As the title says, thinking about getting a small generator for around the house, mostly emergency use but what is better petrol or diesel. Cheers
Model will depend on how much you want to power, but can't go past these! http://powerequipment.honda.com.au/Generators
for around the house and basic camping kind of use, just get as linked above, something that runs on petrol, like the Honda Generator. Trying to think when ive actually seen diesel versions in use, and beyond ones that are designed for heavy industrial (ie big construction and normally needing at minimum a forklift or crane to move) I would say I personally haven't seen a diesel one. so basically just stick to the easy to get one and easy to find parts for.
how much do you want to spend?? we just got a backup gene from trade tested for work - do hosting - we got a 6.5kVA Digital Inverter Generator in Diesel with Remote start but probably a bit of an overkill for you.. But have a look at what they have, not badly priced either.. This one looks good at $ 529.00 and at 2.5kVa you could probably boil the kettle and do other things at the same time - Kettles SUCK POWER https://www.tradetested.co.nz/2-8kva-petrol-generator-with-electric-start.html Here is their generator range... https://www.tradetested.co.nz/tools-hardware/generators.html
We do most of our cooking with gas and always have a good supply, more than enough for a couple of weeks, I'm thinking more about keeping the fridge and deep freezer running. My only thought is storing petrol as it goes stale fairly quickly and thought diesel might be a better option but petrol would do.
We lose our power all the time here, [cyclones, storms etc!] and pretty similar to what you've just mentioned, i brought a cheap chinese 3.5 kva diesel inverter generator 10 yrs ago off ebay. Well, i started it the other day, [power off again!], and it's still going pretty good, and another good thing to do is get your house wired so you can just plug it straight into the electrical box and away ya go.
First off, how many kva do you need? I have a 3.5kva Toolex for work. It runs a Honda GX200 motor and it's brilliant. It cost $995 which is much cheaper than the equivalent Honda model and just as good. You could get a cheap Chinese POS but good luck finding spare parts, at least with a brand name all you need to do is go to a mower shop and they'll usually have what you need.
yeah I kind of forgot about that idea. if everything else runs on one type of fuel then stick with it. a bit like battery tools, you stick with one type
My old man bought a petrol 6kva from masters for $899. It runs his small corner store when powers out for line works. Runs 2 dual door fridges, large ice cream freezer, chest freezer and 2 standard fridge/freezer house ones. Along with the toaster and kettle at times. Doesn't have a problem at all powering them all at once. Just a slight rpm fart when a compressor kicks back on. Running all that for 10 hours used 15l of fuel. Also electric key start is a great feature as he's getting on, but also has manual pull start. I borrowed it yesterday since the main safety switch blew in the power box and ran it for 8 hours. Also used it to power some electronics that use external power adapters as they are quite good at filtering dirty power. Just be cautious if your fridge freezers have any electronics, as extended use can end up damaging these components due to extra strain caused by the un pure sine wave. But a few hours should be alright. Just don't go risking high end computer/entertainment equipment. Also, be sure to get a wheel kit for it, this 6kva is 100kg loaded with fuel.
Petrol for sure with a small one. Less hassle and way less noise for the amount of use. I work with gensets from 2.5 Kva all the way up to 500 Kva which are all diesel and the 2.5 kva ones are noisy as hell (super silent design my ass).
Definitely the best option if you require electronics. Some people are not aware of it though. Just a fair warning for people who don't know and buy one for emergencies and don't think or know the risks.
I remember at one place where we did the elec install and it had its own backup gens. The rooms were soundproofed and it was still super noisy on the outside haha. the sound of the Quad Turbo V16 Cat at full speed was phenominal.
If the choice is either Gasoline or Diesel only, I will take Diesel. Diesel has a way longer shelf life, also, the enginr is multifuel. In the military, we used Motor Gasoline (MoGas)/JP4 mixed with some motor oil (non synthetic) and JP8. Some Generators might need some added oil on the JP8. In a pinch, you could use BioDiesel (vegetable oil). Gasoline has a very poor shelf life and has the tendency to gum up when not in use. My generator at home is a Poweland 240V 50 Amp 8KW (10KW surge) Tri Fuel. Runs on Gasoline (up to 15% Ethanol), Propane or Natural Gas. The reason is, that I can run the generator from my house Natural Gas service line. Shelf life in indefinite with Propane or Natural Gas and able to run Gasoline if I have to. During power outages, some fuel stations might be inoperative, however, you can get Propane pretty easy. A 45 KG propane tank, night last at about 4 to 5 days on a generator depending on load. Also, with the proper quick disconnects, you could fire your grill if you need to cook some.
