Help me choose the generator

Re: Help me choose the generator

And knowing your loads and the ability (if needed) to reduce peak loads (turn water pump off to run A/C, etc.).

For some of the high power draws--Such as A/C and various pumps / electric water heaters (now heat pump based), there are some very significant ways to limit surge current to much lower levels (and many will increase electrical efficiency).

Once you know your loads. Minimum average loads for black out period--Where the generator will be running to supply most of your loads. The peak starting loads. And sometimes that may mean that you need two gensets. One for quiet office time (a couple computers, lights, fan, laser printer/network, etc.). and a second larger genset for dinner hour--When you need to run pumps, appliances, stove, A/C to take reduce some of the heat/humidity, etc.

The Honda and other inverter generators--Usually have a wider range of "efficient" operation. As your loads drop, the motor will slow down and the inverter portion will give you stable AC voltage and frequency (at the expense of poor surge support for loads). However, once you get constant/average loads above 50% or so of generator rating--The standard non-inverter-generator will be just as fuel efficient (if not more fuel efficient) than the inverter-generator. If you can manage your loads when on the genset--It will let you pick the genset that best supports those loads.

Regarding Petrol (gasoline) vs Diesel... Noise and smell can be major issues for diesel. You will have to decide if having a diesel is practical from a neighborhood point of view.

From an operational point of view--Diesel is usually more fuel efficient (kWH per gallon of fuel)--So price, availability, storage/transfer are going to be important too.

Diesel engines are going to be more fuel efficient than gasoline at lower output power levels too vs petrol (even more than the inverter-generators powered by petrol). A major issue with diesel is that they don't like running lightly loaded. Running below ~40-60% of rated output, they can "wet stack" (exhaust system becomes oily), glaze cylinder walls (low heat/pressure causes a glaze on the cylinder walls causing burning of lubricating oil, compression leaks past rings, etc.).

If your loads are variable--You might be OK if you can run the genset with some occasional heavy loads too (A/C, cooking, etc.) so that the engine gets a chance to be excersized at higher power levels too (I am not a Diesel expert--Hopefully others can address these questions better).

Once you have a good idea on loads and load management... You can pick classes of gensets that will meet your power needs.

The Honda and Yamaha ~1.5-2.x kWatt inverter-generators are great units for supplying smaller AC loads. At least in the US, there are few (if any) small Diesel gensets that have those capabilities. Everything else is going to be 2x or larger--meaning that they are really for larger loads.

Second is that (at least the Honda eu) is not really designed for long term usage--I.e., you really cannot rebuild them, no oil filter/pressurized oil system, etc. But--They can give pretty reasonable run-time life for their cost/size. 2,000 hours pretty easily with good maintenance/oil changes, and some folks here are getting 6,000 hours out of the eu2000i and eu1000i gensets. At the end of their life--You are going to throw them away (after 2-4 years or so).

A Diesel genset, done rgiht, it is an investment in the future... If you are going to need a genset for years to come, in similar operation, then paying the extra time and money to do it right is probably worth it (assuming Diesel+neighborhood is OK).

However--If you will be going with solar+batteries+AC inverter (look for inverter with "Generator Support")... Then spending money on a diesel genset now may not be the best fit for a solar power system later (generator may be over-sized for solar power system) and if Petrol is a better fuel for your needs (few tens of gallons stored on site for occasional bad weather power needs)--Then a less expensive / smaller petrol genset may be your better answer.

I wonder if the Honda eu30i (~3kW peak) genset is a good fit for you--If your AC loads are large enough to use the eu30i--It seems like there may be close enough to match a locally available Diesel generator too. And fuel storage/safety for diesel over petrol is important. You are going to be doing a lot of fuel handling over the next year--And gasoline is much more of a fire hazard (especially if you are in a crowed area and don't have room for a generator shed + fuel storage away from your home/office. The eu30i does not have (that I know of) an oil filter either--Lots of oil changes needed to keep it running reliably.

Reasons many of us like the Honda eu2000i (and eu1000i) is because there is no small diesel gensets, in the US diesel fuel is usually not as common at fuel stations.

And the eu2000i can be fitted with a sealed fuel cap + hose. Fill up the main 1 gallon tank, put on the sealed cap + line and drop the fuel line (plus filter if you want) into a 5+ gallon fuel container. The eu2000i (at least) as a mechanical fuel pump that can draw a vacuum in the internal fuel tank and pull fuel from an external tank. Less fuel transfer issues and longer run time vs just the internal tank (I am not sure you can do this with the eu3000i version).

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http://www.amazon.com/MAGNETIC-DIPSTICK-EXTENDED-Eu2000i-GENERATOR/dp/B004ZSAS82

-Bill