Decoding Generator Gauges

wiz561

Hi!

I just bought a generator a week or two ago and it's been running great. They have something called an "Intelligauge", which is a LCD that shows Voltage, Hertz, and running hours. I pretty much know what the 'running hours' does, but why should I care about Voltage and Hertz? There must be a reason why they put the gauge there....

For what it's worth, it's a Champion 7000/9000 watt generator I got at Costco.

Thanks!

zappa

Just an easy way to tell if there is a problem with your generator or if you are overloading it, like low volts and cycles. Plus it looks cool and sells better. Your manual should tell you more about them and what they should read.

wiz561

Yeah, I checked the manual and there's not much in it other than "Intelligauge shows Volts, Hertz, and Hours".

I'm no expert, but I would think a "watts" number would be more useful, considering generators are rated at watts. I'm sure you can calculate the watts from the volts, but I think you also need to know how many amps are there as well.

So, if you were to guess, if the generator is 7000 running / 9000 peak watts, what should the voltage number be and what would be a high or critical number?

Thanks!

zappa

I agree, watts would be nice. I dunno....maybe 115 to 125 volts. 59 to 61 cycles. I don't know what voltage your manufacturer is centering their generators to.

ddawg16

Volts are good to know in case there is an issues. Same with hz. If your ruuning close to the load limit, the you will typically see both volts and hz drop. It also comes in handy to diagnose problems.

I agree that it would be nice to see amps. Being the techno geek I am, amps means more to me than watts. If I want to know watts....I just do a quick calc in my head.

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wiz561

Thanks for the responses. I've been trying to find another manufacturer that puts a LCD screen that's something other than the hour meter...just to see what they say about it. So far, haven't been able to find any.

I remember looking and seeing the hz is about 60 and the volts...I forget, but it was 2-something. Maybe 257? Either case, I have it connected via L14-30 240v cord. I'm confused (not your fault) because I don't know if it's volts being used or volts being outputted.

Like the other poster said, they probably put it there as a selling point. I might be thinking too hard....

zappa

Same thing....don't worry about it unless your lightbulbs start popping.

I forgot about the higher voltage. Could be 240 volts which would be pretty standard.