Back up power - Recomendations.

With all the power problems I have had and Fires in my part of the world I have decided I need a small Gen Set. Just something big enough to give me the basics if the mains power is off. To run my electric water pump if a fire comes near as well as a few other basics.

Any one suggest a good brand to buy ? It needs to be compact easy to move about ( two - 240 Volt outlets ) and preferably Diesel.

I plan to hard wire my shed with a Caravan power inlet and a power point on the inside and my water pump can run off the Gen set.

I already have a Briggs & Stratton Fire Pump on a trailer but to move it if a fire comes near is not so easy A Gen Set would be better as I just use my existing tank water and pump.

Being as you're in the land down under,I don't know how much help we in the states will be as to sizing,brands/models available down there,etc,but I can offer a universal suggestion-Honda,and as big as you need plus 20%.
Another way to go,and kill two birds with one stone-look for a welder/generator unit of adequate AC output to meet your needs.These units,usually made by Miller or Lincoln,are fairly common in the states and can be found at fair prices,with capabilities up to 10KW.

HOTFR8 said:

With all the power problems I have had and Fires in my part of the world I have decided I need a small Gen Set. Just something big enough to give me the basics if the mains power is off. To run my electric water pump if a fire comes near as well as a few other basics.

Any one suggest a good brand to buy ? It needs to be compact easy to move about ( two - 240 Volt outlets ) and preferably Diesel.

I plan to hard wire my shed with a Caravan power inlet and a power point on the inside and my water pump can run off the Gen set.

I already have a Briggs & Stratton Fire Pump on a trailer but to move it if a fire comes near is not so easy A Gen Set would be better as I just use my existing tank water and pump.

Click to expand...

How are you moving the fire pump on the trailer ? If its your vehicletracot - consider a PTO arrangement where the gen is driven by the engine of the vehicle - that way - when you move the vehicle and the pmp - the gen also moves with you. Fire pumps (especially the positive displacement type) poses large demands and are best driven when the genset continuous duty rating is : pump shaft hp x 2000 = min kW requirement for the gen. For instance, a 5 shaft hp fire pmp motor is adequately driven by a 10 kW generator. Make sure the generator's prime mover is min of 1.75 x (gen kw) hp. So - a 10 kW genset should have a min engine of 17.5 -- round up to 20hp.

Since you live out in the boonies cut and maintain your own fire break away from your buildings. Keep the vegetation cleared out and trimmed down near the buildings. Consider a ditch around the property you can fill with water using your fire pump also.

Somewhere I just saw a website about a homebuilt 10KW generator using an imported 2 cylinder diesel. The engine was an ancient design that is now being imported from India or somewhere??


Oops, found it:
http://www.f1-rocketboy.com/lister.html

Fast Orange said:

Being as you're in the land down under,I don't know how much help we in the states will be as to sizing,brands/models available down there,etc,but I can offer a universal suggestion-Honda,and as big as you need plus 20%.
Another way to go,and kill two birds with one stone-look for a welder/generator unit of adequate AC output to meet your needs.These units,usually made by Miller or Lincoln,are fairly common in the states and can be found at fair prices,with capabilities up to 10KW.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Not an option I considered but I will now consider it. Not that I needed a welder. Honda is a well known brand so I will have to see if they make a Diesel. I prefer the idea of Diesel as Petrol (gas) vapourises in the heat of a fire. That is why all new fire trucks run on Diesel now.

rinny_tin_tin said:

How are you moving the fire pump on the trailer ? If its your vehicletracot - consider a PTO arrangement where the gen is driven by the engine of the vehicle - that way - when you move the vehicle and the pmp - the gen also moves with you. Fire pumps (especially the positive displacement type) poses large demands and are best driven when the genset continuous duty rating is : pump shaft hp x 2000 = min kW requirement for the gen. For instance, a 5 shaft hp fire pmp motor is adequately driven by a 10 kW generator. Make sure the generator's prime mover is min of 1.75 x (gen kw) hp. So - a 10 kW genset should have a min engine of 17.5 -- round up to 20hp.

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Sorry I think something got missed in translation. The Fire unit is on a Baby Quin 4 wheel trailer it is an ex Fire tanker unit. Not something I can move easily. It has its own Pump and Tank with a Briggs & Stratton motor. It needs a truck or tractor to move / tow it.

Torque1st said:

Since you live out in the boonies cut and maintain your own fire break away from your buildings. Keep the vegetation cleared out and trimmed down near the buildings. Consider a ditch around the property you can fill with water using your fire pump also.

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Actualy Castlemaine is a City surrounded by Forrest and I am in what you would call a semi rural estate. I live on the outskirts and close enough to the Forrest to consider what I need a priority now with all the power failures and fires. If you look at the fires here in Victoria you will see in many places whole towns have been burnt out. It has been that dry here I have not had the mower out for a long time. Fire breaks are something I do not need but well aware of being an ex Firey.

I will cover what I need again. If the power goes off and they turn off the water from the main I have no protection except for my BIG fire unit. A Diesel Gen would allow me to run my electric pumps with my own water supply and that way I just use all the existing taps water plumbing on the property. This set up would be much easier than using the fire unit I have as it is just a back up due to the fact it is not easy to move.

My Priority here is back up power as I have pumps and water but as I said if they turn off water and power ( and they can and do ) then I have no means to use what I have to protect my premises. I can not even fill the fire unit when I have used it.

tdkkart said:

Somewhere I just saw a website about a homebuilt 10KW generator using an imported 2 cylinder diesel. The engine was an ancient design that is now being imported from India or somewhere??


Oops, found it:
http://www.f1-rocketboy.com/lister.html

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Yes I read that web site from start to end. He got a copy of the old Lister Diesel made in India. I like what he did but I am sure I can get a Diesel Gen Set that will do all I need without doing what he has done. I doubt his set up would be easliy moved and in fact he had his in its own building. I would like something compact if I can find it, something that I can set up very quickly plug every thing in and pull the cord to start or just hit Start.

Here in Sunny Southern California, I entered:

small diesel generators australia in Google and found lots of hits.

Good Hunting

nadogail said:

Here in Sunny Southern California, I entered:

small diesel generators australia in Google and found lots of hits.

Good Hunting

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The choice of words on GOOGLE can make or break a good find Thank you.

It looked to me like a lot of communities needed to establish fire breaks BEFORE it became an emergency. Trees and brush are pretty and environmentally wonderful but deadly dangerous.

Just a suggestion.....when choosing your generator pay close attention to the running watts and, especially, peak watts. If you have things with motors that will be running off your generator (refrigerator, furnace, etc.) they will temporarily pull a lot of power on start-up. Getting a generator with a high peak watt rating will keep it from overloading without having to purchase a much larger generator but still handle the temporary start-up loads.

mmhouse said:

Just a suggestion.....when choosing your generator pay close attention to the running watts and, especially, peak watts. If you have things with motors that will be running off your generator (refrigerator, furnace, etc.) they will temporarily pull a lot of power on start-up. Getting a generator with a high peak watt rating will keep it from overloading without having to purchase a much larger generator but still handle the temporary start-up loads.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I actualy found that information on the Cummins Onan web site http://www.cumminsonan.com/portable/select/. Something I am sure many do not consider. I will most likely go bigger than I need just in case.

Torque1st said:

It looked to me like a lot of communities needed to establish fire breaks BEFORE it became an emergency. Trees and brush are pretty and environmentally wonderful but deadly dangerous.

Click to expand...

Sorry that is not the topic here. But then one fellow has been taken to court by his Shire Council. for clearing trees. $50,000-00 he was fined and another $50,000-00 court costs. Oh yes his property survived the fires. To many Greenies run to many departments. Our world sadly is becoming a burocratic nightmare. If I plant a tree on my property it should be mine to do as I please, but NO I have to have Council permission to cut it down.
Some times in Spring and Autumn the weather is simply not suitable to burn fire breaks, plough, grade or slash a fire break. Last night we had enough rain here to make most fire acces roads impassable so many areas may still burn but it is impossible to get a fire truck in to the locations.

HOTFR8 said:

Sorry that is not the topic here. But then one fellow has been taken to court by his Shire Council. for clearing trees. $50,000-00 he was fined and another $50,000-00 court costs. Oh yes his property survived the fires. To many Greenies run to many departments. Our world sadly is becoming a burocratic nightmare. If I plant a tree on my property it should be mine to do as I please, but NO I have to have Council permission to cut it down.
Some times in Spring and Autumn the weather is simply not suitable to burn fire breaks, plough, grade or slash a fire break. Last night we had enough rain here to make most fire acces roads impassable so many areas may still burn but it is impossible to get a fire truck in to the locations.

Click to expand...

You can't cut trees on your own land? I own a woodlot, I have to register a plan but I can cut what I want and can clear cut an area if I want to. They can limit the clear cut but...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29207&showall=1 This topic now covers part of what I have done and I am still considering the Gen Set for those really bad days.

I just purchased a 10KW Generac Guardian standby generator which will be fueled off my LP tank. I am scrambling to get it installed as winter sets in here in the northern hemisphere.

You might research if anybody sells a generator there in the size you want with a UK-make Perkins Diesel engine. The Perkins engines have a good reputation for reliability and good fuel economy, although they may not come as small as you want.

I once did routine maintenance on a 100KW generator with a 6-cylinder Perkins turbo-Diesel... a big larger than you need I suspect! I also used to use a Massey Ferguson 245 tractor with a 3-cylinder Perkins... I could brush hog all day on 5 gallons of fuel.

Not sure I like the idea of LPG powered Gen Sets and Diesel is better in a fire situation as they breath better. The Perkins you refer to would be a great set up and yes a little big for my requirments. If you refer to the other post and my new Solar System ( if I mentioned it ) it would control a Gen Set if added to the system but my requirements do not see me using a Gen Set of that size as all I need would be to run a few basic items and pumps etc.

I accept with information: Another way to go,and kill two birds with one stone-look for a welder/generator unit of adequate AC output to meet your needs.These units,usually made by Miller or Lincoln,are fairly common in the states and can be found at fair prices,with capabilities up to 10KW.