CHOOSING THE BEST GENERATOR FOR THE JOB These are the things to consider when selecting a generator:
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE YOUR GENERATOR? Generators are used to perform a wide variety of tasks, and Honda offers a variety of models to suit almost all potential users. Honda generators provide a high quality power source that is reliable and convenient. . Camping/Recreation/Boating . Home Standby . Construction/Rental HOW QUIET DOES YOUR GENERATOR NEED TO BE? Honda generators are known for quiet operation. Honda has engineered exceptionally quiet portable models, but offers less costly options that may serve your application at a lower cost. While a camping application may require a super quiet EU series choice, home standby and construction applications would be satisfied with a deluxe or industrial series model, and some applications will allow for the Economy series that do not have the additional features required to provide quiet operation. IS ELECTRIC START REQUIRED? Honda engines are renown for the ease of starting, even when only equipped with a manual recoil starter. Honda offers many models with the convenience of electric start for applications that may require remote start or where the ease of electric start is preferred. DO YOU REQUIRE EASY TRANSPORT? While all Honda Generators are Portable by definition, many models include standard wheel kits for easy movement of the generator from storage to the work site. Consider the options when selecting the right model for your application. HOW MUCH POWER DO YOU NEED? Generators produce AC voltage, very similar to the voltage available in your home, however while your electric utility company produces sufficient power for all your electric powered devices, a portable generator is limited in power output directly relational to the engine horsepower. The amount of power that a generator can produce is rated in watts. Rated power is generally 90% of maximum power as certain components lose efficiency as they are heated from use. To determine wattage requirements you should determine which devices need to be powered simultaneously and what the starting requirement of the device is. A Wattage Calculator is provided to assist you. Remember that with simple "Power Management" techniques, a small generator can provide adequate power for home or recreational applications. "MAXIMUM" AND "RATED" POWER A generator should never be operated at its MAXIMUM power output for more than 30 minutes. RATED power, or the power that a generator can produce for long periods of time, is a more reliable measure of generator power. Typically the RATED power is 90% of the MAXIMUM power. For Example, a 2500 watt generator produces a MAXIMUM 2500 watts of power. This means at maximum power this generator could light up 25 100-watt light bulbs at the same time. The rated wattage of this generator would be 2300 watts and should only be used to power 23 - 100 watt light bulbs. When considering your power needs, first determine the highest power application such as a well pump for home power or air compressor for the job site. The power required to start the capacitor motor on these applications will determine the rated power of the generator you should choose for your application. TYPES OF LOADS In the previous example, the light bulbs are the LOAD of the generator. A 2500 watt generator can handle a LOAD of no more than 2500 watts maximum. RESISTIVE LOADS: The light bulb example is called a RESISTIVE type load and the POWER it requires is pretty easy to understand. Other RESISTIVE types of LOAD are things like toasters, convection ovens, hot plates, curling irons, coffee makers, stereos and TV's. RESISTIVE LOADS are usually appliances that do not have electric motors. RESISTIVE LOADS = 1 x Power A REACTIVE load contains an electric motor. Some household appliances like a furnace or refrigerator have internal fans that come on intermittently, so extra wattage/power is needed to start the fan. Another example is power tools. An appliance or tool with a reactive load may require up to three times as much power (wattage) to START as it does to keep it running. Examples of REACTIVE type loads: . Refrigerators / freezers . Furnace fans . Well pumps . Air conditioners . Bench grinders . Air compressors . Power tools REACTIVE LOADS = 3 x Power RESISTIVE LOADS: The equation shows the relationship between watts, volts and amps in a PURELY RESISTIVE load. If you know any of the two variables, the third can be calculated. Example: You want a generator to power a 1000 watt flood light. The light is 120V and requires 1000 watts of power. Using the equation, we can calculate that the floodlight will draw 8.3 amps of electrical current. For REACTIVE loads, the equation shows only a general relationship between watts, volts and amps. That's because the power requirements for REACTIVE loads changes with operating conditions. Resistive Loads - Volts x Amps = Watts REACTIVE LOADS: When determining the proper generator for REACTIVE type loads, you must consider three modes of operation: STARTING - The electric motor requires more power to start. The starting power required can be up to THREE times the running amount. RUNNING - The power required to run the electric motor once it has been started. LOADED - When the electric motor begins to work (saw begins cutting wood, drill begins drilling thru a wall), its power requirement will increase. This is not applicable for most household appliances. DATA TAG: Method 2 requires a visual inspection of the data tag supplied by the electric motor manufacturer. All electrical motors have a data tag attached to their bodies that give volts, amps, phase, cycles, hp, and sometimes a code. Volts (V) - The volts must be either 120 (110-120) or 120/240. 120/240 means that the motor can be wired to operate on 120V or 240V. Honda generators are either 120V or 120/240V. Amps (A) - Indicates the amps required to RUN the electric motor but doesn't consider STARTING or LOADED power requirements. Phase (PH) - Honda Generators can power only single phase motors only. Horsepower (HP) - Rating of how much work an electric motor can perform. Code - This isn't always provided on the data tag. It represents the maximum STARTING power required of the electric motor. Cycles (Hz) - All of U.S. electrical appliances run at 60 cycles per second. LOAD CODE: Is a letter which represents Amps per Hp to start the motor. Multiply CODE (amps) times Hp of motor to determine starting amps. For example: The data tag on our electric motor shows a code of L. Our motor is 1/3 Hp. An L code is 84 amps per Hp x 1/3 (motor Hp) = 28 amps to start the motor shown. CODE AMPS PER HP TO START CODE AMPS PER HP TO START A 26.0 L 83.3 B 29.5 M 93.3 C 33.3 N 104.0 D 37.4 P 116.6 E 41.6 R 133.3 F 46.6 S 149.9 G 52.4 T 166.6 H 59.0 U 186.6 J 66.6 V more than 186.6 Black outs, rolling brownouts, what are the options? There is no quick fix to the situation facing many areas of the country as power demand continues to outpace the available resources. Many homeowners are investing in small output portable generators for recreational and other uses and are now adapting them for use as temporary home power. This versatility is one of the many advantages of portable generators, however everyone should consider how to safely apply the power from the portable generator in a residential situation. While portable power is ideally distributed through a professionally installed transfer switch, homeowners can easily and safely use a smaller output portable generator to power essential home appliances. There are several safety considerations anyone using a generator should be aware of when powering home appliances. Always read the owners manual before operating your portable generator for back up power. Never operate an internal combustion engine inside your home, basement, garage or any other enclosed area. The generator needs a minimum of 3 to 4 feet of spacing on all sides (including the top). A generator needs an unlimited supply of fresh air for proper cooling during operation. Properly locate the generator outdoors away from doors and windows. An open door or window will allow dangerous exhaust fumes to enter the building. Since combustion engines create carbon monoxide, which can be lethal, good ventilation is critical. Keep the generator dry and always operate it on a level surface. Never add fuel to your generator when it is running and always store additional fuel in approved Gasoline containers. It is very important that you never feed power from your portable generator into a wall outlet. This is commonly called back feeding and causes several safety concerns. This causes a very dangerous situation as power back feeds into the Power Company lines and can cause severe injury or death to linemen working on power lines. In addition when the Power Company restores power it can feed directly into your generator causing severe damage to your portable generator. The safe application of power to your home is achieved simply by using a quality extension cord and surge protected power strip from the generator directly to the appliance that you want to power. Using a power requirement chart you can determine which appliances can be powered safely. During power outages the main concern is for powering sufficient light for the safety of your family. If power is out for several hours you will want to power your refrigerator and freezer to insure that no food spoilage occurs. Remember that it is not necessary to continually power these appliances if your generator has a small power output. Power management will allow you to utilize a small generator to power several appliances safely. Portable generators over 2000 watts can be used to power microwave ovens, as well as toaster ovens, and other 120V electrical cooking devices, for meal preparation. The new Honda EU3000is inverter generator is idea for homes without 220 Volt emergency requirements. If you own a higher output generator with 220-volt capability, you should consider having an appropriate manual transfer switch professionally installed in your home for your added convenience and safety. The Honda EM5000S is a great choice for homeowners with larger power requirements such as deep well water pumps. Contact your nearest Honda Generator dealer or qualified electrician to determine the best transfer switch to match your generator choice. Once you master the art of "Power Management" you will discover that a small portable generator can safely provide many of the conveniences you count on everyday. And when the power comes back on you will be able to take and use your generator at the park, at the lake, on the boat, tailgating before the big game, as well as many other applications around the home you may never have thought of.
