Re: Generators

["David Buckley" <db@xxxxxxx>]

Whereas this is a great idea, there is a big gotch for those who think they
are going to have "whole house mains" from a genny.

Almost all those gennys with a blue C17 240V socket on them produce power a
little different to "normal" household mains.  The earth is not
the same as
neutral, they produce 240V as twice 120V with a centre tap.  Normal mains
has N and E the same, and L is 240V higher.  Some smaller gennys with
"ordinary" 13A sockets are also wired this way.

Why is this important?  When you connect you genny to your house power, you
MUST ensure you are double pole isolated (both L and N) from street power.
Otherwise, you have a direct short across one half of the genny through the
N to E bonding the electricity board provide.  Also, normally a N to E
short
goes unnoticed (unless through an RCD, whcih will trip), but with a genny a
N to E short is bad.  Thus you need a double pole MCB in the genny feed.

Theres no problems, just do it correctly.  And dont use a "suicide
cable"
with a plug at each end to connect the genny to the house!!!




----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark McCall" <mark@xxxxxxx>
Newsgroups: tex.com.ml.ukha_d
Sent: 21 February 2002 09:11
Subject: [ukha_d] Generators


> <RANT MODE>
> We suffered a NINE HOUR power cut yesterday (approx 2:30pm to
11:30pm).
NIE
> are so crap it's unbelievable.  After 4 hours of trying to get through
to
> them on the phone they admitted they still hadn't found the fault.  6
hours
> after the cut they were STILL looking for it.  NI has the most
expensive
> electricity prices in Europe and yet the service still stinks.
> </RANT MODE>
>
> Anyway - the purpose of this post is to STRONGLY advise anyone
involved in
a
> new build to have a generator switch-over switch fitted.  In the grand
> scheme of things the price will be invisible.  Adding it later will
probably
> be much more expensive.  Our generator is a small petrol affair (Honda
> engine).  It cost 360+VAT and is an absolute god-send.  Without it
we'd
have
> been sitting in a very cold, very dark house last night, watching our
> freezer defrost again.  With it we had Central Heating, Fridge,
Freezer,
> Lights, TV (and Dreamcast), one PC, and even the Microwave at one
point.
>
> M.
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