How many watts does it take to start an 830 watt 9000 btu air condtioner using a portable generator

Question

the air conditioner uses 7.9 amps

Answer 1

well - I should guess that 830 watts is the power draw ... but lets try a calculation:

110V * 7.9A = 869 watts (I'm approximating... if I was doing this properly I would find the RMA power since I assume this is AC, which is, again, probably 830 watts)

Answer 2

Ask the generator rental people. It can be as high as 3 times depending on the type of load. My guess would be that an AC compressor would be less than 3 times so go for 2kVA. You may get away with 1.5kVA.

Answer 3

Typically starting requires twice the wattage as running. If I recall that rule correctly then your answer is 1660 watts.

Answer 4

Rule of thumb engineering says that motor start current should

be figured at twice full load.

That means that you should be able to start your AC Unit on

an unloaded, up to speed,  generator of at least

1.6 KVA. "Surge" Capacity, - 1 KVA normal.

(Watts aren't the best unit to use in this case,

but we won't go farther than to mention that.)