Selecting A Generator - Which Will Suit Your Needs?

By Katija Trbovich

There are quite a number of options for the home owner and business operator when you need to choose a generator: so many, actually, that it can be quite confusing to the uninitiated. What source of fuel do you prefer - diesel or petrol? Do you need a small "emergency" generator for the home, or one with a great amount of power to act as a back up when the mains electricity fails in your business? If you don't have much of an understanding of how generators work, you will find it difficult to choose.

How then, do you make a selection? To begin with, you should investigate for what exact purpose you will need the generator, as this will help you to determine the capacity. If you require a generator for home use, it would not make sense to choose a heavy duty industrial generator, as it would provide more power than you actually need. Similarly, if you need to run machinery, a small generator will not be enough as it is likely to fail when you need it most.

Both diesel and petrol generators are similar in how they deliver power. Diesel electrical generators are usually found in agricultural environments, on construction sites and in factories and warehouses: in fact, wherever there is a requirement for a portable and reliable source of energy. This can be due to the absence of mains power (as with construction sites) or the mains power cannot be relied upon (such as with agricultural areas and factories).

In determining your generator requirements, you should choose the most efficient model. The size of the portable generators is specified by the output and speed provided by the manufacturer: generally speaking, a more powerful generator has a higher output and speed. Most generators range between an output of 5KVA (kilovolt-ampere units) and 2500KVA. The lower KVA generators can be used in the home, whereas the higher ones are more than ample for most industrial applications.

The efficiency of the model is the first step: however, it is also necessary to calculate the load you have to supply. To do this, you simply have to work out the power demand, whether this is in the home or the business, during normal operating conditions. The amount of power that the generator can output will tell you whether it is sufficient to meet the requirements of your home or business: the capacity of the fuel tank only determines how long the generator will operate between refueling.It is always a good idea to choose a generator that provides a little more power than you require, thus minimising the eventuality of overloading.

Something else you may need to give some thought to is the noise level of the buy silent generators. Does the generator need to be run during the night in the home? If so, it is a good idea to choose a silent diesel generator as the noise level of these is much lower than traditional diesel generators. It is also sensible to choose a silent diesel generator with a decent sized fuel tank, to ensure that it runs overnight, so you don't have to be worried about refueling in the middle of the night. The noise level is not such a problem if it is used in an industrial situation, or during the day.

If you only need to use the generator occasionally, it makes sense to buy a good quality used generator, as this will save you a good deal of money.

Having a generator available for emergency situations, such as natural disasters or power outages, or perhaps when there is no existing mains electricity (camping is one such example) is a brilliant idea. However, it is sensible to do your homework and carefully choose a generator that best suits your individual needs. - 29939

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