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quentin Posted: Mar 12, 2008 06:50 PM	Power Requirements Ok, I am almost finished prepping my trailer but I am trying to figure out how it will get the power to everything as needed. I know most are using shore power and plugging in to a box. Problem I am seeing is the amperage requirements to do all of this. I am planning on a Graco E30 which says 78 amps!!! Add in the things like compressor, lights and anything else and how in the heck are you getting all the power without just grabbing the main breakers? Is it really a lot less that you need unless running full length hoses and a ton more or something? What is everyone running to their trailer for actual power to run everything?
Tim O'Keefe Posted: Mar 12, 2008 10:04 PM	Buy a generator and you never have to worry about it! What about the camp on the lake who wants to seal the crawlspace and has a fuse panel or 60 amp service. Or your high amp compressor that dims the lights in the house every time it cycles and frys the homeowners sensitive electronics. Or the not quite so correctly installed breaker that you or your employee install and burn the house down? Are these risks really worth it? If you are serious about the business do it right the first time! Tim Granite State Spray Foam Co.
quentin Posted: Mar 12, 2008 10:49 PM	I would love to but there is just no way to afford a generator at this point. Sorry but I am recovering from a VERY nasty divorce and having problems getting the money together as it stands and a generator would kill any chance I have. $10,000 more I just can't see for a bit. I plan on a lot of work at the local military base though so that should help with the power issue on that bit but getting it all to the trailer and equipment is a worry at the moment. Now a couple of decent contracts there might be able to get me one but not right off is all.
Linerman Posted: Mar 12, 2008 11:00 PM	If your gonna be doin jobs locally startin off you can always rent a generator. It'll still cost you couple hundred per day. Just outfit your rig to hook to a generator then later down the road when you can afford one which shouldn't take long you'll be set to go.
quentin Posted: Mar 13, 2008 09:37 AM	I may have found a unit that I can afford and doing a full evaluation on what to get. I had been looking at the Guardian A5 6000 to start with and finally was able to get some solid word from the people at Glascraft. Full official word should be out in early May on everything but it looks like they will take over the pneumatic portion of the market and Graco will keep the hydraulic market. I was also advised that there sill be better support than when the Gusmer buy out happened. No word on the new hydraulic line Glascraft introduced but it may be made since it is a smaller unit that fits a different market than the Graco ones. Otherwise the full Guardian line will be kept and supported so it looks like I will be reverting to my first plans now! YAY!!!!! LOL
Circle-D Posted: Mar 13, 2008 10:58 AM	Quentin, Get in touch with Chris Dahl at cdahl@trystarcables.com He will hook you up with the perfect cable to feed your trailer. I bought 100' of nice soft, flexible cable that is easy to coil and handle, male plugs for the end and female plugs that mount on your trailer. Plug it in, run into circuit panel with your 100 amp breaker and snap into place.The cable is rated for over 100 amps at 70*. Easy and affordable. It runs my Guardian, 10 hp compressor and everything else no problem. Send me an e-mail and I'll get you some photos.
quentin Posted: Mar 13, 2008 12:20 PM	OK, sent you an email Circle. As for the general question, what kind (model and brand or etc) generators are people using? I was looking at a couple and was not sure if they would support the machine, compressor and air dryer. http://cgi.ebay.com/Leading-Generator-Diesel-6800-Watts-NEW_W0QQitemZ110233207187QQihZ001QQcategoryZ106437QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-COMPACT-SERIES-Isuzu-Powered-Diesel-Generator_W0QQitemZ230229703979QQihZ013QQcategoryZ106437QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Ideas???
Circle-D Posted: Mar 13, 2008 01:17 PM	I sent you the photos. I'm no electrician but I think your going to need around a 25kw (25000 watt) jenny to run all that stuff.
philip mullins Posted: Mar 13, 2008 02:43 PM	what size generator you need will depend on what size equipment and what phase. if you go with the guardian your compressor will require way more juice than ur unit will. and some manufacturers, such as eaton, say not to use a generator with thier compressors. and i have also heard of some guys with the e30 having issues with thier boards while using generators. probably from the generator being just big enough. so you want to oversize it. if you wire your equipment for 3 phase you can use a smaller genset but, you will not have a shore power option. you could get a gas powered air compressor. when you decide on ur equipment talk to your supplier and see what they recomend. my rig is shore power and i have had no real issues. one time the power supply in the neighborhood i was working in was iffie, and gave me some headaches. other than that it has always been as simple as pulling thier breaker and sliding mine in. hook up the ground and go to work. i generaly turn off all other breakers while spraying. my rig consist of the wire lugged into a box with one 70 amp breaker for my eaton 7.5, two 30 amps (110)for my outlets and my drier. from that box i lug out a direct feed to another box with a 50 amp breaker for my a5. if you get a compressor that will continuous run that will help. i do have a genset but, i chose not to install it cause it takes up too much room, and i dont wanna feed it. plus i went with a different compressor than the screw i originaly planned on and the supply would be iffie on single phase. i got a bud here with basicaly the same setup as me except he has a genset and three phase. he says basicly the same things as most guys with generators. no wires to run, no worries , just crank her up and go. witch basicaly translates to "nanny nanny boo boo, i got a generator". he has sprayed one barn where he actualy needed it. dont get me wrong, thier nice to have. but, by no meens a neccessaty.
Tim O'Keefe Posted: Mar 13, 2008 08:33 PM	A 5hp compressor and E-20 run on a 24Kw generator. Anything more than that and you need more power. 24Kw can supply 100 amps of 240 at full load. Your E-30 alone would require an 18Kw+ generator. I would suggest a 30Kw and DO NOT buy a Chinese import of Ebay that claims to be a New Holland or any of the other common brands. I recommend Norpro. The offer a 5 year/5000 hour FULL warranty on USA assembled generators with GENUINE Japanese engines. Mine has run flawlessly and I would not consider anything else. Also it was only $8500 for a 3phase 25Kw with a skid mount 75 gallon tank and electronic control panel. Its a beauty! It sips about 1/2 a gallon an hour and provides more than enough juice for the compressor, dryer, proportioner, heater, lights, tools etc. Quiet too, you can't even hear it when you are in the material room. Tim Granite State Spray Foam Co.
Tim O'Keefe Posted: Mar 13, 2008 08:39 PM	I do consider them a necessity. I must have bad luck or something but almost every job I did where I used a shore power rig I had MAJOR problems. One commercial building we had did not allow us to use their power. I rented a generator only to find out it was too small. We had (2) 12 hour days to get the 8000 square foot warehouse done. I spent the first 4 hours the first day waiting for a new generator to be delivered. I did another job at the home of an electrician and he spent the better part of 2 hours getting sufficient power to the rig. With my generator rig, I have run into at least a dozen jobs that would not have been doable without the generator. Camps with only 60amp service, fuse panels, detached garages with no power yet. My favorite was the day we were working and the power went out for about 6 hours. I didn't even know there was a problem until I went outside and everyone was packing up! I went back inside and went back to work! (I shared some power with some other subs that day!) Tim Granite State Spray Foam Co.
Terry Adams Posted: Mar 13, 2008 09:16 PM	Quentin, shore power hasn't been a issue for me except a one set job I gave to a friend who had a gen. If I had a extra 10k laying around I whould might get one for the rare job, but I only had 1 job in 3 years that needed it. Be kind of a waste, but down here it might get more use for the occasional hurricane.
Linerman Posted: Mar 13, 2008 09:59 PM	I would just get a generator that way you don't have to waste time hookin power up or makin sure the power source is adequate enough you can just show up and have everything ready to go. More time layin product=more $$ in your pocket.
philip mullins Posted: Mar 13, 2008 10:26 PM	pro's and con's bud. gensets are expensive,take up space, add wweight, and require maintnance. but without them you have to go thrue the whole ordeal of rolling out a cord, sliding in a breaker, and all that just to have to undo it all at the end of the day. all of witch adds up to 15-30 minutes out of your busy day. add to that that you may find a job hear or thier that requires one. ya see, the guys that have them swear you need them. the guys that dont so 'no problem'. my suggestion would be focus on the things you do need. past that i would upgrade to better filtration, iso bath, cleanup tools, battery powered caulk guns are nice. research all the tools and such that you NEED that you dont know about yet. then, see where your at. and if ya got the extra $$$, and room, get urself a genset. and when you see a guy hooking up to shore power, you can say "nanna nanna boo boo"
quentin Posted: Mar 14, 2008 07:28 AM	Right now space and weight are not a problem since my trailer is a 29ft enclosed racing trailer with a couple of 9500lb axles but the $$$ is the issue. Maybe a gas air compressor to reduce the load on eletrical requirements can be done until I can get a genset but the costs for a strong enough genset is really pushing the budget.