Generator Advice

[DiscoMagic]

Morning all.

My friend is having a wedding in the middle of a field (on the cheap!!) and was asking me for advice on generators.

Basically his DJ (not me) sounds like he is going to be running the usual equipment setup (Laptop, Lights Speakers Etc), and apart from the lights in the toilet the DJ is the only thing that power is needed for.

My friend rang concerned with power surges and what I would recommend. Not being an expert in these thing (my only experience is with large marquee weddings with absolutely huge generators), I thought I would ask my MDD expert friends!!!

Over to you :beer1:

[Shaun]

Recent discussion...

http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=32374

[Vectis]

Hire of a proper fit-for-purpose genset is likely to cost more than the hire of a reasonable proper fit-for-purpose venue such as a village hall. Though much less than the cost of a proper fit-for-purpose marquee.

You also need to check that the organiser has verified whether or not an events licence is required (depends on numbers etc. and varies between local authorities) otherwise he/she may be liable to a rather large fine (£20k IIRC) and the PA gear confiscated.

Minefield. Literally.

[DiscoMagic]

Shaun,

Thanks for the link to the thread, but TBH couldn't see anything that answered my specifics!!!

Vectis,

Thanks for the heads up re the license - will certainly pass on your advice...

Unfortunatly the village hall is not an option - they are outdoor wedding and is has to be in the field so it has to be a generator. So what are the costs involved - what wattage or ampage or power would he need

Can you just get these from a company like HSS Hire?? :confused:

[Shaun]

Shaun,

Thanks for the link to the thread, but TBH couldn't see anything that answered my specifics!!!



What specifics were you after? You mentioned power surges. My post (#54) mentioned using a generator with AVR. The thread also mentions using a suitable sized generator to avoid problems.

Perhaps you can elaborate more?

[Chris1984]

You say only the DJ is on the generator?? Whats everything else being powered by then? e.g., site lighting, emergency lighting, catering.....
Do you have budget in mind? we can solve the problem and provide all the bits to go with it and based in surrey.

[Jem]

You basically need a generator capable of 'pure sinewave' output, also, just make sure it's earthed correctly with a decent earth spike.

Apparently some folks run their gear off UPS's (depending on power requirements) when running from a Genset. Thus the generator powers the UPS and your gear plugs into the UPS and receives nice smooth power.

[DiscoMagic]

You say only the DJ is on the generator?? Whats everything else being powered by then? e.g., site lighting, emergency lighting, catering.....
Do you have budget in mind? we can solve the problem and provide all the bits to go with it and based in surrey.

Chris - The from what I can gather - there is a BBQ and Hogroast for food. Lighting - none because it is "proper" outside (ie. no marquee). Budget _ I am unsure - hence the reason I am asking. I have no idea as to whats involved !!! ;) :confused:

[soundtracker]

Chris - The from what I can gather - there is a BBQ and Hogroast for food. Lighting - none because it is "proper" outside (ie. no marquee). Budget _ I am unsure - hence the reason I am asking. I have no idea as to whats involved !!! ;) :confused:

You have no idea, but you are expecting the good folks here to come up with an answer! In my experience if the person trying to ask the question doesn't know what he wants to ask, then the chances of him getting a reply are NIL! Go away, ask your friend to give you ALL of the information, and you may then get some help here, otherwise like your question, the answer will also be guesswork!

[Chris1984]

whats the date and rough location?

[DiscoMagic]

You have no idea, but you are expecting the good folks here to come up with an answer! In my experience if the person trying to ask the question doesn't know what he wants to ask, then the chances of him getting a reply are NIL! Go away, ask your friend to give you ALL of the information, and you may then get some help here, otherwise like your question, the answer will also be guesswork!

For reference, when I said I have no idea - I meant that I have no idea about what is involved with using or hiring generators. and I made that quite clear in the OP. I know the details of the wedding, and thus far no-one has asked any questions that I could not answer regarding the actual gig.

There is an old adage that goes "if you have nothing useful to say, then say nothing". Nuff said and rant over.


whats the date and rough location?

Thanks Chris - location is Westerham, Kent and date is 14th July 2012. (BTW Do you also do uplighting?)

[Dynamic Entertainment]

And the point that everyones missing......



Basically his DJ (not me) sounds like he is going to be running the usual equipment setup (Laptop, Lights Speakers Etc)

How many lights? Traditional Halogen, LED, etc, etc? How much power does the powered speakers/amp need? Smoke Machine?

I can put a "usual" set-up together that draws no more than 1,100w...or I can put a "usual" setup that draws 6,500w...big, big difference.

[soundtracker]

There is an old adage that goes "if you have nothing useful to say, then say nothing". Nuff said and rant over.


There is another "old adage" that says its the job of the moderators to try and keep the posts in a thread sensible and on course, which isn't easy with no or little direction from the OP.

[Daryll]

Last gig I did in a marquee , used a 6.5 Kw generator , that was for me and the marquee lights , total draw was around 12 amps , I would be dubious about plugging to a generator that was being used for to much other stuff as well.

My stuff was.

EP2500
4 x 250w fittings
3 X LED fittings
Playout system


Sorry to be a bit generalized

Daryll

[Chris1984]

Thanks Chris - location is Westerham, Kent and date is 14th July 2012. (BTW Do you also do uplighting?)

Can't see it being a problem will see what we have around - would be good to know what or if they need power for the mentioned hog roast etc..
If its outside with no tent what do you want up lighting?



Last gig I did in a marquee , used a 6.5 Kw generator , that was for me and the marquee lights , total draw was around 12 amps , I would be dubious about plugging to a generator that was being used for to much other stuff as well.
Daryll

Why cant you run more than one thing from a generator? If done correctly its save and reliable and professional.

[Daryll]

Why cant you run more than one thing from a generator? If done correctly its save and reliable and professional.

you can , but I wont , in general , generators are hired , delivered with instructions ,and that`s it , I roughly know my power requirements , but I no idea about hog roasts, etc,.

Daryll

[CRAZY K]

To be helpful according to our Rodeo Bull handbook you need around 7kva
for 5.5kw of electrical power.

Generators are rated normally in kva so you need to work out the total wattage and then relate it back to kva.

Heres a link to a site---http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/Power_Calculator.aspx

Should be relatively easy if you do the maths and add a bit for errors.

Naturally sensible advice is dont go cheap and do a proper job.

Hire from a proper source--probably not where the Builders get theirs:daft:
as they abuse them.

AVR is a must---

To be unhelpful--if I have read this correctly--OUTDOORS with no covering sounds completely insane.:eek:

[NKR]

2 recent discussion with me and potential clients - Edited highlights of course, as full dictated minutes would be boring.

Potential Client - I am having a marquee wedding at home.
Me - Okay powered off house DB or Generator?
Potential Client - What?
Me - Are you having an electrician hard wire the marquee to the nearest building or is it going to be powered by a generator.
Potential Client - I think the marquee company are bring a generator. It won't be from the house.
Me - Not for me thanks I don't like generators.

Discussion continued on about my kit, etc.

Discussion 2 a few days later.

Potential Client - I am having a marquee 40th Birthday at home.
Me - Okay powered off house DB or Generator?
Potential Client - No you will be in the house in a big room with marquee coming off that. Don't worry my wife had her 40th the same way a few years ago and we had a 16amp feed added.
In My Mind - My kind of guy
Me - Cool, well we can do this ........

Had seen us at a recent wedding so looking forward to that one.

I hate generators. They murder kit. Splitters!

[Excalibur]

In My Mind - My kind of guy
Me - Cool, well we can do this ........

Had seen us at a recent wedding so looking forward to that one.

I hate generators. They murder kit. Splitters!

I've got to say, I've had many many more problems with power supplied from homes than I have from generators, at similar functions.

Sixteen amp feeds aren't bulletproof, either. We once spent three hours before a wedding disco isolating a fault in one, only to find it was the caterers hostess trolley, which had been PAT tested the day before causing the problem.

I had a venue with a three phase supply, split at source, and because of the :muppet:s who brought it across to the tent mixing it all up, we had multiple power cuts.

Give me a generator the size of my van purring gently away a few yards from the tent, with a supply cable the size of a towrope, and I'm a happy bunny.

[addoaddo]

Most disco will run off a 6KVA generator which will give you about 5KW or usable power.This should be installed and tested prior to use and should not be from a build site. There are generators available for the event industry which have a constant voltage output which is very important for discos.

The hog roast takes very little power but needs to run for 6 hours. For past events I have run a hog roast off and inverter connected to a 12 battery. This saves running the generator for 6 hours.

Noise is also an important issue, silient generators are not silent.

Generators are the most un reliable equipment that you can use. You should have back up power especially if it is in a field. A maintained emergancy light is very useful and can be used at the end of the night to light the site once the generator is turned off

If done correctly should be no different from a normal supply.

Expect to pay about 150 pounds for the generator plus the cost of cabling and installation.

[DJ Jules]

Expect to pay about 150 pounds for the generator plus the cost of cabling and installation.

...and the rest... I'd expect to pay about twice that for something I'd be happy running from (which would be 15Kva+ with AVR and a tank big enough to run for a few days un-interupted and all of the required distro's).

I will say though that this is complete overkill for a single rig (I probably won't draw more than 3Kva with my usual rig) but gives a lot of overhead for caterers, fridges, halogen spot lights, uplighting, or anything else my client might decide to plug in.

But maybe I'm just picky...

Julian

[Danno13]

I don't think you're being picky. I wouldn't be happy with less than a 10KVA unit, even sharing with just basic lighting. For an outdoor party the amp rack/PA alone will likely draw 3k+ (yes, I know it's not continuous..)

I'd say you're looking at a minimum of £400 with fuel, VAT, transport, distro etc.

I've also never seen an electric hog roast!

[mikeee]

Is the genny likely to be used for anything else. I know you said disco and loo lights. What are the hog roast using, what is the marquee using etc. Sit down and add up the total current to be drawn, then use this formula - V x I x 0.001732 and this will give you the KVA required (240v x 15a x 0.001732 = 6.3KVA). A stable genny is always best if possible.

[Corabar Steve]

I've also never seen an electric hog roast!
How do the ones you've seen turn the pig then?

Camberwick Green - YouTube

[Danno13]

How do the ones you've seen turn the pig then?

Camberwick Green - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOd0DJ_iaAQ)

Good point :bag:

Although I would imagine the motor is pretty insignificant in terms of power draw, compared to if the heat element was run from electric.

[Larry B Entertainment]

Hire of a proper fit-for-purpose genset is likely to cost more than the hire of a reasonable proper fit-for-purpose venue such as a village hall. Though much less than the cost of a proper fit-for-purpose marquee.


I agree 100%

It would need a regulated stable output and RCD protection which most run of the mill gennies dont have.
Theres a big difference between running something like a jack hammer and delicate electronics. I was caught out years ago by plugging into a gennie when I didnt know any better. Lost quite a bit of gear that night due to the voltage waving up and down for several hours.

[DJ Jules]

Lost quite a bit of gear that night due to the voltage waving up and down for several hours.

I've been terrified by some of the generators I've hired over the years for other purposes. One I hired was a largish 6.5Kva set and someone had played with the regulator on it to help it "run a bit more smoothly". According to the volt meter on the front of it, it was putting out close to 350v AC when I got it (though it was hard to tell as that was the limit!)

Something to bear in mind with the smaller petrol sets that have mechanical regulators is that they are slow to react when the voltage dips or peaks and tend to over-react first before they stabilise. This all means that if you're running a highly variable load that (in total) comes close to the generators capacity then the voltage will swing wildly as the throttle is opened and closed to compensate for the load coming on/off. For instance, if a fridge or freezer is on the set, when the compressor starts and stops it's likely to cause the voltage to dip significantly at first, then peak and then level out as the compressor starts, and then peak dramatically again and then level out when the compressor stops.

I've seen fairly hardy equipment completely destroyed by this kind of spiking (including some pretty substantial capacitors attached to large motors which didn't like the 400Volt+ peaks being delivered to them!)

Julian

[CRAZY K]

I've been terrified by some of the generators I've hired over the years for other purposes. One I hired was a largish 6.5Kva set and someone had played with the regulator on it to help it "run a bit more smoothly". According to the volt meter on the front of it, it was putting out close to 350v AC when I got it (though it was hard to tell as that was the limit!)

Something to bear in mind with the smaller petrol sets that have mechanical regulators is that they are slow to react when the voltage dips or peaks and tend to over-react first before they stabilise. This all means that if you're running a highly variable load that (in total) comes close to the generators capacity then the voltage will swing wildly as the throttle is opened and closed to compensate for the load coming on/off. For instance, if a fridge or freezer is on the set, when the compressor starts and stops it's likely to cause the voltage to dip significantly at first, then peak and then level out as the compressor starts, and then peak dramatically again and then level out when the compressor stops.

I've seen fairly hardy equipment completely destroyed by this kind of spiking (including some pretty substantial capacitors attached to large motors which didn't like the 400Volt+ peaks being delivered to them!)

Julian

I completely agree with your reservations about the dangers of using generators unless they are provided by a Professional organisation or working off a large one perhaps supplied by a catering Contractor---the sort that has to be towed because they are so big;)

I have worked without problem on these.

Would surge protected multi plug boards (which I use if worried about electrical supply) be one way of protecting your equipment?

The noise factor is also a problem--I worked in a Marquee NEXT to a huge Generator at Harewood House Yorkshire and had to turn the music up to ear deafening volume to lose the drumming noise of the jenny--aaaaaaarghhh!!!!!!!!!!

Today we turned down a Rodeo Bull job where we were asked to supply a jenny---we know the cost of hiring a PROPER one will make the hire price unaffordable ( Girl Guides event)

AND we dont fancy any offers of " a generator someones dad can borrow" :daft: :daft: :daft:

[Chris1984]

With reference to the op let me know what the date and rough location Is and I'll see what I can do - it might end up being a 70kva as its the smallest we have at the mo but can do you a friendly mdd price so dont worry to much! Give me a call to discuss if you like. This is an easy power problem and am not so sure why it's becoming a debate that demonstrates everyone's lack of understanding of generation and event power.

[Corabar Entertainment]

With reference to the op let me know what the date and rough location Is and I'll see what I can do

I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu here! :p
whats the date and rough location?


Thanks Chris - location is Westerham, Kent and date is 14th July 2012. (BTW Do you also do uplighting?)



Re the last part of your post.....

This is an easy power problem and am not so sure why it's becoming a debate that demonstrates everyone's lack of understanding of generation and event power.As someone knowledgeable on the subject, could you possibly point out where people are going wrong / what myths / falsehoods are going round, and what we should be concerned about then?

This is something that is debated on a regular basis, so if there is incorrect advice being given, it would be helpful if you could post the correct information here... after all, it's what the forum is about. :)

:thanks:

[Chris1984]

I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu here! :p

My fault - a lot going on this end and sever jet lag after a 2week tour in oz so had forgotten i had read and replied! :daft:



Re the last part of your post.....
As someone knowledgeable on the subject, could you possibly point out where people are going wrong / what myths / falsehoods are going round, and what we should be concerned about then?

This is something that is debated on a regular basis, so if there is incorrect advice being given, it would be helpful if you could post the correct information here... after all, it's what the forum is about. :)


It seems from all the topics on generators which seem to all go the same way and cover the same things that there are some people who have a small understanding of the subject and a lot more who don't.

In a nut shell there is nothing wrong with using one well maintained and suitably specced generator to power one event and everything that goes with it.
The problems people seem to have had in the past is mostly to do with the wrong generator or should i say not one unable for that job for example as mentioned a set form the local tool hire shop won't be suitable as it isn't voltage regulated, silent or protected.

The saying of one the size of my van or a large unit purring away is also wrong as a set too big will create lots of unnecessary noise and smoke as it won't have a big enough load to keep it purring and happy.
Theres more to it than people realise and i mean people who supplier machine to small gigs like caterers and marquee companies who are notorious for not have any idea what they are doing with such matters.

For example how many marquee companies use arctic cable for their power installs outside? most of them - which means how many of them are aware of BS7909?

If you need power for an event you speak to a professional generator hire company who specialise in temporary event power - not as expensive as most think but what you need for the job. It all boils down to the age old gag of corner cutting and cost.

The most common sets we use for these event types are baby and verbs mall road tow 30kva units which are reasonably quite and nice to use. You don't want any machine sited near the marquee anyhow due to the fumes and the ability to get to it should there be an issue, another thing marquee and caterers don't understand.

Ive been doing event power professionally for many years all over the world and will gladly help people here if they listen and take on board, good friends and colleges of mine own a generator company who's fleet i have access to for great rates and could save many here money and ball ache buy looking after such issues.

It dosnt just stop at the machine, you need to make sure all cable, and distro are compliant with BS7909 and suitable for the job, again this is something i stock :-)

Im all for making life easy and help out where i can, i have had a PM for a member asking for help but unfortunately i cpouldnt do it personally as I'm off on tour again so have passed them a number of someone who can help - isn't that what its all about - just ask and viola ill do what i can!

[Corabar Entertainment]

Thanks.

I think the problem that most of the forum members have is that we are at least one or two steps removed from the organisation of the power, and so are scared about what we'll get. In most cases, we have to trust that a marquee company know what they're doing, but a few 'basics' about the size, spec, etc that should be provided to cover the average marquee event is useful.

[DJ Jules]

It seems from all the topics on generators which seem to all go the same way and cover the same things that there are some people who have a small understanding of the subject and a lot more who don't.

How much of an understanding are DJ's expected to have on this topic...? ;)

I agree though, the majority of issues I've come across in the past have been because the sets supplied have been completely unsuitable for the purpose they've been supplied (under-rated, wrong type, no regulation, etc etc) and your points about cable suitability and suppliers awareness of regulations regarding cable, distro, etc are all equally as valid :D

The problem for an "average" DJ who has probably had absolutely no contact with power requirements beyond 13A sockets is telling what is/isn't suitable and as Angela says, influencing decisions our customers have made regarding power provision when we're 1 or 2 (or 3) steps removed from the supplier.

Probably why this topic comes up a lot... :D

I've run reasonable size rigs (shared with other facilities like a portable bar) from 30Kva sets a couple of times with no issues at all, including noise - one was silenced to the point where it was inaudible from 20ft away over general background noise and the other was placed 100m from the marquee! But sets of this size are ideal for the job.

Julian

[Excalibur]

Chris, you've pointed out before that a generator of too big a size is a bad thing, and I don't disagree with you at all. I must apologise for being slightly flippant, and very vague in my descriptions, sorry.

What I was trying to convey was that for an outside function, I'd take a nice 20 or 30 KVA quiet Genny with AVR over a fifty metre arctic cable any day. Like I said before, I've had more problems with power supplied from buildings than I ever have from generators.

You can't generalise and say that generators are bad, and mains hard wired is good. The electricity board round here sent a spike so big into a local town that they took out just about half the kit in the town! Just read what your board agree to provide you with. They don't set the bar very high. The voltage in my house is noticeably over what it should be, and until we went over to long life bulbs, we used to go through them at a frightening rate.

It depends on who provides power, how much they know about the requirements, and whether the numpties on site get involved. You'd be amazed how many folk believe that every 13amp socket coming from the first one is capable of supplying 13amps. It's 13amps total load, not 13amps multiplied by six or eight.

When you work in a marquee, and you ask for exclusive use of two 13amp sockets, and when you get there, lo and behold you have exactly that. Except when you look downstream of you, and notice that the marquee lighting is on your cable, a space heater or two, and a chocolate fountain. Grrrrr.

Julian, I agree totally with you.

[Jiggles]

When you work in a marquee, and you ask for exclusive use of two 13amp sockets, and when you get there, lo and behold you have exactly that. Except when you look downstream of you, and notice that the marquee lighting is on your cable, a space heater or two, and a chocolate fountain. Grrrrr.


Its why i would carry this: http://www.rubberbox.co.uk/on-the-shelf/large-boxes/RUB5501.php and 50m worth of powerlock/ 125A-3P. :sj:

[Chris1984]

How much of an understanding are DJ's expected to have on this topic...? ;)


Im didn't mean to sound like DJ's are expected to know! that why i am willing to try and help but its all the assumptions and silly comments that make wanting to help not so simple! :-)

The rest of your post is a great read and nail on the head.



Chris, you've pointed out before that a generator of too big a size is a bad thing, and I don't disagree with you at all. I must apologise for being slightly flippant, and very vague in my descriptions, sorry.

What I was trying to convey was that for an outside function, I'd take a nice 20 or 30 KVA quiet Genny with AVR over a fifty metre arctic cable any day. Like I said before, I've had more problems with power supplied from buildings than I ever have from generators.

You can't generalise and say that generators are bad, and mains hard wired is good. The electricity board round here sent a spike so big into a local town that they took out just about half the kit in the town! Just read what your board agree to provide you with. They don't set the bar very high. The voltage in my house is noticeably over what it should be, and until we went over to long life bulbs, we used to go through them at a frightening rate.

It depends on who provides power, how much they know about the requirements, and whether the numpties on site get involved. You'd be amazed how many folk believe that every 13amp socket coming from the first one is capable of supplying 13amps. It's 13amps total load, not 13amps multiplied by six or eight.

When you work in a marquee, and you ask for exclusive use of two 13amp sockets, and when you get there, lo and behold you have exactly that. Except when you look downstream of you, and notice that the marquee lighting is on your cable, a space heater or two, and a chocolate fountain. Grrrrr.

Julian, I agree totally with you.

Hi Peter, i wasn't having a pop at you or anyone in particular!
In the world of large scale event power i come across the same things and the worst are caterers and this is the same in every country i have ever been to. I have just got back fro a 2 week tour in austrailia doing lasers and was shocked at how they do power there for the main stages at the festivals - it wouldn't be allowed here so we are fortunate in the UK as we have so many regs on how to do it safely!

Every generator I've ever worked on and installed has always offered more stable power and smother sine waves than the national grid which is something me an my collages pride ourselves on, not once have we had the problems all the members here seem to be having and never heard of blown kit!
As have said before if people want help ill give it! I might even buy a dedicated mdd 30kva road tow to get hiring out on here! lol


Its why i would carry this: http://www.rubberbox.co.uk/on-the-shelf/large-boxes/RUB5501.php and 50m worth of powerlock/ 125A-3P. :sj:
If you need to hire one let me know i have several similar in stock - I can't see what anyone here would need this thou do you?

[Excalibur]

Its why i would carry this
Hmmm, workable idea, Callum, but perhaps slight overkill. The one Deltic posted in the Gallery looked just what the Doctor ordered.


As have said before if people want help ill give it! I might even buy a dedicated mdd 30kva road tow to get hiring out on here! lol


I love the idea, and the sentiment, but I have a sneaky feeling that the logistics may prove to be a stumbling block. :D

[Chris1984]

I love the idea, and the sentiment, but I have a sneaky feeling that the logistics may prove to be a stumbling block. :D

How so - the UK is a very small place and i can guarantee i could get it to anywhere in the uk within 24hrs

[Excalibur]

How so - the UK is a very small place and i can guarantee i could get it to anywhere in the uk within 24hrs

I was more thinking of when two of us wanted it on the same night. And I also had in mind that when each of us had finished with it, we'd pass it on to the next person on the list. Sort of Pony Express with generators.

Chris, when I come back into orbit round Planet Sensible, I'll give you a shout. At the moment, I'm in whimsical mode. I only do sensible by appointment, and between 11.33 and 11.35 on a Friday morning. :daft: :daft: :daft:

[Chris1984]

I was more thinking of when two of us wanted it on the same night. And I also had in mind that when each of us had finished with it, we'd pass it on to the next person on the list. Sort of Pony Express with generators.

Chris, when I come back into orbit round Planet Sensible, I'll give you a shout. At the moment, I'm in whimsical mode. I only do sensible by appointment, and between 11.33 and 11.35 on a Friday morning. :daft: :daft: :daft:

lol - can you let me have the directions to planet sensible! Im off on tour in italy for 2months and get back 2 days before the wife is due to give birth!

Like the die of pony express but it would need to be serviced, prepped and check over after each use! I have access to many machines but only a hand full that small at present! am serious about maybe buying one - just wonder if ti will get the use!

[CRAZY K]

lol - can you let me have the directions to planet sensible! Im off on tour in italy for 2months and get back 2 days before the wife is due to give birth!

Like the die of pony express but it would need to be serviced, prepped and check over after each use! I have access to many machines but only a hand full that small at present! am serious about maybe buying one - just wonder if ti will get the use!

There have been some very useful posts on this including your own--perhaps the one point that is being missed here is the old chesnut== DA MONEY.:(

Inevitably doing the job properly and safely involves a cost and as you may recall the original post related to someone who was cheapskating by haviing their Wedding in the open ---as I read it without cover:daft:

Therefore this kind of person may well be tempted to cheapskate on the generator which I think you might find is behind many of the problems
that DJs on here suffer from with Generators.

Our short experience in the Rodeo Bull market tells us that its the same---people want us to do the booking with a generator because they have chosen some stupid location to hold an event and expect it to cost another £50.

As we need at least 12.5 kva forget it.

You can carry your own jennie but by all accounts apart from it not being cost effective to buy one based on the number of hires needed ---it stinks out the van:eek:

So I agree with you that its possible to safely use a Jenny---whether you can get the skinflints out there to pay for having the job done properly--unless its Corporate or wealthy clients is the issue. ;)

Incidentally regarding Artic Cable being supersceded by yet another Electrical upgrade really annoys me--especially after asking the DJ shop the correct cable to buy and find a year later its out of date.:mad:

[Jiggles]

Hmmm, workable idea, Callum, but perhaps slight overkill. The one Deltic posted in the Gallery looked just what the Doctor ordered.

It was a less than serious answer. At least you would be guaranteed a decent power supply. :sj:

[Chris1984]

There have been some very useful posts on this including your own--perhaps the one point that is being missed here is the old chesnut== DA MONEY.:(

Inevitably doing the job properly and safely involves a cost and as you may recall the original post related to someone who was cheapskating by haviing their Wedding in the open ---as I read it without cover:daft:

Therefore this kind of person may well be tempted to cheapskate on the generator which I think you might find is behind many of the problems
that DJs on here suffer from with Generators.

Our short experience in the Rodeo Bull market tells us that its the same---people want us to do the booking with a generator because they have chosen some stupid location to hold an event and expect it to cost another £50.

As we need at least 12.5 kva forget it.

You can carry your own jennie but by all accounts apart from it not being cost effective to buy one based on the number of hires needed ---it stinks out the van:eek:

So I agree with you that its possible to safely use a Jenny---whether you can get the skinflints out there to pay for having the job done properly--unless its Corporate or wealthy clients is the issue. ;)

Incidentally regarding Artic Cable being supersceded by yet another Electrical upgrade really annoys me--especially after asking the DJ shop the correct cable to buy and find a year later its out of date.:mad:

I understand cost is an issue and it's the age old gag of not what you know.... Hence my offer of help and the thought of buying a small road tow 30 to solve most members problems with a great cheap rate of hire.

Arctic has been superseded at 230v for outdoor use for a couple of years now mainly because it's not sutable for the job Ho7 is the way forward and what the event industry has been using for many. Many years.

At the end of the day if they don't want to pay they won't but then walk away I know it's hard but it's the right thing to do. I walked away from doing a 6500 person gig last year on the grounds the stage wasn't electricly safe and despite my offers of help and going to get the right bits for the job they wouldn't listen so I packed up and left. It's a case of when someone will be killed and not if.

I know we all grumble about risk assessments and health and safety but if i we use it to our advantage in some instances we could transform the way we work.

[CRAZY K]

I understand cost is an issue and it's the age old gag of not what you know.... Hence my offer of help and the thought of buying a small road tow 30 to solve most members problems with a great cheap rate of hire.

Arctic has been superseded at 230v for outdoor use for a couple of years now mainly because it's not sutable for the job Ho7 is the way forward and what the event industry has been using for many. Many years.



How can something which has been accepted by an Industry suddenly become unsafe or unsuitable--especially months after I bought my cable.:eek:

Were people dying using Arctic cable:confused:

Off thread here I get tired of the Electrical Industry constantly upgrading safety requirements.

I have my suspicions why this happens--however as Political views are not part of this forum I will:zip:

[Chris1984]

Mainly due to it not being as crush, heat, oil, cold resistant etc... There's many reasons why the professional event industry hasn't used it for years. Arctic cable is inherently not great but it does what it says on the tin just not in harsh environments of tempory events. The shop who sold it to you should have been aware of this.
You can get round it with a dedicate disk assessment for each use of it if you really don't want to upgrade.
Ho7 isn't to dear to buy and accepted as industry standard.