Blog posts tagged with 'new generators for sale uk'

Transfer switches are an essential accessory for all generators. But you will often find yourself at crossroads when deciding which transfer switch to choose: manual or automatic?

Before settling the argument, let's see the definitions of a manual transfer switch and an automatic changeover switch. A mechanical transfer switch (MTS) is used in diesel generators. You have to manually turn a handle or an alternative lever to switch between the primary power source and a generator during power cuts.

On the other hand, an automatic transfer switch (ATS) automatically transfers power from a primary source to the backup source. Unlike an MTS, you do not have to turn on the generator manually. The ATS will detect the power outage through voltage sensors and frequency sensors and turn on the generator as and when required.

From the definitions, it is safe to say that an automatic transfer switch is more convenient and therefore wins the debate. But there are also a few benefits of an ATS that cements its win. 

Three Benefits of an Automatic Changeover Switch:

If you have not shifted to an automatic changeover switch already, you are missing out on convenience. Here are three advantages that will convince you!

1. Uninterrupted power supply: It is the first and foremost benefit of an ATS. When there is a power cut, an auto-transfer switch will immediately connect to the secondary power source without you having to lift a finger. It gives a seamless experience to the users.
2. Safe to use: A safely installed ATS protects your properties from danger. Improper connections can lead to short circuits in the utility line when power is restored. But automatic transfer switches are safe to use. Moreover, since it is automated, you do not have to touch it.
3. Simple to operate: Once you have installed the ATS and it is connected with both the power sources, there is nothing much left to do. In the event of a power cut, the controller will automatically receive electricity from the secondary source. You do not have to get your hands dirty operating an ATS.

Buy the best quality generator and switches from Blades Power Generation:

Next time you buy new generators, remember to opt for an automatic changeover switch from Blades Power Generation. We offer the best quality power supply equipment for residential and commercial spaces. Visit our website to know more. 

Whether you are running a business or a home, power is something that we all depend on. Even a few minutes without power can cause immense problems in some situations. New generators for sale in the UK are a good choice if you would rather avoid power outages. However, before you buy, there are certain things you need to consider about a generator.

The Key Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Generator

1. Load BankTesting: A load bank unit is designed to accurately replicate the operating load your generator will reach during operation. A large boiler matches the generator's output and ensures that the generator does not wear out to the point where one day, it is no longer able to supply power to the building and is consequently shut down.

2. Age, operating hours, and usage: The first thing to check is the generator's operating hours, age, and history. You need to check how many hours the generator has been in use and how much fuel it consumes. Usually, generators are like cars and have an odometer. A generator used as a standby or backup power source is usually better maintained and has much less wear and tear than a generator used as a primary power source. Only those with technical expertise know the full features and specifications of generators. Therefore, you should seek advice from a professional before buying new generators for sale in the UK.

3. Fuel tank capacity and litres per operating hour: You want a generator that is economical in consumption but also one that holds a reasonable amount of fuel. Some generators adjust their engine speed (RPM) to the load demand to increase fuel efficiency. Both fuel efficiency and fuel tank size affect running time. You'll find the generator's running time under the respective unit's technical data.

4. The manufacturer's reputation: If you want to buy a new generator, you should find out about the manufacturer's history and reputation. Manufacturers with poor reviews or low reputations should be avoided. It's better to invest and be assured that you have chosen a trustworthy manufacturer with a good reputation for producing reliable equipment.

5. Visual inspection: If not you, trained personnel should inspect all mechanical components of a generator for wear or fatigue, including whether any parts are cracked or corroded corrosion build-up. Any parts found to be questionable should always be replaced. The bearings and bushings should also be returned as they are challenging to test for wear and tear – so it's best to replace them regardless of their function or condition.

Now that you know what factors you must consider before investing in a new generator, visit Blades Power Generation to receive relentless generator service; we have the best emergency power source in the UK. With our vast range of products, you will never run out of power, literally!

If you are thinking that you should buy a new generator in the UK for your home, you are by no means alone. With the current situation, shortages of gas and everything else going on at present, the last thing that you need is to be sitting at home in the dark with no TV, no heat, no cooker, and the food in your freezer melting so that you have to throw it all out. Not only that, but your Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio in the fridge will warm up as well! It doesn’t bear thinking about.

Many people are looking to buy a new generator in the UK for all these reasons. There are several considerations if you are among this group, one of the most important of which is the amount of power that you need to produce. This will depend partly on the size of your home and also what you use electricity for. So, if you have a gas boiler, or an AGA, for heating, you won’t need as much power as if you have electric heating. It can be a little complicated to calculate the amount that you need, so the best bet is to call in an electrical expert who will be able to do the calculations for you.

You Need One With The Right Power Output

No matter how much power you need to generate, at Blades Power Generation we have generators of all sizes and output. While you want a generator that will cover you for all your needs, there is no point in buying one that produces more power than you require. You need one with the right output, with a little extra just to be safe. 

You will also need a changeover switch. This is used to transfer from the mains to the generator when there is a power outage. There are two types of switch - a manual one or an automatic one. 

If you have a manual changeover switch, as the name implies, when the power goes down you have to manually use the lever switch to change to the generator once you have fired the generator up. An automatic one takes care of everything automatically, firing up the generator when the power dies and switching over to it as soon as it is up and running. 

A manual changeover switch is quite a lot less expensive than an automatic one, so if there is always someone on the premises it might be the best bet. If not, an automatic switch will keep everything running even when there is nobody at home. 

We take electricity for granted these days. You press a switch, and the light comes on. You press another one, turn a dial, and your cooker heats up. Turn a few more dials, press a switch and your washing machine does your laundry. and in many cases, can be set to dry it as well. It makes life easy, doesn’t it?

Well, until there comes a day when you press a switch, and nothing happens. Because there is no electricity. No power.

But that doesn’t happen, does it?

Believe it or not, it does happen, and is very likely to start happening more often in the future. Storms can knock out electricity lines, and last winter did just that. Some people in Scotland were without power for two whole weeks. Yep. A fortnight! It makes you think.

You May Want To Consider A Generator

What with this, and the prospect of the energy cap going through the roof in the next few weeks, you may very well want to consider buying a generator. This way, if the power goes down, you still have power. The lights go out, but you can turn them back on again. If you don’t have a generator you will have to sit there in the dark until the power is restored. And who can say how long that will take?

At Blades Power Generation we have a wide range of new generators for sale in the UK. They come in varying sizes, which will depend upon the amount of power that you need to generate for your home or business. In fact, it is possible to carry out this calculation yourself, but when you are considering new generators for sale in the UK, it is safer to have an experienced electrician work out the figures for you. The bigger the generator, the more it costs, so you don’t want to go over the top, but at the same time you need to make sure you have enough power, and a little extra just to make certain you are covered.

You will also need a manual transfer switch or an automatic one. A manual transfer switch means that when the power goes down you have to fire up the generator and then manually switch over. So, if there is nobody on the premises, you still don’t have power. That may be OK, but if you are away from home for a few days your freezer food is going to be rubbish. Your tropical fish tank may go cold. You get the idea? This is why an automatic transfer switch, although more expensive, is always the best idea.

If you have been thinking about buying a standby generator for your home, now could be as good a time as any to do it. There is a global rise in the use of electrical power, and this is only going to increase because of climate change and the fact that we are all having to turn over to electrically powered vehicles as petrol and diesel ones become, in the UK at least, outlawed.

This is very likely indeed to increase the number of power outages that we experience. OK, you might say, if the power goes down for a couple of hours, so what? But what if it goes down for a couple of weeks as it did in the northwest of Scotland at the beginning of the year? That’s a whole different ball game. Investing in a generator now is just plain common sense.

You can actually buy a new generator in the UK for as little as about £300, but it won’t provide very much power. On top of that you have to allow for installation which would take about 3 days and cost a ballpark figure of £1,000.

However, the average home would need a much larger generator than that. You can see that an oven uses 2,000 watts, a fridge 1,200, washing machine 1,200, and so on. And there are a few things that are not shown such as a water heater, which also uses a lot of energy.

In order to buy a new generator in the UK you need to calculate the amount of power that you need and then add about 25% in order to allow for any overload.

You also need a transfer switch in order to transfer from the mains to the generator. You can get a manual transfer switch quite cheaply. However, a manual transfer switch, rather obviously, means that you have to physically fire up the generator and then when it is running at full speed switch from the mains to the generator.

Far better is an automatic transfer switch because this, again rather obviously, will automatically fire up the generator when the power goes down and switch over when it is up and running. That means that you are only without power for a matter of seconds. 

In another very recent article, we wrote that now is the perfect time to get yourself a standby generator for your home because of the serious threats of more and more power outages in the not-too-distant future.

However, while we mentioned climate change and the loss of Russian gas causing issues with power generation, and power outages as a result of more frequent and worse storms, there is another thing that is about to happen any day now, and that is rail strikes caused as a result of decisions taken largely by the RMT Union.

This union has announced rail strikes on June 21^st, 23^rd, and 25^th across the whole of Britain with some 50,000 employees going on strike. (This is despite the fact that the average rail worker has an income of £46,000 compared with £37,000 for teachers and £32,000 for nursing staff). The result will be that because of varying shifts, there will be virtually no trains for a week, and in turn that will affect delivery to power stations, leading to further disruption and more power outages. Not only that, but the union has stated that if the employers do not accede to their wishes, this will go on all summer!

Just another very good reason why you need to consider buying a standby generator for your home or business right away!

Look No Further

If you are looking for new generators for sale in the UK, then look no further than Blades Power Generation. We have a huge range of different new generators for sale in the UK, from very small ones to those that can power a large business when the electricity goes down. Look at it this way: things regarding electric power are only going to get worse, not just in the short term but for the long term.

When you install a standby generator, you need to be aware of certain legal requirements. Chief of these is that you must install a transfer switch.

This can be an automatic transfer switch or a manual one. When you have a manual transfer switch, as the name suggests, you have to start your generator by hand when the power goes down and then switch over from the mains once it is up and running.

On the other hand, an automatic transfer switch does the job for you. It detects when the power has gone down, fires up your generator, and then when it is running at full power, automatically switches from mains to generator. The result is that you will only be without power for a matter of seconds before the lights come on again.

In today’s world we are almost totally dependent upon electricity – far more so than even 50 years ago. Back in the day, we didn’t have computers, but today it is almost impossible to run a business without one. Even a local convenience store which deals largely with cash may not need a laptop for the actual serving of customers, but you can bet that the owner has one for ordering stock and supplies, keeping track of stock levels, and so on. Electricity is also necessary to keep the fridges running. So, electricity is vital.

However, with the increase in the use of electricity comes the possibility of more power outages. This is increased further by climate change which seems to be bringing us more frequent and very heavy storms, which in turn can bring down power lines. So, if you run any sort of business, it makes sense to invest in a standby generator in order that you can keep going when the power doesn’t.

Used Generators

But you don’t have to invest in a brand new one if you only run a small business or need one for your home. You can buy used generators in the UK for considerably less than a new one. In fact, when you buy used generators in the UK it is just like buying a used car. Sure, if you can afford the very latest swanky Mercedes Benz or a Roller, then you might want to buy one. But a second-hand Nissan Juke will get you around just as well.

You can buy used generators in the UK for under £500 at Blades Power Generation. Of course, you then have to add in the cost of installation as well. And you will need a transfer switch. This is a legal requirement because it stops the mains power coming into contact with the generator, which would almost certainly burn out if this happened. It also stops the generator from back feeding the mains when it has failed, endangering the lives of electricity utility workers.

You can buy an automatic transfer switch (ATS) or a manual transfer switch. An automatic transfer switch does what it says on the tin, so when the power goes down it will fire up the generator and you will have power back on within seconds. However, a manual transfer switch costs a lot less than an ATS. It does mean, of course that you have to fire up the generator and then switch over. This is OK if someone is on the premises but could prove difficult if you need to keep the power running even though you are not there. You need to consider your options. 

The likelihood of power shortages and outages in the UK has increased considerably since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Only a few days ago, MPs were warned that oil and gas could be rationed because of the crazy increase in prices. Experts have stated that household energy bills could increase to £3,000 a year – that is £60 a week!

The US, UK and EU have unveiled a growing list of sanctions, including on the import of Russian oil and gas. While only 3-4% of UK gas comes from Russia, plus 8% of our oil, Russia provides 40% of the EU’s gas and 25% of its’ oil, which means that energy price increases on the continent will have a major knock-on effect elsewhere. 

At a Treasury select committee in parliament on Monday March 14th, Dr Amrita Sen, director of research at Energy Aspects, told MPs that the rationing of diesel and gas could be on the horizon as a result of supply issues and growing instability in energy markets. That can have a serious effect on electricity supplies.

What’s The Answer?

So, what is the answer? What can you do to keep the lights on and the wheels turning if the power goes down?

Fortunately, there is an answer, and it is one which quite a lot of businesses have been investing in recently. Many businesses simply cannot operate without electricity, and for place such as hospitals it is vital that they keep the power going. So, the answer is a standby generator.

If you have a standby generator in your home or at your business premises and you team it with an automatic transfer switch, when the power goes down you will only be without electricity for a matter of seconds.

Now, a new standby generator can cost quite a bit of money, depending upon the amount of power that you need to produce. However, you don’t have to buy a new generator because you can also find used generators for sale in the UK.

Indeed, at Blades Power Generation, we always have a selection of used generators for sale in the UK because as businesses expand, they find that they need a generator with more capacity than the one that they currently have. So, they come to us for a bigger generator and then trade in the existing one. We are happy to do that because it is a profitable deal for us, and it also means that you can get a generator for your home or business for a lot less than buying a new one.