Pete C. wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
Ron Hardin wrote:
Is there a power-strip like device for use with portable
generators that turns off outlets when other outlets are using
a certain number of watts?

Like you'd want to turn off the refrigerator while the sump pump
cycles, to keep the total watts under say 2000; but mostly the
refrigerator stays on.

You can easily build your own if you're handy
with electrical modules. You won't have to
build any circuit boards because the parts
are available off the shelf. You can use a
current sensor and relay module manufactured
by Functional Devices, Inc which are sold at
many HVAC supply houses like Johnstone Supply.

http://www.functionaldevices.com/

http://tinyurl.com/5fuhg8

http://www.johnstonesupply.com/corp/Default.aspx

TDD

Generator load management is a bit more complicated than that and simply
dropping lower priority loads when higher priority ones come on won't
work properly and could potentially damage items.

A proper load management setup needs a controller with some smarts, and
monitoring connections to things like sump pump switches, thermostats,
etc. so that it can tell when an item needs to run, even though it is
not currently powered. This type of control just isn't practical on a
small scale where the cost of the control would exceed the cost of a
larger generator.

2,000 freaking watts! Geez! A very simple automatic switch
can do the trick for the guy. A current sensor, a timer
and a relay could make up a simple load control for the
man's generator to drop the refrigerator when the sump
pump kicks in. No micro-controller or fancy PLC needed.
If it involved 10,000 to 150,000 watts or more, I could
understand the need for more finesse. For a generator I
can pick up with one hand, nope, nope, nope.

TDD