# Space heater connected to generator



## Mooky (Feb 16, 2021)

Having another winter storm in Louisiana tomorrow and supposed to be freezing rain this time. If power goes out, can I plug my space heater into the Generac 5500? Need to heat my 400 sq ft man cave, which is the old garage basically turned into a tiny house or apt. Thanks in advance for helping


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## Old man here (Nov 5, 2020)

I hope you are planning on placing your generator outside, far enough away to prevent carbon monoxide from killing you.
Also if you are going to use an extension cord, it should be a heavy duty one, at least 12 GA.
It is best to balance loads on a generator. 
You have two 120V plugs side by side on your generator. Use two heaters on the low setting, plugged into the two separate plug ins side by side. This will balance the load on the generator.


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## Mooky (Feb 16, 2021)

Old man here said:


> I hope you are planning on placing your generator outside, far enough away to prevent carbon monoxide from killing you.
> Also if you are going to use an extension cord, it should be a heavy duty one, at least 12 GA.
> It is best to balance loads on a generator.
> You have two 120V plugs side by side on your generator. Use two heaters on the low setting, plugged into the two separate plug ins side by side. This will balance the load on the generator.


I have it far enough away and shave heavy duty extensions cords. One will have my aquarium plugged in along with the filter, tank heater...other cord will have my TV and a lamp or 2 connected like I had when the power went out when we had one of the hurricanes earlier this year. The generator has 4 outlets. One will go to my mom's bedroom in her house, so she can have a lamp and TV. My man cave is in the backyard. She's not gonna run a cord to the kitchen because it'll be cold enough outside and she can put stuff in her outdoor freezer which is in her front porch. Hopefully we won't lose power and the freezing rain turns to regular rain. Only space heaters I have is one 1500 watt one and one with a remote that looks like a small fireplace. We only have 3 heavy duty extension cords. Had another one in the shed, but it's not there anymore. I don't want to blow anything of I plug it in a power strip along with my aquarium or the surge protector my TV is plugged in..Thanks for the help


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## Old man here (Nov 5, 2020)

Sounds like you will be ok as long as you don't overload it.


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## Mooky (Feb 16, 2021)

Old man here said:


> Sounds like you will be ok as long as you don't overload it.


I'd still have to set it for low, right? The portable electric fireplace is 1500 watts too. I'll prob do better with the other heater since it has a dial for wattage, 750 and 1500. Don't wanna blow anything as soon as I plug the fireplace heater in. I know it won't heat the whole place up, but as long as it's aimed at me while watching TV and if it can reach, aimed at me in bed. Thanks again


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## Old man here (Nov 5, 2020)

Correct, you only have enough power for the low setting.


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## Mooky (Feb 16, 2021)

Old man here said:


> Correct, you only have enough power for the low setting.


Ok...thanks so much


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## Airstreamer67 (Oct 3, 2020)

The conversion of Watts to BTUs in a resistance electric heater is pretty straightforward, whether the heater has exposed strips of bare metal being heated by electricity and thus heating the air directly, or those that have ceramic elements that heat the ceramic which, in turn, heats the air.

The bare-metal strip heaters will provide heat quicker because they don't have to heat up the ceramic material, but when they are cycling "off" they quickly cool off and no longer provide heat; whereas, the ceramic heaters will take longer to heat up but they will continue to provide heat over a longer period because the heated ceramic material will release the heat, ie cool off, more slowly.

With either type of resistance electric heater, the absolute amount of heat produced into the living area be the same. I believe the conversion factor is: Watt = 3.41 BTU per hour.

So, for a 1500W electric heater, it produces 5,115 BTUs of heat over a one-hour period, whether it is a strip heater or a ceramic heater or, for that matter, an electric heater that utilized a bit of oil to heat up which serves the same purpose as the ceramic.

Some folks choose the ceramic or oil type electric heater because they produce heat over a longer period of time; but the absolute amount of heat actually put into the living space is the same. A rock or an anvil placed very near the bare-metal strip heater could potentially provide the same benefit as the ceramic or oil because they would absorb some of the heat and release it over a longer period of time, but doing so would produce no additional heat in absolute terms.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

there ya go!
oil heaters rock when on gen for sure..
nice even radiant heat.
better than a hair dryer! lol!
it is that jack rabbit and turtle thing...
the oil heater or boiler is the slow and steady heat.


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