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Author Topic: First successful test......  (Read 2588 times)

George A

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First successful test......
« on: November 10, 2015, 06:31:13 PM »
I just shut down my Vidhata after the first test of my standby power system and gentlemen, I'm pleased to say the least.

I described my setup in a previous post, but basically it consists of a breaker lockout in my main panel with five selected circuits. Those circuits are lights, a few plugs, my fridge, freezer and furnace. Not much of a load but that's because my generator is only 2500 watts. A 20 amp cord is plugged into the generator and then into a designated outlet in the garage, which takes the power to the main panel. After that it's just a matter of shutting all the circuits off except the designated ones and flipping on the generator breaker.

It's cold here today (18*), with an ice fog.......perfect for a test of a "worst case scenario". I decided on a squirt of ether but found that to be a questionable idea. First of all, I don't like using the stuff as it's hard on engines. Second, my Listeroid actually "kicked back" a bit.......not enough to hurt me, but enough to let me know that ether will be a last resort.

The engine fired up easily and smoked like mad at first (cold). I gave it only a couple of minutes of running before I shut off my main breaker and engaged the generator breaker(s). I went back in my house and found all of my ceiling lights operating normally, with the exception of the back bedrooms.......flicker. This is because we've replaced the others with either LED's or CFL's and those do not flicker. If anything they seem a little brighter (governor is set to put out 125 volts). All of the designated plugs work. My fridge is working along with the propane furnace and since the freezer in the garage is on the same plug as the furnace I can only assume it works also. The total load with everything on.....only 5 amps! I don't know if the fridge or freezer kicked on or not, but there's plenty of "amps" left for them.

In short, everything works as planned thanks to a lot of forethought and good advice from folks here on the forum. Now, all I need is another power outage at an opportune time so I can "show off" a bit..........and fight off the neighbors.

Think I'll kick back with a cup of coffee now and celebrate. Just a little.  ;D
« Last Edit: November 10, 2015, 10:01:09 PM by George A »
I've joined "the dark side"....if it has a spark plug, it's obsolete technology.

dieselgman

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Re: First successful test......
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2015, 07:06:55 PM »
Congrats George!

I would hope that your power switching included a lock-out mechanism so that mains power could never be energized/connected at the same time as your generator supply.

If you have a Kill-a-Watt meter (or similar) that would be a good way to test viability of your output at various locations. For some things, frequency can be very important and I would be careful about operating the refrigeration appliances without fairly clean power.

dieselgman
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Tom

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Re: First successful test......
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2015, 08:03:36 PM »
That Vidhata, if it's a 6/1, will put out about 3100 watts once it's broken in. My Ashwamegh will with just a hint of grey smoke. Congrats on the test with that limited load you won't have to do any load management. We run our whole off-grid home off the our generator and only the well pump and microwave give any issues. Now you only need a good AK and a few cases of ammo and you've got things covered, oh you'll also need a shovel to have things covered.  :-\
Tom
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George A

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Re: First successful test......
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2015, 08:14:19 PM »
Yup...........got a lock out on the main panel and arranged it so that only ONE side of my panel is activated, so 120 volts only is available. And yes, I have a kilowatt......which is how I monitored the juice required by certain appliances and test for frequency, etc.

So 3100 watts? It's good to know that I have some "reserve" left if another, bigger generator becomes available. As for an AK, I live in the "dark state" where such things are not allowed because I might go nuts and wipe out Sacramento or something. So, of course, I obey the law to the letter............................

As for the shovel, well, this is "high desert" country up here.......meaning a LOT of open, un-populated space. Perfect for disposing of the trash.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2015, 08:49:54 PM by George A »
I've joined "the dark side"....if it has a spark plug, it's obsolete technology.