The best thing about my generator setup which is functionally the same as yours is that it is MAGICAL. Most of the times I've used it, right after selectively shutting off the water heater (I'm all-electric), dragging out the generator, connecting the cable, getting things cranked up...wait, I need to fill the tank completely up first to get maximum runtime, and usually all of this is in a downpour, and finally switching over the breakers, the MAGIC happens and line power immediately comes back on. It's turned into a meme in my family. "Dad! Get the generator out so the power will come back on!"

I’m in Texas and still recovering from Hurricane Beryl. I ran a gasoline-only generator, and finding an open gas station with available fuel was nearly impossible. I'll be switching to a natural gas generator.

This guy crushes! Don't know half of what he's talking about but man it's cool to see dudes who know what they're doing.

Your vids are absolute gold for us average dudes who just need some guidance. Thank you for all your contributions.

I bought one of these from Costco 3 years ago. Ran it on propane the whole time. Had to run extension cords. I do not have the generator inlet box yet or a natural gas outlet yet. It is one of my goals to install soon. When we had our hard freeze, we were able to run medical devices and keep our fridge going. Very happy with our generator.

This is one of the best HVAC - DIY channel on KZfaq. You have saved me a bundle. tks

Simply awesome, millions need this set up in TX, as we keep having issues with power grid, if it's a snow storm, tornado, hurricane, you named it, it happens in TX, have 1 house done, working on our next residence and no worries about power.. even looked at the wind turbine to keep ac and fridge running in the summer ⛱️⛱️😂

I have the Pulsar 12kw dual fuel generator and my friend just bought one for $960 on Amazon. It runs at 9500 watts on gas and 8500 watts on propane. It runs my whole house, well and water heater. Couldn't be happier. Generators run best between 50% and 85% of rated watts. Cheers

New subscriber here! Thank you for your willingness to share your knowledge. I am a trades instructor for one of our local colleges. Not for the money but because I feel there is a real need to pass on what we were fortunate to have others teach us. Thank you and I love you “down to earth” methods!

One thing to note with soft start devices, they lower the inrush current at startup. THEY DO NOT LOWER THE RUN CURRENT OF AN AC COMPRESSOR. Soft start devices do not save your money (in reality its very negligible) in electricity bill costs, but they greatly save your compressors life span minimizing wear and tear since it's not hard starting with a partially for fully locked rotor from the pressures inside. Great video!

I live in Texas and after the big freeze 2.5 years ago that killed about 600 people, I decided to put in a generator inlet and interlock kit after that because I never wanted to be near freezing to deay again. I went with an inverter generator, which is much quieter and much more fuel efficient (though if you are running on NG, that is not so important), and while my generator is not big enough to run the AC even with a soft start kit, most of our extended power outages are in the winter and spring where keeping central heat is more important than AC. This past winter we were out of power for 3.5 days and I was one of the only people in the entire area that had power. My inverter generator is 5000 watts continuous, and this was more than enough to run everything in the home with the rare exception that I could not run both the microwave and toaster at the same time (we have a full fridge, mini fridge, and small chest freezer, and all of these were kept running as well.) It worked so well that five of my neighbors decided to put in 5000 watt generators with an inlet and interlock. They know they may never need them, but they now have the ability to keep their families worm for days at a time if the power is ever out again. If I lived where there were hurricanes, I would probably go with a standard backup generator, but for these 3-4 day outages, the interlock setup is fantastic.

I wish this guy lived in GA, I'd hire him in a heartbeat

Great Video. Thanks! I wish I had this set up before the hurricane last week. I had never heard of soft start kit. Great information!

Glad I did this when he released this video a year ago as I have the same generator. Generator has been running almost a week straight since Beyrl hit Monday and now Sunday and still no power. Already did 2 oil changes and will change spark plug when power comes back on. Been able to run 4 ton ac unit with micro air soft start , dishwasher , washer and gas dryer (not simultaneously) , 2 fridges and chest freezer , and small electronics like router and cable modem .

I love that generator, I have the previous version I bought a few years ago (gas and propane dual fuel) for $600, it gets more use in my business then it does at home but I haven't found anything it won't power as of yet. was looking at upgrading to this one because of natural gas, not having to fill up gas or replace propane bottles. been wanting to put this system together, thanks for showing us.

My 4 ton went from inrush of 120 Amps to 40 Amps for reference. I have a similar setup but don't run my Central A/C with my portable generator. It does run my entire inside breaker box. I do not have a main breaker or shutoff on the outside box, pulling the meter is the only way to disconnect power to the main outside box. I just shut off the inside box, outside, then run the inside box from the generator. My Central AC is on the outside box. Works great for me as I can run everything except Central, Oven, Hot Tub.

Learning especially with what just happened in Texas. A coworker was telling me about this, and this video popped up in my feed. Thank you

FYI .... According to the T07571 manual, the maximum is 31.25A. I have the same generator. I have seen a 42A peak at startup using the Micro Air soft starter, but it is usually 36A. Then the A/C runs on 13A. When the A/C starts, I still have the refrigerator, HDTV, desktop PC, LED lights and other small devices on without a problem. I think that the generator is producing more watts on NG than what is stated in the manual.

Something VERY IMPORTANT that was not mentioned. You need a 240 v generator not 120v. Most generators are 120 volt. After buying 2 cosfco generators, a parallel kit and paying an electrician $1500 to do the electrical work to put in an inlet and an Interlock kit I found out the hard way, that my two firman generators would only power "every other circuit breaker". The electrician confirmed that the only way to power the whole house is that you have to have a 240 volt generator. Unfortunately 240 volt generators are expensive and I lost a lot of $$ since I waited too long before finishing the project and had to sell off my firman generators. Sure costco allows returns but if you return too many items or too many big items you risk getting your membership terminated.

After our freeze a few years back here in Texas, I simply had a Generac 24KW installed. This also puts my whole home on surge protection. This is important as in my home you talk to fans, lights, TVs, everything is on network... even the smoker, pit, and grill. With all the electronics it is important to have clean power (60Hz). Good luck with any setup you choose.

Please remember all generators are not created equal and to run electronics it is safest to have one with a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of less than 6% or it can ruin computers, DVD players, and other sensitive electronics.

Sold my sticks and bricks end of 2019 - live full time in a 45' Grand Design "mansion on wheels" - I have a generator that is propane/gas powered just in case - there are soft start options for Rvs in case you need to run multiple AC's and everything else, which my home has 3 hence 3 soft starts needed - but - I can be completely off grid in moments if needed - good on you telling home owner's about soft start options - most people by a whole home Generac or solar at a MUCH higher price point for the same results HA! Next time there is a major hurricane etc. this video count will go way up!

Bro. That is a bada** setup. Literally all you need. Once past the initial cost I'd say it pays for itself within the first couple times of use. Maybe even after the first time from a peace of mind type scenario. In gonna price it all out and see what's what. Good clip

We have used the kzfaq.infoUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!

Awesome vid ! Setting this up here in Texas. The last few years have been brutal on both extremes hot and cold.

very impressed with your whole set up and your explanation of how it works and how to set it up was very clear and easy to follow, great vid! i didn't even know they had QD for natural gas!

I had a great set up at my old house, but now I don’t have natural gas. I spent about $3,300 for everything including the electrician to install 50 amp outlet, natural gas conversion kit and hose, plumber to install gas outlet, MicroAir soft start and Duromax 13000eh generator. It ran a 4 ton AC just fine. This guy is only powering a 2 ton AC.

Thanks for this video. It is exactly what I needed to see in addition to the Soft Start and Power Surge videos. We just bought a small house in Central TX where power outages are the norm in Summer and in Winter.

If you were in south Louisiana where Hurricane Ida kept us out of power for 3 weeks you would never run out of work. I would hire you in a heartbeat. "The Cajun Ninja's Dad"

I have virtually the exact same setup. AC soft start and a Firman Tri-Fuel. I opted for their 10kW (when running on gasoline) generator because I have 2 older refrigerators and 2 older deep freezes as well. I've never had to use it, but in testing, it will run my entire house. While using a portable generator is a little bit of work to get the power back on, the generator is not limited to backup power only. I can use it for other purposes.

I’m a generator tech and personally own two Firman gennies.

Great job. I applaud your willingness to do a video like this. Engineers and electricians are a bunch of know-it-alls so you will definitely get tons of nitpicking.

This is another great video! I would suggest consideration be given to using an inverter generator. An inverter generator produces about 3% Total Harmonic Distortion 'clean' power which is safe for sensitive electronics like computers, etc Regular non-inverter generators produce 12% to 20% if not higher Total Harmonic Distortion 'dirty' power. It will work on sensitive electronics but will cause them to age quicker. If an inverter is not used, suggest using a filter for sensitive electronics plugged directly into them.

Live in South Alabama my box is on the outside as well. House was built in 06. Never had any problems or concerns with the elements and we get all types of CRAZY WEATHER!!!

This is a great idea, I wish I knew about this before my own budget whole home generator build. Fortunately for me, my generator runs my home including ac without this great device but I wasn’t sure until last week. I still may upgrade so thanks again

Thanks for always answering the question we DIY guys (and gals) don't know to ask. You are always just one or more steps ahead.

Had a small generator and it didn't have enough power (5500) to run several appliances or my AC. I bought a bigger (13000) LP and need to upgrade the transfer box. Your video was informative,thanks.

Good video and info. I’ve done 4 50 amp generator back up hook ups with the manual transfer switch. I’ve ran it on my house. I haven’t installed any of the soft starts but I may look into that.

Good info, been using whole house generators for over 20 years. Right now I own three generators: One of those Firman and two Honda EU7000is. BTW, those Firmans are great but NOISY!!!

The portable Generator I found that puts out 5% THD is the Westinghouse WGen11500TFc - Tri- fuel which retails for $1700

Firman’s are very LOUD! I have been on one job where they had a Firman. I was underwhelmed. Great presentation though. I have a hard start capacitor for my 2-1/2 ton central a/c. I need to upgrade to a soft start kit. I have my eye on one. I have the same side generator. I have the Honda EU7000is. It is phenomenal in my opinion. I have used it several times & is much, much quieter. Plus it puts out steady clean power. I have an interlock in my CB panel. My unit uses less gasoline than most & with a auxiliary fuel tank only need to fill it every two days.

this is a perfect setup for anyone living in the city on city water where you don't need a well pump. Otherwise you'll need a much larger generac LP/NG setup. Thanks for showing it. Very versatile.

I have a 13000 watt generator, running load is 9750 watts. No soft start kit, runs fine

I have that same brand I bought in 2014.. I was upset that i was supposed to get a Goodman but got this we went back and forth.. anyways 9yrs later still working like a champ only had to replace capacitor last summer.. besides that nothin not even a charge 1.5 ton here

I just installed the icm870 in my a/c unit today. I got one because of one of your videos and i think Taddy Digest did a video on them also. I did it mainly to help extend the life of the unit. Hopefully my generator will start it up. Mine went from 70 in rush to about 26. That is a big change but my generator only has a 30amp twistlock. i guess it is borderline but ill have to test it out to see if it will start it. Love your vids man. I watch a few of u hvac guys and u put out some great info.

Thanks for the content. Gathering information. I knew about the soft start boxes from the RV world and how they allow RV AC to run on much lower amps. Including a small generator. Good to see the generator is working to power Home AC. I have a NG pipeline at a new property but not electric service so I’m having to plan on doing a non grid tie solar array and a permanent NG generator tie in with a solar power cell for storage. Electric power equipment is in extreme shortage right now in USA and really expensive because of the shortage and the electric coop says it’s a year or more out to obtain a new line. They require a 25kva outdoor rated transformer and I have not been able to locate one in this state and one I did find in South Dakota was $7300. If I buy the equipment and the cables to run the lines I don’t get reimbursed, just donating the equipment in order to get a new line. I personally would rather invest my money in a NG generator and solar array and storage system. Keep these low budget low energy content coming.

Living in Austin, TX. The past two winters have produced storms that knocked out our power for days. I invested in this generator (bought for $600) and a shed to store it in. We've had to break it out once since then, but by the time my son and I got everything hooked up and running the juice returned (of course). At the end of summer we have a pool being installed and I'm going to include running an inlet box to the main panel when the electric is installed for the pool.

Great video...I have the same setup here (less the "soft start")...same Firman generator running on clean NG...no worries about "gumming" it up with gasoline...I also installed a separate Siemen pony panel for the generator with the proper disconnects...then moved home essential circuits to that panel...the AC, unit did not make the cut...I hope that we don't have to use it, but you never know???

I'm in Houston and have a setup nearly identical to this. Way cheaper (especially long term) and more versatile than turnkey solutions like Generac.

I am about to do all of this, thank you. Subscribed, bell rung, commented, upvoted, liked, shared, ... may the algorithm gods smile favorably upon your channel friend.

YES,, LOVE my FURMAN 7571,, YES it runs my house A/C and most everything else,( NOT H20 heater)...I do have the soft start for the A/C,, Thanks for the video

There are some 220 volt, 9500 watt, inverter type generators, for those concerned about damaging electronics with a portable generator such as this Firman. But they are a lot more money and probably use gasoline only.

Your doggo was the star of the show. LOL

It is VERY IMPORTANT to explain that the power inlet connector is deadly WITHOUT the breaker interlock kit you have installed (which is absolutely the correct way). I would venture to say that a lot of people will not "get" that they MUST have the interlock kit to go along with the power inlet box.

I like the idea of having a portable generator for home back up instead of a stationary. Propane fuel would be great for off grid camping.

I did the same thing after the Texas freeze and got the inlet/transfer switch. I have never used it. I tried to turn it on the first time today 3 years after buying it and it won’t start. I’ve only tried natural gas though. Time to call Firman

Good video. Only thing I would do different is sell that generator and buy an inverter generator. Your generator has 15% total harmonic distortion which can and will destroy circuit boards in your house. Check out the Champion 201176 tri fuel inverter 9000 watt generator. It has less than 3% distortion

Simple good to know info. No crazy intros. Subscribed

Awesome… this was super informative in my particular case because #1 you can get refurb tri-fuel generators at a reasonable cost and #2 I (a novice) had no clue those quick release valves existed (it seems obvious though, I know). Now I’m thinking this is an awesome supplement to a more expensive setup too for whole home battery backups. If the power in the battery starts to get low, you could maybe use this to recharge your batteries for completely uninterrupted power supply over long term (cheaper too since that generator uses 72cuft/hr when completely idle but 101cuft on full load).

soft starts i didnt even know was a thing. I need some of those for sure.

It's kinda cool being the only house in the neighborhood with lights on. Must have if you're watching out for frail family members in the Southwest.

This is a great video! Can you answer a question for me? Are you running the fridge also? How many fridges. And if needed, are you able to run a tv and a gas oven with this unit. Also, water heater. The reason I ask, cause I feel like there’s some misconception out there with how big a generator is needed. I have a townhome, with 2 ton AC, 2 fridges, water heater, electric washer dryer, 2 tvs, 2 computers, a Wi-Fi router and of course lights throughout the house. Not everything will be ran at the same time. So I feel like something under 10000 is big enough. Thanks again for this awesome video. Look forward to your reply and anyone following the comments.

You really should let the generator idle for a few minutes before drawing power. My owners manual makes a big point of that as it will extend the life of the generator.

“68”? Holy crap! I live in Phoenix and I have my Ecobee set for 82! 🤣

I wish I had 1% of this knowledge. I'm so jealous! Unfortunately I have no time to learn a whole new trade right now. But this content inspires me!

Incredible coincidence, that I have the same generator, power inlet, and gas quick-connects that you have. (I even used to have a Goodman AC). I've only tested my generator with our mini-split AC because we spend most time in that room. But thanks for telling us about soft-start devices, because I think I'll need one for our other AC.

Hey man I’m an HVAC guy in Salt Lake City and I have to say I’m pretty impressed with your set up. I’m sure this is a yes but did you have your refrigerator & deep freeze running? It’s not a huge load just curious. Great video my man. Keep up the good work!

Only problem is in most states the natural gas is pumped using electrical powered pump stations, so no power in a wide area, and you may have no natural gas. The solution is a Tri-fuel generator, si you can use Nat gas, propane or gasoline, in freezing temps propane wont work, pressure is too low, you need heating blankets on the bottles . everything else in theis video is awesome and very helpful, im in the process of buying all the stuff to do this at our house, in case we have a weeks without power from a freeze or storm.

I have that same generator. It is great and believe it or not it’s easy to pull start also.

Great video. So well done with none of any trivial BS.

Good Demonstration, BUT.....Be very concerned about potential damage you can do to sensitive electronic equipment ( AC , TV, Computer, etc.). I own the same generator and according to data posted on the Firman website it is rated at 11 to 14% THD. This is way higher than what is recommended for sensitive electronic equipment. The power supply for sensitive electronics should have < 5% THD. I would hate to damage the circuit board on my inverter based AC ...or even my two speed compressor as it would be a very costly fix. I like this generator, but wish it put out cleaner power. Any thoughts on how to address the PQ issue with this generator? I live in South Louisiana and ran multiple window units with the generator and didn't have an issue. Sure would be nice to be able to run one of my central AC units.

This is a good way to show people how to burn their house down and blow the pins out of the air conditioner This is also the reason that in order to pull a permit for a generator install you have to do it load calculation because people will just hook up a generator and assume it has enough power the entire house

This is a great video. I am in the process of setting something like this up. Thanks for making this video

So very happy i found this. Living in florida so needed this info.

You forgot one very important thing. If you are connecting to your circuit panel you need to unbond the ground from the frame of the generator. You don’t want two locations where you bond the neutral and the ground. There is a jumper on the generator you need to pull off. If you are using a cord right to the source, not through the circuit panel you have to put it back on.

THIS IS AWESOME thanks for showing us 🔥

Running your AC at 66. My kinda bro! You must live in Houston!

Man you rock. Thank you very much for your time and knowledge sir.

you sir are very helpful and informative to us diyers.that’s why i am a subscriber to your channel.

Neighbor just did this, he's now operating a portable AC in 100 degree temps in Louisiana while they look for a condenser fan motor.

This setup is a cost-effective option for people who only occasionally use emergency power.

Good video. Sounds like on gasoline you could get a little over 4 amps extra draw from that generator.

6.3 amps draw on the common? Off a 2 ton compressor and fan? Is it a multi stage unit? What is the LRA on that 2 ton compressor? Oh your soft start is where it's at. Wow that is working like a charm.

There is always a downside to running the HVAC through a generator. The power just isn't the same as grid power, but it's better than sitting in a hot house with no lights.

That's the cheapest best way IMO, I have same setup on 3ton HP.

Have a 5KW gen similar and it easily powers 2 mini splits, a 1.5Ton and a 2Ton.

what is the longest the cable can be the connects the generator to the panel and 1. be safe 2. not allow enough voltage drop to occur that would compromise circuit performance

wow its hard to believe that a generator that small would even run a house. i have a 8750 /7000 harbor freight and love it it runs my entire house. but it dont have a 50 amp plug. GRRR and i really like your power inlet box once in a while mine will work loose and i will lose have my house and thanks to you i just ordered one. even though it is only 30 amp. and the only gas we can get around here is propane so i more less have to stay with gas. another GRRR.

Awesome video Dave. Happy surprise to see this in my KZfaq suggested feed 😃

Think this generator on propane would run a 4 ton ac with soft start kit already installed?

Those looking to run on natural gas should be prepared to pay dearly to do so. The generator will use a LOT of natural gas, costing a fortune - a lot more per hour than when running gasoline. The wattage output is often derated when running on natural gas. I have gas jugs to stockpile fuel for a week or more at 12 hrs runtime per day.

Great information. Thank you, as always.

Need to work this out for my place, I have free natural gas… from a family owned gas well… just not sure the size of generator, I have an older 5ton that needs the soft star.

So, you know, that generator has a bonded neutral and so does your main panel so using it as shown violates the code. You're supposed to convert the generator to floating neutral when hooked up to your panel through an interlock. It's easy. Firman has released instructions. Then, when used stand alone you're supposed to use a bonding plug.

You don’t have to go through all of this. Just make a suicide cord for your dyer plug, make sure you turn off power coming in the house first. Then plug into your generator and you can run your whole house with a generator this size.

One of the problems in the "snowpocalypse" here in Texas was that the natural gas pipelines froze. As to running the a/c, is it a heat pump? And if so, how would you run it in freezing weather?

You're a wealth of great information!

Way too obvious now that think about a little bit, thanks for sharing this.

Hoping you see this comment (after 7 months of uploading this video), but I'm curious what kind of natural gas usage and cost you've experienced using the generator. We have natural gas here, and I feel like it would be pretty easy to tap into the gas line like you have set up in the event of needing to hook the generator up. The natural gas at my home is only used for the tankless water heater, the gas stove and the heater for the home. So gas prices during winter are substantially more than during warmer months (when I'd want to incorporate a backup for the home during hurricane season). Unless I could budget for Tesla PowerWalls right now (I have solar on the home), I'd go that route, but this could be an affordable fix in the meantime. Anyway, thanks for sharing the video!

You're a lifesaver. So thorough. Not that it's a big deal, but could you use one for the hot water tank? I always turn ours off in a hurricane and if we need to use it, turn off all the lights and run it. More important to have A/C and lights than anything. I just have to see what size ICM870 I need for my 3.5 ton unit. Thanks again. 🙂