Generator

[5tan the man]

Can anyone offer any advice on what to look out for when buying a second hand generator that I intend to buy to supply a house in Spain. Like how do you load test or if a generator gives the power it states on the label. Cheers

 

[johnboy6083]

a load test is usually carried out with a load bank, which is effectivley a massive heater. You could use a large heater for this purpose, as it is a resistive load, and the current draw can be calculated with ohms law.
I suppose for checking it, mechanical checks need to be made. general condition by appearance. How does it sound. meggering the windings with at rated voltage would give an indication of condition also. Others will have more expertise on this im sure.

 

[Engineer54]

Is this generator going to be used for your house's prime power or stand-by power?? If prime power i would recommend biting the bullet and buying new, if just for the warranty aspects. If for stand-by, i'd look for any local outlet, that services generators and get them to test it for you... Remember, when buying a generator to size it, so that it is loaded at 70 to 75% of it's continuous rating. Do Not to buy an over sized generator, or your engines maintenance and repair costs will escalate...lol!!! You may even need an auto load bank anyway, if the generator is to be on a prime power footing... Generators do not like being lightly loaded for any length of time....

 

[5tan the man]

Thanks. This generator will be the main supply for the house. I have a small p/v system setup but the inverter is only 1KA witch is enough to power things like tv, radio, DVD and the like but the genny is needed for bigger stuff like washer, microwave and pumps. I did have a 17KVA road tow there untill Christmas but then someone took a liking to it and had it away. I know this was too big for what I need but it was a good deal at the time. So I was thinking of a 7 to 10kva this time