Gas Generator how many watts!!!

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Slantsix64

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Hey Guys, so i wanted to ask. Me and my buddies are going to throw a show in the dessert and wanted to know which kind of generator to buy. So heres a break down, Two 100 Watt guitar tube amps, one 300 Watt bass Amp, one 300 Watt PA System. And some cheap christmas lights. What you guys think?
 
Basically, add up all the wattage of EVERYTHING that will be running, and if anything (like a fridge) has a motor, I would double it's rating because it needs more to start.

Start with about 2KW (kilowatts) (a kilowatt is a thousand watts), so, 2000watts "just a rough start"
You can maybe get by with less if the above is all you are going to run.

MAKE SURE that you TEST everything before you throw it in the truck, for generator exhaust noise AND possible electrical noise induced into mike and guitar pickup cables

MAKE SURE you take a length of wire and some sort of ground stake and ground the generator frame.

YOU MAY KNOW that most all traditional mikes and "phone jack" hi-Z cables are GROUNDED to the amplifier, and if there is some ground fault in the power system, you can find yourself with a "hot" mike stand or guitar.
 
.....and if there is some ground fault in the power system, you can find yourself with a "hot" mike stand or guitar.

Wouldn't that make for a shocking peformance?
 
Rent a Honda EU3000 watt generator. Then return it when your done.
They have the lowest decibel level of all generators and you can run a computer off of them if you want.
 
"The Zip to Zap Grand Festival" for all of my hippie friends.... . lol But hey I would rent of of these....

big Gen.jpg
 
Rent a Honda EU3000 watt generator. Then return it when your done.
They have the lowest decibel level of all generators and you can run a computer off of them if you want.
This is a great point
I have a back up generator for the house in the 6k range
It sits on the back deck and I can hear it running in my bedroom, one story higher on the other side of the house

They can get loud
 
If your m looking for a quiet alternative to a high dollar Honda, the HF Predator 3500 inverter generator is very dependable.
 
Ask for 1 with electronic regulation the cheaper capacitor controlled unit tend to go high in the output voltage & frequency damaging any sensitive equipment plugged into them.
Also do not plug the equipment until the generator has been started & settled & unplug before turning off.
A lot of newer equipment these days is dual voltage with auto sensing so what happens if the equipment is plugged in when started it sees 110 vac as it is building revs and sets it to 110 vac as it revs to full rpm & 240 VAC is reached bang goes the appliance we have found this a lot with auto sensing dual voltage welders.
 
Was in Daytona Florida 2 years ago and needed a generator to power Jimmy Johnson's simulator. Bought one of those HF units and the simulator kept glitching. Returned it and bought a Honda and the sim worked flawlessly. Small generators are DC with an inverter. HF inverters must have extremely poor resolution, because the electronics couldn't tolerate it.
 
Was in Daytona Florida 2 years ago and needed a generator to power Jimmy Johnson's simulator. Bought one of those HF units and the simulator kept glitching. Returned it and bought a Honda and the sim worked flawlessly. Small generators are DC with an inverter. HF inverters must have extremely poor resolution, because the electronics couldn't tolerate it.
Funny i own two. One with 900 hrs.
 
You have to watch inverters you want one that the output is a sine wave, not a square wave.
tek_1.jpg
 
Hey Guys, so i wanted to ask. Me and my buddies are going to throw a show in the dessert and wanted to know which kind of generator to buy. So heres a break down, Two 100 Watt guitar tube amps, one 300 Watt bass Amp, one 300 Watt PA System. And some cheap christmas lights. What you guys think?
Looks like 800 watts plus the lights. 1000 watts would be minimum. I would go with a Honda. It is probably a lot cleaner power compared to the cheap models from Harbor Freight. There's a reason why they are cheap.
 
Honda makes a nice generator, I have a EU2000, it is quiet when running.
I also have a Generic 8500, yes it makes alot of power, but it is noisy, and uses alot of gas.
 
Looks like 800 watts plus the lights. 1000 watts would be minimum. I would go with a Honda. It is probably a lot cleaner power compared to the cheap models from Harbor Freight. There's a reason why they are cheap.
That's not much headroom. Which is why I suggested 2KW. I would go at least 1500min. Anything on the order of PA/ music is not a stable load, like lights or similar. Sound system loads are all over the place, with very high peaks. More like motor starting loads I would give that a fair amount of headroom
 
That's not much headroom. Which is why I suggested 2KW. I would go at least 1500min. Anything on the order of PA/ music is not a stable load, like lights or similar. Sound system loads are all over the place, with very high peaks. More like motor starting loads I would give that a fair amount of headroom
Exactly. Like if you run a air conditioner, you need to know the surge amperage to start the unit. Like you said the light current doesn't vary much but the amplifiers will. Honda's Eu2200 looks like a popular model and should have plenty of power for what the OP needs done.
 
LRAs the reason I installed a18k standby generator for my house. My home AC start up takes 89 amps.
I should measure mine. My 220v. compressor and the 220v. blower motor both start at the same time. (it's a old system)
 
have you considered what you are planning to do with this generator after the party?

2K is no where near enough as a back up generator, but it may work as a tailgate genny

my point is, instead of trying to find the lowest option that works, why not get the biggest one you can afford and get that one and use it for multiple events?
 
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