KARACHI, May 18: As the mercury rises and the Karachi Electric Supply Company increases loadshedding hours, generators, again, become the only option for those who can afford to buy them.

The many generator shops around the city are back in business, providing repair and servicing of old generators while selling new ones, too.

About the biggest sellers these days, Mohammad Faisal of Nisar Power Service at Purani Numaish said: “Well, we have Japanese as well as Chinese generators of which the latter sell more for being reasonably-priced.

“The 2-KVA or 2.5-KVA generators sell better although people also buy 1-KVA ones that cost between Rs35,000 and Rs38,000 on which you can run four fans and as many tube lights. People with smaller budgets can also get second-hand generators,” he said, adding that preference was still more for the petrol and gas varieties.

Regarding maintenance, Mr Faisal said that many brought in their old generators for servicing which should be done according to the running of a generator. “If you use it a lot, then you should bring it in for servicing once a month, and so on and so forth,” he said.

Meanwhile, another generator market on main Khaliq-uz-Zaman Road caters to the Defence and Clifton buyers who are looking for bigger generators. “The big generators are bought by the big people,” Mohammad Asif of Power Plus puts it simply.

“Our customers residing in Defence and Clifton are usually delicate people who cannot tolerate the heat. For them, we have 10- and 20-KVA diesel generators. A 10-KVA generator will run all your lights, fans, fridge, freezer, TV and two air conditioners,” he said, “while a 20-KVA generator will also take on your entire house load including four air conditioners,” he said. The price for a 10-KVA generator is around Rs550,000 while the 20-KVA one is for Rs750,000.

The dealer also said that they only sold overhauled and reconditioned Japanese generators. “They are all second-hand and imported from Japan. We recondition them and make them as good as new before reselling them,” he said.

About the problems or faults that may occur in the devices, Mr Asif said there were hardly any big issues there, only minor stuff. “At the most the starter burns down and has to be replaced like spark plugs or other small parts here and there. Other than that it is just the usual stuff like oil change, etc., that needs to be carried out regularly,” he explained.

Just across the road from there is ACG Power. Its owner Amin Karim only deals in brand-new American generators.Surprisingly, the price for an 8-KVA generator here is Rs195,000 while for 12-KVA, their biggest seller, it is Rs285,000. “And they come with warranty,” said Mr Karim who had been supplying in bulk to Punjab, too.

The generators, he provided, are all “dual-fuel” — petrol/gas and diesel/gas. “Our gas generators had a huge market in Lahore, but that has changed over the past two years due to the severe gas shortage there,” he said. “Therefore, we now have both kinds.The diesel/gas variety has a very sophisticated and different electronic system where the engine starts on diesel but gradually switches to gas, using 20 per cent diesel and 80pc gas,” he explained.

The gentleman, who supplies to companies as well as homes, said that gas generators developed few faults. “They don’t collect carbon but oil change after 80 hours of running and oil filter change after every 200 hours of running are quite necessary if you want the engine to remain trouble-free,” he said.

So soon the petrol pumps would once again find people also buying petrol and diesel in bottles and jerrycans. Though the general perception is that there is no special effort required for gas generators as they can easily run on the usual home gas connections, when contacted, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) begged to differ on this.

“For big generators running on gas, you must get our permission. We provide a new gas line, a new meter and regulator, along with taking a deposit, for gas generators specifically,” guided SSGC Chief Manager for Media Relations Inayatullah Ismail.

“But mind you, don’t confuse it with an industrial connection. That is something different. It’s just that the home line is not sufficient for gas generators that consume so much gas that your geyser and stove won’t have any gas left to function normally,” he pointed out.

So this only leaves out those people who cannot afford generators. Well, they can always open their windows or doors to get some fresh air when the power is out … if their neighbours also don’t have generators, that is. Because if they do, their misery will double or even triple with the noise and exhaust fumes from that thing next door!