Generator running costs for low, medium, and higher usage scenarios

[bwana]

I agree with your wife, fridge / freezer is essential and around 100-140W, so it makes sense.

A modern fridge will peak at that amount but should only really use 15w 90% of the time.

My house uses less than 1000w during blackouts - that's including every light and four TVs with the fridge.

 

[B-1]

That's a nice sized genny, and a fantastic price. Great value and good on Adendorff for not price gouging whilst SA households are man-down. Very quiet as well, excellent choice.
I agree with your wife, fridge / freezer is essential and around 100-140W, so it makes sense.
Service it every 40 hours and keep a log with slips, good for resale and failing memories, and chances are that you will re-use it with your solar build in 6-12 months time.

They never have stock during loadshedding though. They should order a few more as I bet they lose a lot of sales during the panic.

 

[joshuatree]

That's a nice sized genny, and a fantastic price. Great value and good on Adendorff for not price gouging whilst SA households are man-down. Very quiet as well, excellent choice.
I agree with your wife, fridge / freezer is essential and around 100-140W, so it makes sense.
Service it every 40 hours and keep a log with slips, good for resale and failing memories, and chances are that you will re-use it with your solar build in 6-12 months time.

Any opinion on this brand, and just to use it to power in certain circumstances a TV or alternatively a fridge in extreme situations? Apparently has AVR, and 4-stroke. If not opting for a little Synapse 600W with Hubble S100 or portable power station with about 500Wh available. Can one let it just sit in the garage if not using all the time?

Link: https://www.diydoor2door.co.za/product/load-shedding/trade-professional-10kw-29hp-petrol-generator

Price R3000 about everywhere, Loot even at R2800.

 

[RonSwanson]

So it is unpacked and assembled, oil has been poured in. I just need to fuel her up.

Side note, if you man alone, it does weigh 90kgs, while I did not drop it, I am glad I wore my steel toe safety boots. Had to unload it myself.


I was reading through the manual and came across this:
View attachment 1197502
Does this mean I can connect it to the house? Via a DB or handover switch or something. How much would an electrician charge ball park range?

Yes, you can, and you should.

Easiest and quickest (temporary!) way would be to use "suicide" plugs, in your case,

• 2.5mm cabtyre and four 16A plugs (because your genny provides 22A),
  • ensure that they plug into sockets of the home that are
    • nearby and
    • on seperate circuits.
• Do not forget to ground the genny, use a 6mm cable to 3x 1.2m earth spikes max 1m apart.
• Even more important: Ensure that your Mains breaker is off, you do not want the Eskom power coming back whilst your genny is running this way, big issues, and you also do not want to supply the 'hood.
• This is obviously illegal from a compliance perspective, but this is SA, 90% don't care about compliance.

An electrician can wire it to your DB, and will install an easy to access changeover switch which will ensure that it's impossible for the grid to come alive while the genny is connected and running. Ask him to do the earth as well. Costs will vary dependent on location of genny, cabling and plugs used. I'd say a rough estimate of R3500-R5000, including a CoC annexure (which you can attach to your existing home's CoC). This is by far the preferred and responsible way, and if things go south, will ensure that you can claim from insurance.

 

[wingnut771]

That's a nice sized genny, and a fantastic price. Great value and good on Adendorff for not price gouging whilst SA households are man-down. Very quiet as well, excellent choice.
I agree with your wife, fridge / freezer is essential and around 100-140W, so it makes sense.
Service it every 40 hours and keep a log with slips, good for resale and failing memories, and chances are that you will re-use it with your solar build in 6-12 months time.

Why 40 hours when your car can go for a whole year or 15000km? 2 hours a day, you are servicing it every 20 days.

 

[B-1]

• .
• This is obviously illegal from a compliance perspective, but this is SA, 90% don't care about compliance.

.

You also lose earth leakage and circuit breaker protection, can draw more current through a plug point wired to the genny than its rated for and a bunch of other things. The fact that you have 4 plugs from the Genny doesn't matter. Its illegal to run parallel cabling as the current will follow the shortest route and can overload the underated cable.

 

[RonSwanson]

Any opinion on this brand, and just to use it to power in certain circumstances a TV or alternatively a fridge in extreme situations? Apparently has AVR, and 4-stroke. If not opting for a little Synapse 600W with Hubble S100 or portable power station with about 500Wh available. Can one let it just sit in the garage if not using all the time?

Link: https://www.diydoor2door.co.za/product/load-shedding/trade-professional-10kw-29hp-petrol-generator

Price R3000 about everywhere, Loot even at R2800.

In terms of instant power, cost and flexibility, nothing beats a genny, however they need maintenance and are smelly and noisy. This is where the Synapse solution shines, provided that you get a chance to charge it, stage 8 is nasty. Ideally you want both , the genny gives you the ability to generate electricity anywhere, anytime which the Synapse does not.

I am not familiar with the brand you have pointed to, but others in the TradePower range look suspiciously like white-labelled Gentech products, which are good (for occasional loadshedding use).

If not in use, it's best to drain (and then use) the fuel, because it evaporates, and residues will gum up it's internals. Also never keep fuel longer than 6 months, rotate and use it, store and fill with fresh fuel only.

 

[Lupus]

A modern fridge will peak at that amount but should only really use 15w 90% of the time.

My house uses less than 1000w during blackouts - that's including every light and four TVs with the fridge.

I try for under 1000w all the time. I'm at 20 units a day recently thanks to the cleaning company we use, using a lot of hot water.

 

[Lupus]

In terms of instant power, cost and flexibility, nothing beats a genny, however they need maintenance and are smelly and noisy. This is where the Synapse solution shines, provided that you get a chance to charge it, stage 8 is nasty. Ideally you want both , the genny gives you the ability the generate electricity anywhere, anytime which the Synapse does not.

I am not familiar with the brand you have pointed to, but others in the TradePower range look suspiciously like white-labelled Gentech products, which are good (for occasional loadshedding use).

If not in use, it's best to drain (and then use) the fuel, because it evaporates, and residues will gum up it's internals. Also never keep fuel longer than 6 months, rotate and use it, store and fill with fresh fuel only.

South African fuel has additives in it so that you can keep it for about a year.
I've had fuel for a year and used it when I had a petrol lawn mower.

 

[Düber]

Why 40 hours when your car can go for a whole year or 15000km? 2 hours a day, you are servicing it every 20 days.

Mainly because it's oil is splash fed ( no pump) and it doesn't have an oil filter, it is also good to use an oil that doesn't have dirt holding properties. Like a SAE 30 or similar.

 

[wingnut771]

South African fuel has additives in it so that you can keep it for about a year.
I've had fuel for a year and used it when I had a petrol lawn mower.

AFAIK, evaporation is the issue. If its in a good air tight container then sure, it may last a year. That's why its suggested to not turn the genny off but rather cut the fuel supply and let it burn the fuel off in the carb until it stops. Otherwise that fuel in the carb turns to syrup after it evaporates.

 

[RonSwanson]

You also lose earth leakage and circuit breaker protection, can draw more current through a plug point wired to the genny than its rated for and a bunch of other things. The fact that you have 4 plugs from the Genny doesn't matter. Its illegal to run parallel cabling as the current will follow the shortest route and can overload the underated cable.

Yes, I did state a few times that it's not legal, and not recommended, particularly for long-term use.

If you read carefully listen properly, you will also see that:

• I included grounding of the genny, so that the lack of an earth neutral would allow existing RCDs to work ; and
• 4x 16A plugs, 2x 16A plugged into the genny's two 16A plugs, 32A which by far exceeds the rated 5kW output of the genny (22A)

Yes, you can, and you should.

Easiest and quickest (temporary!) way would be to use "suicide" plugs, in your case,

• 2.5mm cabtyre and four 16A plugs (because your genny provides 22A),
  • ensure that they plug into sockets of the home that are
    • nearby and
    • on seperate circuits.
• Do not forget to ground the genny, use a 6mm cable to 3x 1.2m earth spikes max 1m apart.
• Even more important: Ensure that your Mains breaker is off, you do not want the Eskom power coming back whilst your genny is running this way, big issues, and you also do not want to supply the 'hood.
• This is obviously illegal from a compliance perspective, but this is SA, 90% don't care about compliance.

An electrician can wire it to your DB, and will install an easy to access changeover switch which will ensure that it's impossible for the grid to come alive while the genny is connected and running. Ask him to do the earth as well. Costs will vary dependent on location of genny, cabling and plugs used. I'd say a rough estimate of R3500-R5000, including a CoC annexure (which you can attach to your existing home's CoC). This is by far the preferred and responsible way, and if things go south, will ensure that you can claim from insurance.

I believe in not treating people like idiots, and to give them solid factual information from which they can make their own informed choices and decisions.

Would you please expand on:

• Your claimed "circuit breaker protection loss"? and
• What authority specifically states that it is illegal to run parallel cabling from a source (and a source)?

 

[Lupus]

AFAIK, evaporation is the issue. If its in a good air tight container then sure, it may last a year. That's why its suggested to not turn the genny off but rather cut the fuel supply and let it burn the fuel off in the carb until it stops. Otherwise that fuel in the carb turns to syrup after it evaporates.

Yeah in the gennie, in your Jerry can you should be fine.

 

[RonSwanson]

Why 40 hours when your car can go for a whole year or 15000km? 2 hours a day, you are servicing it every 20 days.

That's true, but it's what the manufacturers recommend, so I won't argue.
Gennys typically have air-cooled engines, and before you say "like a VW Beetle", they don't (typically) move while working. Their motors are also very low-tech compared with modern vehicle engines, different design objectives, no need for NVH ratings. I guess there are a dozen or so other differences if you make extra thinking.

 

[rh1]

They never have stock during loadshedding though. They should order a few more as I bet they lose a lot of sales during the panic.

The Cape Town branch had 8 now 7 in stock. They don't have that big of storeroom, and these generators do take up space.

 

[rh1]

Yes, you can, and you should.

Easiest and quickest (temporary!) way would be to use "suicide" plugs, in your case,

• 2.5mm cabtyre and four 16A plugs (because your genny provides 22A),
  • ensure that they plug into sockets of the home that are
    • nearby and
    • on seperate circuits.
• Do not forget to ground the genny, use a 6mm cable to 3x 1.2m earth spikes max 1m apart.
• Even more important: Ensure that your Mains breaker is off, you do not want the Eskom power coming back whilst your genny is running this way, big issues, and you also do not want to supply the 'hood.
• This is obviously illegal from a compliance perspective, but this is SA, 90% don't care about compliance.

An electrician can wire it to your DB, and will install an easy to access changeover switch which will ensure that it's impossible for the grid to come alive while the genny is connected and running. Ask him to do the earth as well. Costs will vary dependent on location of genny, cabling and plugs used. I'd say a rough estimate of R3500-R5000, including a CoC annexure (which you can attach to your existing home's CoC). This is by far the preferred and responsible way, and if things go south, will ensure that you can claim from insurance.

I will go the compliance route, as it is the safer choice, less chance that something goes wrong.

 

[rh1]

Mainly because it's oil is splash fed ( no pump) and it doesn't have an oil filter, it is also good to use an oil that doesn't have dirt holding properties. Like a SAE 30 or similar.

SAE 30? The person at Adendorff said I should use SAE 40 which I did. I thought SAE 40 is a thicker, therefore a better oil?

 

[rh1]

You also lose earth leakage and circuit breaker protection, can draw more current through a plug point wired to the genny than its rated for and a bunch of other things. The fact that you have 4 plugs from the Genny doesn't matter. Its illegal to run parallel cabling as the current will follow the shortest route and can overload the underated cable.

Since I dont know what I am doing, I will simply get an electrician to connect.

 

[rh1]

That's a nice sized genny, and a fantastic price. Great value and good on Adendorff for not price gouging whilst SA households are man-down. Very quiet as well, excellent choice.
I agree with your wife, fridge / freezer is essential and around 100-140W, so it makes sense.
Service it every 40 hours and keep a log with slips, good for resale and failing memories, and chances are that you will re-use it with your solar build in 6-12 months time.

It came with one service kit included, air filter, spark plug, fuel filter, fuel line, carbon brush and fuel tap? etc. Adendorff sell's the kit at R185 for my model. So no excuse not do it on a regular basis.

 

[Düber]

SAE 30? The person at Adendorff said I should use SAE 40 which I did. I thought SAE 40 is a thicker, therefore a better oil?

SAE 40 is just as good and easier to find. The difference in viscosity is very small.