We will never be without power

[djrichie_t]

My latest lil project, i own a few 6 to 8kVA diesel generators for small outdoor events, and thought i'd make a little contingency plan incase our power goes out, flick a switch and were back on!

And yep the gennys are neutral earthed

even better, they run on cooking oil. if it werent for the noise it would be alot cheaper to run our house!

this is what i did when i got bored. custom job on the changeover switch, even got a mains active alarm so u know when the mains is back on

 

[RF Lighting]

I really must get round to installing my changeover switch at home. It was a real PITA wiring the genny in during our last power cut


Why do you have an RCD main switch?

It doesn't look like a TT supply to me

 

[djrichie_t]

its old-school crabtree installed by the council years ago in our council house days, which i havent gotten round to changing. spose thats the next thing but all is good so far.

you probs already know this but for the benefit of those that dont, make sure the neutral and earth are commoned inside the genny when you connect one up as it mimics the mains supply. most smaller gennies are floating or 120-0-120 which is not good at all.

 

[Stoday]

Can those pins become live by some combinationof the switches?

If so, it's inherently dangerous.

 

[Spark123]

How are you earthing the neutral? Do you have a local electrode?

 

[Lectrician]

Can those pins become live by some combinationof the switches?

If so, it's inherently dangerous.

It looks pretty obvious that the change over switch is not going to allow those pins to become live Thats the point in them!

Where is the cable shroud from the top of the MEM 80 amp switch fuse?

Seems to be alot of RCD protection there for a TN-S supply.

Is there an earth rod connected to the fixed earth of the building? There should be, as you are not going to drive one down each time you plug your genny in. A rod is still required even if the gens alternator has the neutral and earth linked at it's output - the neutral still needs tying down - Many people seem to think they can ommit it.

Also, is there any overcurrent protection on the gen origin side? It is usuall to fit a 63amp breaker or smaller to match your 'appliance inlet' or generator rating.

I would also like to see an isolator between the meter and the changeover switch. I know the changeover switch can be considered an isolator, but not when it has control circuits is the form of indicators and mains restoration sounders......

Meter muppet has not terminated the tails very well either - I hate it when they strip back the sheath.

 

[Adam_151]

even better, they run on cooking oil. if it werent for the noise it would be alot cheaper to run our house!

As far as I was aware, you couldn't run a diesel engine on cooking oil properly unless you modified the engine to cope with it, or processed it into proper biofuel. Modern vehicle common rail engines would present the biggest problems, but plain diesel engines arn't amazing for it either, the higher vicousity is a problem, as is unburnt oil clogging up the cylinders, etc

Surely it'd be easier to run it on red? afterall thats what its for!

 

[Steve]

diesel combined with cooking oil is the best option. Some people get it up to 50:50, but its best not to start playing with this in winter - cooking oil gets a big claggy when its cold. Not good for fuel pumps and lines

 

[Chris.J]

diesel combined with cooking oil is the best option. Some people get it up to 50:50, but its best not to start playing with this in winter - cooking oil gets a big claggy when its cold. Not good for fuel pumps and lines

I have often wondered if mixing filtered cooking oil with parafin (or 28 sec CH oil Kerosene) to get the viscosity to match (or thereabouts) that of Red diesel (35 sec) would be ok for the sort of engines these generators use? AFAIK, you don't generally find common rail ones used in these applications.

 

[plugwash]

if you don't already have one then you should add a rod tying the generator earth to real earth since you shouldn't be relying on the DNO earth during a powercut.

 

[bernardgreen]

if you don't already have one then you should add a rod tying the generator earth to real earth since you shouldn't be relying on the DNO earth during a powercut.

Especially if the power cut was either a boy racer taking out a power pole on a PME system or a vaporized cable in an access chamber ( man hole ) when some one wanted some scrap copper to sell.

 

[djrichie_t]

Im back - and yeah there is a rod i put in which i connect the genny to. Had to use an old electricity board trick to get the rod reading right down but 0.3 ohms is good - yep u guessed it, take a leak on the ground as you bang the rod in!

As for having an isolator switch before the c/o switch, theres no need. i just pull the cutout fuse. i have plenty of seals

Theres a 32 amp mcb on the genny with a matching ceeform outlet, i just connect end to end and bobs your uncle.

all our heating/shower is fed off the combi, and we have a gas hob so there isnt much of a load issue, just the feed to the music studio building which has its own electric heating (and separate earth)

As for the cable shroud from the top of the mem fuse... i broke it wrestling with a tail. i will sort it when i get round to it

 

[Lectrician]

Im back - and yeah there is a rod i put in which i connect the genny to. Had to use an old electricity board trick to get the rod reading right down but 0.3 ohms is good - yep u guessed it, take a leak on the ground as you bang the rod in!
Does your pee not evaporate or soak away as quickly as the rest then
Hopefully this rod is permentantly installed, and permenantly connected to the earthing of the building, and not just connected when the gen is plugged in?

As for having an isolator switch before the c/o switch, theres no need. i just pull the cutout fuse. i have plenty of seals
Maybe you do - but you should be thinking of the next owner/occupier too

Theres a 32 amp mcb on the genny with a matching ceeform outlet, i just connect end to end and bobs your uncle.
As you have fitted a ceeform type inlet, any gen can be connected, of any size. Maybe you will always use the same genset, but other people in the future may not.

all our heating/shower is fed off the combi, and we have a gas hob so there isnt much of a load issue, just the feed to the music studio building which has its own electric heating (and separate earth)
Why a seperate earth? A TN-S earthing system is great for exporting.

As for the cable shroud from the top of the mem fuse... i broke it wrestling with a tail. i will sort it when i get round to it
Glad to here it

 

[djrichie_t]

Na pee stays in the soil, gives a very low resistance and reacts very well to AC current. Spot on aid in reducing the resistance of earth rods!

Im not planning on leaving the property, but if i do its all coming out and back to normal.

Our house is right at the end of the street, and with the piece of string coming up our road on only 2 phases I think I would rather trust my own earth in the studio. makes me feel more snug!

 

[flyingsparks]

Going back a few years now, when we had a power cut dad would get out his trusty piece of flex with a 3 pin plug at each end and back feed from the generator into a socket then at the fuseboard just turn on the critical circuits...worked OK and he's still alive!! I dont suggest you try it tho!