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Group B: Emergency Electrical Power is provided after the actual disaster and all electrical installations have been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power (Mostly Private Households and Non Service Critical Installations)
This is part 2 of our Hurricane Preparedness. One of the most common question we are asked by MEP Owners is the question of sizing the Generator for a particular situation. The Electrical Code requires since 2006 that a Generator is capable of providing full power to the Property in question. If a smaller Generator is used then the Electrical Circuits have to be divided into a Sub Panel which would be powered only. As a rule of thumb, a 10KW can easily power an entire house with two A/C Units if the House is using gas for cooking and heating including water heater and dryer. If a standard house is to be powered by electric only then you may want to consider a 30KW Generator if your Service Panel is rated for 100Amps and 60KW for a Service Panel with a 200Amp rating. If your service panel is rated 100Amps you may be able to get away with a 15KW Generator. Add all your 240 VAC Equipment’s KW, i.e. A/C, Electric Water Heater, Stove, Electric Furnace, Dryer, Pool Pump etc. The Stove is usually the biggest potential Electric Load in a house, but we have yet to encounter a customer who intends to cook a full 7 Course Dinner during a power outage. The next item on this list is the water heater. The Water Heater is controlled by a Thermostat to maintain the selected temperature. It will therefor turn on and off intermittently and builds with a cycling A/C Unit/Furnace the main consumer during emergency power operations. Both units combined should not be larger then 50% of your available power. If you you are using additional space heaters throughout the house then you may want to add those to the 50% as well as they will cycle to. Lights, Refrigerators, Ceiling Fans, TV’s etc usually should be combined below 25% of your power rating.
This should answer some basic questions.
Another item which has caused some confusion is the question of a proper service entrance for your Genset Power. The Code requires this service entrance to be a Manual Electrical Disconnect, lock able and rated for the maximum power of your Genset. This Disconnects has to be mounted next to your utility service entrance (Meter). The Code also requires this Disconnect to be labeled advising Emergency Personal that this building is powered by Automatic Emergency Power Equipment. If your Generator is more then 60 feet from this Disconnect or out off clear line sight then the location also has to be stated on this Label. Please remember, the reason for this is simple. If your property is experiencing a fire, the first thing the arriving Fire Fighters will do is pull your commercial power before starting to extinguishing any fire. Water and Electricity do not mix well. With a Automatic Transfer Switch the emergency power would be activated as soon as the Fire Fighters pull the utility power and the building would then be again under power. So, for the safety of our Emergency Personal and to protect your valuable property, please follow the code. A Instruction label on the Generator Front panel instructing Emergency Personal to Push the E-Stop if they need arises and the Genset has to be shut off, rather then going through the regular shut down process.
Now, back to our Group B Questions:
Note: We are excluding here any mobile power equipment which is installed on a trailer and the intended use is to be moved, hooked up and operated after a Disaster.
1. Are you planning on installing a Automatic Transfer Switch in a Flood / Storm surge Area where the Flood Peak Level can enter your house?
Prior to the Hurricane, Manual and ATS Systems in NON FLOOD AREAS:
2. Are you planning to pour a foundation for your Generator
3. Will this Generator be enclosed in a Concrete Structure (Concrete / Concrete Bricks)?
4. Is this structure and enclosure capable able to withstand side moving torrential rains and a high water run off from those torrential rains and Storm gusts up to 200MpH?
5. If you are intending to only pour a foundation with no enclosure, have you made any provision to anker your Genset to your foundation to prevent the Generator from shifting, moving and being flipped over due to Storm Gusts up to 200 MpH?
6. If you are intending to only pour a foundation with no enclosure, have you made any provision to prevent any side way moving torrential rains from entering the Air-intake, Exhaust, Control Cabinet and other critical parts of your Genset by means of heavy custom made sheet metal (12ga minimum Stainless Steel) covers ?
7. Have you planned in for a Manual Emergency Power Disconnect as Building Entrance for the Genset power?
8. Are all Electrical Service Entrances including the Emergency Power Disconnect to the Building are protected from storm gusts up to 200 MpH and side ways moving torrential rains?
9. Can back flowing raw sewage cause a risk to any electrical installations?
10. Is your Auxiliary Diesel Tank and fuel lines safe and properly protected from the storm surge, side way moving torrential rains and wind gusts?
11. Is your Diesel Fuel in the Tank safe and properly protected from contamination from the storm surge, side way moving torrential rains and wind gusts?
12. Is your Diesel Fuel Storage large enough to provide your Genset with enough fuel (GPH) for full load rating for a period of 2 t o 4 weeks without stopping?
13. Have you planned the entire system with appropriate lightening protection and earth grounding?
Congratulations, your system is now ready to provide power during the disaster without having been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power.
All other Installations / Setups which do not meet the above criteria’s should only be manually operated after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power!
DOWNED POWER LINES POSE A EXTREME LIGHTENING HAZARD WITHOUT ADDITIONAL LIGHTENING PROTECTION INSTALLED AFTER THE UTILITY SERVICE ENTRANCE EVEN IF YOU PULL YOUR METER TO COMPLETELY DISCONNECT FROM THE UTILITY GRID!
If this system is used in conjunction with a Automatic Transfer Panel, then you can expect the following sequence during a Hurricane to take place:
Please feel free to contact us [ https://www.ihtltd.com/index.php?route=information/contact ] if you have any further questions.
Sincerely
Peter
P.S. I never had the intention of becoming a great American Write, so I didn't major in English....
This is part 2 of our Hurricane Preparedness. One of the most common question we are asked by MEP Owners is the question of sizing the Generator for a particular situation. The Electrical Code requires since 2006 that a Generator is capable of providing full power to the Property in question. If a smaller Generator is used then the Electrical Circuits have to be divided into a Sub Panel which would be powered only. As a rule of thumb, a 10KW can easily power an entire house with two A/C Units if the House is using gas for cooking and heating including water heater and dryer. If a standard house is to be powered by electric only then you may want to consider a 30KW Generator if your Service Panel is rated for 100Amps and 60KW for a Service Panel with a 200Amp rating. If your service panel is rated 100Amps you may be able to get away with a 15KW Generator. Add all your 240 VAC Equipment’s KW, i.e. A/C, Electric Water Heater, Stove, Electric Furnace, Dryer, Pool Pump etc. The Stove is usually the biggest potential Electric Load in a house, but we have yet to encounter a customer who intends to cook a full 7 Course Dinner during a power outage. The next item on this list is the water heater. The Water Heater is controlled by a Thermostat to maintain the selected temperature. It will therefor turn on and off intermittently and builds with a cycling A/C Unit/Furnace the main consumer during emergency power operations. Both units combined should not be larger then 50% of your available power. If you you are using additional space heaters throughout the house then you may want to add those to the 50% as well as they will cycle to. Lights, Refrigerators, Ceiling Fans, TV’s etc usually should be combined below 25% of your power rating.
This should answer some basic questions.
Another item which has caused some confusion is the question of a proper service entrance for your Genset Power. The Code requires this service entrance to be a Manual Electrical Disconnect, lock able and rated for the maximum power of your Genset. This Disconnects has to be mounted next to your utility service entrance (Meter). The Code also requires this Disconnect to be labeled advising Emergency Personal that this building is powered by Automatic Emergency Power Equipment. If your Generator is more then 60 feet from this Disconnect or out off clear line sight then the location also has to be stated on this Label. Please remember, the reason for this is simple. If your property is experiencing a fire, the first thing the arriving Fire Fighters will do is pull your commercial power before starting to extinguishing any fire. Water and Electricity do not mix well. With a Automatic Transfer Switch the emergency power would be activated as soon as the Fire Fighters pull the utility power and the building would then be again under power. So, for the safety of our Emergency Personal and to protect your valuable property, please follow the code. A Instruction label on the Generator Front panel instructing Emergency Personal to Push the E-Stop if they need arises and the Genset has to be shut off, rather then going through the regular shut down process.
Now, back to our Group B Questions:
Note: We are excluding here any mobile power equipment which is installed on a trailer and the intended use is to be moved, hooked up and operated after a Disaster.
1. Are you planning on installing a Automatic Transfer Switch in a Flood / Storm surge Area where the Flood Peak Level can enter your house?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is Yes, please contact us to discuss your situation as this requires additional Monitoring Equipment to monitor water / flood levels to lock out the ATS / Genset due to flooding with a Manual Reset after Inspection once water levels have rescinded)
Prior to the Hurricane, Manual and ATS Systems in NON FLOOD AREAS:
2. Are you planning to pour a foundation for your Generator
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No then you may want to reevaluate your plans to prevent the Genset from sinking into the ground due to high levels of torrential rains and the weight of the Generator)
3. Will this Generator be enclosed in a Concrete Structure (Concrete / Concrete Bricks)?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, proceed to question #5 )
4. Is this structure and enclosure capable able to withstand side moving torrential rains and a high water run off from those torrential rains and Storm gusts up to 200MpH?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
5. If you are intending to only pour a foundation with no enclosure, have you made any provision to anker your Genset to your foundation to prevent the Generator from shifting, moving and being flipped over due to Storm Gusts up to 200 MpH?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
6. If you are intending to only pour a foundation with no enclosure, have you made any provision to prevent any side way moving torrential rains from entering the Air-intake, Exhaust, Control Cabinet and other critical parts of your Genset by means of heavy custom made sheet metal (12ga minimum Stainless Steel) covers ?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
7. Have you planned in for a Manual Emergency Power Disconnect as Building Entrance for the Genset power?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
8. Are all Electrical Service Entrances including the Emergency Power Disconnect to the Building are protected from storm gusts up to 200 MpH and side ways moving torrential rains?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
9. Can back flowing raw sewage cause a risk to any electrical installations?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is Yes, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
10. Is your Auxiliary Diesel Tank and fuel lines safe and properly protected from the storm surge, side way moving torrential rains and wind gusts?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
11. Is your Diesel Fuel in the Tank safe and properly protected from contamination from the storm surge, side way moving torrential rains and wind gusts?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
12. Is your Diesel Fuel Storage large enough to provide your Genset with enough fuel (GPH) for full load rating for a period of 2 t o 4 weeks without stopping?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
13. Have you planned the entire system with appropriate lightening protection and earth grounding?
Answer: Yes / NO ( If the answer is No, revise your plans or operate your GENSET manually after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power)
Congratulations, your system is now ready to provide power during the disaster without having been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power.
All other Installations / Setups which do not meet the above criteria’s should only be manually operated after the disaster and the entire House / GENSET / Property has been checked / inspected for damage prior to activating the Emergency Power!
WARNING!
DOWNED POWER LINES POSE A EXTREME LIGHTENING HAZARD WITHOUT ADDITIONAL LIGHTENING PROTECTION INSTALLED AFTER THE UTILITY SERVICE ENTRANCE EVEN IF YOU PULL YOUR METER TO COMPLETELY DISCONNECT FROM THE UTILITY GRID!
If this system is used in conjunction with a Automatic Transfer Panel, then you can expect the following sequence during a Hurricane to take place:
1. When the outer bands of the Hurricane are reaching your Area then you can expect the torrential rains, storm surge and and wind gusts to steadily increase. During this time the Utility Power usually is lost.
2. Your ATS will detect the Utility Power Loss and sent a signal to our Auto Start System in your Genset.
3. Depending on the type of MEP Genset, Emergency Power will be available between 45 seconds to 4 Minutes
4. The ATS has actively disconnected you from the Utility Grid during this time - any thing which happens in the Utility system has no impact on your running system, including lightening strikes. Recommendation: Set your Utility Power Sense to 5 minutes - this will prevent any erratic starting / switching once Utility Power comes back on
5. When the eye of the Hurricane approaches your system the winds and rains are almost coming to a stop.
6. Once the eye passes the torrential rains, flooding and storm gusts resume until the Hurricane has moved further inland and is starting to loosening its strength.
Please feel free to contact us [ https://www.ihtltd.com/index.php?route=information/contact ] if you have any further questions.
Sincerely
Peter
P.S. I never had the intention of becoming a great American Write, so I didn't major in English....
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