I work at home. power just went out. Started our generator, which is 10HP, 5550 watts (8500 start). It’s plugged into an auxiliary outlet that’s enough to run two refrigerators, lights, TV, modem, router, and our well pump (the only thing drawing 220). I do not run microwave, stove, washer, dryer or central A/C with the generator (that last one is a bummer with outside temps at 92).
Is it safe to run a desktop computer on generator power? Is the power ‘even’ or steady enough? Kind of busy with work but I don’t want to damage the computer.
It can be dangerous depending on the generator type.
Some generators include a rectifier set to provide clean 110V 60hz power. Those are generally safe to use for any electronics.
If it is not one of those, I would not risk the PC on it.
ETA: Sorry, technically, I think the generators will talk about having an inverter.
If power outages are a recurring problem, get a moderate sized UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) that battery brick that can fill in during power outages. This should be far more tolerant of irregular power, brownouts (overloading the generator) etc. Plus IIRC most have surge protection for transients, too. It’s cheap insurance.
(Jerry Pournelle, decades ago, recounts testing a UPS for his column in Byte magazine. Someone drove into a power line near his home, dropping something like 50,000V onto the local power lines. Appliances fried and lightbulbs exploded for blocks around, but the computer plugged into that UPS was fine.)
A PC uses a switched mode power supply. This type of supply converts whatever is coming in to DC, and then “chops up” the DC. For the most part, it doesn’t care a whole lot about the quality of the power coming in to it.
It is a recurring problem. I used to work at a place that had small ups units for each computer, but in the case of a power outage they were only good for 15 minutes or so of power, enough to save open files and shut the computers down properly.
Would a medium sized unit work to keep the power on an even keel with the generator running, so I could use my computer for work for hours at a time? Would something like this be adequate?
If you have an open frame generator, it is likely not suited for sensitive electronics. What you want is an ‘inverter generator’ - typically suitcase-sized. But for a larger generator your options would be an external inverter large enough to power your computer, or a battery large enough for the computer, charged by the generator, or a UPS connected to the generator.
That assumes that you are getting at least minimum necessary AC voltage; if your power is so ‘dirty’ that it can’t supply at least 108 VAC even a switched-mode power supply is going to have problems.
A UPS is good for brief power transients and to give your machine enough time to gracefully power down if you’ve configured it for that but most desktop units only provide power for a few tens of minutes. If you plan to operate for an extended duration on generator power I’d actually just get a lithium ion or LiFeO4 based “power station” (e.g. a battery with a true sine inverter) like Bluetti or EcoFlow stations and plug it into your generator ‘grid’. With the correct capacity you’ll be able to run your computer for several hours uninterrupted and without concerns about fluctuations as you add or remove load to the generator since the power it delivers is from the battery and is essentially independent of the generator power. These batteries do degrade with cycling (lithium ion quicker than LiFeO4) but if you are essentially using them as a long duration UPS you probably won’t be deep cycling them regularly.
Depends on the computer. My computer & monitor would probably just run on it but a gaming computer would need a bigger UPS. Do you know what size the power supply is for the computer?
That UPS is only rated for 330w. Maybe look into what @Stranger_On_A_Train Stranger is suggesting. I don’t know about pricing for those.
The $300 model is 600 watts. Is that enough for my power supply? Even though it’s 650 watts, I’m guessing it doesn’t constantly draw max power. But I don’t really know how that works. The next unit up is pretty pricey at $570 and outputs 800 watts. More power than I need?
Assuming that you are only running the computer and monitor on it, you can just divide the watt-hour rating by the sum of the power supply draw of the computer and monitor. Your computer won’t draw the max power unless you are really pushing it, but you won’t be able to get the advertised capacity out of the power stations, especially after a few hundred cycles.
That first station is marginal for your 650 W machine (it lists a 2 600W outlets but it is actually a 600 W maximum with a 1200 W surge) and the second will only give you about a hour of service, which may be enough if you’re constantly charging the power station off of the generator but if you want to be able to shut down the genny or use its max power for something else you might want more capacity. Personally I’d buy something larger like this or this that will give you the ability to run several hours without the generator. Also good for running a refrigerator or other large appliance for several hours to prevent food from spoiling. I’ve been burned enough times by generator failures to be glad to have an alternative that doesn’t rely on taming the gremlins that like to live in a small engine.
Thanks, stranger. Your first link went to some random YouTube video, but your second link went to an ecoflow unit and yikes, $1900 is very pricey for power outages that happen maybe 4 times a year.
I don’t want to run the computer off the power station with no power for a long time, I just need something in between the computer and a running generator that will smooth out the power. Do I really need that much power station for my needs?
And how about if I just run the computer off the power station and take my chances with the monitors? Monitors are replaceable. We run our TVs directly on the gennie and haven’t had any issues.
I would probably shop around for the cheapest decently rated UPS unit with at least a 500w rating based on what you related. 4 times a year isn’t too bad.
If you are just running from generator to charge the UPS or battery then no, you don’t need the extra capacity, and if you don’t plan on running independent of the generator at all a basic UPS will be fine. I’ve just been burned enough by generators failing when really needed that I ended up giving away my gasoline generator and just going completely electric. (I wouldn’t do that if I lived in a cold climate but I could get away with charging using solar panels pretty much year round where I live.)
Yeah, but of those ~4 times a year, the power can be out for hours or days. A couple summers ago it was 5 whole days
Fortunately today it was mere hours, and the main power is back on now. Yay.
Ok, I’m looking at this one then. Amazon’s Choice! 900w is more than enough (the price point choices go from that $77 350w model I first linked to, to this $175 900w bad boy, no in between on Amazon):
