Question

[Allan in NE]

How much standby generator will it take to run a house equipped with a heat pump? Will 22kw handle it?

Thanks,

Allan

 

[IaGary]

Morning Allan

22k would handle most houses.

I don't know the size of your heat pump so here is my closes guess.

Your heat pump will take about 40 amps on 220. Or 8800 of those 22,000 watts.

This will leave about 50 to 60 amps for the rest of the house.

Gary

 

[massey333]

Will run the heat pump itself fine,backup heat strips could cause a problem(how many KW strips).We have fossil backups,but a 15KW in a 3T system home-farm,25KW in 4T home-farm and a 30KW in a 5T&3T home plus the rest of the farm stead equip on all.

 

[tractorsam]

What sort of heat pump do you have? At my house I have a ducted in unit and every time it starts up all of the lights dim just for a moment (also the lights in the barn - on the same transformer). It also has an electric element that kicks in once it gets cold enough and that really draws some juice. If you have a mini-split I wouldn't have thought the demand would be nearly as high. Sam

 

[Greg K]

Yeah, what they said. It should run the pump fine but the backup heat, if electric, could cause issues.

 

[Steamboat]

I have a 20k generator which handles a 4 ton heat pump just fine.

 

[Mark - IN.]

I have a 17K that will top out at about 77 amp at 220 VAC, 140 amp at 120 VAC. Used for backup, most homes will never get anywhere near that, nor should they. Generators are extremely dirty power that can cause lots of damage. These days, lots of home stuff, ranges, refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces, and so on have solid state components that just don't feel loved by the erratic outputs of generators and subsequently get smoked by them. If you would like to power the whole house off of a generator, then I would consider getting power conditioners from ONEAC, Tripplite, and other sources. Otherwise, I'd worry about powering up the least amount of stuff possible so as not to have to be replacing them afterwards. A couple of years ago I used mine and did ok, lost one of the refrigerators (control board) that was just fine when I lost power, not after the generator. Generators are at times helpful, but they can do a whole lot of damage and are known for it.

Good luck.

Mark

 

[Trkr]

Not trying to be smart,but a heat pump in Neb.?Hope you have some other type of aux. heat to go with it.

 

[Allan in NE]

Bet the heat coils are on this morning....6 below out there. Brrrr.

Allan

 

[sotxbill]

reverse cycle heat pump or a ground water heat pump????

 

[IowaJohn]

Not sure this will do you any good. I have forced air electric heat in a 1400 square foot ranch style house the burner is rated at 25kw. I don't have a heat pump.

 

[Ferd]

Allan - I'm on five acres in the country with an all electric house. Had an electrician calculate the size needed and he came up with 22kw. I found a deal on a new 15kw and it will power the furnace & heat pump but just barely. Turn the stove on and it will pop the fuse. Only need it for emergency in my case so the smaller unit will get me by in a pinch.

 

[RCP]

Allan

Multiply the current of your main breaker (200?) times the voltage (220) equals the power requirement (44,000 watts or 44KW), of course if your total number of circuits in the house is less than the main breaker you could use that number rather than the main breaker. Or if you are willing to shut off some of the loads, or manage the loads you could use a smaller unit.

Good Luck
Rich

 

[HenryO]

Allen, please tell us what kind of heat pump you are using.. I have been retired for 20 years but I dont think a heat pump is very usable in your neck of the woods. Heating stops at around 40 degree F. You must then resort to heat strips(called emergency heat) That draws a lot more current than the compressor so I would use the heat strips, usually 10-15 or 20 KW and some units use two strips. So, please figure that in. Henry

 

[Sean Feeney]

Not trying to be smart arse too, but with what the boys been through i'd be asking that qustion to his electrician. my .02

 

[Allan in NE]

It's a reverse cycle with 15kw worth of heat strips. I don't want to get caught out there in the Netherlands without any heat.

Allan

 

[Allan in NE]

It's a Carrier(sp) and it sucks heat down to -20. They've came a long way since you retired. I can set the thermostat with my cell phone. :>)

Allan

 

[GordoSD]

You might be better served thinking about reserve heat source that requires very little electricity. As in Fireplace with heatilator. Outside woodburner. Vented propane furnace hooked up to your existing ductwork. Ant fan on those units wouldn't require more than 1500 watts. And in an emergency you usually hunker down in the kitchen and one bedroom.

 

[Married2Allis]

Heat pump will have 2 breakers. One for the indoor unit with the resistance heat strips and the other for the heat pump itself and the compressor. To reduce your amperage draw requirements in a backup power situation, simply keep the outside compressor breaker off. That way you'll just be running the blower and heat strips on the indoor unit. Once you get the house heated up, unless your house is very poorly insulated it should be possible to keep the resistance heat stage at stage 1 most of the time which is normally just 5kw. That way your startup amperage may be less that 40 amps

 

[Farmaller]

20KW will do it

 

[notjustair]

I've got a 19 kW generator and an air to air heat pump. It works it just fine. I've never kicked on the strips, though, as the majority of the heat comes from a wood stove. I have three or four small room heaters - the oil filled kind and those Amish-style ceramic heaters. When I needed power before the new stove I would just turn the HVAC fan on to circulate and then run a couple of space heaters up stairs and a couple downstairs.