How to choose the right Portable Generator
Portable generators are more than just convenient; they are invaluable in some home, recreational and professional situations. Using standard automobile grade petrol, diesel or natural gas, they produce electricity for use mainly in back up situations e.g. during a power failure or where you need a portable source e.g. to run your laptop in your motor home while parked up at the campsite. Larger units are less portable and tend to be noisier. Smaller units have the advantage of being able to moved easily to different locations and will be less noisy. The noise levels of generators less likely to annoy the neighbours are usually between 55dBA to 85dBA, with a quieter one considered as one coming in under about 70dBA.
Some generators come mounted on wheels at one end or have handles attached to the top of the frame to help you more easily manoeuvre them into different locations. Depending on your physical strength, how healthy your back is and how often you will be moving the unit, the wheel and handle features are definitely worth considering along with one with an electric starting mechanism. Pullstarts require you to pull on a pull cord and may take a few attempts whereas the electric one responds to the turn of a key or the flick of a switch, which requires less effort and is convenient. The downside is you will need to keep the battery charged to have the convenience of the electric start. Spark arrestors are also included in some generators to help prevent sparks from escaping through the exhaust and starting an unwanted fire at the campsite!
When thinking about the wattage, remember the rated wattage is the power draw of your device as it normally runs and the surge wattage is the short burst of power required by the device when starting or stopping its motor. The total running wattage of the devices you intend to run on the generator should not exceed the rated wattage of the generator. Just sum up your devices individual rated wattages to calculate the total running wattage. Also, check your surge wattage does not exceed the surge rating of the generator.
One of the units setting a new standard in portable electricity is the Honda EU20i. It is Honda's second-highest selling product in Australia across the power equipment, motor vehicle, marine and motorcycle divisions!
The features of this flagship generator for the portable power industry include:
- Honda's advanced four-stroke GX100 engine for a maximum power output of 2,000 watts AC, and rated output of 1,600 watts, making it ideal for a wide variety of domestic and leisure applications.
- A microcomputer-controlled sinewave inverter that guarantees commercial-quality electricity – making it ideal for use with frequency sensitive electrical equipment such as laptops.
- An eco-throttle that adjusts the engine speed to meet the load demand. This increases fuel economy whilst also reducing noise, as the engine doesn't have to work as hard.
- An engine that’s protected via low oil alert system
- An advanced 4-Stroke engine for strong performance and fewer emissions - designed and built with user convenience and environmental impact in mind.
- A high-speed multi-point alternator that is integrated into the engine itself – this reduces the overall weight and size by 25-30% compared to similarly classed conventional models adding to its portability.
- Honda's reliable one pull easy start system – starts first time every time and your back will thank you!
- Being lightweight (21kg) and whisper-quiet (from 53dB(A)/59dB(A)
- Parallel connection capability. This feature allows two EU20i's to be quickly and easily linked using a special parallel connection cable to double your output to 4Kva
Honda's 4-Stroke engines eliminate the need to mix fuel and oil, which saves you time and plenty of money. It's environmentally friendly with low emissions, less noise and low fuel consumption than its two-stroke counterparts, and can run up to 15 hours of continuous operation on a full fuel tank (with eco-throttle switched on at 1/4 output). Powerful enough to be used in a wide range of home, recreational and professional uses, its 8 Amp/12 Volt DC, maximum 2000W/240 Volt AC can run appliances and charge batteries simultaneously.
The EU20i is backed by Honda's extensive warranties. That’s a 4-Year Domestic Warranty, and 12-Month Commercial Warranty, and the support of Honda's 450+ authorised dealerships nation-wide. Therefore, wherever you are, Honda's got you - and your EU20i - covered.
You can buy the Honda EU20i from Sunshine Coast Mowers at a great price backed by outstanding customer service and support. Peace of mind never sounded so good! Call us on 07 5444 2577 info@sunshinecoastmowers.com.au 189 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba