It is important to note that this material will be approximate. generators for private homes where the device can be placed outside. The fact is that they produce emissions that cannot accumulate in an apartment, or even on a balcony.

How to choose a generator

When choosing a generator for a private house, you need to decide which of its characteristics are most important for your specific needs:

• strength,
• stack,
• dimensions,
• working time,
• noise level,
• ease of starting
• the possibility of automatically entering the reserve,
• cost.

The power of the generator is the first thing to consider. The calculation of the required power is very simple: summarize the power consumption of electrical appliances that will work thanks to it. You can find this information on the information labels of your equipment. These are various heating devices, computers, household appliances, lamps, etc. It could be.

Consider what devices you can do without it in the absence of light, replace them with something else or postpone using them until the appearance of light – you can not add them to the list, but then you will have to comply with these exclusions.

But don’t get carried away because too much power and too little consumption will not be beneficial either. If you buy a generator with a large power reserve, but do not plan to give it a full load, it is important to understand that such an economical mode of operation leads to incomplete combustion of fuel, burning candles. it becomes coated with soot more quickly and the engine oil needs to be changed much more often. A gasoline generator “idling” without load is only allowed for 30 minutes for the same reason.

To significantly extend the service life, you should take into account the required minimum load of the device – this is 20% of the power in the case of a gasoline engine and 25% in the case of a diesel engine.

If you plan to operate the equipment only when the backup power supply is needed, and the consumers will only be household appliances, then a small 2.5 – 3.5 kilowatt power unit is suitable for this application. Consider that their rated power will be equal to 2 – 2.5 kilowatts.

Gasoline or diesel

The engine is the central part of your future generator and its service life will depend on it. According to the type of fuel, engines can be divided into gasoline and diesel.

• Advantages diesel — more resources and lower fuel consumption compared to petrol ones. But diesel generators are on average twice as expensive. The diesel power plant is applicable when a stable energy source and long-term operation (from 8 hours a day) or a power of 10 kilowatts is required. Diesel power plants are characterized by durability and a large engine resource.
• Gasoline variants differ in lightness of the engine and lower cost. If the generator will be used as an emergency power source, it is better to choose a car with a gasoline engine. Gasoline generators take less time and are easier to maintain.

nuances

• Medical equipment and computers have particularly sensitive power requirements: their operation requires a smooth sine current that only inverter-type generators can provide. They will provide the ideal quality of the current and will allow you to connect the equipment directly (without a stabilizer).
• It is better if the units of the power plant such as rotor and stator have copper windings instead of aluminum. Copper conducts current better and has low thermal conductivity, as a result of which the device overheats less during operation.
• It will be a plus if the station is equipped with a voltage stabilizer at the output. It provides a stable power supply for your devices by equalizing the voltage when the engine speeds change.

automatics

In the presence of automation, starting and stopping takes place without human intervention – the generator starts on its own when the voltage is interrupted for more than 10 seconds. If there is voltage in the mains, the automation turns off the generator.

So which generator should you choose for the home?

Minimum power is sufficient with a standard set of electrical appliances 2 kilowatts. If you want all appliances in a 3-4 person house to work fully, choose an electric generator of at least 5 kilowatts. With it you will close the need to provide energy to standard consumers.