Pole Barn Generator Question

[sean5294]

Hey guys, I just found this site and it has a lot of great info. I have a question far ya. I have a pole barn (two car garage size) that needs electricity. I thought about running it from the house but the barn is a good ways away. My question is could I simply use a generator for power. It would be running the lighting, small hand power tools and occasionally a Lincoln mig welder and air compressor. I searched and did not come up with much. Do you have any suggestions about the size /voltage i should look for.
I was looking at something like this one

5500 Watt Portable Generator

* 5500 Watts, 8250 Starting Watts
* 5 Gallon Fuel Tank with 10 Hour Run Time @ 50% Load
* PowerSurge™ Alternator
* 4-120V Household Type Outlets and 1-120/240V, 20A Locking Type Outlet
* 10" Never Go Flat Wheels

 

[mrb]

how often are you going to be working out there? You're going to be changing the oil on that all the time. For prime power diesel is really the best way to go.

How far away is the barn?

 

[sean5294]

I would only be using it a couple times a week.

 

[mrb]

I would only be using it a couple times a week.

for how long?

how far away from the house is the barn?

 

[4StarCstms]

It's going to get old quick.. My current lil workshop I cannot legally run power to it, so Im stuck on extension cord..works okay for the lights..charging cordless batteries.. but when it comes to running a grinder, or my welder/plasma... I have to drag out the generator.. Major PITA after awhile... maybe i'm just lazy, but dragging it out, and putting it back..just got old..fast.

 

[larry_g]

I wouldn't do it. Noise, fuel, maintenance and a 5500w will not run much of a compressor. You can buy a lot if direct burial wire and a breaker box for the cost of buying and keeping a generator going. That said I have a generator in the sheep barn but it only is for light and the barn is a quarter mile from power and the lights are only used intermittently during lambing, 3-4 weeks ofthe year.
lg
no neat sig line

lg
no neat sig line

 

[RPH]

At the moment I use a 12kW generator for my barn. Run from the house for power is
400+ feet. Welder , well small mig (120 VAC), 220 VAC buzz box welder but have to watch the duty cycle. Compressor, I left the big one down at the old garage but son owns the house. Power tools small ones but table saw starts and the generator knows it. Noise is the issue, I go out to the barn for piece and quiet but not with it running. Can't hear the stereo and it really grates on the nerves. Oh, the old generator was 8kW and would not run much of any thing. I do bless the generator and appreciate what it does for me but the noise. I look forward to power without the noise.

 

[mrb]

even 400 feet...I would buy four 100ft 6/4 cable with 50a twistlocks, and a spider box, put a 50 amp twistlock receptacle on the house, and make sure I dont run over my expensive extension cord with the lawnmower...

 

[Nostraquedeo]

5500 Watts is not going to give you a lot to work with. Seems like a PITA way to go as a permanent solution, but sometimes ya gotta to what ya gotta do.

 

[sean5294]

Thanks for the info, I really have not worked with wiring before so I was not sure how to go.

 

[sberry]

At 400 ft 6 would be underpowered. Assuming the distance is less, which is what? If you dont have line power you will need it, as was said, the genset will get old fast as well as expensive to operate. Power is a good investment but we need to know the distance.

 

[RPH]

Expensive extension cord + 1 wife with 72" zero turn mower = many small fragments of cord + lots of work on mower. She would run over the cord when we lived in the city. It got to the point that when she would mow I would hole up in the basement, useing it as a bunker. Never knew what would fly!
Generator is cheaper in this case.

 

[mrb]

At 400 ft 6 would be underpowered. Assuming the distance is less, which is what? If you dont have line power you will need it, as was said, the genset will get old fast as well as expensive to operate. Power is a good investment but we need to know the distance.

the 6/4 cord would be ok until the load got to around 30 amps per leg, then voltage drop would be a problem. note: I am talking about extension cords and temporary power, not installing something. Of course any installation of 400ft @ 60 amps would use much larger wire.

 

[Bevis]

Expensive extension cord + 1 wife with 72" zero turn mower = many small fragments of cord + lots of work on mower. She would run over the cord when we lived in the city. It got to the point that when she would mow I would hole up in the basement, useing it as a bunker. Never knew what would fly!
Generator is cheaper in this case.

I think our wifes are sisters

 

[checkthisout]

Rent Mini-Excavator for $200.00.

Buy cable and supplies for $1200.00

Drink Beer, dig drench, drink beer, run cable.

Turn on lights in barn and laugh at self for considering a solution that would have cost a lot more in the long run, is a helluva lot noiser and wouldn't have allowed you to sit on a giant rental sandbox toy and drink beer while you tore up your backyard.

 

[RPH]

Own the trencher already but I travel a lot for work so time is a problem. The other half of the problem is I have a 100 hundred year old farm house with only 60 amp feed. That has to be upgraded before the barn. That puts the cost up there and enters into the time equation big time. Got to be there for the estamate and work. Sometimes its not so black and white. Here its a case of "beget's", this beget's this and leads to another beget's and so goes life. Someday though.