Can I run a portable a/c off my 8k portable generator?

I have an 8k generac with transfer switch which powers much of my house (not central a/c of course).

Can I use a portable a/c? If so, what's the biggest one I could get (and what do I need to look for in terms of wattage/voltage/etc...)?

I have no internet and very poor cell service so I apologize for not using the search feature first.

Thank you.

 

You should be able to run a 2-3 portable AC's off a generator of that size. As for which and how big, I think you'll find a limited number of choices which will make your decision a bit easier. 12k btu is a common size and can be easily run with your generator. My 3k watt inverter generator can run one. If you want to research look at the power consumption of the AC you are considering. It's usually listed in amps or watts and you can compare with the output capacity of your generator.

Now for the very, very important part. ONLY buy a portable air conditioner if it is a two hose model (two hoses go out the window). Single hose units are more common and less expensive but are so inefficient that they do almost no real cooling at all. Yes, a single hose model will blow cold are but because of their single hose design they suck in so much hot, humid air from outside that you really don't get much cooling in the end. A two hose model operates much more like a window AC and can provide good, beneficial cooling power.

 

Thank you very much. I'll see what I can find online next time I'm in a spot with decent cell service...

Also, any idea what the 'drain' is on the generator in terms of how quickly it'll run out of gas... As it is now if I fill it up it'll go 12 hours easily as we're not using much in the house.

If I run the portable a/c, does the generator run out of gas in a few hours, or does it still go for quite a while?

Thank you again!

 

The more load you put on the faster it uses gas.
If you're getting 12 hours per tank lightly loaded you may get 8 or so hours heavily loaded.

 

Thanks. That's great to hear. I figured it would drain it much faster.

 

Slightly different question; is it truly possible to run central a/c (of course depending on the exact system, etc...) off of something like this: https://www.electricgeneratorsdirect...tor/p2683.html

 

Yes, I run my 4 ton central AC with a 12'000 watt generator. One word of warning about construction grade generators... they can be very LOUD.

 

• 16-Gallon Gas Tank
• Generates up to 10 hours of electricity at half load

Look at the gas consumption on that baby...... 1.6 gallons per hour.

 

Thanks. I was mainly just curious, don't think I would do it mostly due to the noise and gas use.

 

Fuel consumption is a big issue. I have a small 2k gas generator and a 12kw diesel. Even with no load the diesel burns more fuel per hour than the 2k does with a decent load.