Electricity is the lifeblood of modern society. Take away power, and life comes to a grinding halt regardless of whether the affected is a house, business or an entire community. As a result, it is essential to have a backup generator in areas prone to blackouts or power cuts.

I am from Sri Lanka, a country not new to power cuts and blackouts. In the 19th century, Sri Lanka was reliant on Hydroelectricity. During the El Nino event in 1997 period, Sri Lanka experienced an unprecedented drought leaving reservoirs almost dry. With Hydropelectricity out of the equation, the country experienced prolonged power cuts. You would assume a country would learn from its mistakes, unfortunately not Sri Lanka.

Briggs & Stratton - Our first generator

In 2020 we got our first backup generator. It was a Briggs & Stratton 2.2KVA generator. It was a reliable workhorse that served us for 22 years. It wasn't much, but it was sufficient to run a few lights, a couple of fans, a TV, radio and a computer. In 2005 I somehow managed to break its recoil cable. While that matter was easy to fix, its engine has shown signs of wear in the last few years.

Why a generator is essential for me?

I am a work-from-home freelance software engineer developing and maintaining web and mobile applications. Some of the apps that I support are business-critical web infrastructures. While my applications have never experienced unexpected downtime, I must be available if it ever happens.

General day-to-day software development can some of the time be postponed. However, it is usually the case that another developer is waiting for my work to continue on his own.

These factors give me very little wiggle room during a power cut. A laptop can power my operations for hours, but working without an AC or, at minimum, a fan in the tropics is difficult, distractive and unproductive.

A generator helps me continue my work uninterrupted in a relatively comfortable environment.

Pramac WX6200 - The newcomer

I have been researching to buy a new generator since mid-2021. I was particularly interested in getting a Yamaha inverter generator even though the cost was prohibitive. The agents asked me to come back in the 2nd week of December 2021. On December 3rd, on the day unions warned that the country would go dark, three electrical substations vital for the country's power distribution failed. This blackout and blackmails by unions over the sale of the Ugadanavi power station to a US firm created a panic buying scenario for generators. By the time the Yamaha generator shipment landed, they were all sold out.

I faced the option to risk waiting (due to the bleak economic situation and tragic foreign currency issue affecting imports) or go for a generator already in stock. After some research, I decided to get a Pramac WX6200 AVR generator from Metropolitan Engineering.

The Pramac WX6200 has sufficient power to run most of my home needs. That includes a fridge, an air-conditioner, half a dozen LED lights, TV, WiFi and a fish tank. The generator rating is at 5300w. It has a large 26L belly with about 2L/hr appetite at 50% load and 2.5L/hr at 75% load. It is also a little quieter than most generators in the market.

Overall, I am happy about the purchase. It will no doubt help me maintain my availability and keep us comfortable during blackouts and power cuts.