household portable generator?
Posted on June 8th, 2010 by admin
hi everyone were heading home to durban for 3 weeks over easter and are thining of taking a small portable household generator with us for my uncle who is on an oxygen tank for his emphasema. is it worth it or are they easily acessable? if so does anyone know where we can get one in durban? thanks
we are traveling from the uk
for those of u who have kindly made suggestions to get one in SA do u have any idea where we can get one in Durban? huge massive thanks for all ur help and suggestions….
Dont do it. The small ones are noisy and expensive to run, as well as being unreliable. Get an Invertor and a couple of 12v batteries. This will provide emergency power for hours, depending on how many appliances and Lights you have on. Its quiet, cheap and more importantly its reliable and can be kept indoors where it wont get stolen
June 8th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Dont do it. The small ones are noisy and expensive to run, as well as being unreliable. Get an Invertor and a couple of 12v batteries. This will provide emergency power for hours, depending on how many appliances and Lights you have on. Its quiet, cheap and more importantly its reliable and can be kept indoors where it wont get stolen
References :
June 8th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Things to consider:
1. Is the AC voltage the same in South Africa as it is here in the US… It’s 120 VAC here… and thats what your uncles Oxygen system is designed to work on.
2. If you decide to travel with one, what do you need to run with it? Just the oxygen or an entire house?
3. How are you going to get it from here to there? Airlines wont let you take it if it’s ever been filled with gas.
I’m sure you could get a generator there locally but what voltage are they designed to provide there? If you just need a small one to run only the oxygen then I would take one with me… you can get very small light weight ones here.
References :
I’m an Electrical Engineer.
June 8th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Where are you coming from?
If you are coming from outside SA you wont be able to bring stuff like that with you by airliner.
If from somewhere in SA definitely take a backup power source with you – there’s no guarantee that you can find one when you arrive in Durbs – they sell as fast as the dealers can get them! But first check with your relatives in Durbs if they have one.
If you need the backup power only for the respirator keep in mind that the blackouts only last 2 hours. A small battery & inverter can handle it. In fact you should be able to find a portable respirator with built in backup battery – check with the respirator supplier.
If you need it for more than just the respirator an inverter and batteries are not a good idea – the batteries alone weigh far more than the equivalent wattage of generator – and cost a lot more too!
Make sure perol fumes from the gennie can’t get into the cabin of the car – it can be dangerous. I wrap mine in 3 layers of bin bags when carrying it in my car and empty the fuel tank. Preferably put it in a trailer if you have one – but still empty the tank.
Add:
OK so you’re coming from the UK. If you definitely need more than just a respirator with battery backup, it knocks your options down to just one.
Your Durban relatives should start looking for a generator right now! because it may take a while (days or even weeks) to get hold of a suitable one.
Also don’t forget to bring a mains plug adaptor for the respirator to allow it’s British plug to be connected to the SA socket. There actually still is mains power most of the time!
References :
Gordita Gringo: I don’t see the asker mentioning the US.
The question includes the phrase "home to Durban" which implies that the asker is aware of the voltage etc. of South African domestic electrical supply. FYI it is 220-230V at 50Hz
June 8th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
I’ve been trying to buy a medium sized generator (5,5 kVA). It is simply impossible at the moment. They’re sold out everywhere. Last week a ship arrived in Cape Town with two big containers full of generators. They didn’t even make it to the shops. They sold them from the ship, people were going nuts… pure insanity.
Try this website and talk to them – the guy from the Cape Town office is very nice and might be able to help you. But expect to wait long for your generator.
http://www.bundupower.co.za/
References :