Electricity question.

[crazycal]

Today I followed the instuctions on my generator and ran it to break it in. I was supposed to run it at half load. So, I plugged in a fridge and two chest freezers. Still only got to 775 watts when all three were running. How do I know this? Because I plugged in my KILL-A-WATT. Very handy item. This is where my question comes in. When I pressed the hz button, it was reading anywhere from 49-61 hz. The volts were constant, but the cycles were jumping all over the place. This can't be good. I have heard that certain electronics are very sensitive (just like me ) and can be damaged with changes in current.

When I plug it in a wall outlet, it reads 59.9 with no change at all. Any input or thoughts?

[the_experience03]

The frequency is determined by the engine speed. Most are set up for 3600 RPM although this does vary. In any case it will be a number divisible by 60. Of course the governors on small engines are not perfect and you will see a fluctuation in the frequency dependent on engine speed variations. I wouldn't be overly concerned about it as the major fluctuations should only occur when a large load starts for instance. Most electronic devices are designed to operate between 50-60 hz (and will say this on the back) and you shouldn't notice much of any difference at all. If you are looking at using something like a laptop, etc I really wouldn't worry. The power cord serves to rectify and transform the the AC to a lower DC output anyway. Your computer's ability to accurately determine charge times might be affected slightly, but lets face it...those things aren't accurate by a long shot anyway. For anything else you could use a pure sine inverter and have the generator also power an automatic charger on the batteries if you are concerned or notice a performance problem.