PacB Group // Opt for Diesel Generators When You Need a Backup Power Solution

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Opt for Diesel Generators When You Need a Backup Power Solution

There is a reason why diesel generators are still the most ubiquitous power solutions around (except of course those Eskom power lines, although they are more a sore point than indicative of a power solution at times). That reason is something that a lot of people still do not really seem to comprehend. Diesel generators might be out of sync with alternative energy solutions’ typical green ethos, but they still represent a cost-effective solution that gives good efficiency. What that means is that for every litre of diesel you put in, you are getting a fair return back in power.

We employ machinery in a myriad of ways on a daily basis as individuals, as businesses, and as countries. Such copious use brings forth the best of our engineering and ingenuity, and generators are still pretty smart equipment. Modern diesel generators are in fact a big step up from even only a decade or two ago.

Any power solution has to earn its keep, and diesel generators remain one of the most economical power solutions around. Greener technologies are rising, it is true, but with the current needs on South African businesses and consumers, you need a fast and wholly effective backup power supply. There are sometimes space constraints on greener technologies (solar panels take a lot of space) or municipal restrictions (wind turbines are not popular in suburbia).

Diesel generators remain the most efficient solution for the vast majority of homeowners, as well as small to medium enterprises, which is not to say that when monster power is needed, they do not perform admirably too. Indeed, these generators support much of South Africa’s big industry nowadays, in part because when Eskom goes down, it is not just phone lines that are lost for industrial production. Some processes cannot accommodate halting halfway, not without losing the batch at any rate.

 

Back to Basics with Diesel Generators

 

Now that the country has put its sometimes-steep learning curve behind it, it is worth confirming the basics about generators, as many tried to skirt them! The most painful type of mistake in the early days of Eskom’s failure, especially for homeowners, was confusing residential with industrial diesel generators. Put another way, the common mistake was often starting from the point of departure that a “house” only needed a residential generator. As often as that is true, is as often as it is not. A large house can very easily demand near industrial capabilities, and in the recent past, a host of really small generators flooded the market, suitable for very limited and intermittent application only.

While most homeowners should have been shopping from the mid-range up, most suppliers assumed every customer wanted the cheapest option, and too many machines were sold that were not fit for purpose. We are wiser now. Demands have a way of growing, even at home. When shopping for diesel models, power output is a prime consideration. There are other aspects to a quality generator of course, but before you can even begin to compare apples with apples, you need to figure what range you are looking for.

For powering up tools or appliances like computers, ceiling fans, lights, and plugs, a 3 kVA diesel generator is usually just the ticket. Many homes, smaller offices, and shops can run off a 3 kVA generator. From that depiction (and that is a very basic, fairly noisy machine, unless you are buying a silent generator), you can imagine the applications for machines all the way through the range, up to heavy duty machines generating 2000 kVA or more.

 

Industrial Diesel Options

 

Of course, anyone shopping for industry will not be wheeling their diesel generator out of the store like a shopping trolley, because it takes more than the small, portable types of generators to power up industrial processes. In industry, mapping needs become crucial, because backup diesel generators are not cheap, generators at that size are in fact precision engines, and there is so much more at stake that should ensure you do not get it wrong.

Inside a factory, for example, very often a carefully scheduled and highly automated network of processes tie together every working day, to enable a certain quality and tempo of production. That kind of architecture cannot accommodate under-powered backup power solutions. It is in these situations that the bigger generators come into their own, but there is more.

It was an old Pirelli ad that said: “Power is nothing without control”, and it showed an athlete about to start a sprint but wearing high heels. That is a very apt entree to the other aspect of diesel generators everyone should consider when buying – the controls. The control panel on a generator might not form part of the running engine, but it helps the engine run well. The more electrical intelligence a control panel displays, the easier it is for the operator to understand ultimately what is going inside the generator, and thus to optimise the machine’s performance.

Even a simple indicator that shows that the generator has kicked in on auto when the power went down becomes a crucial management tool, because in the absence of these control indicators, guesswork immediately becomes necessary, and no one should be guessing about the operation of their generator, not if they expect it to have a good long life.

 

PacB is the Home of the Diesel Generator

Come to PacB when you are on the hunt for diesel generators, because we not only sell new and excellent used diesel generators, but we also make them from scratch too, and we manufacture components for every leading generator brand in the world. We are the smart in generator technology, but we have also accumulated the experience needed to know intimately what works where and why.

When you need to get it right the first time around, do not toy with your time and capital. Rather just call on PacB for the most professional and knowledgeable input into your generator purchase. We have made homeowners smile and companies breathe a sigh of relief, so call on us first and get the best of the best!