Hi all, just bought a new 4.4kva generator on Ebay for $560. Will pick it up when we resume our trip this weekend. Will run the aircon and washing machine, plus charge batteries in the wet.
neilnruth said
05:52 AM May 8, 2012
Because it is 4.4kva will it be noisier than a 2kva? Also seems very cheap. What brand is it? Saw someone had bought a 2kva Pure Wave(?) and he was very unhappy that it ran out of fuel before it had heated a small water heater! Paid $500 and was going to get rid of it.
Kiwi-as said
04:33 AM May 9, 2012
Neilnruth, its a Tomahawk brand, what i can gather several "Brands'use the same machinery inside. All out of the same factory as Honda and Yamaha. Noise level 59db at 4mt, pull start , electric or remote up to 30od metres. Will tell you more next week at Gympie. Did you realise it is brand new in box, they have auctions of them every night, and ship all over Aus.
Peter_n_Margaret said
06:27 PM May 9, 2012
Kiwi-as wrote:
All out of the same factory as Honda and Yamaha.
Is that what the salesman told you?
Cheers,
Peter
oldtrack123 said
08:49 PM May 10, 2012
Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Kiwi-as wrote:
All out of the same factory as Honda and Yamaha.
Is that what the salesman told you?
Cheers,
Peter
Of course?
Peter
Pre war 2 ,the japanese were the great copiers but they were amatuers
The chinese put them to shame
Peter
Kiwi-as said
12:35 AM May 11, 2012
Yes it is ISO Certified, 12 month garantee, and CE certified. One Caravaner posted had taken one round the block, ran everything incl. aircon.Will have it at Gympie.
oldtrack123 said
05:27 AM May 11, 2012
Hi
I hope you have read how to use it SAFELY?
Remember 240v can kill no matter what the source
Peter
oldtrack123 said
10:33 PM May 29, 2012
Hi Kiwi ,
Good to see you are happy with it
BUT ONE POINT
Do not earth it
The Aus Standards state :
"an earth stake is niether required or recommended""when using a "portable "generator
ALL for very good reasons
Earthing means not deliberately connecting to the general mass of earth by ANY means[ NOearth stake ,connecting to metallic water pipes , metal building frames .etc
AND REMEMBER:
YOU HAVE NO RCD PROTECTION
You should, for safety, only connect ONE Class1 device @ any time
IF plugged into the van inlet socket the van itself becomes that ONE class 1 device
If an earth fault developes anywhere in the system you have the potential for an electric shock to occur with the next fault,
Peter
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Tuesday 29th of May 2012 10:39:30 PM
Kiwi-as said
04:37 AM May 30, 2012
Well, have had said generator for two weeks now. Can run aircon and water heater at same time. Two others at Gympie get together also had them, and they also were rapped. Not too noisy either, as far as generators go. Will probably get an earth peg set up just to be on the safe side.
So if anybody is contemplating purchasing a 2kva plus generator, look onEbay under Inverter Generators.
jimricho said
07:02 AM May 30, 2012
Peter, perhaps you could explain what a "class 1" device is, preferably in a non-technical and non-"jargonistic" fashion that the "layperson" will understand.
The majority of folks coming to this forum do not have an in-depth knowledge of the Australian Standards and its terminology.
Jim
-- Edited by jimricho on Wednesday 30th of May 2012 07:05:52 AM
oldtrack123 said
06:00 PM May 30, 2012
jimricho wrote:
Peter, perhaps you could explain what a "class 1" device is, preferably in a non-technical and non-"jargonistic" fashion that the "layperson" will understand.
The majority of folks coming to this forum do not have an in-depth knowledge of the Australian Standards and its terminology.
Jim
-- Edited by jimricho on Wednesday 30th of May 2012 07:05:52 AM
Hi Jim
Yes, I have done that in many posts
My apologies for not doing it this time
Electrical devices generally come in two classes
The class depends to a major extent the the way in which they are constucted & insulated
All Mr Average needs to understand is that if it is factory fitted with :
[1]A 3pin plug ,it is Class1, & requires an effective earthing system back to the source to reduce the risks of electric shocks [it is not very effective ]
[2]The CORRECT fitting of a RCD or URCD greatly encreases the level of safety
[1] or [2] DO NOT require a ground connection of the earthing system to be effective [ with portable generators or inverters]
They do require a continous low resistance earthing cable connection between devices & the source
They generally have exposed conductive material , externally or internally, which may become "live" with a fault
Devices covered are such as toasters , frypans , many /most fridges , air cons , many/most battery chargers, microwaves,electric jug & kettles,, virtually ALL caravans / motor homes/ camper trailers , desktop computers,
[3] Class 2 devices will be factory fitted with a 2 pin plug
They may also have a square within a square symbol on them [signifies "double insulation"]
They do not require an earth connection, due to built in high levels of electrical insulation/isolation which greatly reduces the risk of electric shock when in use
[4]But remember damaged cables can make all above highly dangerous as no system can protect from active [live] to neutral faults
If further explanation is required feel free to ask
Peter
Kiwi-as said
02:46 AM May 31, 2012
Thanks guys, Jim and Peter. Appreciate your honest input. Thought I had better do things right and hook up an earth stake to the earth outlet on genny, but after your input Peter, will reconsider. I am sure I have a genuine article.
colin58 said
03:54 PM Dec 28, 2012
I always shudder when I hear someone buying a chinese "bargain"... oh dear ... they've got another one. "The thrill of the price is quickly overshadowed by the lack of quality". I will only ever buy a Honda or Yamaha.... 20 year parts back up... 4 year warranty... 450 Honda dealers in Oz if something just happens to go wrong ... which in my case never has. When this chinese cheapie (Chonda) does break down in a dramatic burst of flame what you will do is what all other thrill buyers do, is bite the bullet and buy a decent brand. These copy machines defitinely DO NOT have the same components as better brands do... its like saying a Great Wall is the same as a BMW. Please please think before you buy and don't waste your money. I call it the Bunnings syndrome. Australian landfills are full of this type of rubbish... don't add to it.
sandsmere said
03:58 PM Dec 29, 2012
we had a Kipor 2.6kva . Always took 4-6 pulls to start . After a couple of months it stopped and then wouldn't start at all .
Kipor fixed it under warranty but I had to take it to a service place 65kms away , then go back a few days later
to pick it up .
Went OK for a month or so , then packed it in again . Fuel had leaked from the carby into the sump .
The result was , it needed a new carby , and it had very little compression .
Didn't worry about warranty this time , just took it to the dump and bought a Honda 3kva . Starts 1st pull every time ,
runs everything easily , and is quieter than the Kipor was .
colin58 said
05:44 PM Dec 29, 2012
yay Honda ... come to the rescue ...again and again
Hi all, just bought a new 4.4kva generator on Ebay for $560. Will pick it up when we resume our trip this weekend. Will run the aircon and washing machine, plus charge batteries in the wet.
Is that what the salesman told you?
Cheers,
Peter
Of course?
Peter
Pre war 2 ,the japanese were the great copiers but they were amatuers
The chinese put them to shame
Peter
Hi
I hope you have read how to use it SAFELY?
Remember 240v can kill no matter what the source
Peter
Hi Kiwi ,
Good to see you are happy with it
BUT ONE POINT
Do not earth it
The Aus Standards state :
"an earth stake is niether required or recommended""when using a "portable "generator
ALL for very good reasons
Earthing means not deliberately connecting to the general mass of earth by ANY means[ NOearth stake ,connecting to metallic water pipes , metal building frames .etc
AND REMEMBER:
YOU HAVE NO RCD PROTECTION
You should, for safety, only connect ONE Class1 device @ any time
IF plugged into the van inlet socket the van itself becomes that ONE class 1 device
If an earth fault developes anywhere in the system you have the potential for an electric shock to occur with the next fault,
Peter
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Tuesday 29th of May 2012 10:39:30 PM
Two others at Gympie get together also had them, and they also were rapped. Not too noisy either, as far as generators go.
Will probably get an earth peg set up just to be on the safe side.
So if anybody is contemplating purchasing a 2kva plus generator, look onEbay under Inverter Generators.
Peter, perhaps you could explain what a "class 1" device is, preferably in a non-technical and non-"jargonistic" fashion that the "layperson" will understand.
The majority of folks coming to this forum do not have an in-depth knowledge of the Australian Standards and its terminology.
Jim
-- Edited by jimricho on Wednesday 30th of May 2012 07:05:52 AM
Hi Jim
Yes, I have done that in many posts
My apologies for not doing it this time
Electrical devices generally come in two classes
The class depends to a major extent the the way in which they are constucted & insulated
All Mr Average needs to understand is that if it is factory fitted with :
[1]A 3pin plug ,it is Class1, & requires an effective earthing system back to the source to reduce the risks of electric shocks [it is not very effective ]
[2]The CORRECT fitting of a RCD or URCD greatly encreases the level of safety
[1] or [2] DO NOT require a ground connection of the earthing system to be effective [ with portable generators or inverters]
They do require a continous low resistance earthing cable connection between devices & the source
They generally have exposed conductive material , externally or internally, which may become "live" with a fault
Devices covered are such as toasters , frypans , many /most fridges , air cons , many/most battery chargers, microwaves,electric jug & kettles,, virtually ALL caravans / motor homes/ camper trailers , desktop computers,
[3] Class 2 devices will be factory fitted with a 2 pin plug
They may also have a square within a square symbol on them [signifies "double insulation"]
They do not require an earth connection, due to built in high levels of electrical insulation/isolation which greatly reduces the risk of electric shock when in use
[4]But remember damaged cables can make all above highly dangerous as no system can protect from active [live] to neutral faults
If further explanation is required feel free to ask
Peter
I am sure I have a genuine article.
I always shudder when I hear someone buying a chinese "bargain"... oh dear ... they've got another one. "The thrill of the price is quickly overshadowed by the lack of quality". I will only ever buy a Honda or Yamaha.... 20 year parts back up... 4 year warranty... 450 Honda dealers in Oz if something just happens to go wrong ... which in my case never has. When this chinese cheapie (Chonda) does break down in a dramatic burst of flame what you will do is what all other thrill buyers do, is bite the bullet and buy a decent brand. These copy machines defitinely DO NOT have the same components as better brands do... its like saying a Great Wall is the same as a BMW. Please please think before you buy and don't waste your money. I call it the Bunnings syndrome. Australian landfills are full of this type of rubbish... don't add to it.
we had a Kipor 2.6kva . Always took 4-6 pulls to start . After a couple of months it stopped and then wouldn't start at all .
Kipor fixed it under warranty but I had to take it to a service place 65kms away , then go back a few days later
to pick it up .
Went OK for a month or so , then packed it in again . Fuel had leaked from the carby into the sump .
The result was , it needed a new carby , and it had very little compression .
Didn't worry about warranty this time , just took it to the dump and bought a Honda 3kva . Starts 1st pull every time ,
runs everything easily , and is quieter than the Kipor was .
yay Honda
... come to the rescue ...again and again