Honda Generators Explained

1. Honda Generators Explained If you’ve been trying to purchase a Honda generator and you’ve come across add-ons like “electric start”, “LRT”, and “three-phase” you probably have some questions. What do they all mean? Do Honda Generators Australia in specific need three-phase power? And why is the three-phase Honda 8kVA generator price $1,000 higher than the single-phase option? What does LRT even stand for? Here, we go through the answers to these questions and more. LRT LRT is the easiest to explain, so let’s start with that. LRT stands for Long Range Tank and it is usually found on open-frame generator models as an extra tank on the “roof” of the frame. This tank increases the fuel capacity of the generator, so it can run for longer periods without running out of fuel and needing to be topped up again. Generators are usually specified to run for a certain number of hours at a 50% power load but can come with a few other percentages as well. For instance, if you have an 8kVA generator that’s the rate for 2.6 hr @ 100% then, if it has a full tank of petrol, it will run for 2 hours and 36 minutes at full throttle, using all 8kVAs. Similarly, if the 8kVA generator is rated for 3.8 hr @ 60%, that means if it’s using 4.8kVAs (60% of 8kVA) it will last 3 hours and 48 minutes on a fuel tank of petrol. It’s probably best not to run your generator at 100% of its available power, because any random spikes in demand could cause it to trip and cease delivering power altogether, needing you to yank on the starter cord to get it up and running again.

2. Electric Start But if you want to avoid the physicality of starter cords, try out an electric start. An electric start lets you turn on a generator at the push of a button which is far easier than a starter cord. Some even come with a remote start, which means you can use a remote to turn on the generator. This can be particularly useful if your generator is on the louder side of things and you don’t want to be standing right beside it when it roars into life. It can also mean that, when the lights are out, you don’t have to stumble around in the dark to get the generator going and instead just rely on the remote to get things moving. Three Phase So, you’re looking at the Honda 8kVA generator price and you notice that the only difference between the two models but the single-phase 8kVA generator costs $2,580 and the three-phase 8kVA generator costs $3,670. Why would anyone want to pay $1,090 more for a generator that has the same maximum rated power output? In a nutshell, three-phase power is better at transmitting electricity more efficiently. This is because single-phase AC has the charge moving backward and forwards periodically, meaning there is a point where the charge slows down to a stop before changing direction. This, in turn, means the devices aren’t being powered at that precise instant of time. On the other hand, three-phase power makes use of three single-phase wires and offsets the timing so that when one of them has the charge come to a stop, another one has its charge moving. This means that power is supplied continuously, without the small gaps in between. You might be wondering if three-phase power needs three times as many wires, but thankfully it doesn’t. In a single-phase, there is only one phase wire and also one neutral wire. In three-phase, you can get away with just three wires – one for each phase. This means it’s only one extra wire and you get almost twice as much power! (For technical reasons we don’t need to go into it, it’s about 1.7 times as much power). That said, in most situations, both single-phase and three-phase usually have a ground wire as well, for safety. And a final additional detail worth knowing is that three-phase power usually has another neutral wire as well because this gives unbalanced loads a place for current to return through (just like in single-phase). So why doesn’t everyone use three-phase for everything if it’s so good? Well, simply put, it just isn’t necessary for nearly all household appliances. A lot of devices don’t need the constant supply of power and can deal just fine with the tiny moments without it. Maybe you’ve taken a slow-motion video and noticed that the lights flicker on and off. That’s because of those tiny moments without power in a single-phase power supply. But until you took the video you didn’t notice them at all because they were so brief. Another reason is that the voltage is much higher in a three-phase supply, making it potentially more hazardous. And three-phase plugs can need up to five pins in them (three for each phase, one for ground, and one for neutral), which isn’t a massive issue but plugs can be hard to fit into

3. outlets even when there are only three pins. The last and most important reason is that the loads on a three-phase power supply have to be balanced. Balanced Loads on Three-Phase Power Each of the three phases supplies power at different times. Basically, the way they are connected to achieve this means that you want each of the three phases to have their power used an equal amount by the load. Otherwise, there will be an imbalance and we need a neutral wire for the extra current to return through. If the load is unbalanced like this, then you get power losses and the benefit of having the three phases picking up each other’s slack doesn’t matter as much anymore. This is not a problem that single-phase power faces and it avoids all the problem-solving necessary to fix this issue where there are unbalanced loads. However, because many industrial situations require this higher power supply that three-phase can offer they are built to ensure they are a balanced load. It makes a lot more sense for a huge factory machine to be made to have a balanced load than to try to do the same for the hundreds of household devices. For instance, some welders need three-phase power because they draw power continuously when functioning properly. Now you know why some people need three-phase generators and the extra considerations they come with.