Generators to support major operations

[doxford jim]

After experiencing ice storms in Ontario and now having lived in central BC for ten years, I don't think I would ever be without emergency backup power.

Given the current situation in Toronto, I would like to think this is a wakeup call for most of the residents living in houses (not apartments or condos). I am sure that there are a lot who cannot afford the few thousand dollars needed, but those that can should make efforts to provide for themselves in the event of further power outages. Officially we are only five days into winter with another three months to go !!
Oh well, at least Hydro are doing what they can to get the power up and running for everyone.

It is nice to see that Rob Ford is keeping very quiet and business like instead of making an a*** of himself!
Thanks

 

[3930dave]

Saw this on CBC just now.

A guy from the Yukon was visiting relatives in Ottawa at Christmas.

Saw what was going on in Toronto, and he drove down from Ottawa with 2kw Honda suitcase Gen. He is spending his time moving this generator around, between about 5 houses, to get their furnaces running.

Just another country guy, showing the city folk how it's done. It appeared that he didn't know any of the people he was helping.

I suspect the shortages are mostly in basic knowledge, and DIY initiative, not money, when it comes to emergency generators.

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm the only one in my neighborhood with a generator...

Since I'm away a lot... I keep it at my 85 year old retired neighbors garage and he keeps it ready to go plus a stock pile of extension cords.

I was away when the power went out all day during a heat wave... the Honda 5000 kept all the freezers of my neigbors going...

It's nice to live in an area where people look out for each other!

 

[Scooby074]

Saw this on CBC just now.

A guy from the Yukon was visiting relatives in Ottawa at Christmas.

Saw what was going on in Toronto, and he drove down from Ottawa with 2kw Honda suitcase Gen. He is spending his time moving this generator around, between about 5 houses, to get their furnaces running.

Just another country guy, showing the city folk how it's done. It appeared that he didn't know any of the people he was helping.

I suspect the shortages are mostly in basic knowledge, and DIY initiative, not money, when it comes to emergency generators.

Rgds, D.

Yup.

Power outages are pretty regular here (not as regular as they used to be). No big deal really. Got a genset. Heat with wood. Power could go out for a year and Id be OK. So would many people in my area. We're pretty self sufficient.

Now city dwellers.. thats another story. Particularly those who expect government to do everything for them!

 

[3930dave]

I'm the only one in my neighborhood with a generator...

Since I'm away a lot... I keep it at my 85 year old retired neighbors garage and he keeps it ready to go plus a stock pile of extension cords.

I was away when the power went out all day during a heat wave... the Honda 5000 kept all the freezers of my neigbors going...

It's nice to live in an area where people look out for each other!

What goes around, comes around. I have great neighbours on both sides. One neigbour was already in his late 60s when he moved in. A little later I built my garage, and he came over to help when we were raising the 2x6 walls - just one example of him being a great neighbour. Fast forward not that many years, and he has declined enough that he can't do much physically any more.

We've had more snow this Dec, than we've had for quite a long time. I help his wife out (she's tiny, but a real dynamo about staying active) with the snow, esp. what the township plow puts in.

I only fire up my tractor for the real heavy stuff, and since I have gravel down, I want a frozen base to plow on at my place. Township plow had pushed the banks back this morning, so there were some pretty big frozen ice boulders at the end of the drives today. Fired up the 3930, cleared mine, and 2 other drives. With the tractor warmed up already, just took a few more minutes, and meant that some great neighbours wouldn't have to mess with a frozen wall of ice/snow.

I'd lend either one emergency power and/or my spare generator - and I don't lend things casually.

'Tis a great time of year to reflect on having great neighbours !

Rgds, D.

 

[SPIKER]

I recall talking to some people that built the Contactors for the BIG generators and were spun up by the electric motors & flywheels on the LINE (Radar Line across Canada and USA) so there were radar coverage across the top of the world to keep the Ruskies out.. There "DOWN TIME" was only like 6 cycles of the AC voltage from the time the power dropped out until the contactor dropped and the Flywheel was spinning the Diesel Engine. That 6 cycles is 1/10th of a second!!! The guy told me some of the issues they had in the development of the system. Some of the Engine Mounts were ripped right off when the flywheel and clutch grabbed basically turned the engine over in more ways than one! lol...

The company played out 4sets of 4/0 Welding Cable some 40 feet to build a Power Loop to max test the short circuit ability of the contactors (had to open/close under some 1000s of amps of power.) Guy said the copper would jump and jerk on the floor. Electromagnetic force got one chair when the cables looped over each other and created a magnetic loop & swacked around the nearest metal object which happened to be a metal fold up chair they had at the end of the cables...


I worked at MPP (Plumbing Fixture manufacture) and we had a BIG Generator that sat between TWO V12 Detroit Engines one on each end of the generator. The thing was about 18feet long from end to end of the engines and generator. Talk about loud within 40 feet inside or outside had to have ear plugs AND ear muffs, was fun working around it tho. Ended up having to rebuilt it while I was there we tore down and sent generator out to be re-wound with large copper bars (not little wires but BIG copper bars about 1/2"x1/4" windings) (twice first time the windings failed first test run.) It was one heck of a generator tho it went thru about 200 gallons a day in fuel. In that east coast power outage that thing ran for 3 days prior to shutting everything off in the plant and cost a heck of a lot to the company. Ended up having to rebuild 3 of our Transformer Stations too... Needless to say I made good money that year from all the overtime.

Mark

 

[3930dave]

Yup.

Power outages are pretty regular here (not as regular as they used to be). No big deal really. Got a genset. Heat with wood. Power could go out for a year and Id be OK. So would many people in my area. We're pretty self sufficient.

Now city dwellers.. thats another story. Particularly those who expect government to do everything for them!

Similar to major farms not having emerg power available, I have trouble seeing the issue as being purely financial for a Toronto house owner. You can drop $500k on a house in TO, w/o even trying, and many people are driving $50K+ vehicles - so access to financial resources is not a realistic limitation, as far as a basic emerg generator goes.

For a few reasons, I think that automatic xfer standby generators are a great solution for many people, ideally on Natgas. Unattended support for critical loads is often useful, and given how little many people know about engine maintenance today, an automatic Generac on NatGas, with a maintenance contract, is probably the optimal solution for "city" oriented folk.

As a percentage of the cost of Toronto housing today, even an automatic Generac system is not that significant. If I had a home based business, my first move would be to check with my accountant as to what portion of that gen system could be written off.

All that said, agreed: know-how and initiative are far and away the most important factors.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I recall talking to some people that built the Contactors for the BIG generators and were spun up by the electric motors & flywheels on the LINE (Radar Line across Canada and USA) so there were radar coverage across the top of the world to keep the Ruskies out..


I worked at MPP (Plumbing Fixture manufacture) and we had a BIG Generator that sat between TWO V12 Detroit Engines one on each end of the generator.

Mark

Cool stories Mark ! Can you imagine if those test cables had been left on a reel ? :shocked:

I've seen some big stuff being re-wound, it definitely is a different world, and can be hard to grasp the scale when you first look at it !

Rgds, D.

 

[SPIKER]

Cool stories Mark ! Can you imagine if those test cables had been left on a reel ? :shocked:

I've seen some big stuff being re-wound, it definitely is a different world, and can be hard to grasp the scale when you first look at it !

Rgds, D.

Biggest stuff I seen wound (not seen it being done but seen the windings.) Was over in PA we built a (After Burner) for their "Burn Off Oven" for the Windings/Generators at Westinghouse. These were Nuclear Power Plant/Subs etc Motors/Generators & had windings that were 1"x1" + sized copper bars! ::shocked: The Rebuilt them & had to burn/melt off the insulation materials from the copper bars. With the chance of some radioactivity they had to have the high temp HEPA filtration and Afterburner
to make sure no chance of contamination could possibly escape...
Not sue what machine whey used to wind them suckers but! :shocked:

Mark

 

[3930dave]

Biggest stuff I seen wound (not seen it being done but seen the windings.) Was over in PA we built a (After Burner) for their "Burn Off Oven" for the Windings/Generators at Westinghouse. These were Nuclear Power Plant/Subs etc Motors/Generators & had windings that were 1"x1" + sized copper bars! ::shocked: The Rebuilt them & had to burn/melt off the insulation materials from the copper bars. With the chance of some radioactivity they had to have the high temp HEPA filtration and Afterburner
to make sure no chance of contamination could possibly escape...
Not sue what machine whey used to wind them suckers but! :shocked:

Mark

A little bigger than what's in my Briggs, or UR's Honda !

All the same Fizx though..... just takes a really big bank account :greedy:

Rgds, D.