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Love my little 2K watt inverter generators, but I don't think it's a good substitute for a residential standby unit. I can't get a 240V split phase generator t
by rootusrootus 2y ago
Love my little 2K watt inverter generators, but I don't think it's a good substitute for a residential standby unit. I can't get a 240V split phase generator that can be carried, that's the big thing. I could get past the time it takes to turn on the generator, but there's a good chunk of my house that won't run without 240V (unless I want to run extension cords everywhere, which I do not...).
- bob1029 2y agoObviously the little inverter generators can't carry the normal load, but you can adapt to it. The biggest thing for most people is running their AC condenser. A portable inverter AC unit (ideally a dual-hose unit) will pull ~1700w on the high setting. You can cool a solid 1000 sqft even in the Texas heat with something like this while also running your lamps/wifi/starlink/fridge/etc. Combine with something like an EcoFlow battery, and you can actually shut it off completely while you sleep (and lock it up inside safely). Setting the AC to the low setting will reduce its consumption to ~400w intermittently which will easily run on a 2.5kWh battery all night. The other advantage of the EcoFlow is that you can temporarily run much larger loads than the generator is directly capable of. Really good for induction cooktops and getting your washing machine spin cycle up to speed.