Recent content by Patrick Herd

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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    The EVSE is not the charger, it's essentially an extension cord with a contactor in it and a small microcontroller that gives the car a square wave of certain duty cycle. The duty cycle of that square wave is what determines how much current the car will draw via its onboard charger. If the...
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    Factory supplied EVSE sure, but there are adjustable options on the market
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    But you can turn it down, all vehicles that are compliant with J1772 can charge on as little as 6A generally on either 110 or 220V
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    No better better a test loadbank for a generator than an charging EV 🤣 In all seriousness an electric car could perform a useful task while a backup generator is running for actual backup reasons: The EVSE (the bit on the wall, incorrectly called the charger) tells the car how much current it...
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    The only things MG about the car are a: the badge. And b: the indicator clicker has been made to sound like an ancient Lucas electromechanical flasher of yesteryear.
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    Our new MG4 can output around 7kW using the V2L mode, really handy feature. Only bummer is that it's a vehicle stationary only feature. No running the coffee machine while driving.
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    I'd also suggest doing the same hot day load test with the generator at or near full load: Diesels get a lot of cooling from excess combustion air when running lightly loaded.
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    Rotary Phase Converters - revisited

    Electrical engineer here: I've built a couple of RPCs too, including one that converts 230V single phase into 400V three phase as all our network distribution is 230/400V Happy to answer questions on either RPCs or using VFDs and provide engineering perspective on either.
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    New barn build – compressed air question

    I'd guess a lot will condense in the underground line, a drop leg as it comes into the barn will catch a lot of it. Maybe a big valve for making noise on the 4th of July to remove water that's sitting in the pipe underground.
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    New barn build – compressed air question

    The HDPE piping system I use for compressed air at work and home says the product is suitable for underground use. Recommendations are to surround the pipe in sand, and to sleeve the pipe where it goes through foundations. I too am a fan of installing multiple ducts to allow for future changes.
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    It will help somewhat, I'd wager that a 3 phase motor and some capacitors would probably be even better: The compromises made when constructing single phase alternators and motors are reason for some of the harmonics. 3 phase motors are more efficient, have less mechanical vibration etc. A 3...
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    Rusty, Given that your outage is probably the longest and hottest your generator has run in its life, I'd seriously consider replacing the oil filter and maybe do an oil change too. Cheap insurance for a very valuable asset (I'd argue that to you, it's worth a lot more than you paid for it)
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    My go to cheap LV DC load is 8 gauge steel fence wire. If my hurried maths is correct one metre on 28V is about 22kw... Probably a little spicy. Wind a "spring" around some say 2" water pipe, try to get 20m or so on there. Stretch it out on the concrete so that turns don't short and then tap it...
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    Re: Power quality, I found this PQ1 Power Quality Sensor | Powerside Unsure on price. Otherwise I'd get an undervoltage relay from a manufacturer such as Phoenix Contact and set it to trigger at say 0.9x nominal voltage. Make sure to fit a squeaker so you know the fridge power needs resetting.
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    Your last generator Maintenance Run

    So the cheaper generators (at least in my experience) run essentially an induction motor style alternator. The capacitor supplies the leading reactive power (the VArs) which magnetises the stator allowing the rotor to be magnetised. In this case the voltage regulation is (entirely?) achieved by...
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