Thats a nice quality setup you have there. I assume that the pellet stove runs off the inverter at all times and the IOTA is on as a full time maintainer to keep the batteries at 100% ? Now all you need is a couple PV panels and a Sunsaver..
Nah! It's my power outage back-up with seamless transfer. Cost of solar panels doesn't justify the extra cost. During the winter months would be hard to make the panels feed the system so not going there for now, maybe later. I plan of adding another transfer panel for the generator next summer.
All right it's time for me to add this to my house...will a 9000 start up / 6800 run, run the house? 2 icebox, 2 deep freezers, plus lights. I'm thinking something in the line of what Ray put in. I just need to build a little building for the generator to keep moisture off it outside. Thinking about 6 pallets in size. Enough room for heat transfer for keeping the generator breathing.
Depends on what you mean by "run the house". Do you have a well pump to run? Electric hot water? How about central air or window units? Are you planning to run extension cords or put in a permanent hook up? The size unit you mentioned will do a lot, but not everything all at once. If limited to just the items you mentioned, it's a actually overkill. 3500 running watts would likely do what you quoted on half the fuel.
We have a 6500 watt Honda gen. I've done electrical work and have back fed for 30 years. I WILL install a transfer switch here in our new place soon tho. 6500 watts should be plenty to run what you've got. And, you can select out (during an outage) what you need to run for short runs. Like, you need water, so you can shut off some circuits and run your pump (6500 has about 30 amps at 220v available) to fill the water tank, etc. I have run the furnace (hot water) and my well pump at the same time for a shower. Does it easily. Biggest problem many have with all generators in "doghouses" or sheds, is they don't allow for LOTS of cooling airflow around the unit. Heat will kill a generator fast. Sheds are fine just have at least 3'-4' all around the gen and/or sides of the shed that open for total air dump. Many go thru 2-3 generators before they realize this.
I'm assuming here: I want to hook up the generator with on cord feeding the transfer box from the outside. So I don't have to have 4 cords to trip on... The water heater is gas, so is the stove. The A/C (central heating/cooling unit) would be nice but not maniditory. No water pump needed, city water. Just the refridge so I get the water from there. One fan on the back of the stove and maybe another to keep heat from wood stove flowing. Overkill maybe, but it's what I bought last year. Any thing else?
Yea, was reading about the heat issue. But I figured open on both ends with a roof over it. Where I could roll it in and just plug it in the house. Put like two skid long (about 8 foot long & 56" tall)). Just enough that air can get in & out but keeps the moisture minimalized. ???
6800 watts should do it then. It will be a bit overkill unless you have many auxiliary loads from TVs, wife's hair dryer, etc... It probably will run the AC should you need it. It will also most likely drink fuel quite rapidly, especially loaded down heavy.
You just reminded me of the moisture thing. Making a muffler end cover, of some sort, is a good plan. We had our gen at our cabin location all summer and fall during the build… covered with a good tarp. Over a span of maybe a month during that time according to the tech who repaired it, moisture got in thru the muffler and causes the rings to rust, seizing the pistons tight. Now, I keep a small chunk of a dowel that fits perfect in the muff. As far as the cooling goes, if I was going to go with the size you mentioned, I'd keep one end closed and knock a 22"x22" hole up high thru that end. Then I'd put one of those 22"x22" window fans in the hole and point it out. Should help to draw most of the heat away from the gen and blow it outside. They don't use all that much juice either. And, I'd watch it closely to be sure it was enough cooling still. Might not be… they make a lot of heat and those copper windings don't like it at all.
Some foam and a short length of big plastic pipe (ask around at a commercial plumbing supply house) and I bet you could duct cool air right to the engines cooling air intake.
Couldn't hurt. That should help at least the engine. Most of the failure's of enclosed gens that I've happened to hear about… the engines still ran fine long after the windings on the gen side are shot. Guess it's the achilles heel.
