More and more country house owners are trying to prevent any power supply interruptions and buy a household generator for these purposes. We tell how to choose the most suitable.
Photo: Leroy Merlin
Electrical generators with internal combustion engines (DVS) are used extremely wide. From other sources, they differ comparative cheap. Fully ready for work, a gasoline power plant with a capacity of up to 1 kW can be used today for only 5-6 thousand rubles., And more powerful (2-3 kW) devices are commercially available for 15-20 thousand rubles. Similar accumulatory uninterrupted batteries will cost half more precious. Of course, the generator with an internal combustion engine has its own traditional shortcomings: it is noise, pollutes the atmosphere of exhaust gases and consumes expensive fuel. But as an inexpensive spare source of electricity, there is no alternative to him yet.
Photo: shutterstock / fotodom.ru
What motor to choose?
Inverter generator PowerSmart P2000 (Briggs & Stratton), due to the engine with the ability to change turns, depending on the load, is suitable for supplying household appliances of different capacities and in different intervals. Photo: Briggs & Stratton
Household generators are equipped with various types of engines: gasoline (which, in turn, are divided into two-stroke and four-stroke), diesel, gas. Motors on liquid fuel were widely distributed, more than 90% of generators are equipped. Each type of engines has its advantages and disadvantages.
Two-stroke motors are characterized in low cost, but more noisy; In addition, it is manually to prepare the oil-gasoline mixture. Such motors are equipped with generators with power up to 1 kW.
The four-stroke gasoline generators are produced in a wide range of capacity, from 0.5 kW to several tens of kilowatt. Compared to models with diesel engines, they cost cheaper and quite quietly work, but they have less motisores (800-1000 hours from gasoline engines, several thousand hours of diesel engines).
Diesel generators are mainly available for medium and high power (from several kilowatt), quite often such models serve to generate three-phase current. Diesel generators have their drawback - difficulty with launching with long downtime in the cold. Therefore, they are commonly used where the need for electricity production occurs often (for example, several times a week). And gasoline, on the contrary, where their help is rarely required (for example, 2-3 times per season).
Inverter generator Patriot 2000i 1.5 kW. Photo: Leroy Merlin
Generators with gas engines have not yet been widely distributed - probably due to higher cost: with a capacity of 2-3 kW gas generator is approximately twice as expensive than gasoline. Although, in our opinion, this is a very promising technique. It is characterized by low noise and lack of unpleasant odor of exhaust gases. These generators can work both from the main and from the balloon gas. Connecting to a trunk gas pipeline requires coordination with the organization providing gas supply services, and is a difficult task (we will tell about connecting to gas networks in a separate article). The use of balloon gas does not cause such difficulties. There are generators with the possibility of switching the type of fuel, gas-substituted.
5 important indicators of the electric generator
- Noise level. Generators with noise level 62-65 dB can be considered quiet.
- The number of outlets. In low-power (1 kW) generators, there are usually one socket on 220 V. in more powerful (2-3 kW) there may be several (usually two or three). There may also be one outlet for 12 V and one at 380 V.
- Engine starting. There are models with both manual engine start and equipped with an electric starter. The latter is more convenient, but there are several thousand more expensive.
- Startup automation. Generators can be equipped with an automatic startup system when the voltage disappears on the network (the system of automatic reserve entry). The cost of such models begins from 30 thousand rubles.
- Mass of the device. A small mass (20-25 kg) will be important for those who are going to use the generators mobile. Large and heavy (50-100 kg or more) generators can be equipped with wheels.
The BRIGGS & Stratton gas generator is "dressed" into the all-weather casing, which reduces the noise and vibration. Photo: Briggs & Stratton
Main parameters when choosing an electric generator
Generator gasoline SRFW210E 4 kW with electric (Patriot), designed for welding with current up to 210 A. Photo: Leroy Merlin
The most important characteristic of the electric generator of any type is its rated power: active (in kW) or complete (in kVA). It should cover electricity needs, which are calculated by the addition of the capacities of all the instruments connected to the network.
Gasoline Hitachi E24 generator, continuous work time 10 h. Photo: Hitachi
Low power (less than 1 kW) generators are suitable to provide electricity in minimal quantities. They are equipped with one socket to which you can connect the emergency lighting system, TV (or similar to the power device) and, say, the charger for the phone. If you have a different equipment for life support in the country house, which consumes electricity (circulation pump, a system forced ventilation, refrigerator, etc.), then you need a 2-3 kW generator (a more powerful generator is needed for a downhole pump. For its large start current). Such models are equipped with several (usually two-three) sockets by 220 V, they can also have a socket on 12 and 380 V.
Quality of current
Generator sockets block. Photo: Leroy Merlin
For many electronic devices, it is important that the AC parameters in the network correspond to the standard as accurate as possible (voltage 220 V, the frequency of 50 Hz, the current over time changes via sinusoid). Deviations from the standard can be dangerous for electronics if there is no corresponding protection. As for the generators, they may provide a built-in inverter system for adjusting the current parameters so that they do not deviate from the standard with an increase or decrease in the load.
Type of generator
The generators are in the same way as electric motors can be synchronous and asynchronous. Without going into the details of the structure, we note that synchronous generators are distinguished by a constant rotation speed of the rotor and the relatively high quality of the current produced (usually deviations from standard values do not exceed 5%). In addition, they are easier according to the design and cheaper, so in everybody they are mainly used exclusively. Asynchronous generators give a current of the worst quality (deviation from standards ± 10%) and therefore without additional energy converters are not suitable for the power supply of capricious electronics. But they are distinguished by resistance to overloads with active resistances (heaters, stoves, light bulbs, irons, etc.) and short circuit currents.Built-in overload protection
The device opens the circuit with loads exceeding permissible. It should be noted that the protection does not work instantly, and with a sharp increase in the load (for example, when the heater is connected), the generator may fail. Therefore, it is important to correctly calculate the load during the selection of the generator and not exceed it. Too low, too, it can be harmful, many manufacturers prohibit the operation of household generators if the load is less than 25% of the calculated one.
Duration of continuous work
Generator with DVS cannot work for days. The maximum time indicator depends on the model. Portable generators, such as PowerSmart P2000 (Briggs & Stratton) or Patriot 1000i, are designed for 4-5 hours. Large and most powerful ("Lesnik LG2500", Maxcut MC3500, "Spec 2 kW") are able to work 8-9 h. ELITE 7500EE gasoline generators can provide backup power for 13 h 15 min, and model Power Eco ZM3500 (Mitsui) 14 hours, respectively.Note that the duration of continuous operation for most of the models of household gasoline or diesel generators is indicated in the technical specifications for 50% load, with a larger load, the duration of continuous operation must be proportionally reduced.
Where to install the generator
Generators with DVS are recommended to be placed in a separate, well-ventilated room, so that neither the noise nor the smell of exhaust gases prevented the tenants. In the perfect version, it can be a separate building. There are also models of generators, which can be installed in the open air at all. For example, the Vanguard V-Twin series models are equipped with a protective all-weather casing, which protects them from mechanical damage and bad weather, and also allows you to work stably even at low temperatures. For such a generator, no additional buildings will be needed.
First of all, you need to accurately determine the power of all connected devices. The generator power must be about 30% higher than the required power. For household needs, it is worth choosing high-speed portable diesel generators. These models are compact, easy to maintain, produce less noise when working, and their power, as a rule, is quite enough to maintain the standard set of household appliances in a country house.
Ivan Hrpunov
Technical specialist of the company "Kashirsky Dvor"
Comparative characteristics of household generators with DVS
Model | LG2500. | SRGE 650. | 2000i. | "Spec 5 kW" | PowerSmart P2000 | GND4800D. | DS 3600. |
Mark. | "Forester" | SRGE | Patriot. | "Specialist" | Briggs & Stratton. | Wester. | Fubag. |
Engine's type* | B. | B. | B, I. | G / B. | B, I. | D. | D. |
Power active, W | 2000. | 650. | 1500. | 5000. | 1600. | 4200. | 2700. |
Continuous work time, h | nine | five | four | eight | 4 h 50 min | eleven | 9,1 |
Number of sockets | 2. | one | one | 2. | one | 3 ** | 3 ** |
Noise level, dB | 65. | 60. | 58. | 68. | There is no data | There is no data | There is no data |
Mass, kg. | 36. | 16,3. | 20.5 | 86. | 24. | 158. | 67. |
price, rub. | 6998. | 4368. | 24 500. | 32 000 | 44,000 | 58 900. | 32 900. |