Hurricane Ike - Floridian - YIKES! Prius as basic generator advice.

[partipilo]

Possible real bad hurricane about ready to slam us here in Palm Beach County, Florida.

I picked up a 750 watt inverter, which I have a feeling that if I am irresponsible, and run it fully loaded, it might be able to blow that infamous 100 amp fuse. My big question is, in case that happens, how difficult is it to replace, and can it be done by somebody who has pretty basic automotive work experience? I'm a systems admin geek but on my old Jeep I have managed to change out the spark plugs, a fuel pump, radiator hoses, and an O2 sensor. Whatcha think?

I have a kill-a-watt thingy I got from ThinkGeek so that should help along the way, but in case it does blow, and its terribly expensive to fix, I will be more responsible with loading (ie plugging in a 13" tv instead of the 60")


And, if it is something user-replacable, it may be a good idea to procure a spare in case these hurricanes do slam into us. :-)

[Patrick Wong]

One fuse is located under the 12V battery's red plastic positive terminal cover. When you remove the red plastic terminal cover, you should be able to see the small fuse block. That fuse is not particularly hard to replace.

The DC to DC converter fuse link is located within the main relay/fuse box near the inverter. If you remove the lid to that box, then you will see a rectangular plastic box with a clear plastic cover, around 5" long. This contains several fuse links and is not easy to replace.

If you plan to be irresponsible with your power usage, then it would be well to install an 80A fuse in the inverter power cable. Good luck with your survival planning.

[lefat1]

if you live in florida, why not buy a generator like i did. you can get them now pretty cheap. if not i know 1st hand some tool rental stores that will rent them for 30-40 bucks per day

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by partipilo

. . .
I picked up a 750 watt inverter, which I have a feeling that if I am irresponsible, and run it fully loaded, it might be able to blow that infamous 100 amp fuse. My big question is, in case that happens, how difficult is it to replace, and can it be done by somebody who has pretty basic automotive work experience? . . .

Not a problem:

Prius - UPS Project

IMHO, you could go with a 1 kW inverter without a out problem and the ability to deal with a wider range of loads. You don't need the ferrite donuts, I had them so I used them. I don't think they do much good.

If you go by an RV place, you can get an 80-90A circuit breaker, if you want the additional protection on the 12 VDC circuit.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

[KK6PD]

Hello all, first off, any storm that has a Cat number assigned to it sucks!!

That being said some generator basics are needed.

You need to consider the maximum and rated power of the generator. This is important depending on what items you want to run off of your generator. Items such as toaster, lamps, and coffee makers are resistive, or constant loads and their total load can be calculated at amps x 1. Items such as saws and drills are reactive loads and while
the running load may be small, the starting load should be calculated at running amps x 3. Remember, after the initial start less power is required for actual operation.
Always remember that simple power management will allow a smaller generator to do a big job. Very seldom are all tools or appliances operating simultaneously. When calculating power requirements, consider the starting requirements are only for the initial start and then additional tools may be operated in addition.
Remember Ohm’s Law from High School Physics?
Watts = Volts x Amps
Amps = Watts/Volts
So if you have two of the numbers (e.g. volts, amps) then you can find
out the other (e.g. watts). This can help you to determine the rated
power that you’ll need from your generator.

MAXIMUM AND RATED POWER
The amount of power that a generator can produce is rated in watts (power).
For Example, a 2kw generator produces a MAXIMUM 2000 watts of power. This means the 2kw could provide power to 20 one hundred watt light bulbs at the same time. The generator would then be at its MAXIMUM power output

A generator should never be operated at its MAXIMUM power output for more than 30 minutes.

RATED power is a more reliable measure of generator power. It is the power that a generator can produce for long periods of time. Typically the RATED power is 90% of the MAXIMUM power.

LOADS
In the previous example, the light bulbs are the LOAD of the generator. The EM2500 generator can handle a LOAD of no more than 2000 watts maximum.
The light bulb example is called a RESISTIVE type load and the POWER it requires is pretty easy to understand. Other RESISTIVE types of LOAD are things like toasters, convection ovens, hot plates, curling irons, coffee makers, stereos and TV's. RESISTIVE LOADS are usually those that do not have electric motors.
Another load is the REACTIVE type and is a little more confusing. Typically, a REACTIVE load contains an electric motor. This type of load may require up to three times as much power (wattage) to START as it does to keep it running. Examples of REACTIVE type loads are air conditioners, refrigerators / freezers, furnace fans, well pumps, bench grinders and air compressors

RESISTIVE LOADS
The equation shows the relationship between watts, volts and amps in a PURELY RESISTIVE load. If you know any of the two variables, the third can be calculated.
Example: You want a generator to power a 1000 watt flood light. The light is 120V and requires 1000 watts of power. Using the equation, we can calculate that the floodlight will draw 8.3 amps of electrical current.
For REACTIVE loads, the equation shows only a general relationship between watts, volts and amps. That's because the power requirements for REACTIVE loads changes with operating conditions

REACTIVE LOADS
When determining the proper generator for REACTIVE type loads, you must consider three modes of operation:
STARTING - The electric motor requires more power to start. The starting power required can be THREE times the running amount.
RUNNING - The power required to run the electric motor after it has been started.
LOADED - When the electric motor begins to work (saw begins cutting wood), its power requirement will increase. This is not applicable for most household appliances.

LOAD POWER REQUIREMENTS
Here are a few ways to determine power requirements for various loads that are expected to be powered by a Honda generator.
Method 1, using estimating charts, can be used to get a general idea of the generator size.
Method 2, reading the motor data tag, is more accurate since the data tag information is provided by the motor manufacturer. Data tag information does not always show STARTING power requirements for REACTIVE type loads.

Hope this clears up some of the Generator confusion.

Remember, ...NEVER RUN AT MAX LOAD FOR MORE THAN 30 Minutes!!!

Good Luck, de Pat KK6PD

[partipilo]

Wow that was quite a long reply KK6PD!

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Regarding the generator thing, theyre noisy, and if no cane hits this year, and it sits a year till next season, or maybe 2 years, those cheap engines are notorious for being difficult to get running again. The Prius starting up its motor every little while to top up the battery is not much noise, and probably a ton more efficient then a little generator running continuously.

[Dave_PH]

Better to use yor car to drive to the other coast and take a few days vacation.

[partipilo]

Originally Posted by Dave_PH

Better to use yor car to drive to the other coast and take a few days vacation.

ahh theyre not that bad. they just knock out power for a week and make everything a complete mess. few homes actually get bulldozed down i kinda look forward to a good 'cane, makes life interesting for awhile.

[KK6PD]

Originally Posted by partipilo

Wow that was quite a long reply KK6PD!

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Regarding the generator thing, theyre noisy, and if no cane hits this year, and it sits a year till next season, or maybe 2 years, those cheap engines are notorious for being difficult to get running again. The Prius starting up its motor every little while to top up the battery is not much noise, and probably a ton more efficient then a little generator running continuously.

Just a couple of adds, I would recommend the "Honda" generator line, VERY QUIET!!! Also I converted to run on propane, burns cleaner, a BBQ tank lasts a day and a half, I keep 6 full ones in the garage. Propane will not degrade like Gasoline will and it will not gum up the engine. I have gone as long as a couple of years between starts, check the oil, turn on the propane hit the start button. Kaching, 6kW at my disposal!!!

And it easily hides in the garage!!! About 700 bucks or less depends where you shop!!

Good Luck de Pat KK6PD

[hobbit]

Hey KK, are you talking about one of Honda's "inverter" series?
What did you do to convert to propane? [yes, all this is totally
prius-unrelated..]
.
_H*