On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 14:33:35 GMT, Carl Byrns
wrote:


Just a note- all of the burned out portable gennys I've seen at the
flea market or in a repair shop seem to have OK engines and roasted
generator sections. The windings look like something from a washing
machine motor.


This, too, is a symptom of reducing weight to reduce shipping costs.

An "expensive" gen set is designed to produce full rated output at
105 Deg. F./40 Deg. C. ambient temperature. The manufacturer is
usually proud enough about this accomplishment to mention the
temperature operating range in the sales literature.

A "cheap" gen set is designed to produce 50% of rated output to a
resistive load at "room temperature" = 77 Deg. F./25 Deg. C. ambient
temperature.

The unwritten secret is that if the operating temperature is not
stated anywhere, not in the sales literature, nor in the owner's
manual, it is assumed to be "room temperature." You are going to have
a bit of a problem if you are trying to run an air conditioner with
one of these when the ambient temperature is above "room temperature,"
no matter what the Watt rating of the generator set is.

You have to read carefully -- the engine might have an operating
temperature specified for it but, this does not mean that the
alternator attached to the engine has the same operating temperature
range.