The life of a modern person without electricity has become simply unthinkable, because electricity is available in every home, and turning it off often causes a lot of trouble. It is for this that devices such as gas generators were invented, the prices of which range from 15,000 rubles. How to choose them and what points to pay attention to will be described later. This device is an autonomous source of electricity. You can even take it with you to nature, which will allow you to spend time comfortably even in conditions of strong remoteness from home. And all this allows you to make a gas generator. How to choose it, it will be clear if you consider all the parameters that are important to him.
general description
The answer to this question is much easier if you decide for what purpose it will be used. In those cases, if he has to work at low temperatures, then the optimal solution may be to purchase a device that runs on gasoline, because diesel start up at low temperatures is much more difficult. In addition, such devices are much more compact, greener and cheaper than diesel.
Power as the main factor of choice
So, if you get a gas generator (how to choose it, it’s described here), then for a start you should decide for what purposes you need it? The power of the device depends on your needs. For example, a Honda EU10i gas generator will be sufficient if you need lighting on a trip to nature, and when there is a need for electrification of the whole house, more powerful models should be considered. The device must have some power reserve, because at any time you can power something new from it, and some household appliances differ in the presence of a difference between the consumed and starting power. For example, the power consumption of a modern refrigerator is about 150 watts, and the start-up is four times more, that is 600. So, if we consider the gas generator, which one we understand, then we can encounter one more problem. On the device itself, power is usually indicated in volt-amperes, and the power consumption of each connected device is indicated in watts, which is often confusing when calculating the required level. Everything is quite simple here: 1VA = 0.8W, which means that a device with a power of 1000 VA provides the consumer with 800 W power.
Differences in the nature of the current
The choice of a gas generator depends on the type of devices that you are going to connect to it. All consumers of electric energy are divided into three-phase and single-phase. The former have a plug that is different from the traditional ones that we plug into 220V sockets. All household appliances, as well as low-power equipment, are all representatives of single-phase devices. Three-phase usually include compressors, concrete mixers, electric boilers, as well as other devices based on powerful electric motors. For domestic use, a 5 kW gas generator is quite suitable, the power of which will be enough to meet the current needs of the family during a central power outage. If you take a more powerful device, it will cope well with providing electricity to the entire house, and also allow you to connect the devices necessary for the implementation of construction work.
Voltage regulators
Among the voltage regulators, it is customary to distinguish transformers, capacitors, AVR and inverters. Capacitors and transformers operate on the basis of the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, therefore they are not able to give a stable voltage without any jumps. Automatic controllers, in contrast to them, cope with this task much better, and their cost is much less than that of inverter devices. The high price of the latter is determined by the quality of conversion of electric current, which satisfy very stringent requirements for the level of harmonics and sinusoidality shown in working with equipment that is sensitive to the slightest voltage drops. Inverter gas generators allow you to use them to ensure the operation of various types of expensive equipment, without fear for its safety. Even fairly simple devices with power up to 3000 watts are able to ensure uninterrupted and high-quality operation of a personal computer, refrigerator, TV and VCR at the same time.
Where is the gas generator used?
How to choose this rather complex device, you already understand, now you need to decide on the areas of its application. So, it should be remembered that the generator for the home should work with minimal noise, be environmentally friendly and reliable, as well as be equipped with a voltage regulator or inverter. If we talk about the device, intended for recreation, it should be economical, compact and light. If you are a lover of fishing or hunting, and you don’t like sitting in the dark with candles or kerosene lamps, you can bring a compact gas generator with you. The battery life of the smallest models is 4-8 hours, which is quite enough for "field" conditions. Such inverter gas generators are quite capable of ensuring the operation of the freezer, tape recorder and laptop at the same time.
Types of device control
A rather important question when choosing is the following: to take a model with automatic or manual control? Naturally, in this case, the decision depends solely on the buyer. Manual mode requires the presence of maintenance personnel, which usually becomes the owner of the device, when it comes to a generator for home use. In the presence of the "automatic plus manual" mode, we are talking about the management and control in automatic mode, where personnel is required exclusively for maintenance.
When using manual mode plus remote control, the first is supplemented by the ability to control at a distance of up to 25 meters. This is quite convenient when the generator is located in a specially designated place, while the owner is in the cottage. Fully remote control is required when it comes to networks or groups of objects with strong branching. Measurement and control of the necessary parameters is carried out by the operator through a computer. This mode is completely unsuitable for home or for giving, but also worth knowing about it.
Types of loads
The load, that is, an electrical device connected to a generator, has a pair of components - active and reactive. The first works like this: all the energy that is consumed by the device turns into heat, that is, we are talking about incandescent lamps, kettles, irons, heaters, electric stoves and the like. The reactive component is available for all other devices, the design of which contains inductors or capacitors. Examples of such loads include microwave ovens, refrigerators, air conditioners, drills, and more. In such devices, part of the energy is converted into heat, and part is spent on the formation of electromagnetic fields, and this is the very reactive component.
Starting current
This phenomenon is quite common. Inrush currents occur briefly when the engine starts. They appear for a rather short period of time, literally for a split second, but often they exceed the nominal value at times. Starting currents in different devices are 2–9 times higher than the rated ones. The most difficult start is observed in submersible pumps. They have no idle phase and their inrush current value is 7-9 times higher than indicated in the technical passport. Conventional household appliances are unable to measure inrush currents, since they are too inertial, so they simply do not have time to respond to such a short-term surge. This parameter is not indicated in the specifications by many manufacturers, so you often have to rely on approximate values. Therefore, when buying a device, it will be most correct to specify this parameter from the manufacturer or dealer.
Generator selection
These devices can be synchronous and asynchronous. The former are characterized by a higher quality of electrical energy, as well as the ability to withstand triple short-term overloads. They should be used to power reactive loads characterized by high inrush currents. Asynchronous generators do not cope with peak loads. Resistant to short circuits. They are recommended to be used to power active loads, that is, heat engineering, incandescent lamps, electric stoves and other similar devices. If the generator is overloaded, then it may well fail. Inverter gas generators in terms of design are similar to asynchronous ones, but at the same time they are equipped with electronic voltage regulators.
DIY gas generator
The first thing you need to implement such a bold undertaking is to get the engine from a chainsaw. It will serve as the basis of the entire structure. And here it doesn’t matter at all what brand the device will be, because in any case excellent gas generators can turn out. Instructions for assembling them assume that you also have a 12 or 24 watt generator. This component of the future device can be obtained from agricultural machinery. It is worth taking care of the inverter, that is, the voltage converter. For these purposes, uninterruptible power supplies are often used, available in computer or other office equipment, which is launched by means of a battery.
An old car tire will serve in this case as a mount for the generator. Its fixing at several points will guarantee greater rigidity of the entire future structure. If you install an automatic start-up system on the device, you no longer have to worry about the need for constant monitoring of the availability of electricity. So, now you know what spare parts for gas generators may be required.