Generator - first start

[Vanman]

Hi folks - I've had this generator sat in the garage for about 10 years - wifely one bought it for use at the allotment, but it never made it that far ... some of my many questions are -

1. would it keep my 65L beer fridge running at bike rallies if I fired it up for a couple of hours a day (12v battery (95ah))

2. given that it's not been used ever and may have stood 'end up' for several years is there anything special I should do before/during the start-up process? It's been sat in the correct rotation for a couple of months now.

Thanks

 

[Vanman]

Link Removed

1.6ah/h at 25c (45 watts)

Why can't they just quote the performance in CB/h?

(Cold beers per hour)

 

[Vanman]

This geni does not look like the inverter type so never connect the 230v feed to your van hookup. It could fry the charger unit. much to loud to use at meets. As stated builders use only.

Yikes - well that has just got me completely confused

How is that different to connecting your EHU cable to a domestic plug adapter ... ?

 

[pappajohn]

Yikes - well that has just got me completely confused

How is that different to connecting your EHU cable to a domestic plug adapter ... ?

There are various forms of electrical waves.
That generator produces a square wave which is a very abrupt change from volts positive to volts negative (AC current)
This can cause terminal damage to some electronics like a modern charger.

A suitcase inverter generator (Honda, Kipor etc) produces a pure waveform which is identical (or near enough) to the national grid power.
It produces a smooth transition from volts positive to volts negative.
Everything runs smoothly as it was designed to use this form.

Ignore the complex and triangular wave pics and you will see the major difference between the two waveforms.

 

[jnn]

How would a spinning generator produce any of the non-sin wave forms?

Why can't they just quote the performance in CB/h?

removing my geek hat

Rough back of the newspaper conversion suggests enough CB/h for a happy weekend

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[Camping Gaza]

I got 200w of solar on my roof and I can tell you it dont produce much in dull wet January! You will be hard pushed to run a fridge long even with solar. Get yourself a nice suitcase genny, 52dbA @ quarter load like the hondas. Solar won't cut it in the UK.

AND you CAN park next to me as long as you've got beer!!

 

[Vanman]

I ALWAYS have beer

 

[pappajohn]

How would a spinning generator produce any of the non-sin wave forms

Nearly all, if not all, generators produce a square wave form.
Electronics smooth and modify it to a sine wave (or other type) at the output stage.
Cheap site generators don't have the necessary electronics so produce a simply square wave.

 

[tonyidle]

Nearly all, if not all, generators produce a square wave form.
Electronics smooth and modify it to a sine wave (or other type) at the output stage.
Cheap site generators don't have the necessary electronics so produce a simply square wave.

All generators that DO NOT have an inverter built in produce a nice smooth sine wave. They are governed so they run at the correct speed to produce 50Hz (or 60Hz). Generators like the much sought-after Honda use an inverter so that they can run slow with a light load and only speed up when more power is required. This makes them quieter on average than a governed generator. Because the generator speed varies they need a different design to maintain 50Hz or 60Hz and to regulate the output to 220/230 volts. The way they do this is to use a built-in inverter. Filters connected between this inverter and the output connection change the square wave output of the inverter to an approximation of a sine wave.

However non-inverter generators do have another problem: if they are connected to a number of different loads, or even one particularly heavy load, then when a load is switched off the sudden drop in power requirement can cause a brief over-voltage spike that can upset other more delicate equipment. It is not too much of a problem when connected as an EHU supply but you would be unwise to connect an electric drill or a concrete mixer to it at the same time. Another facet of generator use is the 12v charging output provided by most camping generators. I have not checked the 12v output of the inverter-type generator but any others produce an unregulated charging voltage. This means that if the output is rated at, for example, 8A the generator will continue to charge at 8A until the battery it's connected to boils dry. So if it is connected to a battery for long periods it is essential that it is disconnected when the battery terminal voltage (with the genny connected) rises above 14.5v. You can check whether the 12v output is regulated or not before you connect anything to it. If the output is 14.5v or less it is regulated. If the voltage is 18v or more it is unregulated.

 

[gerry mcg]

We have 2x95Ah batteries fitted and are about to get a 150W solar panel with a MPPT controller.
I guess we will turn van power off overnight so fridge power consumed of 1.6Ah x 18h=25.6Ah/day , with hopefully solar making up the shortfall on a daily basis.

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[mitzimad]

anything thats not been started that long i would take out the plug and squirt some thin oil down the cylinder leave it for an hour or two and then spin over with plug out

 

[TheCaller]

Just to explain ... the 'beer fridge' is the one that comes with the van, it morphs into a beer specific model at bike race meetings when the van itself transforms into a man-van The model that comes with the van is a 65L compressor (electric only) thing

In that case - here's an energy saving tip while the fridge is beer only.

Forget about cans of highly dubious gassy chemical fizz that has to be cooled below 5 degrees C before it's drinkable. Switch to bottles of decent ales with real taste that are best at 12-13 degrees C. Then you can turn the fridge thermostat right down & halve the cooling power required even on a hot day.

If you pre-cool the bottles in your domestic fridge before leaving home, the fridge won't even turn on until half way through Saturday.

 

[magicsurfbus]

This is not a new thread, but in the light of recent experience with an Aldi generator (not unlike the one in the OP) I would say check that the fuel line has more than a couple of weedy wire clips holding it in place.