Generators

Wombat · Veteran Member

Generators

dave06 · Guru

2.5 kva sounds a lot of firepower for "just in case" I carry a 1 kva with inbuilt battery charger just for emergencies, I start it once a month just to keep the oil up to the workings but have yet to use it in anger "out there" I have carried it for years all over the joint

as with all things you get what you pay for,

take a look at the price x warranty x expected use and then divide use by warranty by life expectancy and you will come up with a figure that may or may not be acceptable to you

if the warranty is 2 years and you are only going to use it 50% of the time then you would in theory expect 4 years, if you pay $2,000 for it then it would be $2,000 divided by four years or $500 per year

20% of the time = new figure and so on and so forth

if this is acceptable to you then buy it, if you want one that you hand down to your great grandkids and use all the time then buy a recognised brand

I seen a battery charger that a bloke made up out of an old honda motor and a car alternater, I reckon it was on the camper trailer website, cost him bugger all and he is as happy as pig in poop with it

Wombat · Veteran Member

Yes, bit heavy however, it's the smallest size they make for the price I can afford.
Regards Noel

dave06 · Guru

the same thing could be made with a little twostroke, he built his with a honda because thats what he had

the genny you mentioned seems to be okay for the price and if you get a few years out of it I cant see where you'd lose

Basil Faulty · Guru

Why are you keen on that one? Pure sine wave? here ia a 1000 watter that looks ok too.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BN-AC-DC-DIGITAL-INVERTER-GENERATOR-1KVA-CARAVAN-CAMPER_W0QQitemZ280380214222QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Business_Industrial_Farming_Agriculture_Farming_Agriculture_Equipment?hash=item4147f68bce&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

To be honest I'd be buying one from Bunnings if you only want it for emergency use simply because you can take it to any Bunnings for a refund. That is the only problem with buying via Ebay, getting warranty service is near impossible.
With Ebay you have to know your prices and do a little research yourself also ensure that whoever sells you the stuff has an outlet and the goods are shipped from within AUSTRALIA. I've bought a few things dirt cheap that were duds and trying to get them replaced when Ebay's attitude is "Caveat emptor" when the dealers speak only cantonese Ebay will tell you to brush up on your cantonese rather than help resolve the despute....
Had I lived in Adelaide I'd have gone to the blokes shop and bought the Mill I just bought but the price was about a K under what I could buy the same thing in Sydney for....

Disco Duck · Guru

Gees DaveO

If you get that technical buying a generator set what are you like when you buy a car or a mobile phone?? I pity the poor salesman.

I picked up a 1kva pure sine wave (needed that for the battery charger) from ebay for $420 and it works fine for what I need but as Basil said if it ever needed warranty work it would become a problem. Bunny's sells them for a good price and unless you are running an air-conditioner then a 1kva is heaps.

dave06 · Guru

I would treat these "cheap" gennies as a "disposable" item, for instance ducky if you paid $420 for yours and you used it intermittently for say four years without a problem and it broke down, then that equates to roughly $100 per year, longer life = bigger smile :)

money for jam, ditch it and buy a new one, put it back on ebay "with a problem" you'd be surprised how much you would get for a "stuffed" genny with a "minor" problem

as for the "technical" side of my equations, sorry my job sort of takes over every now and then, (number cruncher!!), I just "nick" in here when I get too any flying around in my head