On Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:46:08 -0500, Peter wrote:

On 2/9/2010 5:20 PM, Mike S. wrote:
If a refrigerator requires a 15 or 20 amp power supply, then wouldn't
a 13 amp, 14 gauge heavy duty power cord be insufficient to connect
the refrigerator to a generator? Also, wouldn't using two heavy duty
power cords be bad? I don't know anything about amps or gauges, but my
father who does connected the refrigerator to a power strip (a defunct
surge protector), then plugged the power strip into the 14 gauge, 13
amp power cord. He then plugged that power cord into another power
cord of unknown gauge and amps, and that plugged into the generator. I
thought the refrigerator sounded odd during the time it was running
off the generator, but it was hard to tell.

I suspect my power will go out again from this snow storm that's
coming so I would at least like to be using the correct power cords
this time.
Look at the power cord itself on the fridge. If it is a 14 or 16 gauge cord,
you'll probably be OK if it is a short run. However, if it is a long run,
you'll have enough resistance in the 14 gauge cord to cause a serious voltage
drop that might overheat the fridge motor, or damage the electronics inside.
Maybe you could try to borrow a 12 gauge extension cord from a neighbor.

Is the fridge on a 15 amp circuit or a 20 amp circuit right now? What
does the spec tag on the refrigerator say? MOST refrigerators run just
fine on a 15 amp household circuit, which is wired with #14 wire, so a
#14 extention cord (ONLY ONE) of up to 50 feet WILL NOT be a problem..

The VAST majority of refrigerators on the market draw well under 7.5
amps on 115 volt supply . Startup may be over double running, but most
run at aprox 450 watts
My 25 year old woods upright freezer draws 285 watts steady, with a
starting peak of 327, according to MY Killawatt. That's 2.81 amps,
maximum starting draw.

Actually, you might not have need for a fridge. If you have an attached garage,
you might be able to use it as a fridge and put your frozen stuff out directly
on the snow pack (assuming you have a private yard).

I'm in in DC metro area and we're keeping our fingers crossed power
problems. We don't even have a generator, but so far, so good.