Generator

General

How to Use

Generators are most often found at warehouses, but can also be found in tool sheds and occasionally at Self storage facilities. Generators should to be placed close to the character's house so that it can be connected.

Generators can be picked up, regardless of any skill level, however they cannot be put into the player's inventory and must be carried. This means that the player cannot attack whilst carrying a generator and if a weapon is selected, the generator will be placed on the tile that the player is stood on. The player is also encumbered with the weight, meaning they will move slower, adding further risk.

Players should not place the generator inside the house. The generator will degrade a character’s health very quickly because of its exhaust. If the player happens to have done so, going outside will stop the player from taking damage, but the house will not be safe until the generator is turned off.

Generators can be connected to the power system of a house via the "Connect Generator" option in its context menu. A generator is fueled with gas via the "Add Fuel" context menu. The tank of a generator can take up to 1¼ gas cans worth of fuel and can only be filled while the generator is turned off.

Players need take the Electrician occupation or read the 'How To Use Generators' manual to operate a generator.

In a custom built shelter, there may be some difficulty in getting the generator working. Moving it to the roof may fix any issues.

If the Generator Working In Exterior Custom Sandbox World setting is enabled, generators may also be hooked up to other buildings around the world. One of the most practical uses of this is to power the pumps of Filling stations allowing for continued access to the station's fuel reserves.

Range

The range is 20 tiles and 5 floors (the one it is placed at, two down and two up).

Generator Range

Gas Consumption and Runtime

A generator running with no load being placed on it, will burn fuel at 0.02L/hr, The minimum consumption of fuel when running. Any devices that are within a 20 tile radius of the generator will add a load to the generator, consuming more fuel. Various devices will add different loads to the generator. All lighting, regardless of size, will add 0.002L/Hr of fuel consumption per light. other devices, like standing fridges and popsicle freezers, will add a much greater load (0.13L/Hr and 0.16L/Hr respectively). The total load being placed on a generator, along with the electrical demand per object, can be seen by right clicking on the generator and selecting "Generator Info".

To Calculate the runtime of a generator, the following equation can be used.

100/(X)* % Fuel Remaining = Runtime in Hours

X = Power Demand in L/Hr
Fuel Remaining in decimal form (0.##)
Runtime is measured in In Game Hours.

As an example, If you wanted to run a popsicle fridge (0.16L/Hr), a Television (0.03L/Hr), and 6 Lamps (0.012L/Hr), your total power demand would equal out to 0.202L/Hr. If your generator was filled with one full gas can worth of fuel (8 out of 10 units of fuel), this would give you a fuel volume of 80%.

100/(0.202L/Hr)* 0.80 = Approximately 396 Hours or 16.5 In game days

Gas Consumption Bug

On versions 41.24 and before, only devices placed directly under a roof (floor) consume electricity, whether pre-existing or self-constructed. The devices not placed under a roof still work.

Operations

Update in power consumption is done by powering down the generator and then back on, It is not done automatically as powered devices are added or removed.

Generators use variable amounts of fuel per hour (based on number and type of powered electronics using it as a source), and lose ~1.2% of condition per day as well. (41.53)

Electronics scrap can be used to repair a generator. At least one unit of Electronics Scrap has to be in the player's main inventory. Each Repair operation will restore 4% + (0.5 * Electrical skill level)% of condition. Repairs can only be performed on a powered off generator.

If condition drops lower than or equal to 20%, a chance for generator to catch fire or explode is introduced. Nearby cells may catch fire too. So keep your generators strictly above 20% condition. (41.53)

Generators can be heard from a base radius of 10 tiles. (41.53)

"Take Generator" requires the use of both hands. Equipping anything in the Primary or Secondary slots will cause the Generator to be dropped. (41.53)

Generators occupy a tile & cannot share the same tile with any constructions/furniture, but they do NOT cause collision (i.e. do not block cars, players, or zombies). Thus, one can hide a Generator from plain sight by parking a car/vehicle on top of it. (41.53)

Materials to Repair

Item Repaired	Repair Materials
Generator	1 × Scrap Electronics (4% + (0.5 * Electrical skill level)% repaired)

Spawn Locations for Custom Maps

Generators will automatically spawn in rooms with the following room definitions.

Name
shed
garagestorage
storageunit

Code

From newitems.txt (Project Zomboid directory/media/scripts/) Retrieved: Build 40.43

	item Generator
        	Weight				= 40,
        	Type				= Normal,
        	DisplayName			= Generator,
        	Icon				= Generator,
        	Tooltip 			= Tooltip_Generator,
		RequiresEquippedBothHands 	= true,
		MetalValue 			= 500,