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The Water Cooler
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Can we talk about generators?
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<blockquote data-quote="tyromeo55" data-source="post: 3525852" data-attributes="member: 1719"><p>I had a most excellent post years back about generators that was lost during a server failure. a crap-load of posts and feedback were also lost ={ . </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>For anyone who wants a little lesson. There is a lot more to it and I might be skewing the facts a little for the benefit if clarity but never the less here is my dime store lesson..... Inverter based generators are a lesson for another day.</p><p></p><p></p><p>As long as you can spin the thing within a range a generators AVR will regulate its voltage pretty well. The more load you put on it the more resistance it will exert against whatever is driving it. More force is required to overcome this. (bonus fact the avr can control the voltage by increasing current to the field / exciter windings)</p><p></p><p>voltage and current aside... AC power pushes and pulls or "cycles". In the US our rate is 60 times per second also explained as 60Hz. This is a physical relation to where the power is generated. Because of this a motor must turn at a fixed RPM for happy power. What is good for an ideal engine output may not be the proper RPM for the head which is a multiple of 1800 rpm. </p><p>Generators have governor that regulate this. As you load the engine they essentially step on the gas pedal to compensate for load. This is like trying to go a fixed speed in a car. As you go up hills or thru snow you must vary the gas pedal to maintain a constant speed. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Types of generators.</p><p>i know we are all really proud of what we spent our hard earned money on but keep in mind. Different types and sizes of generators have their own benefits and detriments. A person is smart to do their own research and get the one that suits their needs the best. Some things to consider right off the top of my head.... larger NG generators eat a lot of fuel. lots more then the smaller meters ONG generally installs. make sure you can feed what you buy in addition to your other appliances. If you choose a generator that is tied to a utility be aware that it could be interrupted. supply right now is/was subject to possible blackout. Also, if a tornado wipes out part of your neighborhood leaving your home standing. The utility may need to cut the whole neighborhood until they can cap ruptures. </p><p></p><p><u><strong>Fuel</strong></u></p><p><u>Propane and NG </u></p><p>burn clean,hot and ya dont have to fill every so many hours. Propane stores likely forever. They need to turn quickly to make power so 3600RPM is what ya get which might be loud. These units generally need to be de-rated if you use NG. Not a ton of rotating mass so if your wanting to start compressors or large motors you need a good sized unit.</p><p><u>Gasoline</u>. </p><p>These units are typically the cheapest option. Also probably the most portable. Fuel is generally easy to get and store but is more dangerous. Fuel goes bad relatively quickly. Most require using pure gas only. They need to turn quickly to make power so 3600RPM is what ya get which might be loud. The least amount of rotating mass so if your wanting to start compressors or large motors you need a very good sized unit which may eat you out of house and home.</p><p><u>Diesel</u></p><p>Properly stored and treated it will last theoretically forever. I know a hospital that is still using decades old fuel. I have a couple 55 gallon drums that is somewhere north of 25 years old. burns no problem. just ate one on an emergency situation to run an MRI for 2 days and overnight. Water and microbes are your enemy. Also, make sure you get winter blend fuel if you don't want it to gel when it gets really cold. Diesel makes more power for less gallons. More rotating mass means you can start bigger motors with a smaller unit. Diesels make their power turning slower so 1800RPM is where they are typically set which relates to generally quieter unit. Diesel is considered safer to store then gasoline. Huge downside... Cost. cheapest versions are still in the thousands</p><p></p><p>If you made it to the bottom and are still reading. Don't judge me on spelling or grammar. Ive had to stop too many times and im not proof reading this</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tyromeo55, post: 3525852, member: 1719"] I had a most excellent post years back about generators that was lost during a server failure. a crap-load of posts and feedback were also lost ={ . For anyone who wants a little lesson. There is a lot more to it and I might be skewing the facts a little for the benefit if clarity but never the less here is my dime store lesson..... Inverter based generators are a lesson for another day. As long as you can spin the thing within a range a generators AVR will regulate its voltage pretty well. The more load you put on it the more resistance it will exert against whatever is driving it. More force is required to overcome this. (bonus fact the avr can control the voltage by increasing current to the field / exciter windings) voltage and current aside... AC power pushes and pulls or "cycles". In the US our rate is 60 times per second also explained as 60Hz. This is a physical relation to where the power is generated. Because of this a motor must turn at a fixed RPM for happy power. What is good for an ideal engine output may not be the proper RPM for the head which is a multiple of 1800 rpm. Generators have governor that regulate this. As you load the engine they essentially step on the gas pedal to compensate for load. This is like trying to go a fixed speed in a car. As you go up hills or thru snow you must vary the gas pedal to maintain a constant speed. Types of generators. i know we are all really proud of what we spent our hard earned money on but keep in mind. Different types and sizes of generators have their own benefits and detriments. A person is smart to do their own research and get the one that suits their needs the best. Some things to consider right off the top of my head.... larger NG generators eat a lot of fuel. lots more then the smaller meters ONG generally installs. make sure you can feed what you buy in addition to your other appliances. If you choose a generator that is tied to a utility be aware that it could be interrupted. supply right now is/was subject to possible blackout. Also, if a tornado wipes out part of your neighborhood leaving your home standing. The utility may need to cut the whole neighborhood until they can cap ruptures. [U][B]Fuel[/B] Propane and NG [/U] burn clean,hot and ya dont have to fill every so many hours. Propane stores likely forever. They need to turn quickly to make power so 3600RPM is what ya get which might be loud. These units generally need to be de-rated if you use NG. Not a ton of rotating mass so if your wanting to start compressors or large motors you need a good sized unit. [U]Gasoline[/U]. These units are typically the cheapest option. Also probably the most portable. Fuel is generally easy[U] [/U]to get and store but is more dangerous. Fuel goes bad relatively quickly. Most require using pure gas only. They need to turn quickly to make power so 3600RPM is what ya get which might be loud. The least amount of rotating mass so if your wanting to start compressors or large motors you need a very good sized unit which may eat you out of house and home. [U]Diesel[/U] Properly stored and treated it will last theoretically forever. I know a hospital that is still using decades old fuel. I have a couple 55 gallon drums that is somewhere north of 25 years old. burns no problem. just ate one on an emergency situation to run an MRI for 2 days and overnight. Water and microbes are your enemy. Also, make sure you get winter blend fuel if you don't want it to gel when it gets really cold. Diesel makes more power for less gallons. More rotating mass means you can start bigger motors with a smaller unit. Diesels make their power turning slower so 1800RPM is where they are typically set which relates to generally quieter unit. Diesel is considered safer to store then gasoline. Huge downside... Cost. cheapest versions are still in the thousands If you made it to the bottom and are still reading. Don't judge me on spelling or grammar. Ive had to stop too many times and im not proof reading this [U] [/U] [/QUOTE]
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