ECN Forum Forums Off Topic Discussion Off Topic Discussion Generator wattage questions

I have some probable redundant questions about power outages and a generator ..
I have a 9400w generator beautiful machine
.. I have a 1975 mobile home
Recently there was a ICE storm from hell no power 87hrs had my generator running the hole time
Question is my furnace is ran by 4 60 amp breakers but my generator has 2 30amp , and 1 50 amp ... is that furnace too much for that....
I eventually was trying to install an inlet box and an interlock to be better accommodated in an emergency but if the furnace is too much ill have to use heaters
Much appreciate letting me post this ... I'm sorta knowledgeable, but the 4- 60 amp fuses confused me ... does that mean 440 ?

Two double pole 60s usually means 120a/240v but that will be at 80% so you are looking at more like 100a. That still looks like a whole lot of toaster wire and I would want to see the plate on your air handler, maybe on the heater elements themselves.
Do you perhaps have a heat pump with a 60 on the condenser and a 60 on the air handler? That would be more likely. If you can bypass the toaster wire, it should run the heat pump if it will start it. Usually the condenser breaker is a lot higher than the full load current when running. That answer is on the name plate of the condenser
Full load amps vs Max breaker size.
You are really going to have to figure out what you have.
You may have 10KW of heat strips, too much for the genny and a 3.5-4 ton heat pump that your generator won't start If the heat pump is smaller than that and you can switch off the aux heat at the thermostat (or a separate breaker in the air handler), you have a chance.
If this is straight cool with heat strips, buy some space heaters and be careful.

Not a heat pump ... a mobile home furnace... but I can see your direction .... you are right I need to Investigate it further .... after the ICE storm this past week ... I'm eager

You might have better luck on a mobile home forum. Maybe they have a sparky who knows about that "furnace" but HVAC folks are harder to deal with

You really just want a local electrician who can hook up your inlet and transfer equipment and find a way to pick off a subset of that 24 KW toaster you can run off your transfer panel.