KIPOR generators

[Bob Minchin]

Anyone got any experience of these please. Reliability, spares support, readily available service documentation etc

I'm looking for 4-5kva possibly a diesel as a reliable standby genny.

TIA

Bob

[Piers Finlayson]

Yep, I've got a Kipor KDE6700TA 4.5kVA diesel genny. I use it as a standby for the house - when we first moved here we lost power about once a month, although recently the supply has been better.

I've not had any problems with it. I've had it 2 years, although to my shame I've not run it recently. (I aim and run it for at least 4 hours with some load once a month.)

The documentation seems OK, although it's a little on the Chinese translated badly to English with bizarre pictures side.

The model I have has an earth referenced neutral, which I understand is required to power e.g. boilers. You could obviously do this yourself if your genny isn't already wired this way. (I am aware that I'm supposed to provide my own earth, as you can't rely on the supply earth during a power cut. However, despite have a "supplier provided earth", I can see that the earth actually comes from my property anyway so it unlikely to cut unless I lose the power lines between my house and the telegraph pole 20 yards away.)

Piers

[Bob Minchin]

Thanks Piers,

That was the model I see offered regularly. I will be running inside a brick outhouse. Is it easy to extend the exhaust ie does it terminate in a round pipe. I can machine up a round adaptor but other shapes will be more of a pain to join and seal.

Cheers

Bob

[Piers Finlayson]

From memory, the exhaust comes straight up and then curves through 90 degrees to vent sideways. While the exhaust is circular it doesn't extend any distance sideways from the vertical so it would be tricky to attach an adaptor. You might be best off cutting the pipe off in the horizontal plane just before it curves and fitting a round adaptor to that.

If you're interested I can get some photos (tomorrow). LMK if you'd like this, and if you'd like a photo of anything else.

[Bob Minchin]

Thanks for the offer Piers. Much appreciated. I will go and look at one before buying anyway and now I am aware of the issue I can ask about exhaust adaptors. I don't want to invalidate any warranty by hacking bits off!

Cheers

Bob

[AlanD]

I've had and used several of their petrol models upto about 5kva electric start when I was operating a mobile photo printing business, so running several computers and printers from them. I still have a 3kva 'portable' (luggable) digital inverter ones used for house standby amongst other things. I tie the 'neutral' to earth in a house change-over switchbox (the briggs & stratton one), which the gen seems perfectly happy with.

I can't fault it - it's been perfectly relable, with a very stable sinewave output. Alan.

[Bob Minchin]

I guess being so reliable, you did not have to try out any customer support?

Bob

[AlanD]

No, only issue was a dead battery that wouldn't hold charge on one of the electric-start ones. I took it up with the (ebay) supplier who supplied a replacement, it was fine after that.