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General Product Question

    David Wainwright
    My new generator will not power my well pump (3/4 hp...Answeredescalated
    General Product Question posted September 15, 2011 by David Wainwright, last edited February 10, 2012 
    3794 Views, 6 Comments
    Question:
    My new generator will not power my well pump (3/4 hp Meyers) but it will power the clothes dryer and other large appliances.
    Any ideas? My neighbor brought over his generator and it picks up the pump no problem and his is smaller.

    Thanks,
    Dave
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    Best Answer

    Doug P.

     Thank you for contacting the Answer Army.

    A generator's maximum load and its actual electrical rating are two different things. The maximum load is for short duration use. A generator's actual load rating indicates what load the generator can handle during sustained usage.

    There are two types of electrical loads---resistive and inductive.

    Resistive loads are pure resistance loads. Examples are---lights, toasters, radios and televisions.  Simply, the resistance remains constant so the current and wattage remain constant when a voltage is applied across the resistance.

    Examples of inductive loads are--electric motors and well pumps. When a motor is first started, the rotor of the motor is essentially stalled and extremely high currents flow. As the motor begins to turn, these high currents begin to drop off and come into phase while the motor comes up to speed.

    The running wattage for a 3/4 hp well pump is approximately 2000 watts. For starting this device, allow 3 times the running watts. In this case approximately 6000 watts.

     

     

    Answer

     

    • Doug P.

       Thank you for contacting the Answer Army.

      A generator's maximum load and its actual electrical rating are two different things. The maximum load is for short duration use. A generator's actual load rating indicates what load the generator can handle during sustained usage.

      There are two types of electrical loads---resistive and inductive.

      Resistive loads are pure resistance loads. Examples are---lights, toasters, radios and televisions.  Simply, the resistance remains constant so the current and wattage remain constant when a voltage is applied across the resistance.

      Examples of inductive loads are--electric motors and well pumps. When a motor is first started, the rotor of the motor is essentially stalled and extremely high currents flow. As the motor begins to turn, these high currents begin to drop off and come into phase while the motor comes up to speed.

      The running wattage for a 3/4 hp well pump is approximately 2000 watts. For starting this device, allow 3 times the running watts. In this case approximately 6000 watts.

       

       

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    • David Wainwright

       The generator is a Husqvarna 1365GN which has 6500 running watts and 8125 starting watts, so I don't think that's the problem. The dealer thinks it has to do with the GFCI. He thinks the pump needs to be rewired or I should buy the additional GFCI wire that's required on OSHA job sites. I was under the impression that the GFCI was a saftey measure and can't see how that would make any difference in running the well pump.

      Dave

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    • Brian Bresney

      Agree with you, something else is going on there- that is a powerful unit that can do way more that 1 well pump

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      • Joseph DeSira

        Does your well pump trip the GFI on the generator or at the pump? Your neighbors generator handles your pump? Does he have a less sensitive GFI on his generator? I once tried a risky trick of holding down the GFI reset button during start up. Once the motor gets moving you should be alright. This is not a recommendation but just a possible one time test to see if it helps. You may have a slight ground fault problem in your wells wiring. It must not be a real bad fault because you said your neighbors smaller generator drives you pump motor. This is how I see your issue with the information you shared. I am not an electrician.

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    • Olivia Fair

      We have been without power for a few days now and when the dust settles I am thinking of picking up an inverter generator vs one that screams at 3600 rpm all the time. I choice beetwen  Hursqarna and Generac http://jonsguide.org/best-whole-house-generators/   I was wondering how well an Hursqvarna generator would handle the loads of a well pump. When a well pump kicks in the initial inrush is large and the generator may be at idle and will take a certain amount of time to spin up and increase it's output to match. I was not sure how well the generator, or pump motor, would handle the miss match in generator output vs pump input demands. Any recommendations, thoughts or experiences are appreciated. 

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    • Vancle Vector

      I purchased a Propane Generator from Central Maine Diesel a few years ago.

      20 HP Honda engine, Italian generator head.
      Paid about $2300 plus shipping via Paradise Freight which was a few hundred.
      I see the price is just a bit higher now... But the one I want most is yuchai genset which i saw from a website.

      Recently it blew a capacitor. Central Maine sent me 2 for the price of one even though it is out of warranty. $39 total for two.

      I looked at generators on island but a similar Honda at Quality electric was close to $6000 and it wasn't even a 13750kw. More like 8 or 9000kw if I remember right.....

      They have many generators at great prices but this is the one I settled for.
       
      Quiet, no smell, propane lasts forever........

       

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