IT WORKS!! 40000 BTU 3.5 Ton Air Conditioner Generator Test Video

*PLEASE GIVE ME A THUMBS UP IF THIS VIDEO WAS HELPFUL. THANKS!*
Running my 3.5 Ton central AC unit on my CAT RP8000E generator.
I was prepping for a potential power outage during hurricane Dorian in 2019. If the storm came inland, I wanted to be prepared. We were without power after Hurricane Irma for 3 days and I did not want to be in the same situation again.
Initially I picked up the RP6500, but returned it because I wanted to be able to power the whole house. Knowing the 8000 will power everything, I'm pretty sure the 6500 would have at least powered the AC. CAT also makes an RP7500E but it isn't sold at Lowe's
I picked this unit up at my local Lowes, and it seems to be the perfect setup to run what I need. That list includes central air, my reef tank, both refrigerators, and all the lights and fans in the house.
I am no HVAC technician or Electrician, so I cannot speak to whether all of my numbers regarding power are optimal, but everythung I need to work is working.
Best of luck and be safe.
Generator:
www.lowes.com/...
5-2-1 hard start:
5-2-1 CSRU2 Compressor Saver for 3-1/2 to 5 Ton Units www.amazon.com...

[@rainmancw9022]

We just went through 3 days of the Texas no-power ordeal with the 8000. They are loud, however, this thing is a beast

[@saulgoodman4769]

I am in Florida as well, doing the same thing you are doing right now. 3.5 ton Goodman unit, adding a 521 hard start to it. Add the interlock and outdoor plug for the panel feed. Only thing I am still trying to figure out is which generator to get. Glad to see a 3.5 ton that's way older and most likely not as efficient as mine working. Everyone I talked to in the last few days was saying crazy shit like "You need a 19kw generator to run your AC"........Yeah...Ok.

[@MrSkunks]

Saul Goodman I’ve done a lot of research and the best I can find is that an AC compressor can start on 70% of its rated voltage and 70% of its LRA. This is before the hard start kit is installed So assuming I have an LRA of 69, I would need about ~8000 starting watts to start my compressor. I know this to be somewhat true because without a hard start kit, my 8500 running watt generator can easily start it. If I did what everyone told me, I would need a 16KW generator. Assuming a good 5-2-1, you can bring that number to 50% of LRA and voltage. This seems to be true as well as I’ve seen others start a 3 ton with a 5500 running watt generator. While I have limited testing, doubling the tested running watts of a compressor seems to be a safe bet for needed generator starting watts. All I know for sure is all of those that tell you multiply LRA and voltage are just wrong. The starting amps are just so fast that it doesn’t have time to dip the generators voltage

[@MrSkunks]

I wish I could test it but I believe my compressor would start on a 5500 running watt generator. My 3 ton used about 2,600 watts running. The only reason I wouldn’t go with a 5500 is that for one I don’t want to be running at 50% load with just the AC and I want to be able to run other appliances and not worry about turning them off before the AC starts up. My newest challenge is what’s the best way to store 5-7 days of fuel lol

[@saulgoodman4769]

@@MrSkunks I am fortunate to have natural gas at my house, so I am going to just install the tri-fuel kit and keep some propane for backup. If you want you could go that route too, but it gets pricey when you start buying a bunch of propane tanks. Another option would be to only fill your gas cans with non-ethanol gasoline so it doesn't go bad. I hate storing large amounts of gas though, and I don't have a shed or anywhere else to keep them out of the sun.

[@BreakingJohn]

Saul Goodman someone just told me the same.

[@saulgoodman4769]

@@BreakingJohn I ended up getting everything working about 10 months ago. Hard start kit installed and my generator hardly complains when it kicks on. I got a used Duromax xp12000 and installed a Tri fuel kit in case I run out of gasoline.

[@MrSkunks]

That gives me hope. I have a 5 ton, 134 LRA amps. Just purchased a 12,000 running watt 15,000 surge watt generator to hook up to my house. Waiting for transfer switch to be installed but I’ve been worried about being able to start it even with the same 5-2-1 hard start kit you have.

[@saulgoodman4769]

I'd buy the hard start, install it, then buy a decent clamp meter just to test how many amps you are drawing during startup. Always good to know what the numbers are beforehand.

[@Trentesttubebaby40]

Did it work?

[@SuperRobkar]

Nice job. That cat is pulling that load like a boss. Right before I got to the part about the 5-2-1 I was going to ask if you had a hard start on it as I would have thought it would be impossible for that generator to start the ac without it. I have a 5-2-1 as well and was able to get my 2.5 ton to start with a 5k generator.

[@tampareefer6029]

Right on SuperRob. I was pretty happy when the Cat held the load of the AC.

[@culbyj3665]

@@tampareefer6029 ive heard the LRA can be be a throw away number. yet i see people (like yourself making it work) doing it all the time. The Load start kit seems to be important. Im looking at a Westinghouse 12.5 peake with 9.5kw running. I wanna stagger the blower startup from the condenser unit just to ease startup. . Im just really curious if youve had any issues. So many electricians say no matter what its a bad idea yet others say its fine as long as you manage the power startup . it seems you have managed it properly. My condenser is only 36k btu

[@tampareefer6029]

@@culbyj3665 Hey Culby. No issues to report as of yet. That being said, I hope to never have to rely on this solution, but it's good to know it should work when I need it to. Like you stated, managing the load at this point is key, and something anyone would most likely do whether firing up the HVAC or not.

[@culbyj3665]

@@tampareefer6029 Thanks for the response. Three questions . One what is ggoing on to the right of your panel? is that a fios DEMARK for an ONT, and what is above the outlet? Two, you have 2 15 amp breakers adjacent in your box marked Gen? whats that about? Three, had you ever taken amperage readings on each leg to your condensing unit and were you able to catch the startup readings as well as running readings?

[@obobobobobi]

You a brave man running your AC on generator.

[@PeterLawton]

Brave? Why?

[@167bustillo]

It's a 10k starting watts and 8k running watts. This generator is more than capable. Nothing brave about it, numbers don't lie

[@JungleBredCornFed]

Thank you for the video it gave me some reassurance to move forward with my setup. I just installed a soft start kit prepping for hurricane Laura. Hopefully won’t need it but it’ll be good peace of mind if I ever lose power during the Texas summer.

[@UhBuddy1976]

What is the surg/running watts of the generator? Is the 8000 the running or is that the surge?

[@Mr.Fotingo-qf9hk]

How long does it run on a full gas tank with all the stuff you're running?

[@azlibidin9159]

How much amp generator when you used 1hp air conditioner????

[@CarnivoreguyScott]

So do you prefer the 5-2-1 hard start kit to a soft start kit ?

[@tomwaters2703]

Great video and now I’ve solved the mystery of how to run the a/c. HOWEVER- I notice you are only sending 30a from the genset. Are you powering other circuits too? I thought I’d have to use the 50a

[@tampareefer6029]

Hey Tom, yes at the time I had other circuits running as well. I was being cautious with my load, I.e. I would not attempt to run the microwave or the dryer when the AC was on, but it was running two refrigerators and a few lights inside.

[@tomwaters2703]

Tampa Reefer Great. Thanks again. I did a for-hire job recently and it was YOUR video that I referenced several times so you helped someone! You can retire now. Lol.

[@tampareefer6029]

@@tomwaters2703 Glad to know I could help Tom. I'm having a cold one on you this afternoon!

[@tomwaters2703]

Tampa Reefer Please do. My client provided many for me on that job. 🍻

[@obaidalmazrouei-ek8lq]

Is this single face or Three face?

[@ronnierocha9894]

what's is that small black cord adapter ?? is it a 30 amp to 50 amp ??

[@demoll78]

How you doing that shit mines 9500/12000 and it don't push a 3 ton

[@marcleblanc7021]

That fan dont seem to be blowing at max rpm. Maybe its just the video

[@sgjesse13]

Out of curiosity, why not a soft start ? Price?

[@culbyj3665]

I havent gone thru your comments much but howd you make out with that LRA rating of 103??? how long did you run? IS it just the start up that was a concern? I am looking into a similar setup..

[@tampareefer6029]

Hey Culby. I ran the AC for about 15 minutes. My biggest concern was the Amp draw on startup. Essentially, the draw to get the fan spinning.

[@culbyj3665]

@@tampareefer6029 yeach exactly , ive got some questions to ask if its okay to reach out DM or whatever . Im also looking at a westinghouse model. Have you done an amp probe test at start up to see ur actual LRA . even with a Basic fluke ? Thank you for the response. I wanna do this right the first time.

[@jeffmckenzie7282]

Once you get past lock rotor amps, you good to go.

[@SuperJose1202]

The problem I see here is the neutral coming from your cord, at some point is going to heat up and possibly burn...

[@PeterLawton]

Why? The hot conductor and the neutral conductor carry the same current for 120 VAC, and neutral carries no current for 240 VAC.

[@GhettoWagon]

Where did you get the beefy power cord from.

[@tampareefer6029]

Hey Ghetto Wagon. Here's the cord I used. 50 Amp RV Power Cord (50AMP-25G) www.amazon.com/dp/B07RVFXVHY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sOSGDbBXVHZFG I made a 30 to 50A extension to go from the 30A out on my gen to the 50A plug on the cord. I used parts from Lowes to make the adapter.

[@themechanic4222]

I do have 2 units. Used one direct power to condenser

[@ernestwalden3894]

How many watts is your generator? 40000?

[@PeterLawton]

The RP8000E is rated for 8,000 running watts and 10,000 starting watts.

[@rfbalagam7950]

So you don't to pay power bills?

[@PeterLawton]

Electricity produced by a generator is very expensive, compared to the grid utility. But it's worthwhile for short periods like outages, or construction work.

[@gilkennedy7638]

??? WTF Why google research say that you need 14kw generator to run a 3 tone A/c

[@marcoolazaran9193]

Going to try it. I have a 4 ton ac unit. Got a 30amp generator 10000 watts.

[@rustynail6819]

FYI....30 amps can only push a max of 7500 watts through it. You will no be able to use the full 10,000 (probably around 8500 running) through that circuit.

[@geno5487]

I just tested my 4.5 ton unit with no soft start, and it barely pulled the rpms down on start and leveled back out. Running two fridges and a freezer along with the AC. 30 amp cord never got warm, and ran it for about an hour with my 10K generator.

[@marcoolazaran9193]

@@geno5487 wow! Will need to try it. I was thinking I just need to use less juice or turn everything off and just turn the ac on first.

[@geno5487]

@@marcoolazaran9193 I misspoke, my unit is 42,000 btu therefore is a 3.5 ton. My compressor draws 17.9 amps(around 4200 watts) and already has hard start capacitor installed, so generator hardly notices when ac kicks on. I always thought central AC units required a huge generator, mine is 10,000 surge/8,000 running watts.

[@marcoolazaran9193]

@@geno5487 oh. My ac is a 4 ton. I wonder if it will work with a soft start.

[@wooddawg4868]

Its cool to have air while on generator power, but if the power is out the last thing You need to run is an air conditioner.