Paddy Galore! Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 you can buy an additive for storing petrol, just dose the can and it's good for a long while, aspen is expensive but safer than storing petrol in larger quantities. a 3kva genny will struggle a bit if you plug your kettle in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psyxologos Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 (edited) Local Tool Sales in Blackburn have some generators - big enough and cheap. They are obviously not Honda, but I have had a large air compressor, jack, petrol jet washer and MIG welder from them - fine, with decent warranty. Just Google them - all in stock. Thanks Gordon. I will have a look! think you need to look more seriously at the inverter option Perhaps you are right. But that means I will have to run them off my car, which is n ot ideal. Decisions... Edited December 8, 2015 by Psyxologos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Just buy a second hand generator with a Honda gx160 engine around 3kva will run most house appliances ie fridge freezer TV etc. As for the kettle I use either my woodburner or the gas hob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psyxologos Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Just buy a second hand generator with a Honda gx160 engine around 3kva will run most house appliances ie fridge freezer TV etc. As for the kettle I use either my woodburner or the gas hob. That's a good point. Thanks for that. I am not worried about the kettle. Boiling water the old fashioned way is fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imissalot Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Guys you are missing the the most important bit how is the op connecting this the his system , don't just jump in and buy one to connect up with out doing it correct , there is earth systems to think about back feeding you don't just connect and start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Guys you are missing the the most important bit how is the op connecting this the his system , don't just jump in and buy one to connect up with out doing it correct , there is earth systems to think about back feeding you don't just connect and start I don't think I would try to hook in and power the ring main, safe option is to run a few extension leads as a temporary supply measure and just run essentials such as a lamp and freezer. I wonder if its possible to have a connection block legally fitted at the out feed of the meter tails to allow hook up of a genny in such circumstance? I know our offices have an emergency genny so you can do it for business but I don't know about private homes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I don't think I would try to hook in and power the ring main, safe option is to run a few extension leads as a temporary supply measure and just run essentials such as a lamp and freezer. I wonder if its possible to have a connection block legally fitted at the out feed of the meter tails to allow hook up of a genny in such circumstance? I know our offices have an emergency genny so you can do it for business but I don't know about private homes? Plenty of farms have standby generators for milking equipment, so it must be commonly available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonmick Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I don't think I would try to hook in and power the ring main, safe option is to run a few extension leads as a temporary supply measure and just run essentials such as a lamp and freezer. I wonder if its possible to have a connection block legally fitted at the out feed of the meter tails to allow hook up of a genny in such circumstance? I know our offices have an emergency genny so you can do it for business but I don't know about private homes? You can have a system put in to enable you to switch to a generator when the mains fail however for a house if it is only an occasional use its quite expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliver90owner Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Some good advice and some, err, not so good - even downright illegal and/or dangerous. Consider your load(s). Resistive (kettle, hot plate, radiant heater, etc) are easily sorted and kW rating is appropriate. Inductive loads (motors, transformers, etc) are generally covered by kVA but the standard Power Factor (PF) is 0.8 and some loads can have a different PF. Starting loads, particularly motors (fridges, freezers) can require up to 6 times the running current, occasionally more. Not all take that much and extra loads may not start while some may already be running. Electronic devices may not work with many generators because the wave form is not true sinusoidal. Other problems might be encountered with varying frequency and any voltage changes (transient or otherwise). Petrol is the obvious choice for very rare usage - cheaper to buy. But fuel always has road fuel duty included in the price, unless you use rebated diesel. Diesels are much cheaper to run but are better running under a good load (min 75% of maximum continuous load is one recommendation). They are more fuel efficient, except for the newer inverter type generators which run at appropriate engine speeds for the load applied. Most of those are petrol fuelled for the above loading reason, cost, etc. Connecting via a plug to any circuit is downright dangerous - risk of electrocution with bare potentially live plugs and risk of mains fed back to the generator.. Connecting to the house circuit, if grid fed, is illegal unless a suitable change-over switch is fitted. Its rating must be at least the grid supply for the property (80, 100, or more, Amps). Only 9? Litres (used to be 2 gallons) of petrol is allowed to be stored at a property in cans. The current petrol fuels contain far more volatiles (lower molecular weight hydrocarbons) and lose their cold start properties if left in a vented tank. Other content can corrode the fuel system and also gum up the carburettor. So the tank should be drained and the carburettor emptied if not used for extended periods. Modern diesel does not store as well as completely 'dino' of past years, but certainl y lasts longer than petrol. The small portable was likely useless, as the rating was likely the maximum output, not the continuous load rating and just too small to supply enough current while maintaining voltage for motor starts. Other questions might be do your freezers have a 'super freeze' setting? If so, best to get both started and run them continuously for several hours rather than intermittently. The fridge may need to be turned off as a best option. I have a 1kW kettle, but avoid the 3kW options! 'Nuff to think about? RAB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 For occasional use you can really forget most of the doom and gloom posts on here. Forget hooking up to the mains expensive and not worth it for very occasion use. Using my bungalow as an example I can run a light in every room tv router and freezer all off my Honda generator going through a 6 way extension lead, perfectly safe for short periods of time. As for storing fuel if your car runs on petrol there's your storage solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imissalot Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 For occasional use you can really forget most of the doom and gloom posts on here. Forget hooking up to the mains expensive and not worth it for very occasion use. Using my bungalow as an example I can run a light in every room tv router and freezer all off my Honda generator going through a 6 way extension lead, perfectly safe for short periods of time. As for storing fuel if your car runs on petrol there's your storage solution.Take it these are table lamps, As my self and Oliver 90 have said there is more to it , not saying don't or can't , I work for the worlds largest power rental company I know wot I'm on about , not having a pop at ANY one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Take it these are table lamps, As my self and Oliver 90 have said there is more to it , not saying don't or can't , I work for the worlds largest power rental company I know wot I'm on about , not having a pop at ANY one Led lights, 50watt all together along with the other appliances my generator manages no problem. Doesn't look pretty with extension leads from room to room but Im always the only property in the street with power. This is meant for short term use which is all my power cuts have ever been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliver90owner Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 A 50W load for short periods (up to a few hours) would be better served from a large leisure battery, using an inverter. This thread is about starting relatively heavy loads compared to the running load. Recharging a 12V battery can be taken care of easily, if a car is available as the power source, But again, there are inverters and inverters - some are square wave, some modified sine wave and some are true sine wave. Some are downright inefficient, but most could be used for simple lighting for instance. I have a 2 stroke cheapy 600W chinese offering which cost me about 15 quid, and my trusty 3 1/2 kVA diesel armature wound. The Hatz diesel is noisy - especally so, if the rest in the area are without power! - but the small petrol is easily portable. Even extension leads need to be selected carefully. Not all are three core, these days! LP is a good alternative fuel. My choice would likely be a Honda inverter generator of a couple kVA for this thread, but perhaps the smaller variants may be adequate. Just needs careful onsideration, not just jumping in for the cheapest kit available. It needs to be adequately powered, reliable and safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 A 50W load for short periods (up to a few hours) would be better served from a large leisure battery, using an inverter. This thread is about starting relatively heavy loads compared to the running load. Recharging a 12V battery can be taken care of easily, if a car is available as the power source, But again, there are inverters and inverters - some are square wave, some modified sine wave and some are true sine wave. Some are downright inefficient, but most could be used for simple lighting for instance. I have a 2 stroke cheapy 600W chinese offering which cost me about 15 quid, and my trusty 3 1/2 kVA diesel armature wound. The Hatz diesel is noisy - especally so, if the rest in the area are without power! - but the small petrol is easily portable. Even extension leads need to be selected carefully. Not all are three core, these days! LP is a good alternative fuel. My choice would likely be a Honda inverter generator of a couple kVA for this thread, but perhaps the smaller variants may be adequate. Just needs careful onsideration, not just jumping in for the cheapest kit available. It needs to be adequately powered, reliable and safe. This thread was about a generator for use in blackout situations which my replies relate too. The 50watt lights was just an answer to an above post. If I were just running these light I would just use my inverter but when its also running freezer and tv an inverter just wont cut it at least none of mine would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliver90owner Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 One of my inverters would - it's just over 2kW output, I think, and true sine waveform - but that does not run on a 12 volt battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Buy the biggest kva you can, longest run time and avr ( automatic voltage regulator if you choose to run any computer or sensitive electronic stuff) Look out for running in house or cellar it might kill you all with carbon monoxide Brings and station do a switch so you can connect direct to your mains- it stops blowing the mains when power comes back on All in all your probably better not bothering and leave things to the repair crew to get on with Freezer content is usually on your home insurance anyhow if the power company won't pay up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Look out for running in house or cellar it might kill you all with carbon monoxide After we had a spate of power cuts, I bought a generator. loaned it during a nearby power cut to someone who had expensive tropical fish. He left it running, in a garage attached to his house. His wife, who was pregnant, ended up in hospital and left him, when she came out. Allegedly accused him of trying to kill her. Got my generator back - not one word of thanks, nor any petrol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Carbon monoxide can even penetration brick walls. This surprised me right until I saw details of a death of a child sleeping in his own bed in a different house! Nasty stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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