Generator specs

[JaiLai]

I'm looking to buy a small generate to power my granny flat encase of power outage during this unbearable hot weather.

 

It would need to power

1 x 12,000BTU air con

1 x shower water heater

Lights

Water pump

 

Can anyone advise what specs I'd need?

 

Also how would one tie into mains supply so that if mains goes off it kicks in automatically? Or would you just isolate mains then start up gennie?

 

Any info appreciated as I'm clueless about electrics

 

Thanks

[Crossy]

First off, do you really need the water heater?

 

Is the aircon an inverter type or conventional?

 

How often does the power go off and for how long on average?

 

Do you have neighbours? (low cost gensets are not quiet, you may need to pay more for a "silent" type).

 

Diesel or petrol?

 

You're probably looking at around 6-7kVA genset, plenty available at around that capacity.

 

There are a few threads on how to hook it up safely. It's not difficult to do, but you will likely need the help of a competent sparks.

 

[JaiLai]

First off, do you really need the water heater?

 

Is the aircon an inverter type or conventional?

 

How often does the power go off and for how long on average?

 

Do you have neighbours? (low cost gensets are not quiet, you may need to pay more for a "silent" type).

 

 

Diesel or petrol?

 

You're probably looking at around 6-7kVA genset, plenty available at around that capacity.

 

There are a few threads on how to hook it up safely. It's not difficult to do, but you will likely need the help of a competent sparks.

 

 

Many thanks for your feedback

 

Noise would not be an issue.

 

I could live without the water heater if it's easier for the hook up.

 

Fuel, no idea, what is preferred, diesel or petrol?

 

Electric goes off now and then, sometimes for an hour sometimes overnight. Recently read a thread on here where a lot of power poles fell down and people cut off for a week... So id like to be prepared.

 

The AC is a normal domestic unit, it's got the compressor unit etc outside.

 

Could you recommend a preferred brand name?

 

Absolutely a sparky would do the hook up.

 

Thanks again

[Crossy]

Have a look here for some idea of pricing http://www.888powertools.com/

 

Diesel are much more expensive, but burn cheaper fuel, I'd always recommend one that burns the same stuff as your car  That said, we have two diesel vehicles and a petrol genset (it was an emergency purchase and beggars can't be choosers). Put fuel stabiliser in the tank to keep it fresh.

 

I'd stick to 6kW or more if you want to run the aircon.

 

It's not difficult to build an automatic transfer switch, or you can buy one ready built, but you'll need a genset that can handle one. Have a look at this thread ;-

 

but there are many more, a forum search on "generator" will bring up loads of reading.

 

It's worth looking on AliExpress for transfer switches.

 

EDIT These guys do all sorts of handy genset control stuff http://www.gencontrol.co.uk/index.html

they ship to Thailand and are fast.

[JaiLai]

19 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Have a look here for some idea of pricing http://www.888powertools.com/
 
Diesel are much more expensive, but burn cheaper fuel, I'd always recommend one that burns the same stuff as your car  That said, we have two diesel vehicles and a petrol genset (it was an emergency purchase and beggars can't be choosers). Put fuel stabiliser in the tank to keep it fresh.
 
I'd stick to 6kW or more if you want to run the aircon.
 
It's not difficult to build an automatic transfer switch, or you can buy one ready built, but you'll need a genset that can handle one. Have a look at this thread ;-
 
[/url] but there are many more, a forum search on "generator" will bring up loads of reading.
 
It's worth looking on AliExpress for transfer switches.
 
EDIT These guys do all sorts of handy genset control stuff http://www.gencontrol.co.uk/index.html
they ship to Thailand and are fast.

 

Thanks for that, really appreciate it.