Sometimes there is a need for backup power. This usually happens in cases where uninterrupted power supply is needed for a country house or municipal facility. There are many reasons why you need to organize backup power. Among the leaders are depreciation of power supply systems, intensive development in the area, discrepancy between characteristics due to increased needs, and others.
Why backup power is needed
As a result of all these reasons, there is a systematic power outage, constant drops, phase imbalance. This problem is familiar to many. For example, in some schools, when conducting a unified state exam, it is necessary that video surveillance be broadcast in real time. If there is a power outage, the exam will be invalidated.in a specific paragraph.
Under such conditions, one cannot even speak of a guaranteed resource of various devices. For example, some models of gas boilers or computer equipment are demanding on the quality of the voltage. Therefore, in case of a critical decrease, the power supply of the device simply cannot start, the protection will start to work. In our article, we will look at how to properly use a backup power source for an object - municipal or private.
For what time should the source be calculated
Here you need to mean for what period of time it is necessary for the site to be powered from an independent source of power supply. It should be noted that some devices are designed for continuous long-term operation. Gasoline, diesel, gas generators sometimes require a stop from time to time. For example, air-cooled gasoline generators.
It is also worth noting that some companies have in their price list services for installing electrical wiring directly to the power line (bypassing the local substation). After all, sometimes it is unrealistic to organize the power supply of the site in another way. In order to lay communication, you can use either a cable laid along a trench or an overhead line. It is better if the organization has a license, and it not only assumes all the installation work, but also deals with the execution of all documents. This isjust perfect.
But you can highlight the disadvantage of such a path. The cost of the work is very high, as it becomes necessary to install a personal substation. But if there are many neighbors and they are friendly, then you can install one substation for several houses. If there are problems with electricity supply in the microdistrict, this will be considered the most acceptable option. Moreover, in this case, you will get rid of interruptions in voltage, and its quality will be almost perfect. Any technique will be able to work without problems.
What needs to be powered
As for backup power sources, it is necessary that they provide electricity only to those devices that must constantly function. Therefore, you need to sit down in advance and decide which electrical appliances will be powered from backup sources. For example, it can be a boiler, a freezer, a refrigerator. Even a wireless Internet source can be included in this list.
It is worth noting that autonomous backup power supplies are units that are capable of generating voltage to power the equipment installed in the building. Moreover, it should work regardless of the citywide power supply network.
It is also worth noting that most of the appliances are powered by a single-phase voltage of 220 V. It also happens that there are appliances in everyday life that need to be supplied with not one, but three phases of 380 V. Therefore, it is important to take them into account if they are constantly used. Fortunately, such devices in everyday life are extremelyrarely, they are usually installed in industrial premises.
Backup power
If you follow the instructions of experienced professionals, you need to focus on an indicator of 20 kW. This is the maximum power that the backup power source should provide. For a small country cottage, of course, if it is not a huge palace, in which there are a large number of various devices, this power is enough. But this is only if the option with the inclusion of all devices in the network is used.
In the same case, if it is planned to power only the main electrical appliances, a lower unit power is sufficient. For example, if you turn on the heating boiler, circulation pump, TV, refrigerator, and lighting at the same time, then a generator with a power of no more than 4 kW is sufficient. In the same case, if an autonomous water supply system is installed in the house, then the pumping station will turn on from time to time. Be sure to consider its power. In addition, all electrical appliances that have motors consume about 25% more current at start-up than in a steady state of operation.
Be sure to consider starting currents. It is necessary to take into account the fact that in the future the total power of electrical appliances may increase. Therefore, it is necessary that the power of all electrical appliances is no more than 80% of the same characteristic of the generator.
As you can see, there are enough nuances. Therefore, it is necessary to define all devices that must be permanently connected to the network. Be sure to calculate their total power, then multiply by 1.5. This way you can make a small margin in power. Let's say you calculated that the total power of all consumers in the house is 5.5 kW. Therefore, if you increase this value by one and a half times, you will get 8.25 kW. This means that the generator power must be more than 8.25 kW.
Fuel Type
Now let's talk about what kind of fuel is best to use for a backup source. There are quite a lot of options. You can use gas, gasoline, diesel fuel. The main thing when choosing an option is to determine what is cheaper and more convenient to work with.
By the way, gas generators can even be connected to a household network. Of course, this must be coordinated with the gas service. The most acceptable are gasoline and diesel generators. They are unpretentious and work stably.
Where to put the generator
The location of the generator is determined by the dimensions of the source. It also depends on the design features. For example, diesel devices not only generate electricity, but also smoke heavily. Therefore, you need to make a quality hood. Devices that do not have a casing make a lot of noise. Therefore, they are best placed in an outbuilding or shed. When installing a backup power source, it is not necessary to mount batteries. Therefore, you need to allocate space only for the generator.
In the event that the backup power is installed outdoors, pay attention to what kind of start-up method it has. And it can be started both from the accumulator battery, and manually. True, there are devices with automatic start when the voltage in the network drops below normal.
Gas generators
If your home has mains gas, then installing a gas generator is the best option. Fuel for this device is the cheapest. The power of most products starts from 7 kW, and this is more than enough to power all electrical appliances in a country house.
True, the cost of a gas generator is 180 thousand rubles. But you need to consider how much you can save on fuel when compared to diesel or gasoline. And the most important thing is that there are practically no harmful emissions.
Gasoline generators
Common options for home backup devices. Gasoline engines are much simpler than diesel engines. Most of the owners of country houses have a car at their disposal. Therefore, knowledge about the principles of operation of an internal combustion engine is available. In addition, these generators are very easy to maintain. Therefore, such backup power supplies in schools are used along with the UPS. The latter allow the equipment to work for 15-30 minutes. During this time, the gasoline generator is started and the backup equipment is switched to. All equipmentmust be tested and have the appropriate documentation. This includes the act of checking the backup power supply.
Diesel Generators
It is worth noting that this name can mean several varieties of this technique at once. This includes diesel substations and diesel generators. The advantage of such units is that they can work non-stop for a long period of time. Compared to gasoline generators, these units do not generate fumes that must be removed in order to ensure fire safety.
Of course, the smoke from the device is intensively emitted, and for this reason it is necessary to make high-quality ventilation in the room in which the equipment is installed. In principle, it is possible to make the exhaust pipe as airtight as possible, lengthen it with the help of a flexible corrugation and bring it out into the street. In this case, all exhaust gases will go into the atmosphere. When providing backup sources of power supply to the building, it is necessary that all harmful emissions from the premises are discharged into the atmosphere.
Reserve non-traditional power supplies
We talked about only the most common devices that allow you to organize uninterruptible power. But there are others that are not used so often, but still worth mentioning. These are solar panels, uninterruptible power supplies, inverter-based designs. Judging by practice, then, regardless of the methodto solve an electrical problem, you still need to have a spare diesel or gasoline generator on hand.
Judging by the reviews of the owners of country houses, the most convenient for operation and repair are gasoline generators. It is worth noting that they can always be refueled directly from the car's gas tank. In other words, fuel for this generator can always be found, which cannot be said about gas generators. If necessary, the act of testing the backup power supply source is filled out. An example of such a document is given in our article. It is needed when installing such equipment in municipal and industrial buildings.
Combined system
It is worth considering that uninterruptible power supplies, solar panels, work for a short time. These devices come with batteries that need constant attention. Be sure to monitor their condition, recharge in a timely manner. Also, modern batteries, unlike obsolete samples, cannot be repaired.
If you have a lot of available funds, then the most appropriate solution would be to install a complex but reliable combined redundancy system. For example, during power surges, a power source is connected from an uninterruptible battery on batteries. If after some time there is no power supply, a diesel or gasoline generator is started.
This design will be costly, but you will completelyEliminate power outages at home. Such a backup source of power supply of the object will be able to work as stable as possible, and it does not need to be maintained frequently.
