On Mon, 29 Mar 2004, Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr. wrote:
On Monday 29 March 2004 01:26 pm, Brian (nanog-list) wrote:
Does anyone know of a way to get a UPS to trigger a generator to start, and to switch over to the generator power automatically or does this type of thing just not exist?
I think you are looking at it wrong, you need an Automatic Transfer Switch. It connects to both commercial power and your generator, and provides a feed into your panels. Your UPS's sit in front of the ATS, and provide clean power. If/When you loose commercial power, the ATS will detect this and power on the generator, after a configurable amount of time it will switch to generator power, until commercial power comes back and is stable for X amount of time.
We are talking about some significant energy levels here, and this is NOT a DIY project. If the switch is hooked up wrong, you can (attempt) to power up your part of the grid during a failure, and kill people in the attempt.
Agreed. You should have an electrician install the automatic transfer switch along with the UPS. If you are going to install a permanent generator you will need to get permits anyway, which will require a licensed electrican. Talk to your UPS vendor for electrical contractor recommendations in your area. BTW, for safety and protection of your equipment, large automatic transfer switches sense voltage, frequency, and phase when switching between generator and utility power. Mike. +----------------- H U R R I C A N E - E L E C T R I C -----------------+ | Mike Leber Direct Internet Connections Voice 510 580 4100 | | Hurricane Electric Web Hosting Colocation Fax 510 580 4151 | | mleber@he.net http://www.he.net | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+