#TAWKIt Ep 4: You Are A Tech Maven If You Have A Generator & We Will Prove It

To a lot of people around the world, words like “Generator” or “Transformer” belong to a science class and should end there. For some others, their professions or fields of study demand them being conversant with the workings of these machines, while for a certain group of people, the former is just another critical household item. #IfYouKnowYouKnow

On this episode of “Tech As We Know It”, we prove to you that you know more about machines and tech vocabularies than you give yourself credit for and a good science student at that. (Yes, that word is still suitable. You can argue with secondary school students…if it doesn’t sound weird there too).

Moving on.

We all know a generator is designed to act as a backup power supply when there is shortage or unavailability of constant power supply but it has now become a necessity for every household and every company that requires electricity for various things to work.

Asides the liberty to run your generator at any time of the day, it would seem as though the Nigerian constitution demands that it be turned on at 7pm for the full night stretch if there hadn’t been light during the day.

It’s also almost mandatory for every household to have two generators especially in locations with erratic power supply in order not to overburden the workings of these generators; generally referred to as: “Small gen” and “Big gen” (Sounds like “Small Girl, Big God doesn’t it? *goofy*).

Here’s proof of terms that interaction with your ‘Gen Guy’ hasn’t been a waste after all:

• Servicing

Series of services for your generator would expose you so much to the workings of your generator, it’d be difficult for generator repair men to brow beat you. This would include terms of faulty parts that need to be changed which you would obviously deliberate on because you’re not to be EXPLOITED by these “GENERATOR GUYS”.

You would usually have about 2 or 3 generator guys’ numbers which include:

1. The one you would call regularly to service the generator (total servicing),
2. A substitute you would call when the 1^st guy is doing shakara or emergency cases when he can’t make it to your house because he lives far (somehow the good ones are never close by),
3. The 3^rd to fix minor faults because you don’t trust his expertise.

Very important advice: It is your duty to protect the identity of these guys from one another and their true designation to the survival of your generator to avoid conflict of service. You may also want to make them feel indispensable every now and then.

• Fuel System

A very critical question we ask in Nigeria before anyone turns on the generator is: how much fuel is left in the fuel tank?, to know how long the generator can hold out for or if there’s still fuel left in the reserve (usually in designated plastic jerrycans). This question is as critical as monitoring electricity reports in your household first-things-first when you return home. e.g how long has this light been gone for or when did this light return?

The fuel system asides its basic function of supplying fuel to the engine of the generator is also responsible for sudden heartbreaks, disappointments and steady sources of income to repair men. Once there’s a problem with the fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel injector, the valve and all its parts – it’s over.

No need to disturb yourself, no light for that day. Especially if it’s at night.

It is therefore important to make sure that there is enough fuel and the fuel system is in the proper working condition to pass on the fuel to the other parts.

• Voltage/Current

The definitions:

Current is the rate at which electric charge flows past a point in a circuit.

Voltage is the electrical force that would drive an electric current between two points.

This is what we know please: First of all, both terms can be used interchangeably as far as we are concerned.

Secondly, voltage or current is the current (as in half current or full current) used to measure the standard of power supplied to homes, usually detected using electric bulbs and fans to know which electrical appliances to turn on or not.

Basically with half current, there is electricity but it really can’t be used for anything. Just a sad looking glow from a bulb.

• Alternator and Voltage Regulator

The alternator is quite popular thanks to service repair men. Even if you don’t know the alternator, you’ll know the alternator belt. You know when the generator refuses to stay on because the belt isn’t rolling, then you keep trying and just when you think it’ll stay on, it goes off?

That’s part of it.

The alternator charges the battery and converts mechanical energy produced by the engine into electrical current that is sent out as output, and then the voltage regulator regulates the voltage sent out also converting AC to DC as needed by the appliances.

It’s in this same alternator business they’ll be talking about coil.

I’m sure that sounds more familiar. It’s all used in conducting electricity.

• Choke (otherwise referred to/pronounced as “shoke”)

You can see you know these parts.

The choke is that tiny part in the generator like a minute traffic indicator that is usually closed when starting a generator which is gradually opened in the few seconds after the engine starts.

May you not experience issues with your choke at night and when there’s no help. It’s usually painful.

• The Engine Oil

Very necessary and always comes in handy. Usually one of the first things you check in a generator if proving faulty. As long as it’s just an engine oil matter, everything’s good.

Important tip: You need to monitor usage of engine oil with this repair men otherwise, you’d be replacing it every other time. They have a knack of misusing it all in a bid to service generators.

• The Plug

The actual plug connected to your generator.

First question: How many people still have their plugs intact…and your generator isn’t brand new?

So many plug heads seem to have been substituted for three prongs of wire form the insulated wire casing.

• Change over switch

Designed like a gear shift, it’s akin to the function of the gear. Just as the car wouldn’t move without the gear set in motion, you wouldn’t be able to switch over to generator supply or power supply. For this switch, there are two types: the good old metal box one and a plastic one.

If you’re a user of the metallic one, there are 2 things involved:

1. That you haven’t had cause to change from the metal box one to the plastic one OR
2. You just like to “create awareness” from your household considering the noise the shift makes as you change over.

The metallic change over switch usually requires so much strength and energy to execute.

• Change over bulb

If you have the prepaid meter, you get to see the indicator light on the meter come on when power is restored. Otherwise there’s a life-saving bulb attached to a piece of wood on the dedicated wall panel to all things meters and electrical at a specific corner of the front of your house (usually the veranda) that indicates when power has been restored. That’s the changeover bulb.

• The siren

I’m not sure when sirens became a thing but that abrupt alarm that goes off when power is restored, has been bringing joy to homes since its advent and has now been associated with electricity, so it makes the list. It’s funny how it usually comes from a house that isn’t yours. So, it gets you wondering which people actually install these sirens as part of a set up to their generators.

Shouts of jubilation from children are another indicator to when power supply has been restored.

A big shout out to all the households that install that siren to alert the neighbourhood though.

Bonus

At this juncture, it’d be unfair not to include a colloquial terminology in the history books of generator language in Nigeria.

• “I beta pass my neighbour”

Tiger Generators popularly referred to as “I beta pass my neighbour” is a brand of generator known to have saved many homes and small businesses due to it’s affordability (in price and maintenance), portability and most importantly, fuel efficiency. With an ability to power a fuel electrical appliances, a few fans and light points, “I beta pass my neighbour” generator was the way to go in times of much dreaded fuel scarcities.

With a mix of N50 worth of engine oil for 7-10 litres of fuel per usage, you were good to go. Like every good thing which comes to an end, the disintegration of the “I beta pass my neighbour” generator was the beginning of epic rounds of constant servicing.

Public Service Announcement:

• Exhaust systems expel the harmful gases emitted by the generator during use. It is extremely important to ensure your generator isn’t placed near other inflammable substances or close to rooms, as fumes from generators are extremely dangerous to inhale and can KILL.
• Generators should not be used indoors.
• It is also important to ensure that your generator is properly earthed and placed under a shade or generator house where it can be protected from elements of weather or theft.
• And lastly, please don’t be the owner of the generator with exhaust fumes that disturbs neighbours and the EARTH.

Have more terms or experiences to share on how frequent you encounter “bad generator days” or how you follow the rules as a user? We’d love to read about your experience with your Science Project in the comment section.