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Question:

How can i convert my 110v generator to 240v and how powerful will it be?

I have bought an ex hire Pike trafic signal trailer which contains a diesel generator. it looks very similar to this (

Answer:

There is no way to convert the generator itself to 240. The simplest way would be to just use a 110 to 240v transformer to boost the output to 240. And your rated wattage will decrease by at least the ratio of 110/240.
240v Generator
there is a saying a watt is a watt and never changes what will change is the current 1000 watts divided by 110 voltage equals 9.03 amps 1000 watts divided by 220 voltage equals 4.46 amps buth are 1000 watts if you dont believe me try it backwards multiply the volts by the amps of each line and the answer will come out both times to 1000 more or less cos i kept the calcs to two decimal places
You would simply use a step-up transformer capable of handling 240V and about 8A. The transformer would be a transformer with 2 secondary windings for every 1 primary winding. This will double the voltage from the primary. 1000W is 1000W no matter what the voltage is. So (in a perfect world), you would get 1000W after stepping the voltage up to 240V. But you would actually get around 80-85% efficiency. But there is always a safety span built into the rating of generators (a 1000W generator could usually put out about 1400W without much of a problem). 1000W 120V * 8.33A (or 110V * 9.1A) 1000W 240V * 4.16A ---Realistically, you should be able to safely draw about 4A @ 240V. Good Luck!
It's difficult to guess at exact ratings based solely on a picture. Check the generator housing for its specification plate. You can sometimes ballpark a rating based on the engine size. For each horsepower the system should be capable of producing approximately 500 watts. A 8HP engine is usually connected to a 4000 watt generator, 10HP for 5000W, 14HP for 7000W, etc. Many generators have two coils to supply AC output. For 120VAC output only the two coils are placed in parallel. For 120/240VAC the coils are wired in series and mid connection becomes the neutral. If the generator is presently capable of supplying 1kW, changing the output to supply 240VAC will still supply a maximum of 1kW. The maximum each output coil will supply at 120VAC is 500W. You need to separate the two output coils and wire them in series. Install a proper 240VAC outlet on the generator. The circuit breaker should be reduced to half of its present current rating. Read through my home generator page for other ideas.

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