# Is 2800 watt generator enough to run pellet stove and a couple of lights?



## glassman (Dec 29, 2008)

I found a used 6.5 h.p. generator for 200 dollars, the guy said he ran 1 tank of fuel through it to build a shed.  It has a 2800 watt capacity, 2 20 amp plugs with breakers.  Is this enough to run my pellet stove, and a couple of lights during a power outage?  I read in an earlier post how to run the generator, and where not to run it which was a great post.  thanks in advance


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## PunKid8888 (Dec 30, 2008)

I used a little 1850watt  was able to power the pellet stove and a small 13inch TV for 5.5 days.  I think you should have no problem. Just check to see if its designed for continuous running as that seemed to be the big problem for most people


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## smokinj (Dec 30, 2008)

good score!!


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## glassman (Dec 30, 2008)

thanks punkid, I was going to run it for a half hour at a time, like the other post had said.  I have a nice enclosed porch, with 2 venting windows on the wall, and two in the ceiling, and had thought about having the generator in there with a heat shield built around it, but since reading that lengthy post on generators, have thought better about it.  I cannot believe how good this forum is for new guys like me to learn,,,,,,,thanks again


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## Doocrew (Dec 30, 2008)

I run my whole house including furnace, pellet stove, lights and tv's with a Honda 2500. Absolutely DO NOT EVER run a generator in an enclosed area attached to your house. No matter how much you ventilate it, carbon monoxide can enter your home through the eaves or the walls. I have my generator on a little cart that I built and I wheel it about 25 feet from the house just to be on the safe side.


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## glassman (Dec 30, 2008)

thanks doocrew,
like I said you can learn a lot in here, I will keep mine in the shed with a similar hookup with a cart, and small open roof on top.  We get quite a lot of power outages where I live, most dont last more than 4 to 6 hours, so its bearable.  thanks again,,,,,,,  Is the honda 2500 mean 2500 watts?


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## peirhead (Dec 30, 2008)

I'd like to find a small water cooled one that I could rig up outside with an auxiliary radiator to put inside the house and a couple of bypass valves.....install a fan on the rad inside and presto extra heat plus power!


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## Doocrew (Dec 30, 2008)

glassman said:
			
		

> thanks doocrew,
> like I said you can learn a lot in here, I will keep mine in the shed with a similar hookup with a cart, and small open roof on top.  We get quite a lot of power outages where I live, most dont last more than 4 to 6 hours, so its bearable.  thanks again,,,,,,,  Is the honda 2500 mean 2500 watts?



Yes, 2500 watts.


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## pelletizer (Dec 30, 2008)

I ran a 5000 watt for 5 days and plan on picking up one around 1500 watts just for the stove and Fridge so I don't have to run such a big generator all day.
sounds like your $200.00 generator is a good deal go for it.


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## rowerwet (Dec 30, 2008)

look and see what the data plate on you stove says for the amps or volt amps (watts) rating, if it is amps multiply by 110v for your watts. Make sure the watts from all your loads (lights, fridge, deep freeze, etc.) are about half of your generators capacity for continuous loads, or no more than the continuous rating, usualy the watts listed for the generator(1500, 2500 etc.).
all of the watts totaled up for my deep freeze, fridge, OPB and 3 circulators was 2700 watts. since the OPB, freezer, fridge, and baseboard circulator only cycle on as needed my 4 gallon tank lasted 14 hours or so (don't know for sure never let it go to empty) instead of the 8 hrs listed for a half of rated watt load. (3500) I ran my generator for almost 5 days continuously except to refuel and check the oil. The best $459 I spent recently.
   to save gas put CFL bulbs in any lights you will run off the generator, or LED if you want even less load. A 60 watt bulb is 60 watts multiply that by 3 or 4 bulbs in a fixture and you've got a big load. CFL 60 watt uses only 13 watts. LED 40 watt uses like 1.5 watts or something.


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## littlesmokey (Dec 30, 2008)

Remember these gens are for intermittent or interrupted use. Many will not sustain extended time use. I learned an RV gen set will really put out the power for an extended time, but they are ugly and awkward and a pain in the tush. I have one waiting for the inevitable.


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## glassman (Dec 30, 2008)

if you guys were going to run a pellet stove, fridge, and a light, what is the best way to run power to those items.  And little smokey, what do you mean by the inevitable?  its going to "expire" because you are running it constantly?   thanks again for your help,,,,,,


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## littlesmokey (Dec 31, 2008)

The inevitable is an extended power outage. We came close here a few weeks ago, and the NE is still not back on line, completely. I had a wood stove for back up a few years ago, but removed it, so I need the power to run the pellet burners. Years ago I lived in Syracuse, New York. At Christmas one year the power was out in my neighborhood for six days. I still went to work, but gave my neighbor the key to the house so he and anyone else needing warmth could get in. My house had an old coal stove converted to NG, but was gravity, not blower fed. I could throw a switch on the furnace, bypass the thermostat, use the thermo-couple on the pilot for the only needed power for the gas valve, and let it run. I had to manually control it, but it was warm. All my neighbors were thankful.

The newer and less expensive generators seem to have low end aluminum motors. If you overheat them they warp and fail. The RV generators are often airover cooled, or if large have a water jacket and radiator, cast iron bodies and heads, and regulators and limiters to control the extended runs. I have a small Kohler, dolly mounted, ready to take outside and fire-up. I am not sure what the wattage is, but it should be about 4,000+. I will charge two bus batteries, erh maybe they are tractor batteries, but with an inverted I figure I can run the stove and a few lights and use the generator just to charge, or if I need to use some of the shop machines.





			
				glassman said:
			
		

> if you guys were going to run a pellet stove, fridge, and a light, what is the best way to run power to those items.  And little smokey, what do you mean by the inevitable?  its going to "expire" because you are running it constantly?   thanks again for your help,,,,,,


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## MCPO (Dec 31, 2008)

pelletizer said:
			
		

> I ran a 5000 watt for 5 days and plan on picking up one around 1500 watts just for the stove and Fridge so I don't have to run such a big generator all day.
> sounds like your $200.00 generator is a good deal go for it.



 Aha!  Sounds like you know and or learned something many folks don`t.  That is no sense running a larger generator than what`s needed. So many folks just buy way more than they need without thinking it out. 
 The oversized generator can be costly right up front not to mention the gas to run it. Storing lots of gas that a large generator requires isn`t that easy and safe either.  
 I always cringe at the size of the generators I see folks buying these days.  
 I run my oil furnace, refrigerator , coffee pot and lights on each floor with my 2500 watt generator set and have capacity for more.
 I can run it sparingly , every 3-6 hrs for an hour or so which keeps the house warm and the food cold and only use a gallon of gas a day.


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## glassman (Dec 31, 2008)

I have 2 more questions, on the other generator post a few weeks ago, they mentioned how long to run a generator, it sounds like you guys are saying no more than an hour at a time.  2nd question, about 30 feet from my house is an 8' x 12' shed that has a door at both long ends, the guy I bought the place from used to run his snowmobile in there, then he could open the end door, and drive it right out.  Both doors have hooks on them so they will stay open, I am wondering now if that would be a better place to run my generator from than out in the yard.  The only time I will go in the shed is to start the machine, or shut it down every hour, then restart.  Just want an opinion on the safety issue.  thanks in advance,,,,,,,ed


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## MCPO (Dec 31, 2008)

glassman said:
			
		

> I have 2 more questions, on the other generator post a few weeks ago, they mentioned how long to run a generator, it sounds like you guys are saying no more than an hour at a time.  2nd question, about 30 feet from my house is an 8' x 12' shed that has a door at both long ends, the guy I bought the place from used to run his snowmobile in there, then he could open the end door, and drive it right out.  Both doors have hooks on them so they will stay open, I am wondering now if that would be a better place to run my generator from than out in the yard.  The only time I will go in the shed is to start the machine, or shut it down every hour, then restart.  Just want an opinion on the safety issue.  thanks in advance,,,,,,,ed



No problem running a cheap generator set more than one hour.  They just aren`t designed for 24/7  or weeks at a time or anything like a commercial set. But hey! Who knows , I`m sure someone out there holds a record for having run his cheap generator for weeks on end maybe, but you get the point.
 Keep in mind that a generator can get hot and possibly even catch on fire (a rarity  I`m sure ). But I`ve seen at least one picture of a house burnt down  from a generator sitting too close . I guess anything can happen. Just take precautions and use common sense. If the shed is far enough away from the house and the worse happened, then you only lose the shed and the contents.


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## hoverfly (Jan 1, 2009)

Take the maximum watts a pellet stove will use, for instance my Mini will use a total 400 watts for lighting, there for 400 X 60 = 2400 watts.  If you don't use the igniter and just start it withe some starter fluid then the Mini will use around 200 watts there for 200 X 60 = 1200 watts.  If you are with in the surge rating of the generator it should be fine.


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## dpwoods (Jan 1, 2009)

Glassman,

I have a Harman P61A2. I hooked up a Kill-a-watt meter to see how much electricity it uses. During startup this stove used almost 400 watts when the electric ignitor is operating. During usual operation it uses 115 watts with the exhaust vent fan and room distribution fan running. When the pellet feed auger kicks in it takes a total of 145 watts. The total usage of this stove averages about 2½ Kilowatt Hours per day.

It sounds as if you bought a Chinese genny. There are numerous flavors out there that are made by a couple of Chinese manufacturers. They have a 6.5 HP engine that is a copy of the Honda GX200 engine, usually referred to as a "Chonda". The best place for information about your new purchase and anything you need to know about it is on a thread on the rv.net forums. 

http://rv.net/Forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15131645/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1

This thread has been going for 3 years and currently has 684 pages. Keep in mind that a lot of people on that forum are looking for applications to use the genny with an rv, but most of the topics covered are universal (type of oil, circuit breakers, plug wattages, grounding, noise abatement, propane conversion, etc.).

For the price, these are a great deal. The difference between them is in generator design, customer service, and parts support. Champion is the brand with the largest fan club. They are an American company that has their genny built in China to their specs. Customer service and warranty support seems to be above reproach.

Cabela's currently has one Champion 3500 watt model on closeout in their Bargain Barn for $300. 
This model only produces 120 volts, there are other models that have a 120/240 volt option for running well pumps, etc.


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## KeithO (Jan 1, 2009)

Hoverfly, if the appliance draws 400 watts then to run it you would need at least a 400 watt generator.  No multiplication by 60 required.
The thing that gets most folks is the well pump (if you have one).   Typically they are 220V and 2-3hp, so they are the biggest load you would need to drive.  You also need to have 220V output from the generator.  Without water, life sucks and you can't get the most basic things done.  If you are on city water, and use sensible lights (cfl's) the 2kW Honda EU generator is perfect.  It has an inverter system and the motor speed is dependent on the load (regular gen set runs at 3600 rpm all the time).  If you have a low load, it runs slower quieter and saves fuel and wear.  More load, it runs faster to match.

The biggest limitation on generator life is the oil change interval.  Many require the oil changed every 15-20 hours, which would be once a day in 24/7 operation.  The better generators take more oil, have a pressure lubrication system with a spin on filter and the best are water cooled so that the oil does not have such a hard life.



			
				Hoverfly said:
			
		

> Take the maximum watts a pellet stove will use, for instance my Mini will use a total 400 watts for lighting, there for 400 X 60 = 2400 watts.  If you don't use the igniter and just start it withe some starter fluid then the Mini will use around 200 watts there for 200 X 60 = 1200 watts.  If you are with in the continuous rating of the generator not the surge rating then you can run it with the generator.


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## hoverfly (Jan 2, 2009)

KeithO said:
			
		

> Hoverfly, if the appliance draws 400 watts then to run it you would need at least a 400 watt generator. No multiplication by 60 required.
> The thing that gets most folks is the well pump (if you have one). Typically they are 220V and 2-3hp, so they are the biggest load you would need to drive. You also need to have 220V output from the generator. Without water, life sucks and you can't get the most basic things done. If you are on city water, and use sensible lights (cfl's) the 2kW Honda EU generator is perfect. It has an inverter system and the motor speed is dependent on the load (regular gen set runs at 3600 rpm all the time). If you have a low load, it runs slower quieter and saves fuel and wear. More load, it runs faster to match.
> 
> The biggest limitation on generator life is the oil change interval. Many require the oil changed every 15-20 hours, which would be once a day in 24/7 operation. The better generators take more oil, have a pressure lubrication system with a spin on filter and the best are water cooled so that the oil does not have such a hard life.
> ...



Ooops......... sorry it's to determine peak load not contuinous load, you use the formula not to over load the the gen and trip the breaker.  There for the 2400 watts for my mini is surge.

The generator I have is a 5500 watt Brigs and Strat emergency generator that I got for 800.00 bucks. I was in need of a gen fast and this was what was available at the time of need. It takes a tad less than a quart of oil, changed every fifty hours after the break in and has a low oil level cut off. I am now using a full synthetic Amsoil oil for off road use in the same weight. Considering I live right in town any thing more in a generator is not really needed, what happened recently in December with the ice Storm in NH is an infrequent problem, but a continuous gen would and been a better choice and somthing larger would run my 5500 watt hot water tank as well but hay, the Brigs and Strat run every thing short of the hot water, I will take a spong bath from cooking hot water form the gas stove if needed.


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## rowerwet (Jan 4, 2009)

didn't do any research on my generator before I bought it but it has a load sensor on the generator that changes the speed to match  I didn't know there were generators that didn't do that until I read about it here. this is how I got a 4 gal tank to last 14+ hrs instead of the 8 the manuf. quoted.


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## glassman (Jan 4, 2009)

dpwoods,
The one I bought is made in china, that was a good site you wrote down.  The only other issue I might have in really cold weather here is my well pump freezing, it has frozen almost every winter at least once, I have to go do the light bulb thing, its under our deck, in a well pit, and its a pain.  I might run an extension cord down there too, and when I dont have my pellet stove going, keep a light bulb lit, or try cycling the water pump a couple of times.  I am not sure if that generator would start a water pump, but will find out.  As long as I remember to leave water running in really cold weather, its usually ok.  First time I forget is when it freezes.  thanks again for the help,,,,,,


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## Scoop (Jan 6, 2009)

I just bought a 1,200 watt ETQ generator, made where they invented Chinese food. Cost $200 Canadian and seems to work fine. It is a "brushless magnetic field self exciting 2 pole single phase" Machine. IRFuns 5 hours on a gallan of mixed gas. It gets very good reviews on several RV sites I looked at. Am I safe to use this on my Us Stove 6039HF. I just want to run the stove with it in case of an outage. 

thanks Stan


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## dbjc364 (Jan 13, 2009)

We bought a small generator 1500 watts {$300}-easy on the pocketbook-to run the pellet stove specifically-anything else is a bonus. On start up it takes 400 watts-then to keep going about 180. Its all in the manual.So thats enough for heat if power goes out.We gave it a test run & we run it in the tractor carport away from the house.We also have a log propane back up stove-and in the future a wood stove going down cellar. I think a whole lot of people just dont prepare for any emergencies in life then end up buying huge gens they really dont need when going thru a storm- then they end up in Uncle Henrys a year later. I figure we dont need a huge one because I always draw water anyways for an impending storm, we have lamps-candles-flashlights, playing cards & dice-so it seems a big one is overkill.What the heck ever happened to people drawing some water in buckets for flushing the toilet?They always did years ago,and it still seems to work pretty good today.A gas or wood cook stove helps- as well as a camp coffee pot.Maybe I grew up with "Murphy's law" drilled into my brain too much,,but I constantly see-hear people{mostly the younger ones}oh- we're not going to lose the power or I'll wait till I absolutely have to do that",,or they never get around to doing that,then their unprepared.We were always able to pull thru with minimum difficulty and still do today-but it does require that one use the brain that god gave us...


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## Scoop (Jan 13, 2009)

dbjc364 said:
			
		

> We bought a small generator 1500 watts {$300}-easy on the pocketbook-to run the pellet stove specifically-anything else is a bonus. On start up it takes 400 watts-then to keep going about 180. Its all in the manual.So thats enough for heat if power goes out.We gave it a test run & we run it in the tractor carport away from the house.We also have a log propane back up stove-and in the future a wood stove going down cellar. I think a whole lot of people just dont prepare for any emergencies in life then end up buying huge gens they really dont need when going thru a storm- then they end up in Uncle Henrys a year later. I figure we dont need a huge one because I always draw water anyways for an impending storm, we have lamps-candles-flashlights, playing cards & dice-so it seems a big one is overkill.What the heck ever happened to people drawing some water in buckets for flushing the toilet?They always did years ago,and it still seems to work pretty good today.A gas or wood cook stove helps- as well as a camp coffee pot.Maybe I grew up with "Murphy's law" drilled into my brain too much,,but I constantly see-hear people{mostly the younger ones}oh- we're not going to lose the power or I'll wait till I absolutely have to do that",,or they never get around to doing that,then their unprepared.We were always able to pull thru with minimum difficulty and still do today-but it does require that one use the brain that god gave us...



I ended up buying a 1,200 watt generator ($200) at Walmart. I tested it and it runs the stove fine. I agree we all shoulb be prepared for power outages. I have some water and food stored . I coujld always switch the genny overf to run the water pump to replenish supplies on a regular basis.


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## jng518 (Jan 13, 2009)

I have 2 generators 1 is an Onan 4kw (2 cyl) that is in a RV parked next to the house. 
2nd one is a Homelite 5Kw(1 cyl). 
Both have low oil shut off switches. The Onan during one trip was running for 3 days non-stop.
The Homelite I had running for 36 hours during a power outage in 08.
I did not have a pellet stove at the time. But ran the oil furnace,4 lights (cfl) and the tv with no problem.
Most ratings use 120Vac for the watts needed. Ohm's law  P(watts) = I(amps) X E(volts ac/dc).


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## On2wheels (Sep 26, 2009)

Curious to know if someone can confirm that inverter generators are needed for electronic controlled pellet stoves like the Enviro models.  I test ran my stove on a small 1kw generac from cdn tire, but the green pellet-feed led light was flickering and didn't seem to look like it does on hydro power.  I admit it was the cheapest generator you could find, but I don't want to ruin my stove on an unsafe sine wave output.


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## amick780 (Sep 26, 2009)

Just be sure when running your pellet stove on a generator you use a surge protector / power conditioner , one that is used for sensitive equipment, (ex. Monster Power used for Audio/Video equipment). Not a cheap power strip. Power fluctuations with a generator can fry the circuit board pretty easily. Not an inexpensive fix. So spend a few bucks to save yourself alot down the road.


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## rowerwet (Sep 27, 2009)

I ran my CB maxim M175 Outdoor pellet boiler off my generator for a week back before Christmas, after the ice storm. the firestar controller is digital and it took it no problem, the only diff. I noticed was that the pumps were noisy and possibly slower and it seemed to take longer for the water temp to recover after a house cycle.


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## MainePellethead (Sep 27, 2009)

What  about running it through your 220  outlet....   some say  you could fry the  wiring in your house and some say no.  Anyone  hook their genny  this way?


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## mnkywrnch (Sep 28, 2009)

MainePellethead said:
			
		

> What  about running it through your 220  outlet....   some say  you could fry the  wiring in your house and some say no.  Anyone  hook their genny  this way?


I believe your talking about backfeeding and if not done right poses more danger to the lineman than your house wiring.IMHO I would have a transfer switch wired in and be done with it.Thats what I did my 5500 watt gen will run my pstove tv furnace refrigerator and lights with juice to spare.


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## Clay H (Sep 28, 2009)

glassman said:
			
		

> if you guys were going to run a pellet stove, fridge, and a light, what is the best way to run power to those items.  And little smokey, what do you mean by the inevitable?  its going to "expire" because you are running it constantly?   thanks again for your help,,,,,,


Make you a cord with 2 male ends on it, one to plug into the 240 volt plug on Generator and one to plug into the dryer plug in your utility room, If you don't have an elec. dryer, add a 240 volt plug to the breaker box for this.
Turn off main breaker, plug your generator up with this cord you made and fir it up...your whole house will be powered but don't use too many apliances at a time. If you hear the gen. bog down when you turn something on, your at peak and need to turn something else off.


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## Clay H (Sep 28, 2009)

MainePellethead said:
			
		

> What  about running it through your 220  outlet....   some say  you could fry the  wiring in your house and some say no.  Anyone  hook their genny  this way?


Yes, i run mine that way...di it for 3 days last winter. BE SURE TO TURN OFF MAIN BREAKER IN THE BREAKER BOX or power can travel back up the line and kill workers trying to repair line.
Also turn on your front porch light, the power companies will drive by and see it and know you have a generator and may stop to see that you killed the breaker.


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## Clay H (Sep 28, 2009)

mnkywrnch said:
			
		

> Thats what I did my 5500 watt gen will run my pstove tv furnace refrigerator and lights with juice to spare.


Ditto.....


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## THE ROOSTER (Sep 28, 2009)

I plan on using a male/female dryer plug this winter to use with my generator... I'll hook it into a 50amp breaker and then pick and choose what I want to have on And YES kill the main

Almost forgot, go to Camping World and by a volt gauge to plug into an outlet to keep an eye on your voltage


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## hossthehermit (Sep 28, 2009)

Personally, when I have an outage, I run the oil furnace, instead of the pellet furnace, off my Generac. Seems to deal better with power fuctuations, and cheaper to fix if I burn something out. Oil furnace is 25 yr. old, pellet furnace 1 yr. Only time I use the oil, anyway until I run out of pellets, anyway, needs to run now and then.


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## THE ROOSTER (Sep 28, 2009)

Clay H said:
			
		

> glassman said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You know, after reading your post I "REALLY"like your idea better, I can run the cord in through the dryer vent, I have a tree next to the vent to chain the generator to, but my only concern is the distance from the dryer plug to the box... I know the dryer is fed by the box, but coming from the gen. to the box and then out to the house just concerns me... I may just give this a try


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## imacman (Sep 28, 2009)

mnkywrnch said:
			
		

> ......IMHO I would have a transfer switch wired in and be done with it.Thats what I did my 5500 watt gen will run my pstove tv furnace refrigerator and lights with juice to spare.



I agree 100%.  Manual transfer switches aren't that expensive.  I'd have a bad feeling the whole time if i tried backfeeding.....dangerous, IMO.


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## seige101 (Sep 29, 2009)

*RE: Backfeeding.

NO NO NO

Not only do you risk the chance of frying a lineman further down the stream and possible blowing up your generator trying to power the entire neighborhood. There is also a high risk of fire, if utility power comes on and your generator is running, expect your very own personal fireworks show with your electrical panel and generator. This is also the NEC Code.*

This has been discussed before, numerous times. A manual transfer switch is about 100 bucks. An entire generator transfer subpanel is about 300 bucks.

If you are pretty handy this is a DIY project. If you are uncomfortable working in your electrical box please have a qualified electrician perform the work. Should be pretty reasonable.

If you would like more information about a transfer switch or subpanel, post back here or PM me i will be happy to help. If you are relatively local, i would be happy to help out.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 29, 2009)

I used this:
http://static.schneider-electric.us/docs/Electrical Distribution/Load Centers/Accessories, Homeline (HOM, LK, PK, QOM)/40273-809-02.pdf

http://tinyurl.com/y8kmwtg

I wrote about it here:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/19946/


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## imacman (Sep 29, 2009)

Velvetfoot, the link doesn't work....something is missing in the web address.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 29, 2009)

macman, it must be the forum software didn't translate.  I made a tinyurl link below.


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## imacman (Sep 29, 2009)

velvetfoot said:
			
		

> .....  I made a tinyurl link below.


That doesn't work either...sorry.


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## rowerwet (Sep 29, 2009)

definitely do the transfer switch, you don't want to face the idea you killed someone! after the tornado up in Epsom, NH one lineman was killed by a generator back-feeding, after that the power co took its own sweet time and double checked every time to make sure it didn't happen again.


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## sinnian (Sep 29, 2009)

macman said:
			
		

> velvetfoot said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Worked for me, so must be you.  It's a PDF so you need Adobe or something to open it.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 29, 2009)

http://tinyurl.com/y8kmwtg


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## imacman (Sep 29, 2009)

sinnian said:
			
		

> Worked for me, so must be you.  It's a PDF so you need Adobe or something to open it.



Nah, I have all that....something else is screwy.....oh well.

EDIT:  I figured it out!  It's that Mets avatar he's got.  Nothing the Mets do works.   :lol:   GO YANKEES


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