if you don't want to buy one new, here's one on Craigslist in Auburn for $445
PowerMax XP10000E 10,000 Watt 16 HP OHV Gas Powered Generator
check your local craigslist for other others...
I know that motor startup surges, but wouldn't that (71amps) exceed the rating of a 240v 20amp line/connection ?
good idea
you also need to be able to vent gasoline fumes before starting. (the same reason that boats have blowers in the bilges... )
No thats not entirely how it works ... an inductive load like a motor on a compressor when first started is a short circuit. Once the fields are entirely excited and the motor starts to turn the amperage drops as the reactance (resistance and inductance/capacitance) of the system increases to its rated value.( Thats why your lights dim slightly when your refrigerator comes on, short circuit amps go up voltage drops and lights dim) The time it takes for this is relatively short.
A circuit breaker is designed to withstand huge amounts of inrush current for short periods of time to allow for reactive loads like motors to come up to full load while not tripping the overload function (rated value) of the circuit breaker.
The output regulators on the generator are set such that the engine shuts down on overloads even overloads of instantaneous durations.Overloads exceeding the maximum output of the generator say peak is 12.5kW instantaneous on a 10kW genset(12.5kw/240V =~52amps well below the rated locked rotor value of 71amps on the startup of the compressor so it probably is gonna shut down the engine). If you look at the windings of a generator the actual wires making up the windings are very light gauge... cannot carry much amperage. To protect those winding in the event of a large load the output regulators are set to shut down before any damage can occur to any set of windings on the generator. So in reality the generator once it sees the maximum rating of the output regulator(~52 amps for a 10kw genset) it will stall the gasoline engine to protect the windings of the generator.
Now the circuit breaker will shut down the circuit if the load exceeds the value of the breaker deeper into the electrical cycle. Another function of the breaker is to shut down if the amperage approaches the trip setting for a prolonged period of time which would cause excessive heating of the circuit and generator.
Look at it this way the circuit breaker protects the wires from the generator to the load and the load itself. The regulators protect the windings of the generator regardless of the load connected to it. Also engineered into the circuit are the characteristics of the electrical cords attached, the length of the cords etc .. all which can assist in absorbing a short circuit further from the generator.
Trick is and this is why I didn't want to get too technical what kind of cords, how long are they, will it help absorb the inrush yet not cause too much voltage drop at the compressor end thus multipling the inrush current... voltage goes down amperage has to go up to get the proper amount of wattage at the compressor to equate to the proper amount of Hp to move the compressor pistons ...
Just get a generator that can deliver the proper max instantaneous output to supply the compressor ... 10KW probably will work but a 15KW will remove all doubt.
