as a single data point, my 3.5 kW Onan gen set would not reliably start
my "2.5hp" compressor that runs on only about 15*110 = 1650 voltamps.
Randall
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