[QuentinTino]

Originally Posted by blackbeast

30 kva may not be required and you might face load imbalance issues which can result in gen shut off. also consumption of will be more. talk to both your electrical engineer as well as generator guys to arrive at required

Noted! I feel 30kVa is essential since a lot of heavy electrical equipments would be working simultaneously with all the ACs.

Originally Posted by showboat

Ive been using a 35Kva Kirloskar KOEL for about 7 years now on my farm, and would highly recommend it. Usage is about 3-4hrs a week. Service has been prompt and fair with KOEL. Easy to book too.

Exactly, service matters a lot! Luckily being at the centre of the city means that this would not be an issue.

Originally Posted by torquecurve

One advice - check what the local ‘shaadi’ walas and rental genset guys use. That gives a fair idea about the service backup. Easy is to just call and ask. In some cases you might get a good rental deal as well which includes service by them and in major cases they will immediately arrange replacement.

Good option. Any idea on the costing difference in the long term in owning vs renting a one?

Originally Posted by Sanjay Halikar

Just adhere to the routine service intervals and there is almost nothing that can go wrong with it. Also you might want to look into a trickle charger for the battery as your usage of 12 hours per month is on the lower end of the spectrum. For regular maintenance, we have been using normal diesel engine oil of the same grade as we have a fleet of machinery and we buy the oils and lubricants in bulk. The guys are quite accommodating and just bill us for the Filters and the labor etc.

Thanks for letting me know about this. I had totally not thought about the battery maintenance till now!
Long live the manually starting gensets! Getting them up and running was a full body workout

Originally Posted by maddy42

Go with a brand which has good service and support in your area. We have a Koel here and it does its duty well, but needs to be started atleast once every ten days or else the battery runs low.
Maddy

Noted! These gensets use the automotive grade batteries or the inverter grade ones?

[eyeman]

I use Eicher 20 kv in my hospital. Excellent performance for the past 3 years in spite of using it every day for 3-4 hours. We don't have a power connection due to the requirement of a transformer as insisted by the KSEB. So we manage with solar panels and use this genset to supplement it.

[CDM]

I have a 25KV Sudhir make genset at my home. Sudhir and Jakson are the two Cummins engine based suppliers in North India. Their territories are marked out. The gensets for both are virtually identical - Cummins engine and Stamford Alternator.

My neighbour has a Mahindra, which I feel is a bit quieter but Cummins engines are supposed to be super rugged. I have only had one minor issue with the fuel pump in 11 years. No other problems at all.

Batteries are similar but not identical to automotive ones. You do not need a charger if you go for an automatic panel (auto switch on on failure of electricity and auto switch off when the electricity comes back on). The panel has a built in charger.

I would strongly recommend getting an automatic panel and strongly discourage the 'shaadi' gensets. You should focus on running the clinic not operating a genset!

CDM

[Sameergarg]

I have ilused both kirloskar and Ashoka Leyland in 30kva and 82kva respectively! Both are equally good. However upfront cost, fuel consumption and service costs are far less with Leyland. No difference in ASS in punjab region. Do check for that in your region. But Leyland factory is in rudrapur so should not be problem at all in your region.

[astrodex]

From technical perspective Cummins/Stanford should be best followed by others. They might be a bit more expensive but are the best engineered and should give you hasslefree service.

In case of practicality, I'd make sure you have a good service ASP for both the engine as well as Alternator. The QUALITY OF ASP matters the most in their response time, quality and availability.

[TheCatalyst]

I have personally experienced 30KV Kohler diesel generator being installed and used in Goa region. I was impressed with the quality of installation. The generator itself is very quiet to run and has been reliable since couple of years. The automatic starter panel works quite well even with 3 phase supply, but note that even if one of the phase voltage drops below threshold (minimum setting is 172v), then the generator will kick in.

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by QuentinTino

Noted! I feel 30kVa is essential since a lot of heavy electrical equipments would be working simultaneously with all the ACs.


Exactly, service matters a lot! Luckily being at the centre of the city means that this would not be an issue.

Good option. Any idea on the costing difference in the long term in owning vs renting a one?

Thanks for letting me know about this. I had totally not thought about the battery maintenance till now!
Long live the manually starting gensets! Getting them up and running was a full body workout


Noted! These gensets use the automotive grade batteries or the inverter grade ones?

Rentals work out to about 10-12% more expensive over a 5 year period considering upfront cost of generator, service, etc. What you get in exchange is better support, peace of mind (battery discharge, machine servicing etc). The Renter is more worried about his investment in the machine than you are. Another advantage is if you are expanding in the future or have reliability issues, you can just ask the rental guy to replace the machine. Also, you can negotiate rates based on the term of the machine. We recently changed the generator (to a brand new KOEL) and I am negotiated to a very low number in exchange for a 7 year agreement.

Originally Posted by IP_Man

Pardon me if this is this is noob question.

How diesel is sourced for the generator? I know they don't give loose at a petrol pump.

We get it in cans of 10/25 Litre capacity from most fuel pumps. You just have to tell them it is for a genset. Also, if you use the same pump regularly (considering you are not going to keep moving the genset!), its absolutely no problem.

[SumitB]

We are setting up an integrated Poultry/Fishery/Piggery Farm along with a Feed Mill and for this purpose we require a few DG Sets of various capacities. I casually looked up IndiaMart and was surprised at the price variations between dealers. For instance, a 62KVA Kirloskar unit can be procured from a dealer in Delhi for 4-5L whereas, the same unit is being quoted at 6L in Guwahati.

Is there any official price list which is available for download?

Does anyone, who has recently purchased a DG set, have a contact of any dealer whom I can get in touch with to know how much do these things really cost?

Thanks in advance!