Recommended Generator

[Jixer]

So, we just had 5 days without elektrickery, so SWMBO has tasked me with finding a solution.
The question is, does any make stand out above the others.? 6kW-ish
I fancied a Hyundai just because it looked a neat package, but, the reviews were awful.
Honda fares somewhat better.
Is there a good website describing installation etc. I found some, but they seemed to skip details and
most were very USA oriented.

thnks
Jixer

 

[brewdexta]

I bought a Pramac P6000S without the wheel kit. A bit more than the Hyundai, but easier to work on and I think a bit better made. No AVC on the model I bought, but for supplying the house I've had no issues. I think there are models with AVC for a bit more.

 

[addjunkie]

I bought Hyundai, and its tied in through a manual transfer switch. Cable is plugged in whenrequired
hyundai works, its had a fair bit of use, but for a silent machine is quite noisy. Solenoid went after about 18 months, replaced it. Had a terminal snap too, battery didnt last long, as it was cheap junk. New ones been on 5 years, but it sits on a motorcycle trickle charger.

 

[reb78]

Some links to what folk do have might be good.

I have an old (can tell from the B&S engine) probably 3kW generator, but I have always wondered what I might damage by using it as I would guess it has no AVC on it at all. Most stuff (even my fridge freezer) has some sort of ECU these days so how delicate are these things?

What I really want is to be able to plug boilers (and associated bits) in for a shot of heat and keep the freezers frozen.

Does running the generator through a UPS (I have a few where the batteries have failed) make the supply safer?

 

[badabec]

I have an old B&S engined 2.2kva genny, nearly forty years old. I just fire it up, connect the commando plug, manually switch over from mains to genny and we are back in business. Two fridges, two freezers, oil fired boiler, tv and lights.
The fridges and freezers are all less than two years old, they all work fine powered by the genny.
Sometimes it coughs a bit if both fridges decide to come on at once.
Camping Gaz for the kettle.

 

[Robotstar5]

Mrs Robo's stables is off grid so we bought a no-name generator which lasted about 12 months, replaced it with a Clarke generator which managed about 3 years before failing so bought a Hyundai HY3100LE which has been fine for about 5 years now, gets mainly used over winter and has 300+ hours on it now, just gets a service each summer.

 

[Turbo]

A few years ago we had regular power cuts so my Dad decided to buy a generator. Against my advice he went & bought one of the generic Chinese units, 5hp & labelled 'Logan Tools'. I told him to buy a Honda engined one but they were 'too dear'!

That generator has been nothing but trouble. Every time you need to use it there is a drama getting it to run. Just this week we had to use it but it was running like a bag of nails all evening, the engine was hunting & the voltage going up & down. When the power came back on I switched it off & let it cool down. When I went back an hour later it was sitting in a pool of petrol - guessing that the carb float is sticking again.

It may have been cheap at the time but if he had been paying for repairs every time it didn't work ie every time you used it the Honda unit would seem cheap! Instead muggins here gets to fix it. Parts are also an issue, quite hard to get & a lottery to get the correct part.

In conclusion I would advise to to buy a Honda engined unit. Very reliable, starts first or second pull, parts easy to source & it will hold its value better than anything else. Buy from a reputable source as there are many fake Hondas out there!

 

[Mr Fro]

I have an ancient Honda ES3500 which I use when we have power cuts (probably once or twice a year).

It's a right old lash up with a home made exhaust and a length of flexi pipe to get the exhaust out of the garage. I connect it up with a double dong commando plug to a 16A socket for the mill.

It's anything from quiet but it handles our power needs and I've not seen any adverse impacts on our electrical gubbins.

 

[highseas]

I have a mosa Diesel engined one I think about 6 kva, simple and easy to look after it has been keeping a friends family warm and fed in a dark Cumbrian valley for nearly a week now and never a bit of bother! Will do all day on a few litres of red, and run a 180 amp mig if I need it too

 

[Bravheart]

How can you tell if the generator has all those fancy tools AVR etc.? Have one and now wonder if its safe for running the white goods. Has worked fine this last few days when pressed into service but maybe just lucky.

As a side note for those struggling with starting or carburettor problems it seems to be better starting again if you turn the fuel supply off and let it conk out rather than the on/off switch.

 

[Bobupndown]

Excuse my ignorance but how does one connect a generator to the household electricity supply. Presumably its a big socket wired in close to your consumer unit? A simple job for a certified electrician and not a job for a certifiable amateur?

 

[brewdexta]

One of the reasons I went for the Pramac was that its air cooled. No worries about perished hoses etc . Typically air cooled diesels are noisy but this isn't bad at all. Its around the back of the house under the lounge window and isn't that intrusive at all. I plumbed in a small trickle charger so the battery is kept topped up, but i sometimes forget to do a monthly start. Last time I used it, it was probably 6 months since the last start. Started on the button. I'll give it a service in the spring and I've put a monthly alert on my phone to remind me.

 

[brewdexta]

Excuse my ignorance but how does one connect a generator to the household electricity supply. Presumably its a big socket wired in close to your consumer unit? A simple job for a certified electrician and not a job for a certifiable amateur?

I got a spark to put a manual double pole changeover switch between the meter and consumer unit. I start the gennie first, best if there's no load on it when you start, then flick the switch. The switch makes it impossible to feed back into the grid. My neighbours tell me when the mains is back up, I then flick the switch and turn off the gennie.

 

[addjunkie]

something like this.

 

[Mr Fro]

I got a spark to put a manual double pole changeover switch between the meter and consumer unit. I start the gennie first, best if there's no load on it when you start, then flick the switch. The switch makes it impossible to feed back into the grid. My neighbours tell me when the mains is back up, I then flick the switch and turn off the gennie.

That's much less bodgey than my method. I might have to have a look at those switches.

 

[reb78]

View attachment 321735
something like this.

What sort of price was that to install out of interest?

 

[Mr Fro]

What sort of price was that to install out of interest?

I just looked up the price of one of those.

I think I need a lie down.

 

[reb78]

I just looked up the price of one of those.

I think I need a lie down.

So are you going to carry on using your dead mans lead ? Safety of touching the live end and not isolating from the grid aside, are there any other disadvantages to using a lead in this way? Serious question.

 

[reb78]

Its not so bad - https://www.energygeneratorsales.co...t-detail/sdmo-mts-100a-manual-transfer-switch £330 doesnt seem that bad when you consider what it needs to do and how it helps you do it safely.

 

[Blobber]

Its not so bad - https://www.energygeneratorsales.co...t-detail/sdmo-mts-100a-manual-transfer-switch £330 doesnt seem that bad when you consider what it needs to do and how it helps you do it safely.

Thats an awful lot of money for a box with a 2 pole changeover switch and RCD, try your local wholesaler bet you could do that for a third of the price