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Choosing the Right Silent Generator

Choosing The Right Silent Generator

When you’re in the market for a new product, you might first consider what you need it for and how you want it to achieve this; having your requirements for this product in mind before purchasing will make your decision much easier. This is exactly the same when it comes to choosing the right silent generator, but this is a market that is saturated with excellent products. All of these products can also be complicated if you aren’t familiar with them, with there being a lot of jargon thrown around in product descriptions, so choosing the right silent generator can be a challenge.

Here at Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd, we have been stocking silent generators for almost 40 years now, so we have decided to use our expertise to cut through the noise and help you understand what you need from a silent generator.

What Will It Be Used For?

As is true with a lot of machinery, silent generators can be used for a variety of different things and it’s often easiest to categorise these into ‘domestic’, ‘commercial’, and ‘industrial’ as this will help us get to the bottom of the power you’re going to need.

For ‘domestic’ silent generators, you should look for something with a lower capacity. This means it’s going to be the lowest cost and also the lowest complexity, so it will be much more suitable for things like camping and caravanning, use with power tools, and for other ‘hobbyist’ uses.

‘Commercial’ silent generators are the next step up from their domestic counterparts. As the name suggests, these are common in professional environments for more heavy-duty usage like on-site power tools.

Finally, ‘industrial’ silent generators are, again, much like the two aforementioned, just the step up. This means they’re commonly found in professional environments, but with a larger workload again, like being used to maintain power in the event of a factory power outage, for example.

How Much Power Will You Need?

Now that you have a rough gauge for the category of silent generator you need, this information is going to inform the sort of wattage you’ll be looking to acquire. Wattage can seem complicated and intimidating if you’re not familiar, but in this application it just takes some simple steps:

First:

Check the wattage of the individual items you expect to be using your silent generators with (if applicable).

Or

If you’re using multiple items, add their wattage together to create a ‘collective wattage’ and keep this in mind.

Or

Calculate the actual wattage of higher-wattage items by taking the starting wattage and multiplying it by three.

Then:

After doing one of the above, whichever applies to you, you need to find a generator that has a wattage capacity 20% higher than what you have estimated you’ll need. For example, if you estimate needing 100 watts, look for a silent generators capable of 120 watts.

What Are You Powering?

It’s also important to understand which type of silent generator you’ll need to fulfil your requirements as different machines have different load types. This, in essence, means that if you use the wrong sort of generator for the machine you’re powering, you could cause damage to both items.

As a general rule of thumb, robust devices – such as power tools – can be used with most generators. However, sensitive electronics like computers and mobile devices need an alternating current (AC). An AC is created by an inverter and it’s more ‘high quality’, so it will make sure your electronics don’t get damaged when being powered by a silent generator. If you’re unsure whether you need this or how to get ahold of one, speak to your silent generator supplier and they should be able to advise you.

Which Fuel Do You Need?

Interestingly, the fuel type of silent generators can make a lot of difference. This is something that many people will pay little mind to, but it can be very financially beneficial to make the right choice for you.

Diesel silent generators cost more than petrol to buy, but they can generally save you more money in the long run as they are more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts.

Diesels will also stand up to more use – providing better run time – and are therefore best for silent generators over 10kVA. However, if you’re using a ‘domestic’ silent generators (or anything under 10kVA) petrol is likely the better choice.

How Quiet Is It Going To Be?

Finally, the sound of your silent generator is obviously important as – if you’re looking for a ‘silent’ generator – you’re going to want to know how loud or quiet it’s going to be. Naturally, it’s not literally silent as it’s still an engine powered machine, but they’re quieter than you might expect.

In terms of the silent generators we stock here at Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd, a generator with a 500kVA capacity is at 70 dBA from 7m away, which is about as loud as a normal conversation. At the other end of the spectrum, our lowest capacity generator – 10kVA – is at around 58 dBA from 7m away, which is around the intensity of a quiet conversation.

Suitable for Each Set of Requirements

Finding the right silent generator for your requirements doesn’t need to be a confusing or convoluted process. It can be easy to become confused with jargon and technical aspects, but by using our useful guide you should be able to navigate most of this and find what you’re looking for: there’s a silent generator to suit each set of requirements.

As is true with any purchase, however, you should be able to discuss your requirements with a silent generator and their expertise will help find the right machine for you.

Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd

If you are in the market for a silent generator, we have a wealth of options available for hire on our silent generators page. What’s more, we have been in the industry for four decades, so we can help you find the perfect machine for the job.

If you’d like to speak to our expert team about silent generators, please contact us by calling 01582 763 122 or filling out our simple contact form.