Question

obi604

Im sure every lad and their mother now is thinking about generators

My Silly question - is there such a thing as smallish type generator that would just power a 4 way gang as below?

If so, how much would it cost?

I know it would be very limited and could only power a light or fridge or tv etc

Calahonda52

two thinks to consider

noise level when running under full load

quality of the sine wave from the jennie, lower cost ones have crap sine wave which will damage a lot of stuff

Also make sure its 50 Hz

https://reads.alibaba.com/how-to-distinguish-between-pure-modified-sine-wave-units/#:~:text=Examine%20the%20interference&text=This%20output%20can%20be%20compared,a%20modified%20sine%20wave%20inverter.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123117504#Comment_123117504

Thanks. Roughly how much would a simple setup cost? Ball park.

Lenar3556

The Loncin inverter generators might be worth looking at. They are copies of the Honda equivalents, but have been around for years and have reasonable reports.

LC2000i maybe.

Sleeper12

I would go for the highest quality 4 gang sockets too.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123126891#Comment_123126891

Thank you. How long would this run a fridge and light and TV for? (On a full tank of fuel) ball park

Lenar3556

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128276#Comment_123128276

They say 7 hours.
4.2Litre Tank.

If it’s for future emergency use consider buying the Aspen4 fuel. It has a shelf life of 4+ years and can be left in the generator. Normal petrol while cheaper will damage the fuel system if left in it for a 6 months without use. It also degrades quite quickly.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128374#Comment_123128374

so is it as simple as power this up, Plug in a good quality 4 way lead and run minimal appliances off this? (Not exceed 2kw I guess)

Lenar3556

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128381#Comment_123128381

That’s it - It’s actually 1.6KW that’s it’s continuously rated for.

There is a slightly bigger one the 3000i which is up to 2.3KW continuous.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128396#Comment_123128396

open to correction, but the boiling of a kettle is 2.3KW so even the bigger one would probably not handle a kettle.

But the 1.6KW should be good for

Fridge freezer

Lamp

TV

Basic Internet router from EIR etc

??

Lenar3556

Yes, a kettle is out.
but the rest (even all on together) should be fine.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128637#Comment_123128637

I know a lot of people will do a knee jerk reaction here to a thing that does not happen very often. Me included, lol.

Is this a sensible purchase in your opinion. Like 800 euro or so on this small generator.

Lenar3556

I suppose it depends on your circumstances. The most recent events were largely unprecedented, and are unlikely to be a regular occurrence so don’t weigh too heavily on them. But there will be outages from time to time and indications are that climate change is bringing about more severe weather.

If you are in a rural area, which may not be prioritised for the restoration of power after a storm or other failure, it may well be worthwhile. It adds to your independence and ability to cope with unexpected events so there is that peace of mind element.

If you are in a town or city, it is less likely that power will be off for very long periods.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128718#Comment_123128718

Thanks. Regarding the unit, I guess it has to be left outside the house and run the extension lead on a letterbox etc

Is the unit waterproof and ok to be left out in rain?
is it very noisy as it will be running for hours.

Lenar3556

Yes, must be outside.
That particular one isn’t very noisy, but it’s not silent.
Not waterproof, so would need to operate under some kind of shelter if it were raining.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128848#Comment_123128848

ah ok, I just presumed you could leave it out in the rain. Tricky enough to find a suitable place or shelter for it.

Keith186

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128889#Comment_123128889

Could put it in a shed and run a decent rated 25m extension roll cable to the house.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128948#Comment_123128948

ah ok, so a shed would be fine, thanks. “Not inside” was mentioned earlier and I thought this applied to a shed also.

Lenar3556

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123128948#Comment_123128948

No it needs to be outside in free air.