Hi
I have decided it is time to get a generator so will be saving up for one this year.
The question is now, what type do I get.
I have a 2 bedroom house with all the normal stuff, tv, microwave, kettle etc etc
I don't need anything that will "light up the whole house" - but just to keep stuff going for a day or two if need be.
I know that it all depends on how much you want to spend and looking at the other posts, I see that the more you spend the quieter it is etc.
Can anyone suggest a first time generator owner what would be a good one to get.
I've seen the Pramac P4500, however that is quite expensive. Would you suggest it or another brand?
Sorry if this is a duplicate of another thread.
Thanks.
Generators
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the-gnole
Re: Generators
You need to ask yourself "what is the maximum amount of power I will need at any one time"
I have a 1.9Kwh Diesel Generator, it will power the lighting, the boiler, the fridge, the freezer, TV, DVD, Laptop, printer, radio and not a lot else.
Consumer unit and switchover
Switchover
Inlet from Genny
I have a 1.9Kwh Diesel Generator, it will power the lighting, the boiler, the fridge, the freezer, TV, DVD, Laptop, printer, radio and not a lot else.
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maxilaura
Re: Generators
I was thinking of getting a portable one as I don't own the house. It doesn't have to be connected to the "mains" does it?
I would like it to light up at least the lounge area and the tv, and also some hot water.
I would like it to light up at least the lounge area and the tv, and also some hot water.
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skippy
Re: Generators
Hi
It depends what you wish to achieve with the genset and also how much space / money you have.
Firstly dont by cheap generators ... they are rubbish. Pramac are good as are honda, SDMO or SKD.
Look for good quality engines as they are the part that will let you down most often.
For a small standby generator go for petrol as they are easier to transport set up etc.
for a larger genset then you are looking at a diesel.
Ok now you need to know what power you will need. Add up everything you think you will need to run at one time bearing in mind you may want to keep the run time to a minimum for OPsec.
lights, kettle, washing machine? freezers, fridge, look up the no of watts or kilowatts they all use and total it.
So now you have the total no of watts you need to know the KVa
As a ready reconner you add 25% to the watts total to get a rough KVa rating.
The KVa is what the generator will suppy so if you have a total of 2000 watts then you will need a generator of around 2.25 KVa
After all that you also need to know the ampage of all the appliances as this will figure in you generator selection as well. Small generators will only supply a domestic 13amp socket
More powerful petrol or small diesel ones will supply 16 amp (generally ok for most household appliances except showers and cookers)
Bigger diesel gensets supply 32 amp or 3 phase (not realy important for what you are looking for)
In an ideal world you can wire your generator into the mains through a switchover box. This is great but its not necessary, you can just have an extension lead to start off with.
So after all that what about a recommendation ...
Ok!
For under £500 you can get a SDMO (honda powered) generators either 3 or 4 KVa will supply most households at a push ...they dont need electricition installed wiring, an extension lead will do.....there a str8 answer
If you need something bigger to supply everything on your mains ring then you are looking at a big diesel beast putting out 15-25Kva and costing 10s of thousands.
hope that helps
Skippy
It depends what you wish to achieve with the genset and also how much space / money you have.
Firstly dont by cheap generators ... they are rubbish. Pramac are good as are honda, SDMO or SKD.
Look for good quality engines as they are the part that will let you down most often.
For a small standby generator go for petrol as they are easier to transport set up etc.
for a larger genset then you are looking at a diesel.
Ok now you need to know what power you will need. Add up everything you think you will need to run at one time bearing in mind you may want to keep the run time to a minimum for OPsec.
lights, kettle, washing machine? freezers, fridge, look up the no of watts or kilowatts they all use and total it.
So now you have the total no of watts you need to know the KVa
As a ready reconner you add 25% to the watts total to get a rough KVa rating.
The KVa is what the generator will suppy so if you have a total of 2000 watts then you will need a generator of around 2.25 KVa
After all that you also need to know the ampage of all the appliances as this will figure in you generator selection as well. Small generators will only supply a domestic 13amp socket
More powerful petrol or small diesel ones will supply 16 amp (generally ok for most household appliances except showers and cookers)
Bigger diesel gensets supply 32 amp or 3 phase (not realy important for what you are looking for)
In an ideal world you can wire your generator into the mains through a switchover box. This is great but its not necessary, you can just have an extension lead to start off with.
So after all that what about a recommendation ...
Ok!
For under £500 you can get a SDMO (honda powered) generators either 3 or 4 KVa will supply most households at a push ...they dont need electricition installed wiring, an extension lead will do.....there a str8 answer
If you need something bigger to supply everything on your mains ring then you are looking at a big diesel beast putting out 15-25Kva and costing 10s of thousands.
hope that helps
Skippy
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the-gnole
Re: Generators
I also have a small cheap carry around 2stroke petrol genny for up to 850w flat out, normal about 650-750w
It is OK for a short time, also fairly quiet once running warm, an extension lead can be run in through a letter box to run a few bits, Radio, tv, dvd, a couple of lights, or to run the freezer for a couple of hours to keep it cold.
But like most domestic small output generators they are limited to what they are good for and don't like being run for extended periods, they are generally air cooled, have a "splash" oil lube system which is going to need regular maintenance. But they are certainly better than nothing.
Usual thing applies though, you get what you pay for.
It is OK for a short time, also fairly quiet once running warm, an extension lead can be run in through a letter box to run a few bits, Radio, tv, dvd, a couple of lights, or to run the freezer for a couple of hours to keep it cold.
But like most domestic small output generators they are limited to what they are good for and don't like being run for extended periods, they are generally air cooled, have a "splash" oil lube system which is going to need regular maintenance. But they are certainly better than nothing.
Usual thing applies though, you get what you pay for.
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maxilaura
Re: Generators
Thanks Skippy!
I need to go get the calculator out and start adding some figures together to see how much I will use.
If the electricity goes out, I wouldn't bother with the washing machine unless 3 weeks had gone by and it still wasn't on. I would like to have lights, use of appliances like kettle, toaster, fridge and tv. If the main lights are on, I don't need any side lamps on as well. Would also like the boiler to be on if possible.
My hob and oven is gas, so I'm assuming that won't be affected if the electricity is off (I may be totally wrong here though - does anyone know if this is correct or does the gas stove still get connected with electricity to some extent? Sorry if a very stupid question, but I really don't know).
I need to go get the calculator out and start adding some figures together to see how much I will use.
If the electricity goes out, I wouldn't bother with the washing machine unless 3 weeks had gone by and it still wasn't on. I would like to have lights, use of appliances like kettle, toaster, fridge and tv. If the main lights are on, I don't need any side lamps on as well. Would also like the boiler to be on if possible.
My hob and oven is gas, so I'm assuming that won't be affected if the electricity is off (I may be totally wrong here though - does anyone know if this is correct or does the gas stove still get connected with electricity to some extent? Sorry if a very stupid question, but I really don't know).
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the-gnole
Re: Generators
It'll be a no to the kettle unless you get a really small one, they are normally 2 to 3 Kw, same with the toaster, usually about 1Kw.
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skippy
Re: Generators
If your boiler is connected into the mains ring then you cant power it without wiring your genset in al la Gnole.
Forget the toaster they use too much power as do kettles....get an old fashioned whistling kettle:)you can use on the gas
Your oven may be fan assisted in which case it wont work but the cooker hob should be fine so long as you can light it .
Add it all up and see what it comes to.
As a top tip ... replace all your bulbs in lamps etc with energy saving ones (NOT LED ones as they hate generator output)and it will save you a huge amount of power. 10 x 60 watt bulbs is 600 watts a big slice of a small gens output.
skips
Forget the toaster they use too much power as do kettles....get an old fashioned whistling kettle:)you can use on the gas
Your oven may be fan assisted in which case it wont work but the cooker hob should be fine so long as you can light it .
Add it all up and see what it comes to.
As a top tip ... replace all your bulbs in lamps etc with energy saving ones (NOT LED ones as they hate generator output)and it will save you a huge amount of power. 10 x 60 watt bulbs is 600 watts a big slice of a small gens output.
skips
Last edited by skippy on Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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the-gnole
Re: Generators
To expand on this.
A boiler takes about 100watts to run, each lamp lit will depend on the type of lamp element you have, 60w lamp uses 60watts, but if it is a CFL it will maybe be 11watt.
How about getting a camping kettle to put on the gas hob.
And make sure you have a box of matches to light the gas as the electric ignitors won't be working, also make sure that it will still work without power, some won't let the gas in if there is no power.
With the boiler I have mine on a plug top, so I can unplug from a socket and put it into an extension lead.
A boiler takes about 100watts to run, each lamp lit will depend on the type of lamp element you have, 60w lamp uses 60watts, but if it is a CFL it will maybe be 11watt.
How about getting a camping kettle to put on the gas hob.
And make sure you have a box of matches to light the gas as the electric ignitors won't be working, also make sure that it will still work without power, some won't let the gas in if there is no power.
With the boiler I have mine on a plug top, so I can unplug from a socket and put it into an extension lead.