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NeilKukuc

Hi
I have a beer cooler, two drinks chillers and for standard lights I want to run off a generator and would like to know what wattage generator I need?

Beer cooler says on the back:
240 volts and 2.0a

Drinks chiller says: (have 2 of these)
75w

4 lights:
40 watt bulbs

Thanks in advance
Neil
 
go for 1.5 - 2 kVA genny that should be ample.bear in mind that the chillers have motors which draw a high starting current. also you may want additional equipment in the future, so maybe go for 3kVA.
 
Thank you very much really appreciated

Is kVA wattage? So if i went for a 3kVA I would be getting a 3000 watt generator?

Thanks again
 
kVA and kW are the same where loads are resistive. loads like motors have a power factor <1.0 and would lower the kW rating per kVA by a %, e.g. 8kW for 10 kVA being typical.
 
How long do you want it to run for without re-fuelling?
How often will this be used?
Is noise level and important concern?
Will this be used privately or at events open to the public?
 
If those really are the only appliances you intend to use it for, a small petrol generator *may* be sufficient. However if you want to connect any sensitive electronic equipment, e.g. PA/sound equipment, TV, computer, etc. then I'd recommend you opt for a diesel generator, ideally with automatic voltage regulation, to give you some voltage stability. The small petrol sets are OK for tools, but not a lot else and certainly not suitable when a reasonably constant voltage is important. Their voltage really is all over the place, and will nosedive each time a motor kicks in, before sort of stabilising, until the next time.

Don't under estimate Dave's point about run time and noise. A diesel set in a silenced enclosure will rumble in the background, whereas a small open frame set will sound loud, raw and annoying to anyone fairly close to it. If you do go that route, get a 20m IEC60309 lead, rather than using the 30cm jumper that the hire shop supply, to ensure the connectors that are outdoors are fit for purpose. The amount of times I see domestic indoor connectors being rained on by users of these tiny gensets is disturbing.
 
I don't think it's true to say that all small petrol gensets have poorly regulated outputs. An increasing fraction of the market, including some cheaper units now, use an inverter to maintain voltage and frequency stability at all normal loads. We regularly run studio-grade media equipment racks from Honda EU10 & EU20i units which are very well-behaved. Whether they would start a fridge compressor without going out of regulation I don't know, but they are able to deliver a certain amount of inrush.
 
I don't think it's true to say that all small petrol gensets have poorly regulated outputs. An increasing fraction of the market, including some cheaper units now, use an inverter to maintain voltage and frequency stability at all normal loads.

Absolutely agreed - I had forgotten about inverter sets, which are indeed very stable and the Honda units amongst the best in class. I was thinking of the typical hire shop or DIY shed units, that seem to appeal to people on a tight budget, having seen (and heard!) loads of them this year.
 

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