Generator rant

[Mike Caldwell]

Proper generators are fine if set up and operated correctly.
The larger Honda and Yahmaha inverter generators can run a decent size system, are quite and provide a 220 output
that can be connected to an on stage power distro,

The larger trailer generators like the one in the link below or larger if needed are the real deal, solid power output, will run under a load all day, have single and three phase outout to connect to an on stage power distro and are really quite for their size. I speced and got one of these for a job a couple years ago.
G35 Mobile Generator

One thing that is a must have for a generator powered show is a volt meter to check and double check the voltage before plugging anything in......always.

When someone says they will supply a generator that leads to LOTS of questions from me!

 

[AK Bass Guy]

One thing that is a must have for a generator powered show is a volt meter to check and double check the voltage before plugging anything in......always.

Agreed. Always meter power.
Even on mains power if it’s a venue you haven’t played at before.
Did a gig at a hotel once that didn’t wire an outlet properly. They wired a single phase outlet (ground, neutral, hot, hot) like a 3 phase industrial outlet (ground, hot, hot, hot). If I didn’t meter the outlet prior to plugging in distro box, I would have sent 120 volts down the neutral line. Which could have seriously damaged my equipment or hurt someone.

When metering power always meter between the 2 hot legs to verify proper phasing (for single phase power), then between each hot and the neutral for proper voltage, then check voltage between each hot and ground to check each leg completes circuit with ground, and lastly meter voltage between ground and neutral to verify there is NO voltage. Sometimes there is a very tiny amount of voltage present which is serviceable but anything over a couple volts is not a good, clean source of power.

I live in the US and only familiar with electrical practices here, so if other countries have different methods of wiring outlets I am not familiar with those.

Please be safe when working around electricity, even a small amount of current can kill a person if it travels across certain parts the body.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

Agreed. Always meter power.
Even on mains power if it’s a venue you haven’t played at before.
Did a gig at a hotel once that didn’t wire an outlet properly. They wired a single phase outlet (ground, neutral, hot, hot) like a 3 phase industrial outlet (ground, hot, hot, hot). If I didn’t meter the outlet prior to plugging in distro box, I would have sent 120 volts down the neutral line. Which could have seriously damaged my equipment or hurt someone.

When metering power always meter between the 2 hot legs to verify proper phasing (for single phase power), then between each hot and the neutral for proper voltage, then check voltage between each hot and ground to check each leg completes circuit with ground, and lastly meter voltage between ground and neutral to verify there is NO voltage. Sometimes there is a very tiny amount of voltage present which is serviceable but anything over a couple volts is not a good, clean source of power.

I live in the US and only familiar with electrical practices here, so if other countries have different methods of wiring outlets I am not familiar with those.

Please be safe when working around electricity, even a small amount of current can kill a person if it travels across certain parts the body.

YES!!! At a show in a banquet hall I was going to plug into a standard four wire 50 amp single phase range plug to feed my distro, checked the plug with a meter and found it was wired 208 three phase, totally the wrong plug for that power service. I mentioned it to the building staff member....I would say it's still wired that way to this day!

 

[Bullitt5135]

OP UPDATE: I ended up borrowing a 6500W generator and a van to haul it with. A day before the gig our guitarist had a death in his immediate family and could not make the gig. We did not have a sub available on that short a notice, so I made a few calls and was able to get a friend's band to take our slot – knowing that it was a generator gig.

Day of show, the generator fired right up. I was careful in how I distributed power cables to spread the load around. Everything looked good until the bass player turned on his amp and tripped the circuit breaker. The meter on the generator showed it was only operating at 15% capacity, but for some reason the load was too much for the circuit breakers. I'm not ruling out operator error. Twenty-five minutes later – after a lot of cord wrangling, swearing, and voodoo – the system finally stayed on. I ran sound using my Soundcraft ui24r and iPad. The band put on a good show to an appreciative crowd. To add icing on the cake, it started raining the moment the show ended and all of my cables got soaked and caked with sandy dirt. Good times!

Lesson learned. That's the last time I'll take a generator gig. There are just too many variables and potential for catastrophic failure.

 

[Wasnex]

The meter on the generator showed it was only operating at 15% capacity, but for some reason the load was too much for the circuit breakers.

Were they GFCI breakers? These shut off when a ground fault is detected, and only a small amount of current is required to trip them. I have experienced problems with music gear on GFCI breakers, both indoors and out.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Were they GFCI breakers? These shut off when a ground fault is detected, and only a small amount of current is required to trip them. I have experienced problems with music gear on GFCI breakers, both indoors and out.

Yes, GFCI breakers were the culprit. Ultimately, I was able to run my digital mixer and IEM units off a 2nd generator. That, combined with resetting the GFCI's and juggling cables and receptacles, and the power stayed on throughout the show.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I played a street gig at a fall festival a couple of weeks ago. They had a Generator for us, which I didn't use. Luckily there was an electrical outlet nearby from the town that they were using to plug in lights for the trees. I unplugged the lights and plugged in the band.

 

[Barisaxman]

Pretty simple for myself as a sound provider and gigging musician. Any gig requiring remote power specs a 20kW generator minimum, which can be rented (delivered!) for about $300 a day from several local vendors. Basically, if it isn't towed in on its own trailer and run off diesel, no gig. I did ONE gig on a 5kW generator that went ok, but that was about 10 years ago when i was willing do to "whatever" to make a show happen. These days if a $300 rental is too much to make a remote show possible for a client, I don't want the gig anyway because there are going to be other corners cut as well.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

I've done speaker on a stick sound jobs with Honda 2000 and 3000 watt generators. For small systems like that there fine.
For a full PA system it going to be just like the post above.