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New For 2010 – Small Size 10,000 Watt
Diesel Home Generator

10,000 Watt Home Generators

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Generators and Surge Protectors

Surge Protection

Standard surge protector passes the electrical current along from the outlet to a number of electrical and electronic devices plugged into the power strip. If the voltage from the outlet surges or spikes — rises above the accepted level — the surge protector diverts the extra electricity into the outlet’s grounding wire.

In the most common type of surge protector, a component called a metal oxide varistor, or MOV, diverts the extra voltage. An MOV forms a connection between the hot power line and the grounding line.

“One problem with surge protectors is that the MOVs can burn out with one good surge.
This is why it’s good to get a protector with an indicator light that tells you whether or not it’s functioning properly.”

An MOV has three parts: a piece of metal oxide material in the middle, joined to the power and grounding line bytwo semiconductors.
These semiconductors have a variable resistance that is dependent on voltage. When voltage is below a certain level, the electrons in the semiconductors flow in such a way as to create a very high resistance. When the voltage exceeds that level, the electrons behave differently, creating a much lower resistance. When the voltage is correct, an MOV does nothing. When voltage is too high, an MOV can conduct a lot of current to eliminate the extra voltage.

As soon as the extra current is diverted into the MOV and to ground, the voltage in the hot line returns to a normal level, so the MOV’s resistance shoots up again. In this way, the MOV only diverts the surge current, while allowing the standard current to continue powering whatever machines are connected to the surge protector. Metaphorically speaking, the MOV acts as a pressure-sensitive valve that only opens when there is too much pressure.

Causes Of Power Surges

Power surges occur when something boosts the electrical charge at some point in the power lines. This causes an increase in the electrical potential energy, which can increase the current flowing to your wall outlet. A number of different things can cause this to happen.

The most familiar source is probably lightning, though it’s actually one of the least common causes. When lightning strikes near a power line, whether it’s underground, in a building or running along poles, the electrical energy can boost electrical pressure by millions of volts. This causes an extremely large power surge that will overpower almost any surge protector. In a lightning storm, you should never rely on your surge protector to save your computer. The best protection is to unplug your computer.

A more common cause of power surges is the operation of high-power electrical devices, such as elevators, air conditioners and refrigerators. These high-powered pieces of equipment require a lot of energy to switch on and turn off components like compressors and motors. This switching creates sudden, brief demands for power, which upset the steady voltage flow in the electrical system. While these surges are nowhere near the intensity of a lightning surge, they can be severe enough to damage components, immediately or gradually, and they occur regularly in most building’s electrical systems.

Generator turning on and off will also create surges of power. Always disconnect your load when turning a generator on or off and don’t let them run out of fuel. The sputtering they do when running out of fuel will also create power surges. Realize it also takes time for the generator to stabilize when heavy loads are applied. This surging will often damage surge protectors. First try and avoid using any surge protectors at all and if the equipment you are going to use is sensitive then consider using a UPS power supply.

Other sources of power surges include faulty wiring, problems with the utility company’s equipment, and downed power lines. The system of transformers and lines that brings electricity from a power generator to the outlets in our homes or offices is extraordinarily complex. There are dozens of possible points of failure, and many potential errors that can cause an uneven power flow. In today’s system of electricity distribution, power surges are an unavoidable occurrence.

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Generator Reviews

Picking the best generator is hard enough, picking the best company is even harder. The best analysis is often from real generator owners and not by reading just one companies opinion. It is best to gather information from a few sources. Customers complaints can tell you a lot about a company and their product. The quality, service and what you can expect down the road for example. Searching organizations such as Ratepoint and the Better Business Bureau and you will often find some interesting information, warnings and what real problems real verified customers have to say. Many other sources often permit unfiltered posts so they may not be as accurate but still give you some idea about who may be dealing with.

EmergencyPower.com and Aurora Generators Better Business Report

We also use a company called Ratepoint. RatePoint has differentiated itself from other Web 2.0 dot-coms by adding steps such as phone authentication to the traditional review process to help ensure the integrity of the review. In the instance of a negative review RatePoint also facilitates (and requires) a dispute resolution process between consumers and member businesses in an effort to resolve customer issues. This process has been successful in resolving over 90% of consumer issues to-date. Negative reviews that are unable to be resolved are posted to the business with an optional response from the business owner. To assure the quality of the program, businesses who fail to maintain a positive RatePoint rating may be dismissed from the program.

Follow this link http://ratepoint.com/seereviews/8949 to read real reviews generated by Ratepoint and their authenticated contributors who have reviewed our company. Our only control is over how many of them are shown on this page.  At the bottom of  this page here on our own site you can also post additional information, links and comments. If you do post please only post your own real life experiences.  We welcome your Generator Reviews and Portable Generator Reviews

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Generator Break In Period

All engines require some kind of break-in period. Current technology provides the means of manufacturing engine parts with unimaginable precision but they still fall short of achieving the near perfect fit that a proper break-in will provide. “Break-in,” for the most part, is the allowance of the machined cylinder and ring surfaces to conform to each other’s shape during engine operation. This conforming or “mating” of ring and cylinder surfaces is the ultimate goal of a proper break-in. “Mating” these two specific parts will produce a very tight seal in each cylinder. A tight seal is very important because it prevents the escape of unburned fuel and pressurized gasses into the crankcase, while further preventing crankcase oil from entering the cylinder above the top compression ring.

Break-in can occur in the first 100 hours of use. The first 20 are critical and will determine how long your engine will last and run in the future. Avoid heavy loading as it introduces more fuel into the combustion chamber, increases the amount of heat generated and will promote any existing blow by oil to flash burn and glaze to the cylinder walls. This glaze will build up and result in a poor seal.    Under loading on the other hand is also bad for the engine. Decreased combustion chamber pressures cause piston rings to not seal as well and to hydroplane or skip over the oil film leaving behind trace amounts that will also burn and glaze to the cylinder walls.

Remember that during the break-in period there is more friction from surfaces mating to each other. Watch for overheating and dirty oil filters.

Synthetic motor oil intended for diesel engines ONLY should be used. The more often you can change  your oil the longer your engine will last.

After your break in period remember Diesels are designed to work, and in many cases, they operate best under a load.

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Which is better, gas or diesel?

It’s a question confronting more and more new generator buyer. Whether you opt for the more expensive diesel engine may hinge on your experience with diesel engines. Perhaps it will depend on your desire for performance. Or maybe your decision will be based largely on economics, but chances are there will be an emotional element to the decision too.

For most new generator buyers, diesel engines connote power — the power to move or pull heavy loads. The terms “strength”, “heavy-duty”, “durable”, and “rugged” are all associated with diesels. Power — that’s part of the emotional appeal of diesels. After all, you don’t think of diesel engines for light-duty applications like motorcycles or lawnmowers. You may not even think of diesels as appropriate for automobiles, but that too is changing.

It’s also possible that most of your impressions of diesels have been less than favorable. If you’re like most folks, your past experience with diesels may be mostly with big trucks and buses. At one time or another, everyone has been stuck behind a particularly smoky (and stinky) bus or big rig truck. That big diesel-powered behemoth was probably slow too. Fortunately, those old, slow, and dirty diesels are disappearing from the scene. Such diesel engines, especially those of a couple of years ago, don’t necessarily have much in common with the smaller diesels used in today’s pickups, SUVs, and motorhomes, but they have been part of shaping public thinking. Chances are that your diesel perceptions are based largely on past diesel technology, because the new generation of modern diesel engines has only been around for a few years, and the changes have been dramatic. In fact, almost all of the objections people once had to diesel engines have now been eliminated. That might seem like a lot believe, so let’s take a look at some of the specifics.

Modern diesel engines now have computerized engine management to control electronic fuel injectors that operate at incredibly high speed and pressures. What this means is that the right amount of fuel is injected at the best possible time for optimum combustion efficiency with minimal pollution and virtually no smoke. That’s right, smoke is a thing of the past. And now that smoke is gone, so is almost all diesel exhaust odor. What little diesel exhaust aroma remains will be gone when ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel replaces current diesel fuel in 2006, as mandated by the EPA.

The next thing you’ll notice about modern diesel engines is that they are quiet. Gone is the clattering sound that some made at low speeds.

Pilot injection is an ingenious noise suppression cycle for modern direct injection diesels. Modern diesels with pilot injection run almost as quietly as comparable gasoline engines.

The last common objection to diesel engines, other than the initial cost, is the availability of diesel fuel. Happily, more and more gas stations have added one or more diesel fuel pumps, so filling up no longer requires a mandatory trip to a truck stop. Diesel fuel prices are typically close to that of regular grade gasoline, but that depends on availability, where you live, and local taxes.

Having covered the common objections to diesels, it’s time to look at a few of the advantages. One of the biggest advantages is fuel economy. Diesel engines typically deliver 20- to 40-percent better fuel efficiency than comparable gasoline engines doing the same amount of work. Depending on how many hours you use your generator a year the cost of fuel, this can amount to a substantial savings that offsets the cost of the diesel option over the life of the generator.

There are other less obvious benefits from having a diesel engine. Diesel engines are available with turbo chargers. As well as adding efficiency to a diesel engine, a turbocharger also has the advantage of offsetting power losses when a generator is operated at higher altitudes. If you live at high altitude, of if you will use your generator at locations at high altitude, a turbo diesel makes a lot of sense.

Yet another advantage of owning a diesel engine is you can make your own fuel using used vegetable oil for example. You can not do this with a gasoline engine. Diesel fuel has a much higher flashpoint then gasoline so it is not as dangerous to store. It also lasts twice as long as gasoline.

So what are the advantages to selecting a gasoline engine? Aside from slightly lower initial cost, there’s little to recommend gasoline engines today. It’s a new world, and diesel is no longer the fuel of the future — it’s the fuel (and the engine) for today.

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In 1983 the world’s smallest air-cooled diesel engine was developed by a company called Yanmar.  Since the patent expired many companies now produce engines using the same design.  It is used in virtually every portable diesel generator around the world.

All these diesel engines are made in countries where materials are very expensive and the labor is very cheap so you need to be aware of a few things before you buy.

First, nothing is made in North America. Other then the Lombardini brand from Italy, all the rest come from China.  Companies take shortcuts, use cheap materials and workers  who make peanuts.  Quality control and parts supply is always an issue.  No one ever seems to stand behind their products. They are often one time sales and they know that.

We are such a small market in North America compared to the rest of the world. Our standards are much higher.  We have electrical safety codes and laws to protect our environment.   China often builds generators that are not acceptable here but many buy them anyway and pass them for being quality products when they really are not. Those companies are only interested in profits and short term gains.

Aurora is a Canadian company with the majority of its operations in the USA.  Unlike so many other companies Aurora buys its own parts. Every single part. The engine and alternator are assembled by Aurora and its partners. Overseeing assembly and controlling parts supply in China rather then buying the cheapest engine available assures a much higher quality product. You can check with electrical safety organizations and find that Aurora products often meet some very high electrical standards others don’t even talk about.

If you visit any other diesel generator company website you will not find a parts page. It is because they just don’t have them.  Buyer Beware !