With the number and frequency of brownouts on Siquijor, I need to find a portable gasoline, home generator to use when the power goes out. I hope to find a suitable one for my small cottage. I have 9 lights, refrigerator, floor fan and a laptop. There are so many to choose from that I do not have the knowledge to figure out the size or capacity, preferably a quiet generator that can be run outside under the eve of my roof. Are there models that one that automatically turn on when the power outage occurs and then turns off when power is restored. I would much appreciate some suggestions. Thanks ahead.
Best of 2024 video. Based on you asked about Portables 1- Add up all the watts of everything you would like to run during a brownout. EG: 5 x lightbulbs x 9 Watts = 45 Watts, LapTop = 70 Watts. large desktop gaming system 500 Watts, Coffee machine 1000 Watts, refrigerator 400 Watts...TOTAL = 2015 Watts............... you will need a 2300 Watt Generator. There can be other unforeseen future needs as you may add appliances, have company over with devices and you find you want to run an air conditioner along with multiple fans, then your need can easily bump to 5000 Watt Gen. to a 12000 Watt Gen. From just what you mention a 5000 Watt may suffice you nicely!! 2. Yes.......Some Generators have auto start but most require an Auto start switch . You still have to switch manually your breaker and or utility switch to cross the power over. Suggest you manually switch on the Gen after all you will have to ensure the Gen. has fuel and of coarse oil and you can always do a visual check that all is good. / Same for shutting off you manually need to switch breaker back and or utility switch back. And again do a visual check of your Gen, fuel leak? Oil leak? Components are dry ETC. 3. Ensure always whom you hire to set the system up in your home has licence, references and experience in doing so as per any fire insurance requirements if applicable.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. Since I don't have any appliance or electronics that draws more power than my refrigerator and floor fan, it looks like I would be able to get by with a 2000 watt unit. Now, I just need to find out what is readily available in the Philippines, and specifically in Dumaguete or Cebu. I have been watching numerous reviews on YouTube so there does seem to be a lot of information available. However, finding a skilled electrician on Siquijor island will be a different matter, where very few skilled professionals live or practice. I have been shocked at the lack of even common sense or practical knowledge, let alone skilled professionals here.
You should just inquire here for a licenced electrician recommendation! Good luck! https://www.facebook.com/prosielco.official/
Uymatiao Trading (Corner of Locsin St, Dumaguete) have a fair selection. I bought a Promate from them 7 years ago and still going strong.
Something to concider is you mention portable Also You also mention automatic on and off Portable generators are designed to be small and generally used with extention cords. Automatic generators are wired into the circuit breaker box within your house (generally not portable). If this is a cottage is your intent to travel with the generator or leave it at the cottage when your are not there? Regarding wattage neesed, concider the difference between start up power needed vs running power. A refrigerator for instance of 400w (see owners manual for how much power yours requires) has a 1.5 or 2x initial pull. Air condition can have 3 to 5 times their running power and could overwork the generator if it is underpowered.
One more reason to oversize your unit could be the run time. When you see a run time in an advertisement, it is not based on full load. For example the Honda EU2200i 8.1hours is based on 1/4 load. If your only pulling 500w overnight, all is golden. The run time at full load is down to 3.2hours which may not be problem either but why find that out after buying.
I had an old and used Honda generator which I bought from a local guy when I lived in Thailand. It worked fine although extremly noisy. It got worse and worse so ultimately I either had to dig a hole and isolate it but eventually I bought a new one! I picked a Champion 3000W 'The Mighty Fusion' with dual options, it ran with either gasoline or LPG which was a good option in Thailand since many cars run on it. Also, there was a variety in sizes of gas tanks available so I hardly ever used gasoline in the 3 years I had it. I was very surprised how silent it was compared to the old Honda, I had it on a boxed pallet behind my house next to the backdoor and covered from rain. I never integrated it with the house net, I put up a few outlets where necessary. Fridge, freezer, laptop, router and a few LED lamps was no problem to run.
Second this, we got a Philippines assembled Promote from Uymatiao in 2020, oil change every 50 hrs, run it on 95 Shell gas and other than a battery change has been reliable. Parts available form promate ph on Lazada and warranty service at Uymatiao ( they are the local promate agents). We got a 10,000Watts Peak (8500Watts average) cost around 80K PHP, we run 2 freezers, 4 fridges 2 AC. We do not use water heater or kettle on the generator as you can hear it bog down under this extra load. Tip, Use a decent generator calculator that include: Use of a Power Factor 0.8 for Watts to KVA Included in rush overhead factor of 3 for non invertor refrigerators/freezers General in rush start up factor of 1.5 Snapshot of the calculator I used below. More margin on the generator purchased means less load makes for smoother slightly quieter running. View attachment upload_2024-4-24_10-43-39.png
