Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: generators  (Read 4704 times)

philcaegrug

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • ammanford
generators
« on: February 08, 2013, 10:06:37 pm »
I'm looking for a silent diesel generator. Found a few around the £7-800 mark but they all seem to have chinese engines. Some of their stuff is now of good quality but some is still crap. Does anyone know which makes are of a good standard?

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: generators
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2013, 09:37:45 am »
The quietest units we have are the Honda EU2.0's. They are petrol, have an ECO running setting to reduce the running costs and are well worth the money at £1100. I know a bit expensive, but our other generator used 4 times as much petrol for the same loads. Diesel is inherently noisy and I doubt you can get a quiet one Philcaegrug. Some of the markets in Staffordshire stipulate that the Honda EU range are the only generators permitted to be used on the site, because they are the quietest.


The EU2.0 has a maximum output of 1.8KW continuous and peak momentary load of 2KW. You don't say what output you need but quiet, reliable, high output and cheap is a non-existant combination from what I researched.

Re: generators
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2013, 12:17:47 pm »
What KVA output are you looking for?

In the price range you mentioned you will almost certainly be looking at an import engine.

Hondas / Briggs and Stratton carry a higher price tag.....
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philcaegrug

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • ammanford
Re: generators
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2013, 10:09:08 pm »
With all lights on i'm using about 2 kilowatts  :idea:. Also need it for any tools I use. I want a diesel as cost wise it will be a lot cheaper to run than petrol  ;)

steve_pr

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • Carmarthenshire/Pembrokeshire Borders
Re: generators
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2013, 11:56:35 pm »
I purchased an Evopower silenced diesel generator last year from Genpower down here in West Wales (always good to buy from companies just down the road - if it turns out rubbish you can drop it back on their doorstep!).


Current link is http://www.genpoweruk.co.uk/Evopower_LDG6000S_Silenced_Diesel_Standby_Generator_5kw.html


Price has gone up a bit (we had the benefit of a special deal) but it fitted all my criteria - key start (you need to charge the starter battery a couple of times a year), what appears to be a well smoothed output (although I would still run the computers through my surge protected UPS to insulate then from fluctuations in voltage and frequency). It is rated to 5kw which means it will run everything - keep the freezers going whilst running the oven, lights and the telly if needed! Best of all it runs on red diesel!


It is heavy (about 170kg) but on wheels so not too much problem and is remarkably well silenced - the casing and insulation does a pretty reasonable job.  Wouldn't work on a market stall perhaps, but outside the house you wouldn't hear it from inside. Our neighbours are well away so no issues there.


I had originally intended to put solar panels in, thinking that would work reasonably well as a daytime backup. Not a chance!  What they don't tell you is that when the mains grid goes down, your panels are disconnected (they need the 50Hz from the grid to synchronise and they don't want you killing the repairman up a pole in the next village.


Having said that, we haven't had a significant power cut in the time since we bought it - despite very heavy snow in January - but it is nice to have it around!

Small Farmer

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Bedfordshire
Re: generators
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2013, 11:14:22 am »
There is a an easily available kit for the Honda petrol generators which allows them to run on LPG as well.  That reduces the fuel cost and extends the range.  They are brilliant machines
Being certain just means you haven't got all the facts

edessex

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • Nr. Stansted Airport, Essex/Herts
    • Horticultural Services
Re: generators
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2013, 08:52:57 pm »
I was originally after a diesel generator, to use red diesel, but I ended up with a petrol one as it only cost me £100... Its identical to the Honda units that at the time were £1000, now £700ish.

I've not managed to stall it yet, even ran a 3-bedroom house on it, with at least 2 TVs, 2 PCs, a cold fill washing machine and a kettle in use!

Tala Orchard

  • Joined Nov 2012
  • North Cornwall
    • Tala Orchard
Re: generators
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2013, 12:37:09 pm »
Going off topic we have a Wolf generator that runs on petrol the engine will run fine but it has stopped generating power have changed the AVR and Brushes but as soon as We switch it to generate it stalls the engine that is with out putting a load on the generator.

Any ideas as to what might be wrong and how to cure it would be very much appreciated.

Tala
Pigs are human tooo

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: generators
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2013, 08:28:12 am »
Sounds like a short circuit is overloading the unit Tala.

Julestools

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • In my shed
Re: generators
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2013, 12:48:40 pm »
I was thinking that myself. I had one that was shorting on the control box lid. PIA to fix because the wires were too short

 

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