Backup Generator Sizing For Dallas Homeowners
Generators are rated in watts or in kilowatts(kW). One thousand watts equals one kilowatt. Appliances are often rated in amps, amperes, volt-amperes or sometimes watts and kilowatts. Deciding which electrical circuits and appliances to power in an emergency is the first step to sizing a standby generator for your home.
This video enables you to consider various aspects of selecting the right size home generator for emergency power supply.
Sizing a Generator – How to Determine What Size You Need
Getting a generator that can handle all your power generation needs is one of the most critical aspects of the purchasing decision. Whether you are interested in prime or standby power, if your new generator can’t meet your specific requirements then it simply won’t be doing anyone any good because it can put undue stress on the unit and even damage some of the devices connected to it. Unfortunately, determining exactly what size of a generator to get is often very difficult and involves a number of factors and considerations.
Making a choice amongst single phase, three phase, kW, KVA, welder, standby or motor starting generators can be mind-boggling. To prevent such confusion, this article was developed to help you get a better idea of how the sizing process works and some key things to keep in mind. This is not a substitute for a certified electrician, which we always suggest talking to before buying, but it should provide you with enough information to get a solid understanding of some of the key things that are involved.
Generator Size Variations: With the latest advancements in the field of electrical engineering, generators are now available in a wide range of sizes. Generators with power supply capacities of 5kW to 50kW are readily available in the personal and home use markets, while industrial generators are anywhere from 50kW to over 3 Megawatts. Handy and portable gen sets are available for homes, RV’s and small offices, but larger businesses, data centers, buildings, plants, and industrial applications need to use the much larger sized industrial generators to meet their higher power requirements.
DETERMINING RUNNING WATTS.
In my view, the best way to determine how big home generator you need is to actually measure your required power. It’s not so difficult as one might think. First, of course, decide what lights and equipment you will need to operate simultaneously during an emergency. Then have your electrician measure your electric consumption when all these loads are running. If you have a proper electrical training and know how to safely work with electricity, you can do it by yourself. All you will need is a hand-held clamp-on amp meter with “Peak” function to capture inrush currents and line workers rubber gloves. To do the measurement wears the gloves, remove the front panel of the main disconnect box and enclose the line cable within the clamp-on device. Read the value of current on each of two “hot” wires separately. Make several measurements with 10-minute intervals and take the largest readings. Then multiply the greater of these two values by 240V. For example, if your load measurements on the two lines are I1=30A and I2=20A, then you need a gen set rated for at least 30A×240V=7,200 volt-amps. This number does take into account imbalance of your loads.
Importance Of Sizing A Backup Generator
Correctly sizing a standby generator is fairly easy, and very important. A generator that is too small won’t supply enough power. If you choose one that is too big, you’ll only waste fuel generating power that isn’t required. A home standby generator can power an entire house or selected critical circuits. Call (214) 238-8353 us for your home service and repair needs.
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