Do I need a larger portable generator for power outages?

I don't know much about this but I thought a slo-blow breaker was used in situations like this. Why not here?

When the generator "bogs down" the voltage drops, but the "power" drawn by the starting pump remains constant.Same power, lower voltage= more current - so yes, a larger generator SHOULD eliminate the trip by holding voltage under load. Not sure how much bigger you would need, but a 50amp rated genset SHOULD do the job. Your genset is only a 18 amp output in the real world (at 240 volts) It is a 4500 watt generator that can hold 5500 watts for a couple of seconds AT MOST. Generally the "surge rating" is only good for starting things like tungsten lamps that have an extremely high but short inrush current.

There's this one, at a nearby auction, that might do the trick :

How much current is that pump rated for ?

How much of a load do you have running when the pump is started up ?

I have similar problems and it appears problems can happen with too many things running or starting at the same time. Did not realize I was tripping breakers until after power came back and some things not coming back on.

Could you possibly replace the motor with one that is capacitor start? That might help.

If it's larger enough. You could try starting the pump with everything else disconnected. Why do you need a booster pump? Just deal with low pressure.

Zero pressure isn't much use.

In my case, my well water is pumped into a holding tank at the same elevation as the house. The pressure pump provides full pressure to the house. Without electricity, once the pressure tank that the pump pressurizes equalizes, there is no water at all.

That doesn't sound like what I know of as a booster pump. Sounds like a pump. In any case, trying to start one pump while another is running, along with other loads boosts the needed surge capacity of a generator.

That's my routine when I'm running on generator < Honda 5000 >

Leave everything OFF except the well pump ; let my neighbour know to run his supply of water < he's off my well > ; run a goodly supply of water for drinking ; run 4 - 5 inches into the bathtub for toilet flushing ; turn OFF the well pump ; turn everything else ON. The only problem - and it hasn't happened yet - is if all the main appliances tried to start at the same time - furnace blower, fridge, freezer, sump pump, with other small loads on - it might overload the little Honda .. No stoves or laundry or A/C but it sure is a nice luxury to have what that little generator provides during an outage. John T.

His is tripping a 30A circuit. It's not a small pump, must be at least 2HP.

As I suggested before, The pump and what else?

He never said anything about that.

Any pump using 30A must be a 230V pump. That's a big pump.

If it's 115V pump, he should re-wire it for 230V if that is an option.

You didn't mention the size of the booster pump motor. There are charts online showing starting and running amperage requirements for them. Starting current is much higher than running current. Starting current is similar to locked rotor current. A larger generator would probably help but everyone is guessing without the booster pump motor size. It's at least possible that the breaker is at fault. It's tripping at too low a current draw.

good point. Replace the breaker with a new one -- they're not expensive, are they -- or switch it with another breaker that is supposed to be the same size.

In the apartment building I lived in 10 years, a water pump pumped water into a tank in the basement, and an air pump pumped air into the top of that tank. Neither pump was supposed to run all the time. I think the water pump re-started when the water level in the tank went below a certain level.

The air pump restarted when the air pressure in the tank went below a certain setting. I think t he air pump restarted more often than the water pump. As water was used from the tank, the empty portion of the tank increased and the air pressure dropped. At a certain point it went back on. I'm pretty sure the air pump was much smaller than the water pump because air weighs less than water, and I saw both pumps.

This system provided water from the basement to the 6th floor of our buiding. (Above 6 floors a different system was necessary, and iiuc required by NYC building code A tank on the roof I think.)

Any chance the OP could add an airpump to his system. Presumably the system is already airtight at least under the water, and probably above the water too. Oh, does he have a tank now?

After a new ignorant owner bought the building, things didn't work as well, and when a toilet was flushed (since the toilets used flushometers, not tanks), the cold water pressure on the 5th floor dropped so much that a shower became too hot to bear, if it had been okay before hand, or became acceptable if had been too cold before. So I began to take baths instead.

The starting current of an ordinary induction motor is about 6x the full load running current.

Numbers would be nice - pump running current? 120? 240V?

As someone asked - if everything else is off will the pump start?

I thought some generators had starting current ratings.

I do not know about the inverter generators but the ones I have, not inverter, do have a surge current rating. Many of the generators have in big letters the surge current and smaller letters the normal maximum current. Such as a 5000 watt continues generator may state 5800 watts surge.

The dual and tri fuel generators usually have less output when used on propane and natural gas instead of gasoline. The fuel will not produce as much horsepower to turn the generator as gasoline.

Last month we were thinking whole house generator after 2 cold days without power. My portable generator could handle our oil furnace but not my new heat pump.

We decided against it as we do not have natural gas service and found whole house generator might use 2-4 gal. propane per hour. My wife did not want a big tank in the back yard. I read it cost about $90/day to run. My brother that has one also pays about $250/yr for maintenance contract. He has had it almost a year and is yet to use it. It comes on for test once a week and SIL said they even come around to top off propane.

I do not know about the cost of natural gas, but for propane or gasoline much over a 5 kw generator it gets very expensive to run them for very long.