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Bear with me. I am preparing for a future blackout. I did some research and am hiring an electrician. For my knowledge, could someone help me understand if i'm incorrect here.

I purchased 2 Pulsar PG4000ISR Inverter Generators hoping to run in parallel with interlock kit with inlet socket to power certain circuits in my house. Is this doable? Or would i be better off getting a generator with a 120/240v twist lock plug?

I do not have any 240v appliances in my house or would power. In this example would the Pulsar generators work as mentioned? In parallel it would supply around 6500 - 7000 watts on a single 30 amp breaker for me to divide amongst the main panel?

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  • A generator can be dangerous.... you've doubled it... I suggest you hook up just one. – JACK Sep 17 '19 at 16:40
  • Water heater and oven not 240? May be gas, no ac? – Ed Beal Sep 17 '19 at 18:12
  • @Jack You're right, you can't parallel generators unless the UL approved manual says you can. This one does. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Sep 17 '19 at 21:48
  • Why did you purchase 2 4KW generators instead of a single 8KW generator? Also, what make and model is your breaker panel, and do you have any desire to use these generators as portables? – ThreePhaseEel Sep 17 '19 at 22:54
  • apologies, was not completely clear as i would need this 'generator' to run in emergency situations like a power outtage i.e. 5-8 hours of no electricity. i do not need to run everything in the house, just the necessity like ceiling fans, lights in a few rooms, coffee machine and stove when needed. More importantly the fridge and deep freezer. I do not need central AC, and all my appliances are 120v. tankless gas water heater and gas range/stove. the generator is not meant to 'live off grid.' at the same time i want something quiet so thats why i purchased 2 inverters. thanks for the feedback – homie462 Sep 18 '19 at 15:30
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If you are planning to use a generator just for an emergency situation at your house. You are better of purchasing a residential type of genset.

If you are trying to save money and only want use the generator for something other than a residential emergency supply. Then you should go with just the standard portable generator. However, your input into your residence is regulated by the 240V twist lock, which is protected by an overload and may not even be the rating of the twist lock. So you may not be getting the full KW of the genset.

Unless you have a reason for needing an inverter then there is no reason to spend the extra money on them.

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  • i went with the inverter because its quiet. i live in california so i probably won't need to run on the generator for days, so i'm just prepping for 5-8 hours of lost power (which happened a few times) – homie462 Sep 17 '19 at 17:52
  • @homie462 - If you go with a permanent residential genset you can add different silencer (fancy word for muffler). They go all the way up to hospital grade. Also since it is mounted on the ground and encased they are can be made quieter than a portable inverter. If you go this route I would also go to a natural gas or propane fuel since gas and diesel have shorter a self life and you must run the generator online from time to time to ensure start up when needed. – Retired Master Electrician Sep 18 '19 at 12:57
  • i did not mention that the generator is not meant to be a permanent fix when electricity is out, just for 5-8 hours if power is lost. the question i have is, generators 5000w or higher typically have the 240/120v recepticle but the inverters do not (at least the ones that can be shipped to CA). with the pulsar generator i mentioned, could it running in parallel power 6-7 circuits not all at the same time with a single pole 30 amp breaker. i'm assuming i would have close to 7000 running watts to consume but never exceeding 30 amps with the interlock approach. – homie462 Sep 18 '19 at 15:37
  • however most people via online forums and youtube videos run a 30amp 240/120v breaker with interlock or transfer kit because they have well pumps etc.. to run? its not necessarily more power but is needed in their case versus mines? – homie462 Sep 18 '19 at 15:38

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