Running 600gph ro on portable generator

[calvertbrothers]

I'm starting all new again and moving may sugar House to the woods. That's along ways off the road. I'm thinking of running an 600gph ro off the generator and lights off of it. What is the wattage would I need? I found a 12,000 watt generator on Amazon for under 1000 bucks.

[madmapler]

I'm starting all new again and moving may sugar House to the woods. That's along ways off the road. I'm thinking of running an 600gph ro off the generator and lights off of it. What is the wattage would I need? I found a 12,000 watt generator on Amazon for under 1000 bucks.

It'll probably need between 50 and 60 amps at 220v. I'd look at what it has for a 220 breaker and outlets.

[maple flats]

You need to know what the starting amps are on the biggest motor first, then that motor's running amps, add to that the starting amps on any and all other pumps on the RO. You can start the big one first (or can you, you need pressure to the HP pump before starting it?)
What are the numbers?
Whatever the breaker needs to be, you want at least 35% more so you don't starve it on startup, that will cause a motor to fail prematurely.

[calvertbrothers]

You need to know what the starting amps are on the biggest motor first, then that motor's running amps, add to that the starting amps on any and all other pumps on the RO. You can start the big one first (or can you, you need pressure to the HP pump before starting it?)
What are the numbers?
Whatever the breaker needs to be, you want at least 35% more so you don't starve it on startup, that will cause a motor to fail prematurely.
I'm ordering a new CDL 600gph ro in may. I'll have to get the specs from my CDL dealer

[5050racing]

I know they are expensive but the last thing you need to do is have it not work and be loud or have to buy it twice!! Get a honda and be done with it then you can use it all year for your other storm needs,when the sap is full in the tanks you won't have time to mess with a generator!! Just my thoughts!

[Dill]

My RO has a 70 amp outlet if that helps.

[Diesel Pro]

Agreed on the Honda or some other reputable generator. If the loads are as high as they seem to be I think I would look at something like a Kohler whole home generator ($4k range) and try to get LP gas back in there. You can always bring it home if you decide to quit it.

Not sure what they are using to start these motors, but you may want to look at Secure Start to clip the amperage draw spikes associated with big motors.

[motowbrowne]

I'd consider a generator running off a tractor PTO. You can readily buy cheap quiet horsepower that will transport itself right to the woods. Tractors are designed for continuous use, parts are available for most models, and they're handy for other tasks too. Just thinking out loud here.

[WVKeith]

I have a pto generator. 50 amp, 220 V. Runs the whole house in a power outage. Price was half that of a comparable gasoline generator. My only down side is that to get the generator to voltage, pto has to be to speed and tractor has to be at 2200 rpm. At that speed, I burn about a gallon per hour diesel, that can be expensive if you need continuous operation

[ennismaple]

I have a pto generator. 50 amp, 220 V. Runs the whole house in a power outage. Price was half that of a comparable gasoline generator. My only down side is that to get the generator to voltage, pto has to be to speed and tractor has to be at 2200 rpm. At that speed, I burn about a gallon per hour diesel, that can be expensive if you need continuous operation

That's much less diesel burned than you would burn oil to evaporate raw sap. Even if you're burning "free" wood there's a cost associated with processing it for the evaporator.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I have a pto generator. 50 amp, 220 V. Runs the whole house in a power outage. Price was half that of a comparable gasoline generator. My only down side is that to get the generator to voltage, pto has to be to speed and tractor has to be at 2200 rpm. At that speed, I burn about a gallon per hour diesel, that can be expensive if you need continuous operation

Mind sharing where? I looked around and seeing about $2000 for pto generator. A cheap 10 KW generator can be had for $1000.

[wiam]

I have a pto generator. 50 amp, 220 V. Runs the whole house in a power outage. Price was half that of a comparable gasoline generator. My only down side is that to get the generator to voltage, pto has to be to speed and tractor has to be at 2200 rpm. At that speed, I burn about a gallon per hour diesel, that can be expensive if you need continuous operation


There is also a cost of engine wear on a much more expensive engine in the tractor than on a generator. I built a gas powered hydraulic power pack to run woodsplitter and other stationary farm equipment cause it is a few hundred $ engine instead of a few thousand $.

[WVKeith]

Maine:

That is a northern tool 12,000 Watt generator. I see they are selling for $1500 now. I may have been a bit optimistic on the price KW to KW. But I was considering that I had a 32 Hp diesel motor running it. I do agree with wiam that it is a lot of wear and tear on the motor. During Sandy, I put more hours on the motor than I did the whole summer. It does run good so far for me. Also, for a back- up generator, I like like the idea it runs from the tractor. I always keep my tractor maintained and running. I am not sure I would be regimented enough to keep a standby gasoline generator in top maintenance

[Dill]

I've been to a sugarhouse in VT running a PTO generator for the whole operation. Not sure if that was smart or not. The issue with them is you have to run at PTO speed. At one point I didn't know that. Figured it would be the best way to power the house. Turns out having an 80 horse tractor blasting 5 feet from the living room wasn't a good solution.