Deepak Jain wrote:
Thanks for the kind words Ken.
Power failure testing and network testing are very different disciplines.
We operate from the point of view that if a failure occurs because we have scheduled testing, it is far better since we have the resources on-site to address it (as opposed to an unplanned event during a hurricane). Not everyone has this philosophy.
This is one of the reasons we do monthly or bimonthly, full live load transfer tests on power at every facility we own and control during the morning hours (~10:00am local time on a weekday, run on gensets for up to two hours). Of course there is sufficient staff and contingency planning on-site to handle almost anything that comes up. The goal is to have a measurable "good" outcome at our highest reasonable load levels [temperature, data load, etc].
At least once a year I like to go out and kick the service entrance breaker to give the whole enchilada an honest to $diety plugs out test. As you said, not recommenced if you don't maintain stuff, but that's how confident I feel that my system works. ~Seth