How to choose an electric generator, recommendations for choosing an electric generator

Almost all owners of household plots, cottages, country houses and small construction companies dream of being independent of energy supply and have their own autonomous energy source. At present, these dreams can be easily realized by purchasing an electric generator, and today the range of models is so wide that it is very difficult for an ignorant person to navigate in this diversity. Given the urgency of the choice issue, this article will consider the basic principles that should be followed beforehow to choose an electric generator for home, summer residence, work.

Generator as an alternative source of electricity

Autonomous power sources, low-power generators, are equally popular among repair, construction crews, as well as with owners of private farms. However, to consider them as an alternative to the main energy source is not due to the high cost of 1 kW of electricity, but it is impossible to overestimate their role as emergency energy sources. The main parameters of the equipment are the power and resource of the generators.

Generator power

Almost all users in their choice primarily pay attention to the power of the generator, and do not take into account a number of technical characteristics affecting the operation of the generator. Immediately note that the manufacturers indicate the maximum value of power at which the generator can operate for a short period of time. To get acquainted with the worker, the main power value can be found in the equipment documentation, such a parameter as cos φ.Knowing the value of cos φ, you can calculate the value of the working power of the generator. For example, at a value of cos φ 0.8 and a power of 5 kVA, the working power will be equal to:

5 * 0.8 = 4 kW

where kVA is the unit of total power( active and reactive),

kW-kilowatts, active power unit

Parameter cos φ indicateEuropean producers. Japanese manufacturers believe that the generator can operate at the limit of its power no more than 1.5% of the total working time. For this reason, the value of the parameter of generators of Japanese origin can differ significantly from European equipment.

As an example, consider 2 generators - a Makita EG 410 C generator with a cost of 28 thousand rubles.and a generator Glendale GP4000L-GEE worth 30 thousand rubles. The technical characteristics of both generators are almost identical: both generators are single-phase and both generators are equipped with a 4-stroke single-cylinder gasoline engine with air cooling. The difference is manifested in the capacity of the fuel tank and the cost. The capacity of the first generator is 5.6 liters, and the capacity of the fuel tank of the generator of the brand Glendale is 25 liters. However, careful consideration of technical data raises some doubts.

Makita has been supplying products to this market segment for many years and is reputed to be a manufacturer of reliable and high-quality equipment. The product documentation specifies 2 parameters: maximum power 4.1 kW and nominal power 3.5 kW.It is easy to determine that the power factor in this case is 0.85.

The documentation of the second generator of the brand Glendale does not indicate the nominal power of the product, and the declared power of 3.8 kVA / kW does not correspond to the actual value, the value of which does not exceed 3.2 kW.However, the manufacturer encourages respect by not indicating the declared capacity as nominal.

It is quite logical for the reader to ask about the need to understand such technical details. The answer is extremely simple. Such technical details are necessary for a more competent choice of the product. Some future users ignorant in these subtleties believe that the generator's power should be equivalent to the power of the connected equipment, which is not true. For the sake of clarity of the problem, generators of sufficiently high power were considered. Let us now consider in more detail how to choose the correct generator.

How to choose the power generator for the house correctly?

How to choose the right electric generator for home use? It is logical to calculate the total load on the generator, and in its choice to focus on it. But not everything is so simple.

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In its calculations it is necessary to take into account the type of the load itself, which is divided into active and inductive loads. Active consumers of electricity include light bulbs, electric ovens, heaters without fans, kettles. The calculation of the power for these electrical appliances consists in a simple calculation of the total power. In most cases, in order to ensure the operation of several light bulbs with a power of 100 W, a heater or an electric furnace, a generator of 3 kW is sufficient. However, a small power generator is not able to provide sufficient energy to a vacuum cleaner or electric drill.

The problem is that some electrical appliances equipped with electric motors require some correction for power. For a vacuum cleaner, the value of the correction factor is 1.25.Therefore, for the normal operation of a 1.8 kW vacuum cleaner, taking into account correction 1.25, 2.25 kVA is needed, but considering the generator's own factor, the required power is 2.8 kW.Thus, the generator of the brand Glendale GP4000L-GEE is able to provide power to the vacuum cleaner and several active electricity consumers.

Below is the value of the correction factor for some types of household appliances and construction equipment:

• Electrodrill with a power of 0.75 kW 1.2;
• Woodworking machine with a power of 2.3 kW 1.3;
• Pump( water) with a power of 0.85 kW 1.25;
• Concrete mixer with capacity of 0.9 kW 3.5;
• Refrigerator power 0.5 kW 3.2

The above discussion clearly demonstrates the need for some amount of technical knowledge for the correct choice of the generator. It is recommended that if the seller does not know the above parameters, buy the product elsewhere.

Generator design

The design of different generator models is almost identical. The design of the models includes a base on which the engine and generator are attached using rubber shock absorbers. Generators are equipped with either diesel or gasoline power units. The novelty of recent years are generators that work on gas. It is recommended when choosing to focus on power plants manufactured by Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Yamaha and Subaru, with engines with an upper valve arrangement preferred.

Power plants with an upper valve arrangement require a longer service life, since this type of engine has a greater service life. When choosing a model, it is desirable to pay attention to equipping the generator with a start amplifier, which smooths the loads during the connection of a high-power consumer. Manufacturers also offer generators with the option to automatically turn on when a household power failure occurs. A significant disadvantage of this type of generator is their high cost. However, the minuses of this type of generator are not limited thereto. In order to install them it is necessary to perform a number of technical measures, for example, to allocate a separate utility room for the generator or to protect the housing with a protective cover when installing it under the open sky. An example of this type of generator is the Endress ESE 1206 DHS / A-GT ES ISO generator costing 183 thousand rubles. It is also necessary to remind future consumers that all internal combustion engines require regular prevention in a qualified service.

Manufacturers of

electric generators There are not so many well-known, reputable manufacturers of generators, since the technological process of generating generators is rather complicated and laborious. This statement should serve as a warning to future customers. In this market segment presents products from a wide variety of manufacturers, and it is almost always asserted that the models are equipped with power units of famous world brands. It should be noted that even in case of equipping the product with the engine of a well-known manufacturer, this is not at all evidence that a really high-quality product is offered, since practically nothing is known about its service life. Vendors in the market, praising their goods, claim that they almost sell products of famous, European and Japanese manufacturers for nothing. Responsibly we assert that all offered cheap models have the Chinese origin, and in the passports of products the addresses of small, European firms are indicated. As it was said above, there are very few real manufacturers of generators and their products are rather expensive. However, in terms of quality and service life, the products of well-known brands fully correspond to the formula "price-quality", acquiring a generator, it is better to choose an electric generator that best suits the needs.

Thus, we can safely say that to purchase a powerful generator that can provide energy for all the needs of a country house or cottage, you need to contact professionals who work in specialized stores selling household appliances. Only in this case, the user can be assured of quality, long-term operation and reliability of the model. Do not forget about safety.