With Eskom cutting our power on a daily basis we’re left with no option but to find an alternate power supply. But now you’re stuck with a number of options…. Wind, solar or hydro-electric systems are available, but in most cases they’re not the best options as lack of a breeze, a cloudy day and no access to running water are limitations…

More promising sources are generators (petrol or diesel) or UPSs. But how do you choose what to go with?

The answer is to look at your requirements… if you need uninterrupted power supply, a UPS system with a few minutes worth of backup power can be essential, this will allow you time to swop over to your alternate power supply system without ever going without power. This may be necessary in companies relying on PCs and IT, preventing the loss of data etc. In circumstances where a short black-out is tolerable, you can merely allow the power to die and the few minutes it takes to fire up your alternate supply is not the end of the world.

A big decision is whether you go for a diesel or a petrol generator…

For a high-usage electrical system, the cardinal rule of generator choice is: do not even consider a Petrol-powered unit that runs at 3000 rpm . . .  Why?

• Most of these machines are built for intermittent use only
• Most don’t last long
• Most are optimistically over-rated

Another reason to avoid the petrol generators is the noise level. A 3000 RPM (revolutions-per-minute) petrol generator, running under load, is ridiculously noisy. If you ever test a generator make sure it’s running under load as they can be fairly quite when just idling.

Hardware-store generators are the absolute minimum quality that the manufacturer can get by with and still rationalize the advertised output. Neither the voltage nor the frequency is stabilized very well. Be very wary of these machines.
Petrol machines do have a useful application. A petrol-powered portable generator with an idle-down feature is perfect for temporary use on a site, or anywhere else where power tools are used in an frequent-but-intermittent manner. You can just leave the generator quietly idling along, and it will instantly speed up whenever a load is applied.

So what about a diesel generator?

An industrial-quality diesel generator will dependably and quietly carry on forever, producing its full-rated power. The power produced is clean, stable, the kind that won’t destroy your PCs or any other electrical equipment. It is the kind of power that is suitable for a home, office, and shop.

They are far more efficient,  producing the same power on about half the amount of fuel that would be required for a same-size petrol generator. They’re also far less prone to require attention and repairs.