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Installation of a generator for a house.

Tomgunn
Hello all,


I'm moving house, (been here for over 42 years'!!), and one of the first items on my mind is installing an electrical generator.


SO; I guess there will be contactors / switch gear etc as I would like it to be 'automatic', (OR, maybe 'manual' too), changing from incoming to the generator.


a; What would be the best type of generator to purchase? Load wise? I'm not too worried as the bigger the load the bigger the           generator would need to be as long as I could run the basics within the house.


b; What switch gear would be appropriate?


I would't fancy the idea of switching tails around on a Henley block each time I needed the generator to be in use!!


Thanks, in advance!


regards... Tom
  • 0
    Harry Macdonald:

    It is worth thinking about what you need as opposed to what would be fun but expensive.


    With LED lights, you should be able to light the house adequately for about 100 hours from one Lead Acid battery.


    Maybe worth adding an inverter to run the Central heating controls.


    Sound advice except that at 60 - 80 W, the pump wouldn't last more than a few hours.


  • 0
    Lighting though useful is not IMHO the most important load. Lighting can be achieved by non electric means including gas lights, oil lamps, and candles.

    Heating is important in cold weather, and all modern heating systems require electricity.

    Refrigeration is important, more so in hot weather. 

    In very hot weather, portable fans are required, and possibly air conditioning.

    News and entertainments are important to many, which suggests electric power for TV, computers, internet router and the like.

    For any prolonged outage, clean clothes are desireable, which suggests sufficient back up power to run a washing machine.

    Hot water likewise, either from central heating, or from an immersion heater.

    If a gas cooker is not available, then limited electric cooking on generator power is desireable.


    And in any serious emergency, gas may not be available.

  • 0
    For those who believe that mains gas is always available.

    Major gas supply failure.


    If the gas fails, power cuts are very likely.
  • 0
    If you're concerned about a major and possibly prolonged infrastructure failure, then I'd suggest a wood-burning Aga or similar with a large stock of firewood!
  • 0
    wallywombat:

    If you're concerned about a major and possibly prolonged infrastructure failure, then I'd suggest a wood-burning Aga or similar with a large stock of firewood!


    Got that! I have three or four pallets of wood from home and neighbouring tree felling. But if there were to be a major infrastructure failure (this week? ? ) what would I eat? ?


    Answer is home-grown veg. Food inches folks! ?


  • 0
    Or if you are not in the sort of place that wood burning is sensible a calor gas bottle and a camping stove and kettle may be more use, - if you have some matches.

    Mike,
  • 0
    Agree, general precuations against utility failure should include not JUST a generator but also.


    A solid fuel stove, cooker, or room heater, and fuel for at least one full winter.

    Bottled gas, and a gas light and boiling ring. Several gas bottles.

    Oil lamps, both pressure lanterns and hurricane lamps, plenty of paraffin.

    A battery radio, preferably two. Plenty of batteries.

    Battery lanterns and torches, plenty of batteries.

    Non perishable food for a leat a month, twelve months wopuld be better.

    Bottled water, chlorine water purification tablets.

    Chemical light sticks, safest possible light source in case of gas leaks, spilled petrol etc.

    A few months reserve of toilet paper, hand soap, laundry detergent, and other hygeine products.

    A reserve of shirts, underwear and other clothing in case laundry cant be done.

    Candles

    Blankets.

    Long underwear.


    The proper doomer would add a geiger counter, self defence weapons, and long life survival rations.
  • 0
    A proper prepper would have enough weapons and ammunition to start World War 3.  After all, it's not going to be long before your neighbours realise that you're the only one with food and fuel (and toilet rolls).
  • 0
    I was looking (out of interest) for what size of generator to charge a EV. Well not the small inverter generators you see in those German supermarkets you could put in the boot. Alas   you may need something like a wheeled portable generator / welding set  you could tow behind the car. However you could use red diesel to charge your EV car and  van. 

    Below is the information site I was looking at for the size needed to run your house (without EV charging point.

    generatoradvisor.com/.../

    This post is not as stupid as the Government doing away with  Petrol/Diesel /gas  . Did you ever see as many cars , lorries and vans on the road as there is today no one working just running around in cars (including myself)


    Tom a lot of the old hands have now left the forum , glad to see that you are still there.

    Regards , I am going for the jag , get yours to . Hopefully  be a happy Christmas next year

    then we can wish it on all who are left.

    Regards

    jcm.

  • 0
    jcm:

    I was looking (out of interest) for what size of generator to charge a EV. Well not the small inverter generators you see in those German supermarkets you could put in the boot. Alas   you may need something like a wheeled portable generator / welding set  you could tow behind the car. However you could use red diesel to charge your EV car and  van. 

    Below is the information site I was looking at for the size needed to run your house (without EV charging point.

    generatoradvisor.com/.../

    This post is not as stupid as the Government doing away with  Petrol/Diesel /gas  . Did you ever see as many cars , lorries and vans on the road as there is today no one working just running around in cars (including myself)


    Tom a lot of the old hands have now left the forum , glad to see that you are still there.

    Regards , I am going for the jag , get yours to . Hopefully  be a happy Christmas next year

    then we can wish it on all who are left.

    Regards

    jcm.

     


    A "granny lead" with a 13A plug on the end will draw 2kW.  A wall mounted charger will be 3.6 or (usually) 7.2kW.


    If you're running off a generator, it will need to be stable enough to keep the car happy, and the chargers have built-in earth fault detection.  So it may refuse to charge at all off a small generator unless the wiring's right.


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