Igor! Throw the switch!!!
Well, finally!
I got the last of the connections for the generator hookup done this afternoon, hauled the generator over from the quonset, and tested everything. I'm very pleased to say that everything worked perfectly! No blown breakers, no sparks, no screams of panic... :)
It's a small system: One 15-Amp 120-Volt circuit for the boiler, one 20-Amp 240-Volt circuit for the well-pump, and one more 15-Amp 120-Volt circuit for the fridge and deep-freeze. I realize that normally those two appliances should have their own circuits, but the panel only has four spaces and the deep-freeze is a very small, high-efficiency type with a tiny compressor that isn't likely to overload anything. The biggest power draw comes from the well-pump, which is a 1HP motor 400' down the well-shaft. You can hear a definite surge from the engine on the generator when that thing kicks in, but it recovers almost instantly and then just purrs along with no problem. The generator can supply a constant 6500 Watts, with 7800 Watt surge, so it has plenty of power.
The next step is to build (or buy) a little shelter to keep the generator next to the house, and to be able to keep it sheltered while it's running. Right now, it's stored out in the quonset and it's quite a lot of work to haul it over to the house. Not really the sort of thing you want to have to do in the middle of a storm-driven blackout in the middle of the night, which is the most likely scenario. Being able to run the generator in a storm is the whole point, which again necessitates having a shelter for it. Such a shelter would also be equipped with a 120-Volt Mains AC outlet, to plug in a battery maintainer and engine warmer to make sure the thing will start, even on one of our wonderful minus-40c days...
That's not the case today, mind you. Right now, it's a balmy +2.5c outside thanks to the Chinook wind blowing through. Blowing through at 55 km/hr that is!!! That's the steady stream, the gusts are much higher! Some of the barker-board on the side of the house was rattling pretty severely, and I could see it flapping ominously in the wind, so I had little choice but to climb up a ladder and pound in some extra nails, hoping that the wind wouldn't blow me down! There are still a couple of loose boards flapping a bit, but I'll just have to hope that they stay in place because they're too high for me to climb up to deal with - especially in a high wind!
I just hope that the wind dies down by morning. Mom and I are heading back to Calgary, and a strong westerly headwind is going to be murder on the fuel-economy! (Let alone blowing the truck and trailer around on the highway!) Trixstir and I made the trip in similar conditions last summer hauling the big travel-trailer, and the increase in fuel consumption was significant. The horse-trailer is a lot smaller and more aerodynamic, but still... I am going to be so glad when this moving business is finally complete!