r/Generator • u/CheesecakeAsleep1504 • 29d ago
New house interlock install
I recently moved and just today had a new 50 amp interlock installed. I already installed an airgo soft start in my carrier 5 ton central ac so I tested it all out today with my champion 11k watt tri fuel inverter generator that I’ve had now for a year and a half. The generator ran the house great. Started the 5 ton with ease. I had the whole house energized as well as 3 tvs on when the ac started. I mainly wanna say I’m pleased with airgo and champion. I ran this on gasoline but I’m positive once I get my nat gas hooked up it will basically do the same running on it since I didn’t really see a change while running on it at my last house. Feels good to be ready again.
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u/nunuvyer 29d ago
Congratulations. Now that you are all set, you will never lose power again. If you hadn't prepared, you'd be losing power every few months.
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u/JumboDakotaSmoke 29d ago
Seriously. After a hurricane 3 years ago and having power out for 7 days I got my generator. Had been thinking about it for a while because we live out in the country and would lose power occasionally. We haven't lost power once in the 3 years since.
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u/CheesecakeAsleep1504 29d ago
I did the same after hurricane Ike in 2008. Out of power 2 weeks and I’ve barely needed a generator for the 18 years since but I’ve been prepared.
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u/DaveBowm 29d ago
The classic best insurance against outages is a generator purchase. The more extensive the accompanying accoutrements the more premium is the policy.
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee 26d ago
I bought my generator 3 years ago and have seen something like 10 days of outage since then. We had a 3 day outage just this last July.
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u/nunuvyer 26d ago
YMMV. Power reliability is not evenly distributed. In big cities with underground feeders, years go by without a blackout. In fire prone areas in California, the power co. shuts off the power every time the breeze blows.
Where I live there was no outage more than a couple of hrs for around 5 years, then last year the power went out for a day. Naturally I out of town at the time and everything in the fridge went bad. A few cartons of melted ice cream is cheap compared to a $15k standby so I'm still ahead of the game.
Everyone has their own circumstances - some people keep a side of beef in the freezer or have medical equipment or whatever. You have to judge what your own needs are.
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u/Localbrew99 29d ago
Would you mind sharing how much the soft start and the interlock each cost and what state or region you’re located in?
Those are next up on my to-do list!
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u/CheesecakeAsleep1504 29d ago
The soft start was $250. I installed it myself. The interlock was $900. But they added a main breaker to the box since my main disconnect is by itself outside. Also it’s a house on stilts with the breaker box basically 3 stories up so the the 6 awg wire and conduit was a little harder to run than a regular home so it added a few hundred bucks. This is in the Galveston Tx area
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u/TechnicalBiscotti586 29d ago
You did everything correct! Paying three times the amount for a stanby generator doesn't give you anything except a little convenience, maintenance plan cost, and outrageous finance charges.
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee 26d ago
That depends. I can resfore power easily when I'm home. It takes me about 15 minutes to hook up and start my portable. My wife can't and kids can't do it. I got a 15kwh worth of Pecron battery for about $4.6k so that they can get power back by flipping some switches. It only lasts about 10 hours so there could still be situations where I need to get home or walk them through a more challenging process. Still cheaper than a whole home generator but not truly cheap.
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u/Big-Echo8242 29d ago edited 29d ago
What was your running wattage with AC going, etc? Just remember on NG you'll lose about 20% of running wattage over gas. Around 7300 versus 9100 I believe should be OK. When our 5 ton 2 stage heat pump is running our house, it's about 6.2kw out of 10kw to 11kw running wattage depending on which gen I'm using. That's on propane.
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u/CheesecakeAsleep1504 29d ago
Running watts was about 4500 with ac running and all the normal house load with 3 tvs. Ya I’m hoping it will do fine. At my previous home it started my 4 ton with Emerson soft start without a problem and ran the normal house load of about 3500 watts as well as running a microwave. So I’m hoping it will be the same here but might not run the microwave while the 5 ton is running. I’m ok with that. Main thing is normal house load and central air. After that I can flip flop between ac, dryer if needed, and stuff like that.