Help! Buying and Installing a Generator

[Topper]

My dearest has found a house she's in love with to rent (pictures coming later in the week). It's Western built and set up very well by some English dude.

However, no generator or well. Fook. I really don't want to go through 12 hour or more power outages without electricity.

After spending the last couple of days on AI's, the generator I've decided on is a Yamaha EF3000 iSE with a LPG conversion, so I don't have to mess around with gasoline/additives/that stuff. I can get a couple of 11kg lpg tanks and I'm good. If it can run the fridge, a few fans and my laptop and charge the wife's toys, I'm good.

The generator is supposedly very quiet, which is a plus for me and the neighbors.

What I'm wondering about is the install. Do I install a panel to switch stuff over or just turn the main breaker off and plug it into the house?

[Looper]

^For a smaller portable generator you normally add a male 15 amp 3 pin inlet on the switchboard with a 2 pole switch to switch from mains to emergency supply, like my lovely example

You connect the genny to the switchboard using a 15 amp cable with male end at the genny and female at the switchboard

Or you can get it permanently wired in for a bigger genny and get auto-startup which will only have a short outage

Or you can get a solar battery and panels with auto-switchover so the power never even blinks, like this example I prepared earlier

[Thetyim]

3000 kVA is a good size

You should be able to run a 13,500 btu aircon but the LPG conversion might drop the power output by about 10%

[NamPikToot]

Topper isn't there a leccy who can sort this out

[Topper]

Topper isn't there a leccy who can sort this out

Probably, but I want to know more so I can ask proper questions.

Yes I read that using lpg isn't as efficient as gas, but it burns cleaner which reduces the need for oil changes and I don't have to worry about the gas going bad. I get a couple of tanks and just forget about them till needed.

[Molle]

3000 kVA is a good size

it really is

[Thetyim]

^
Thanks
We are all human
You get a house point

[Norton]

Yamaha EF3000 iSE

Nice unit. 2.8kva should do you just fine for computers, lights, fridge, and a fan or 2. Forget A/C.
I assume the LPG option is quite expensive. If power outages are very frequent and long lasting. I would go with petrol powered.

[Topper]

I assume the LPG option is quite expensive.

The conversion is about 5000 pesos on top of the price of the generator.

If power outages are very frequent and long lasting. I would go with petrol powered.

But since long power outages (+ 12 hours) only happen 3-4 times/year, the gasoline would go bad or be something I worry about going bad. I know there's additives you can .... err .... add to extend the life of the gas but two 11kg lpg tanks would get us through those kind of outages without worrying about the quality of what's in the tank.

Another factor is many of the gas stations here don't have generators themselves, so when the power goes out, their pumps don't work. With LPG, I can get tanks delivered with a phone call.

[Norton]

Sounds LPG is just the ticket.

[Topper]

Tomorrow I go to visit the house myself and chat with the Brit whose wife owns the house and review the contract. I'm kind of excited.

We also want to put in a water tank/filtration system so there's water when to power goes out.

[NamPikToot]

All i know is that in the three countries i worked and stayed in with genni back up, it was set up to switch itself on automatically and they were diesel sets.

[Norton]

We also want to put in a water tank/filtration system so there's water when to power goes out.

Highly recommend this one. (WP-155R2) Low power consumption.
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[kingwilly]

Yup, I use diesel. Noisy, but runs forever if you look after it.

[katie23]

@topper - wow, you guys are upgrading to a house! Good onya...

Do you plan on buying land & building your own house in the future? IMO if you're paying ~P15 to 20k for rent, you might as well put that in a house (or one of those rent-to-own developments/ townhouses. But I get it if you don't like them since many are poorly made (by corporate developers). You'll also have a lot of neighbors & chismis
(gossip).

Aside from the LPG or diesel generator, do you plan to buy a solar one, even small? Something like a Bluetti or Bosch.

🔥6.6 BIG PROMO🔥B0SCH Power Station Solar Generator 100W/150W/200W/300W Outdoor Portable Power Supply LED Display
^maybe something like that; I just searched it on Lazada

[Topper]

I've been looking at bluetti and ecoflow, with a small generator to charge them. Just run the generator once a day for a couple of hours to charge it up. Decisions, decisions.

Naw, we probably won't buy a house, I'm too old to get a loan for a decent length of time. The loan has to be paid off by the time I'm 70, which is six years from now.

[katie23]

^Yup! Decisions, decisions.

I sometimes watch the vids of "Nate Petroski" /Narroway Homestead. He has a large array of solar panels. He also has a Bluetti generator as backup, I think. (not sure of the brand, since it's been a while since I saw the vid) The solar panels are mounted on the ground (not roof).

[Molle]

I've been looking at bluetti and ecoflow, with a small generator to charge them. Just run the generator once a day for a couple of hours to charge it up.

Good idea to use a Bluetti or similar because those small 3-5KW generators are not made for running a whole day, a couple of hours is ok.

[Topper]

Good idea to use a Bluetti or similar because those small 3-5KW generators are not made for running a whole day, a couple of hours is ok.

It's just damn expensive though....100K for the power bank, another 30K for the generator at the least.

[katie23]

^maybe buy a small Bluetti/ Bosch for short brownouts (1 to 2 hrs) and a big diesel/ LPG one for long brownouts (typhoons, etc)?

Typhoon season is coming, so better decide fast...