Inverter Generator

Status
Not open for further replies.
This is only my thoughts, based on limited knowledge. I think the inverter type is only smaller/portable units around the 2000-5000W range. The inverter type has more of a pure sine wave output that some equipment would need. Also, they run quieter than the regular type. I'm sure someone will correct me if/where I'm wrong on this.
 
The biggest advantage of an inverter type generator is that they do not have to run at a constant speed regardless of the load in order to maintain a 60Hz output. The inverter types can idle down when there is little or no load and will only increase in speed as the load increases. The inverter circuitry maintains the 60Hz sine wave. That makes them much quieter and much more efficient.
 
I used to install a Honda 2kw inverter generator at traffic signals during a power outage. It would run for 8 hours easily with the LED green and red signals. Yellows were incandescent, when they came up the generator would speed up for 3 seconds and go back to idle. Honda EUIs are excellent, quiet, worth the extra cost.
One tip, use ethanol free gas.
 
You would use them to power electronic equipment like computers, video equipment, sound systems or equipment using electronics to control them. The output is a clean 60 Hz sine wave as opposed to the dirty power that normal generators provide that can damage electronics. This is why you see them in primarily smaller sizes. If you are mainly concerned with supplying power to motors and power tools any generator will do.

-Hal
 
How "dirty" is the output of smaller rotating generators anyways. In theory.... it should be a nice sine wave since it comes from rotation, not synthesis. I suppose there might be some PF correction capacitors involved, but not on machines over a few KW. Granted that the frequency and voltage regulation might not be great on smaller units, but a lot of devices won't care about that anyway.
 
zbang said:
How "dirty" is the output of smaller rotating generators anyways. In theory.... it should be a nice sine wave since it comes from rotation, not synthesis. I suppose there might be some PF correction capacitors involved, but not on machines over a few KW. Granted that the frequency and voltage regulation might not be great on smaller units, but a lot of devices won't care about that anyway.
Click to expand...

It can be pretty bad on smaller units, especially if it runs out of gas or shuts down.
 
I have two midsized Honda inverter gennys. Besides all the benefits mentioned above, they can be linked together to power larger loads. The electronics in the inverter syncs the sine waves.
 
I really wish the Honda inverter generators could be linked in such a way as to produce 240 volts.
 
zbang said:
No voltage could certainly be considered a power quality issue.
Click to expand...

As the engine dies the voltage and frequency goes haywire which has killed electronics, but this applies to bigger units too. I had one of my diesel tow plants rented to a construction company powering a building 24/7 while it was awaiting utility power. They were cheap and didn't want to pay us for fuel service insisting they could do it themselves. Well they ran the genset dry on a sunday, when the engine died it took all their occupancy sensors with it.
 
I think many of us have customers that will power their home with a portable generator and off course most of the generators are not inverter type. Maybe we should stress to them that they should NOT run it out of gas while powering the house. If I tell my customers that they will get stressed out wondering when they should refill the gas tank. How likely will a sputtering generator do damage to a home’s appliances?
 
tom baker said:
I used to install a Honda 2kw inverter generator at traffic signals during a power outage. It would run for 8 hours easily with the LED green and red signals. Yellows were incandescent, when they came up the generator would speed up for 3 seconds and go back to idle. Honda EUIs are excellent, quiet, worth the extra cost.
One tip, use ethanol free gas.
Click to expand...

Best tip for any small engine by far.
 
mkgrady said:
I think many of us have customers that will power their home with a portable generator and off course most of the generators are not inverter type. Maybe we should stress to them that they should NOT run it out of gas while powering the house. If I tell my customers that they will get stressed out wondering when they should refill the gas tank. How likely will a sputtering generator do damage to a home’s appliances?
Click to expand...

Well, in my experience it's more than a sputtering generator about to run out of fuel. During extended power outages here I have had UPSs refuse to operate off the power supplied by a normally running generator. They constantly switched back and forth between battery and line. One time I had to reluctantly remove one from use and connect a server directly in order to get it to work. It did somehow survive, but the fact that the UPS determined that the power was so dirty to cause a transfer makes me wonder how.

This makes my wonder about whole house generators and the quality of power they produce.

-Hal
 
I've had that happen (gen vs UPS), but the problem was not the exactly generator. The problem was traced to the generator using a mechanical governor (not a fast electronic one) and the UPS using a SCR phase-control battery charger. The rapid turn-on into the half cycle and the harmonics generated were playing hob with the governor. Take the UPS off and the generator was just fine (and the output clean). That was probably a 50kva gen with a 20kva UPS; was a while ago.

Yes, the dying gasps when running out of fuel are a PQ issue, but that's not specific to generator size.

Perhaps it's more accurate to say that small non-inverter generators tend to have poor regulation. That I can easily agree with.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top