Big Merv

New Member
Hello all,

not sure where to put this thread. Any of you sparky types out there able to help with this?

Ok I have a generator rated at 6500 watt continous. It has 3 outlets that are individually rated at 2000 watts. The problem is I need to run a vac that has three 1000 watt motors. The vac only has one plug on it to run those motors. Can I put 3 plugs into the gennie wired to one outlet to plug the vac into?

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers

Big Merv
 
sorry, let me explain...
as soon as you plug one plug in, the other live pins would then become live, hence the term widow maker.
Need more details of the genny outputs and the vac requirements.
 
If that's all its ever going to be used for I would be looking at replacing the three connectors with one suitably rated one and change the vac to suit too. There are other things that also need to be looked at such as whether the wiring is a high enough current rating to use with a single connector, fuse / circuit breaker ratings etc.
 
If that's all its ever going to be used for I would be looking at replacing the three connectors with one suitably rated one and change the vac to suit too. There are other things that also need to be looked at such as whether the wiring is a high enough current rating to use with a single connector, fuse / circuit breaker ratings etc.

Three individually fused outlet sockets on an AC generator instantly says 3-phase to me.

There is no way that a single larger socket such as Kwakerman suggests would be a sensible solution. The result would be at least a lot of smoke and sparks; we won't even go down the route of the worst case (see Timtheenchanter's warning above)!

A sound working knowledge of 3-phase electrics is essential to know how to get the three phases to produce a single higher power output. Conductor current capacities, fuse/circuit breaker ratings etc have very little to do with it.

In short, it's essential that we know whether the gennie is single or three phase before any advice can be given.

 
 
NO!!!!
STOP!!!
That sounds scarily like a widow maker.

do you have any pics of the vac, its plug, and the genny and its plugs.


something like this could work :p:p:p:p

images


Makes perfect sense, need 16 amp... two 13amp plugs will allow 16a to be equally shared across the two plugs... :D


(To anyone non-electrical NEVER EVER try anything like this :) )
 
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Did make a schematic for making a "safe" version of a widowmaker involving contactors and stuff so if one plug had no power to it it disconnected the other line.

would have worked, but no way of a fail safe if a contactor welded itself shut.

(was purly for the fun of seeing if i could work it out :) )
 
something like this could work :p:p:p:p

images


Makes perfect sense, need 16 amp... two 13amp plugs will allow 16a to be equally shared across the two plugs... :D


(To anyone non-electrical NEVER EVER try anything like this :) )

you're under selling there, put a 32A socket on it, you can pull 32A off a ring final :eek::doh::D
 
you're under selling there, put a 32A socket on it, you can pull 32A off a ring final :eek::doh::D

Would need a third plug for that. Of course I could make it a 3 phase socket with three (long) 13amp plugs - as long as I knew the phases of the different ring mains :p Didn't they used to alternate houses on a street to diferent phases? So i Could plug into next door either side and have 3 phase :D
(someone's going to read this one day and try it, i just know it :eek:)


We did have a (single) 13a plug to 64a socket adapter where i used to work, but, it was only used for PAT testing distros i think, (nothing under load anyway)
 
Three individually fused outlet sockets on an AC generator instantly says 3-phase to me.

There is no way that a single larger socket such as Kwakerman suggests would be a sensible solution. The result would be at least a lot of smoke and sparks; we won't even go down the route of the worst case (see Timtheenchanter's warning above)!

A sound working knowledge of 3-phase electrics is essential to know how to get the three phases to produce a single higher power output. Conductor current capacities, fuse/circuit breaker ratings etc have very little to do with it.

In short, it's essential that we know whether the gennie is single or three phase before any advice can be given.

 

Well up to speed with gennies as I have back-up power available at my house. 6.5Kva while reasonable isn't that powerful in the big scheme of things and it is perfectly feasible for all three connectors to be standard domestic single phase ones (normal 3 pin sockets) or Blue 32A industrial. Even my old EU20i had two domestic ones on it and that was only rated at 2Kva. In fact thinking about it the OP said each connector was rated at 2000w, you wouldn't be using 3 phase at that sort of low power ratings as the whole idea of three phase is to allow higher power rated kit to be used.
 
Please please consult an electrician before doing anything! You'll need to find out what sort of output the genny has (may well be three phase on three sockets) and what sort of input the vac has (could be three phase on one plug). It might be an easy fix but get it wrong and all the smoke might run out. Or you could kill yourself. Or destroy the entire fabric of space-time. So, for all of our sakes, get someone competent to look at it.
 
Well I knew the Land Rover community was the place to go to try and get some answers to this.

So I seem to be sensing that the computer says .....NO!

So the generator has three domestic outlet ports on it all can run continous at 2000watts. It is is a 6500 genie with a 8500 peak for short duration output.

My vac is a large industrial one with a heft electric cable with a plug on the end. was thinking of trying to share the 3000watt draw across the three sockets on the genie by making something up similar to that pictured by bump.

I guess I will only be able to run two motors at once otherwise - as each motor is individually switched on the vac.

Next electrical question is going to involve charging my cherry picker and running it at the same time. 4 6v batterys giving 24v. It is charged via a 110 outlet through a battery charging sensor thing that stops the charging when the batterys are full. This is a bit of a pain when working the machine hard as the batterys can be drained quickly (1/2 day) at this point I tend to plug the 110 in and carry on, but have been told this is not good for the battery charger thing??? Solutions? Can I just charge the 4 6v batterys directly from my smaller genie or will I kill everything (genie, batterys, charger etc?) Freeking electrics...Will I rip a hole in the fabric of space???

Ta

BM
 
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Please please consult an electrician before doing anything! You'll need to find out what sort of output the genny has (may well be three phase on three sockets) and what sort of input the vac has (could be three phase on one plug). It might be an easy fix but get it wrong and all the smoke might run out. Or you could kill yourself. Or destroy the entire fabric of space-time. So, for all of our sakes, get someone competent to look at it.

I love this response :) :eek:

I shall contact the CERN and see if I am likely to affect the space time continuum.

I do not want us all to be discombobulated!
 
Stick a picture of the vac data plate and its connector up. I think we have established your genny is probably single phase due to domestic connectors but stick make / model up so we can check
 
Stick a picture of the vac data plate and its connector up. I think we have established your genny is probably single phase due to domestic connectors but stick make / model up so we can check

Here is the genny. Its not me in the vid, its the seller from Germany. Royal Kraft Germany Generator test - YouTube

Here is my vac (mines the same just different name): http://download.vzaar.com/vzaar/vzc...732106&Signature=MuLf/enEbpfYdFgEtZojBgLDlGA=

Vac Specs are:




Rated Power: 3000W (3x 1000W) Rated Voltage: 220-240V
Normal Frequency: 50Hz / 60Hz
Vacuum Suction: 3000mm H²0
Air Flow: 100 Litres/Sec
Accessory Diameter: 40mm Cable Length: 7 Metres
 
Here is the genny. Its not me in the vid, its the seller from Germany. Royal Kraft Germany Generator test - YouTube

Here is my vac (mines the same just different name): http://download.vzaar.com/vzaar/vzc...732106&Signature=MuLf/enEbpfYdFgEtZojBgLDlGA=

Vac Specs are:




Rated Power: 3000W (3x 1000W) Rated Voltage: 220-240V
Normal Frequency: 50Hz / 60Hz
Vacuum Suction: 3000mm H²0
Air Flow: 100 Litres/Sec
Accessory Diameter: 40mm Cable Length: 7 Metres
cant find a spec sheet for that genny, tho by the looks of that red socket and the triple pole breaker, its 3 phase.

thats the smallest 3 phase genny i've seen!

no, it wont suit your application, without modification to the vac.
 
cant find a spec sheet for that genny, tho by the looks of that red socket and the triple pole breaker, its 3 phase.

thats the smallest 3 phase genny i've seen!

no, it wont suit your application, without modification to the vac.

Oh pants.

cheers anyway.

BM
 

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