Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Gadgets, Computers & Software (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/)

-   -   Inverter or generator? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/22903-inverter-generator-51.html)

Structurally may not be a good decision of placing this on your terrace for the vibrations that it may cause.

You should consult a structural engineer before you shift the generator on the terrace. When I used to install Dish antenna in 1990s, we had an IIT SE who would guide us about the best location.

Other option is to build a brick and mortar podium for the generator.

Most reputed Generator companies will provide a craned assist for lifting the generator to a residential terrace.

Regarding loading and vibration, there are vibration isolation platforms available, and most silent generators come with them.

A generator is not a very heavy item, so spread out on a flat steel/wooden slab will distribute the load perfectly. If you still have any apprehensions then place it at a corner or where the walls cross over.

Thanks for the points.

We have just built a whole room on our terrace, so fingers crossed for the weight bearing!

The Honda generator is rated portable, although I'd call it wheel able.

I am concerned about noise and fumes going to neighbours

For noise put it in an enclosure, or if you have a small well ventilated room,

For fumes just use a broad pipe of about 6 feet and position it vertically.

This means its good to go on a RCC slab we see in terrace or Balconies, most portable ones I hope don't weigh more than 150Kgs at the max

This one kept me thinking, let us take an example. Generator has an exhaust tip of say 0.75inch dia at one of its sides. If you connect a pipe now, it will be horizontal, so you meant to say make an elbow and put the pipe vertically? Does this also mean you can keep these generators near the house, say near to door or windows. Point in question is most houses might have a covered balcony which could easily be 5ft x 10ft, with parapet of 3ft height and rest open on two sides. Can generators be kept there?

The exhaust on the Honda is not like a pipe: it is a wide mouth.

1. The best method is to spread the load by having a flat plate (steel or wooden). Balconies are cantilever structure so the further away from the wall the greater the load on it. As a normal Indian weighs around 70 kg and 4 sitting near the edge is fine I would guess that most balconies can support loads of upto 300kg, but it is still better to site heavy loads near the wall rather than at the edge. I would still suggest locating the generators on the terrace if feasible.

2. What ever the shape or the size of the exhaust of the generator, you have to make an adapter between the exhaust port and the pipe. Normally generators have a 4 inch pipe to reduce back pressure. You can route the pipe initially in horizontal direction and then bend it vertically. The end of the pipe should be above the terrace parapet to disperse the smoke away from the residence. You also have to have a "rain cap" or bend it back to horizontal (for 2 inches or so) to prevent rain water entering the pipe and thence the generator's exhaust.

Bought myself a new toy er, a honda eu70is genset!

Now I have my own private nuclear er, petrol-power-plant!

Fuel-injected, no carburettor, no choke, no fuel-valve, it is all automatic. It should consume less than a litre of petrol at less than 1/4th load. Now I can run ANY appliance at any time I need it. Coupled with the 2 kva Luminous UPS with two 200ah batteries, I have complete peace of mind now.

Come on TNEB, bring your power-cuts on!

Have ordered a plastic jerry-can from amazon to buy petrol. Will be taking all precautions of handling fuel.

I wanted an automatic changeover switch, but went for a manual. The volt/amp meter gives good accuracy for the three phases (see photo). The wiring was done by an experienced electrician. I have started studying my various appliances for the load they take.

For example the 2.2 ton General inverter aircon started stepping up gradually to 10.4 amps, and in about eight hours (at 3:30 am) had settled at a meagre 1.3 amps, impressive. Running this will be a trifle for this genset.

The exhaust with carbon-monoxide is thrown out the grill-gate (see photo), the room itself is open fully on two sides with a metal grill.

The Luminous-Cruze UPS is now more than two years old (I have posted about it on this thread in June/July 2018), it has done a great job so far. It had handled three incidents of more than 20 hours of no-power :thumbs up.

This thread title asks 'Inverter or generator?', I say I have both :D

Now waiting for those pesky power-cuts!

The wide grill on the top (in your photo) throws out relatively clean hot air, by the air cooled system (I think). The exhaust is a small spout further down, the gases are ejected by considerable force.

I do not understand why people are spending so much on a generator and then add a inverter/ups for back up before the genset starts. There are inverters with higher capacity for cheaper price and these days they can handle start up current of 2x the rated capacity which is higher then what a genset can give.

I run a 2.2ton 4 star inverter ac and a 1.5ton normal ac with just one single inverter.
Don't have to spend on maintenance like oil change, filter, fuel etc not to mention the fumes.

Two reasons:
1. Generator can be run for an infinite period, it just needs fuel (and maintenance). Battery based ones have limited runtime, it is not a prime mover. You never know when they go out of juice, and as they get older, their run-time decreases.

2. I am not an electrical engineer, but I think batteries are not meant for motor based products. I would only power electronics like computers, fans, lights from my UPS. The Aircon, Washing machine, Dishwasher, Water pump, Geyser needs a Genset. Batteries can never compete with Gensets for brute electrical power.

Of course, this model is a luxury! It is like buying a Honda Civic when a Honda City will do. But sometimes it is worth living life for these luxuries:)

They can. It’s called an HKVA inverter and it is designed for jerk loads caused by ACs, motors and geysers on startup. These are only slightly costlier than a normal inverter, and are ideal for running just about everything in your house. I have a 4KVA HKVA, and it runs two 1hp pumps, a pressure pump, a microwave, two big refrigerators, my espresso machine as well as a laser printer simultaneously, along with all other regular loads of the house. If I want to, I can also run an AC.

Very nice. Have been very happy with ours.
It's called "muffler tip," in the manual. But what would have a muffler? Exhaust would have. Thank you: I never realised! There is a strong jet of air from that big outlet.
We do not want stuff like computers just crashing.

We had the inverter first anyway.

First half hour or so, we just don't bother with the generator --- unless we need it for something.

In my house my solar inverter runs a dishwasher, washing machine, 0.5hp pressure pump and a 0.5hp over head tank pump and yes on many occasions all these have run simultaneously. Once I even switched ON a 3hp twin cylinder air compressor with other heavy appliances switched off. Basically it handles load of 5000 watt continuous, same as your Honda genset and but has a 10000 watt start power rating for 5 seconds which I think is higher compared to the 7000watt of the genset.

Only thing where it cannot compete with a genset is run time, which depends on the battery capacity. If one has a independent house with optional solar, even this problem is solved during sunlight and the upfront cost (inverter, battery, solar) still works out about the same as your genset like yours assuming you paid about 2lakh for it. Solar is completely optional.