In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
DIY wrote:

After arranging a lunchtime barbeque in a couple of weeks time (to
celebrate a wedding anniversary) the power company has informed us
that there will be a power interruption from 8.30am to 4.30pm on the
day (possibly longer if they meet any snags) so my question is this:
am I right in thinking that a 850watt 2 stroke generator would be
powerful enough to power the condensing combo boiler to give us hot
water (maximum power consumption 140watt) and maybe some small
electrical appliances all well under 1kw?

It's *powerful* enough - but whether it will drive your boiler depends on
the quality of the output (voltage stability and waveform) and how fussy
your boiler is. Another consideration is whether you really want a 2-stroke
engine screaming away the whole time.

As others have said, you *may* be able to power it from an inverter
connected to a decent leisure battery - but do the sums to see whether you
have sufficient capacity.

If you *must* use a generator, a 4-stroke jobby with inverter output (like
those made by Honda) would be a better bet. Those are *much* quieter, and
have very stable outputs - probably better than the mains!

Oh, and if the boiler has spark ignition, and uses flame ionisation, you may
need to strap the generator's neutral and earth wires together to get it to
fire. And for good measure, use an RCD at the genny end of your extension
lead, and connect the genny's earth to an earth spike.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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