On Saturday, October 5, 2019 at 10:26:59 AM UTC-4, Home Guy wrote:
I see some small portable generators (3000 - 4000 watt) on sale. $450
(CAD, which is $340 USD) for a Champion generator - I think this one:

https://www.championpowerequipment.c...age-generator/

My furnace has a conventional AC blower motor - not sure if it's PSC or
some other type. It's either 1/3 or 1/2 hp and doesn't have a large
capacitor either built into it or wired up near by. My 40-year-old
furnace otherwise has NO electronics other than the gas-valve soleniod.
No draft inducers, sensors, vent fans, etc.

Anyone ever run such a motor from one of these small generators?

Just thinking of picking up a generator to run my furnace
(intermittently) in case of any extended winter power outage.

I've run several furnaces over the years, including modern ones with
electronics, with no problems. No problems with anything else, eg TVs,
water heaters with electronics, etc. Only failure with a generator
that I've seen is a neighbor had a small one, maybe 2000W, and his
electronic coffee maker failed while using it.

If it's a conventional generator, about the only bad thing I can see
happening is if the voltage regulator failed and it went way over
voltage. Operating normally, you'd think it would have to be pretty
much a reasonable sine wave, just by virtue of how it's physically built.
STuff without electronics doesn't have anything sensitive. And stuff
with electronics typically has a switching power supply that will
accept a wide range of input variation.

Still, having said that, with one of those expensive ECM motors on a
new furnace, I guess I would still be a bit nervous. And maybe I'd
use the older 43" TV, instead of the new 65", if you know what I mean.