Petrol Generator output - how much to run electric heater?

[mattman]

Hi - Need a small petrol generator to run an electric heater when we are in the pits for my sons karting.
Found what looks like a nice compact unit which has a 700w rating - bit dim when it comes to this sort of thing, so would this be sufficent to run a normal eletric heater and the occasional kettle? (one at a time)

[Simpo Two]

mattman said:

Hi - Need a small petrol generator to run an electric heater when we are in the pits for my sons karting.
Found what looks like a nice compact unit which has a 700w rating - bit dim when it comes to this sort of thing, so would this be sufficent to run a normal eletric heater and the occasional kettle? (one at a time)

Don't think so - most heaters and kettles are in the 1-2Kw league.

I'd burn the petrol and take a Thermos

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 16th December 11:59

[Laurel Green]

Nope! Will need at least 3kw to heat an ordinary kettle. Much the same for a heater as most heaters are either 2 or 3kw.

ETA: Didn't see the above post.

Edited by Laurel Green on Thursday 16th December 12:02

[-Pete-]

Your best bet and MUCH more efficient would be something like this:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/52754/Heating-Coolin...

ETA: That link doesn't seem to work, so go to screwfix.com and search for 52754

Edited by -Pete- on Thursday 16th December 12:04

[Jonny_]

I always find that petrol genny power outputs are rated a bit like an early '90s ghetto blaster i.e. they specify the peak output, which is what the thing can kick out for 0.3 seconds, with a decent tailwind and when Jupiter and Mars are correctly aligned, and makes it look far beefier than it really is. Yer SuperDuper XYZ3000 generator may claim it'll do 3kW but in reality it'll probably fail if you ask it to do more than 2.5kW for more than a few minutes.

You want to check the continuous rating of a generator, this wil be a much lower number than the peak and is the output that the machine can actually sustain without overheating, breaking or the frequency wobbling about all over the shop.

Then check the rating of your heater or kettle; this must not be more than your generator's continuous rating (and if you want to use both together, add their ratings up and that's how big a generator you need - which will be expensive).

You'll probably find that you can get a 2kW continuous-rated genny for relatively sensible money. 2kW heaters are pretty common (although if you're outdoors or in a large space then a radiant halogen type heater is a much better bet than a fan heater or convector) and you should be able to find a 2kW kettle - most likely to be a cheapo one as the pricey kettles tend to draw 3kW for a faster boil.

I'd suggest a portable propane-fuelled heater and a little gas camping stove as more economical alternatives.

[Eggman]

A proper 3.5 kVA generator is going to be a brute. Something like this - which weighs 175kg.

You'll be much better off with a camping stove, but unless you're in some kind of enclosed area (e.g. a tent) I suspect that propane heater might struggle. If you have a van you could install an Eberspacher or Webasto heater in it, otherwise your best bet might be thermal underwear!