Thread: generators

those cheap gennies are worth their weight in ummm something not quite as valuable as gold but certainly more than lead.

IF you use them for dumb electrics like lights, non speed controled brush motored electric hand tools, small heaters and old school transformer driven rectified type battery chargers they're great.

plug something expensive into them....

Seems i was lucky both engels still run okay,mate plugged in a voltage gauge last night and gen was putting out 330 volts not 240.This would explain battery charger going dead and engels shutting down.Thanks for all the replies now looking at a Honda or similar.Solar panel is also on the table for consideration.

Bruce.

I bought a Yamaha almost four years ago.

It runs for approximately 7 hrs every weekend since and powers over the manufacturers claimed capacity of 2.0 kva.

It has never missed a beat. The extra money spent on the purchase has far outweighed any mishaps of burning out circuit boards, not to mention the 3/5 of bugger all fuel it uses to run.

If it was to ever die (touch wood), I would not hesitate to buy another.

br interested what bunnings say about the overvoltage issue,they sell heaps up here in darwin,people seem to think they will run the house during a cyclone.

Originally Posted by lewy

br interested what bunnings say about the overvoltage issue,they sell heaps up here in darwin,people seem to think they will run the house during a cyclone.

Mine happily runs lights and tv during blackouts. It won't start a domestic 240v refrigerator though. I bought it in august 2004 for $99 and put a vibratory hour meter on it. It had done over 500 hours when I found another use for the meter. I am estimating over 1000 hours on it now. I use it on campimg trips and at swap meets to run a refrigerator and lights. Have also used it to run power tools. I mostly use the 12 v. side and only rarely use the 240 v. outlet.

There are lots of these little jiggers in the opal mines in Western Qld. Some camps have three or four of them. A mate from Winton has an opal lease down the Jundah Road and he ran his Engel for three months pretty well continuously off one of them on 12 volts.

Some of the pastoral properties bought clutches of them. Put one in every vehicle, shed, or hut, as well as for standby at the homestead. Winton Hardware loved them.

I am very pleased with mine and would certainly buy another.

Originally Posted by lewy

br interested what bunnings say about the overvoltage issue,they sell heaps up here in darwin,people seem to think they will run the house during a cyclone.

The overvoltage is caused by how the voltage regulation works in these. They don't have an automatic voltage rgulator (AVR) like the better ones do. They set the voltage high on them, and rely on the load to bring the voltage down. No load can typically be 300 volts +, at about 1/2 load theymay be around 240v, and at full load, the voltage would be closer to 200 volts. Like all the other posts state, I wouldn't use them to run much more than a light or a drill (non electronic - series wound).

Cheers - Gav.

Originally Posted by wander

Seems i was lucky both engels still run okay,mate plugged in a voltage gauge last night and gen was putting out 330 volts not 240.This would explain battery charger going dead and engels shutting down.Thanks for all the replies now looking at a Honda or similar.Solar panel is also on the table for consideration.

Bruce.

hey old foss

i just myself a Kipor gen

seems to do the job nicely and at a resonable price from these guys and quick delivery

i bought the GS2600



http://www.sparkydirect.com.au/c/277...enerators.html

I have had a $99 Bunnings generator for about six years and use at the race track when we don't have access to mains power. It has run my Engel fine, mostly I use it for the Engel and a battery charger, sometimes some lights. It will not start my compressor.

The only problem I had was when my passenger pulled too hard on the starter cord and broke the start mechanism, a mate fixed it with some welding of the thin sheet metal.

I don't take a generator camping as I try to travel light, (after years of motorbike touring).

Jeff