GENERAL QUESTIONS

A generating set provides a source of power for your home, shop, factory or office when you need it most – at the critical time when the power fails!

There are three general reasons why home owners and businesses choose to purchase generator sets:

1. No mains electricity is available

2. There is insufficient power from the mains supply to meet requirements

3. To protect against the possibility of periodic or sustained loss of mains power, which can cause such things as economic loss, loss
of power, loss of lighting, loss of life support equipment, loss of production, loss of data storage and loss of products, livestock or even human life.

Whenever you purchase products the same question arises; which supplier should I choose?

GogoPower aims to achieve 100% repeat business and our professional and dedicated team allows us to achieve this goal.

Common courtesy prevents us commenting on our competitors’ products. We are however able to point out the benefits of using our products and give reasons which
indicate we are the best choice. You can compare some of these reasons against other suppliers, in order to weigh up the significant benefits of choosing Gogopower
Branded Generators.

Some of the key reasons to choose Gogopower Products are:

1. Existing clients continue to comment on why our products are of superior quality compared to the competition.

2. Gogopower Power products are not only produced in accordance with IS09001:2000, but are also managed using our own in house designed system for optimising generating set production. This system allows advanced specification control to match our customer demands and help ensure quality.

3. Gogopower has many years of experience providing generator sets for prime and standby power.

4. In most cases we can offer you the quickest delivery times in the industry. We achieve this by keeping more products in stock, as well as using advanced manufacturing processes that cut production times while maintaining the highest quality.

5. The quality of our products is internationally renowned, having shipped goods to over 100 countries.

6. Not only are the products we offer of the highest quality, we also aim to supply them at the lowest possible price. A low price combined with a high qualityproduct  provides the perfect balance for your requirements.

There is a simple, practical way to determine the necessary power of a generator in five steps:

Step 1: Make a list of all the appliances (charges), and machines which will be connected to the generating set.

Step 2: Note down for every machine the power in Watts, the kind of charge (resistive / inductive) and the Power factor or cos phi. When the cos phi = 1, then: 1 VA = 1 W. When cos phi < 1, then: VA = W / cos phi

Step 3: For electric motors (rule of thumb): take the power of the electric motor in HP and multiply it by 746, your answer is in watts. This is the general way to calculate the number of watts the generator needs for running the electric motor.

Step 4: Add all the obtained power in VA (watts).

Step 5: Add a safety margin of 20% to the result of step 4.

The conversion of the HP’s of the electric motor into the kVA’s of the generator is a ‘Rule of Thumb’ calculation, which is correct in 90 % of the cases but NOT ALWAYS !!!

When using this procedure to determine the necessary power of the generating set, you have to be sure that the power stated by the manufacturer of the generator is the real power, not the ‘commercial’ power.

EXAMPLE: If you need a generator for a 500 Watt heater, 5 strip lights of 50 Watt and a compressor of 2 HP. Adding up all the power requirements with a

20% loading gives a generator set requirement of 2.726 kVA.

Gogopower offers generator sets to provide prime power, standby power and continuous power. We produce diesel and gas powered units as small as 7 kVA which are ideal for domestic and small retail properties, right up to sets as large as 2,200 kVA which can provide power for complete villages and even feed back into national electricity supply grids.

Our generators can be started either manually or automatically and can be provided as open sets, canopied sets and containerised sets. There is also the option to have the generator mounted on a trailer if it needs to be transportable.

The type of generator you require will vary depending on what you are powering, where it will be installed and whether it is needed to run continuously or only when there is a power outage. To establish what type of generator is most suitable for you, contact your local Gogopower dealer who will be able to estimate size and quote for your requirements.

This is a complex question. The size of generator set required will depend on a number of individual factors.

To ensure that your generator set is correctly sized you should contact the Gogopower sales team. They will make an appointment to come out and help identify the kVA or wattage rating for all the equipment and appliances on your premises that need to be powered by the generator. This will enable them to provide you with details of both the type and size of the generator which suits your requirements.

All generators are made up of a number of different parts. The following are the main components which are standard on all Gogopower machines:

1. Engine

2. Control Panel

3. Base Frame and Fuel Tank

4. Alternator

5. Circuit Breakers

6. Guards

7. Cooling System

Optional features can also be ordered for inclusion on a Gogopower generating set, allowing appropriate customisation of the product in order to meet a customer's individual requirements.

The following all need to be considered when you are thinking of installing a generator set:

Location – you will need to think of where you want to place the generator set. Ideally, it should be located in a position with adequate access and lighting for service and maintenance purposes. Generators can be located inside or outside your premises – Gogopower offer Sound Attenuated Canopies when generators are to be located outside.

Mounting – generator sets should be mounted on a level base and use anti-vibration mounts when necessary. Most level surfaces are suitable. If installing a set on soil or a roof you should consult a civil engineer.

Ventilation and Cooling – it is important to make sure there is enough ventilation to help keep the generator cool and to remove excess fumes and heat produced through engine combustion.

Fuel System – you will need to consider how you will refuel your generator. Several refueling options are available from manual pumps to fully automatic systems. Smaller sets usually have a manually operated mechanical or electrically operated pump, which can refill the set’s base tank from a fuel drum.

An alternator of a generating set can be protected in three different ways:

Thermal Magnetic Protection (TMP)

The TMP protects the alternator against overload and short circuit.

In case of overload the TMP will switch off after a determined period of time. This period of time depends on the type of overload: the higher the overload, the shorter the time needed by the TMP to switch off. In the case of a short circuit, the TMP always switches off immediately.

Earth Leakage Protection

The ELP automatically interrupts the circuit when an earth leakage failure occurs between phase(s) and the earth which exceeds 30mA, 100mA or 300mA, depending on the type of earth leakage switch used.

The ELP protects personnel against electric shock, in the case of indirect contact. In addition, the ELP also serves as a protection against short circuit. NB. An earth pin is required in most cases!

Insulation Protection

An Insulation Protection relay is used to measure and guard the insulation (effectively the resistance) between direct, unearthed AC mains and the free chosen earth areas (i.e. the frame or the mass of the generating set). In this way the user is protected against electrical shock when contacting normal user-friendly areas of the machinery. When an insulation default occurs the tension of the alternator can be interrupted, the engine can be stopped, or an alarm can be activated. An earth pin is not required in this case!

Constant mains electricity is supplied into premises via electrical cabling. When this mains electricity is disrupted due to a power failure, a signal is sent from the transfer switch to the generating set which then starts up and sends generated electricity back into the premises. When the mains supply is restored the transfer, switch blocks the power from the generating set and reverts back to the main supply.

A transfer switch is a panel that is wired into the premises’ electrical distribution system to allow a generator to be used. It prevents the generator from back feeding into the mains power supply, which could cause serious injury to line workers trying to restore utility power supplies etc.

The time a generator will run on a tank of fuel depends on the size of the tank, the amount of time in which the generator is in use and the load that the generator is supplying. All Gogopower generator sets are designed to run for eight hours at their full rated load.

Gogopower generators are designed to operate for extended periods of time and function full-time in heavy duty operations. However, it is important that the set is inspected regularly between uses, to check such things as fuel and oil levels and any signs of abnormalities.

All generators produce some amount of noise from the exhaust, the engine and the airflow. Gogopower generators are designed to make a minimum of noise and are all noise level tested during production to ensure they meet or exceed relevant legislation. Our generators can be supplied with Sound and Super Sound Attenuated canopies that help to absorb excess noise.

While Gogopower generator sets are designed to function in hostile environments and during extreme weather conditions, common sense prevails. Wherever possible, to extend the life of a generator and to prevent such things as shorting and rusting, they should be protected from the elements as much as possible.

The frequency and type of service required to maintain a Gogopower generator set will depend on a number of things including the usage of the generator, the environment that it operates in and the load that it is required to carry. As the owner, ensuring that a full service is carried out regularly is your responsibility. You will need to carry out frequent visual inspections at least every two to three months, to check that things are functioning correctly – any faults or repairs noted.

A full service including a change of such things as filters and lubricating oil should be carried out every twelve months. Most failures to start-up are the result of the set not having been regularly tested. We recommend that you check your generator weekly.

Generator sets should not be continuously overloaded once running, but are designed to take an overload condition for very short periods, especially during start-up of the set. If a set is running for long periods of time with an overload condition (that is a rating above the maximum rating of the set) several things may occur.

 

These include:

1. Overheating of the coolant system.

2. Overheating of the alternator windings.

3. Oil viscosity breakdown resulting in low oil pressure.

4. A shortening of the working life of the generator.

All engines are designed to operate under varying load, ranging from the maximum down to the minimum. Problems occur when light loading (min load) is sustained for long periods of time resulting in the engine not getting up to its normal operating temperature. Glazing can occur, which means that oil in the cylinder, which is normally burned, is heated and a lacquer is formed on the cylinder liner. If the light loading continues, visible blue smoke will appear, and the engine will require service work to deglaze the liner or replace it.

Gogopower provide generator solution ranging from 10kVA to 500kVA. However, we are capable to assist client’s requirement for generators ranging above 500kVA.

Output in single-phase is 230V, and 240V.

Output in 3 phase is 415V

Gogopower diesel generators are usually built with smaller footprints compared to our competitors.

All Gogopower diesel generators are on a steel frame.

This will vary based on several factors such as the size of the generator, amount of load, and distance of placement. Generators in our fleet range from 58 to 82 dBa, depending on size, when measured from 7 meters with no load. Refer to our equipment specification sheets for details.

Fuel tank sizes vary depending on the size of the generator. Fuel consumption rates vary based on the generator, the load placed on them, as well as other factors. Detailed information is included on each of our equipment specification sheets.

Gogopower recommend using gasoline for gas generators and diesel fuel for diesel generators.

All our gas generators equipment certified and designed to run on regular unleaded gasoline.

Biodiesel diesel is not allowed in diesel generators.

Gogopower only offers automatic transfer switches and loadbanks

Gogopower will provide all the professional support necessary to setup and tear down your project.

Gogopower provide servicing to generator if required. However, it is within client’s responsibility to ensure service is done at every 500 hours.

Gogopower work with various contract carriers to get delivery to your site. We provide 2 options for client, either a door – to – door delivery or a full-service delivery which includes unloading of the equipment as well.

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