Genset CT8000A for beekeepers

01 · 6 KVA GOES A LONG WAY FURTHER

Than two extractors in parallel

It helps to put the figure against what actually gets plugged in. An electric honey-house extractor draws between 150 and 400 W depending on model; a professional transfer pump about 1,500 W; a bottler much the same. With 6,000 W available, two extractors do not come near the limit.

Where the sum does matter is with heated equipment: a heated-blade uncapper asks for around 2,800 W and a heated maturer 3,000. One of them fits comfortably; two at once take the whole set.

02 · STARTING ASKS MORE THAN RUNNING

And that is what decides whether the set holds

An electric motor draws several times its running consumption at the instant it starts. That is why a set can drive one machine comfortably and drop out when the second one starts.

The practical rule is simple: start motors one at a time and let each reach speed before bringing in the next. With purely resistive loads — heating elements — the problem does not exist: they draw their nameplate figure from the first second.

03 · NINE HOURS, BUT AT PART LOAD

25 litres do not go as far at full output

Declared autonomy is 9 hours on the 25-litre tank, which works out at about 2.8 litres an hour. Like all autonomy figures, it corresponds to partial load: ask it for the full 6 kVA continuously and consumption rises while the hours fall.

For a day's extraction in the field with the set working at half its capacity, nine hours cover the whole day without refuelling. Starting is manual, by pull cord: on a 12 hp engine that is worth bearing in mind if whoever uses it is not expecting the effort.

04 · 97 dB IS NOT A SILENT SET

And it has to be sited accordingly

The declared level is 97 dB(A) sound power. This is not one of the inverter sets called silent: it is a 420 cc petrol engine working at 3,000 revolutions, and you hear it.

In practice that means placing it away from the working area, with the hose or extension cable making up the distance, and bearing in mind noise restrictions if the site is near housing.

05 · PRECAUTIONS

Petrol and ventilation

It is a petrol engine and must not be run in an enclosed space or a poorly ventilated one, not even with the door ajar. Use it outdoors or with the building open, and refuel with the engine stopped and cold.

The 12 V, 8.3 A DC output lets you charge batteries in the field, which is exactly what battery-powered equipment needs — a syrup distribution pump, for instance — when the day runs long.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Electrical autonomy for fieldwork.