Generator?

[Exfarmer]

Depends how effienct the leds are, it should be, but lumens are why you want……also the lens technology is key which is why different brands and dare I say quality brands rather than ones that prioritise the biggest number they can put on the box …….. have you looked at home they measure the output?

learnt a thing or 2 rigging theatrical lighting and there is far more to lighting than the number of watts you are throwing about…….

If you have been rigging stage lights you will know the problems of spot angles and coversge.
I agree that lumens is the most important in real terms but they are fairly closely related to wattage

 

[Highland Mule]

If you can have a separate board with the “essential circuits” on and aswitcher for the gen set (can be a inlet socket outside that you can hook up to or a standby unit plumbed and ready to go

router lights alarm freezer boiler and associated pumps a couple of sockets for a microwave etc think what you need a caravan and you can pretty much run all that off a 16-amp supply with led lighting once you decide kettles showers others are “essential” the peak demands go up gen sets are good for stable not so good for big demand changes forget where the peak efficiency is but they aren’t good for headroom and fuel consumption at lower loads is still quite high

not sure about current regs but it used to be reasonably easy to fit a change over panel to a split load board but the splitting is often less than ideal

That's what I have, although I didn't bother to put the freezers on the essential board, so as to keep the load down. For me, essential is (LED) lights, central heating pump (the heat comes from the wood stove) and not much else. Kettle can be heated on a £20 camping stove.

 

[335d]

where these fittings are in a plasterboard ceiling they will very often make a big hole when you try and extract them. Some clamp far better worse than others. We had to remove 3 or four fittings where they were singed from the halogen bulbs and each one needed the attentions of a plasterer. once the fittings are out then we can fairly easily extract the transformers.
there is one possible answer which is to replace all the fittings for wide brimmed fittings, which I expect will be the eventual answer when I get round to it.

You could possibly remove the fittings without damaging the plaster, but you will require new fittings.
if you get yourself a good pair of side cutters/ wire cutters, just pull the fitting down enough to be able to snip the clamp leg.
You could also try, pulling the fitting down slightly, and then trying to hold the clamps together with a cable tie, or pipe pliers.

 

[HDAV]

If you have been rigging stage lights you will know the problems of spot angles and coversge.
I agree that lumens is the most important in real terms but they are fairly closely related to wattage

It’s more how the marketing dept measure it……different types of lights for different applications stop obsessing on the wattage on the box and concentrate on the light output (but that requires more effort…..)

 

[HDAV]

That's what I have, although I didn't bother to put the freezers on the essential board, so as to keep the load down. For me, essential is (LED) lights, central heating pump (the heat comes from the wood stove) and not much else. Kettle can be heated on a £20 camping stove.

Essential varies by person that’s why a couple of doubles on “essential” is a good idea for some phone charging/internet is essential but not for others, having a camping grill with double burner and a bottle of gas (propane Better than butane) can be the solution my uncle converted the coal shed to house a generator and have a hook up to feed house with 16a and garage with 16a in the event of a power cut not sure if he ever used it……

 

[Fergieman]

What size generator would I need for a four bed farmhouse which is all electric?
Thanks

I like the look of a diesel stephill generator for the house but they are only 6Kva but portable. There seems a big step up to a 20kva machine which will need a forklift to shift it.

 

[Sharpy]

I would tomorrow, except for one little issue. Removing the fittings to extract the transformers makes an awful mess which requires replastering. And for some strange reason my wife is not at all keen on it

Could you fish the 240 cable out and cut the feed to the transformer, then just leave the redundant transformer in the void?

 

[Thick Farmer]

Yeah, that's why I'm not keen to use my existing one to do any more. Besides, I've tried to spread the single phases loads (inc the farmhouses) across the phases so would only ever have a partial job. I had to hand crank the grainstore door on Sat morning to load a wagon - that spurred me into action.

Thanks all for the feedback on what I've got - half expected that (the Physics MA not completely wasted!). Final question from me to put me in a better position with @Thick Farmer Does the collective think the final contactor for the auxiliary socket is switched based on current draw on the motor? i.e. would it switch on/off if it drops/rises across a thereshold?

I think you would have to start it manually by pushing the start button if it stopped as you would have to initiate the Star/Delta startup sequence again.
Just remembered I’ve got a couple of engine driven 3 phase generators here too. Will check output tomorro.

 

[Exfarmer]

Could you fish the 240 cable out and cut the feed to the transformer, then just leave the redundant transformer in the void?

It is removing the fittings which makes the mess, the transformers are not an issue. There are now these wide brimmed fitting which would I think cover 90% of the mess made. Quite literally they pull out a chunk of plasterboard when you remove them unless you are very lucky

 

[Timbo]

I like the look of a diesel stephill generator for the house but they are only 6Kva but portable. There seems a big step up to a 20kva machine which will need a forklift to shift it.

And they are bloody noisy

 

[hally]

And they are bloody noisy

I have one for our house …..and yes they are bloody noisy but very reliable