"Charles" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I live out on a remote farmhouse whose electric is supplied on overhead
electricity
poles.

In the two years that I have lived here, I've had about 20 power cuts.
Some are only a few minutes and a nuisance, but others can last for a
few hours.

I have lots of space outside, and a space ready for a power generator
(petrol/deisel etc).

I have a couple of questions though.

- How do I calculate the power (watts) that an appliance requires?
- Is there a device that can measure the power requirement for an
appliance, or for my entire power requirement (I have an economy 7
dual dial meter)
- When my power is initially connected after a power outage, all of the
outside floodlights come on and create an initial surge. How would a
generator cope with that?

I am assuming that once I have worked out my power requirement, I will
need to find a generator large enough to cope with it.

I would be happy if the generator would power a lighting circuit, and
maybe a few appliances (heating pump, boiler, television, radio etc).

Any experience/tips/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Charles


We have the same blackout problems on our farm and have been looking for a
suitable generator as well. I really wouldn't try to have a generator that
can handle the whole house though. This requires some form of switchover
between the systems which has to be reliable.

Instead we intended to put a number of clearly labelled sockets from the
generator around the house so that they can be used as needed, plus some
dedicated lights. The freezer and heating system (boiler/pump/valves) will
be driven through battery backup UPSes so these will switch automatically
and keep going for a couple of hours. If you want other electronic devices
(TV. computer, etc) I would do the same for these rather than driving them
from a generator which can be spikey.