(Newswire.net — September 2, 2020) — What do a Pennsylvania grocer, a midwest manufacturing plant, and a Texas data center have in common? They all lose tens of thousands to millions of dollars during power outages.
No doubt, like the 29% of data centers in Texas that suffered power outages last year and manufacturers losing up to $60 million in a day, you’ve now decided to get a backup generator of your own.
You might now be wondering how to install a generator at your location. There are many things to consider and the pressure is on during the peak of this 2020 hurricane season, and fires in the West. Although, it might be easier than you think to get things ready in time.
Keep reading to see the process, and be prepared!
What to Expect When Installing a Generator
To be more prepared for installing the generator, you have to know what’s involved. Some assumptions have to be made, considering every building and every company has different needs and situations.
Let’s go over some generalities now.
The Benefits
The obvious and most important benefit is cost savings. You won’t lose data, and you won’t have lost work time. You can stay in touch with customers, and keep your employees safe.
We’re sure you agree that a factory without lights is a dangerous place. A data center in texas without cooling gets very hot, very fast. This will damage the servers and the data stored on them.
If that data is compromised, your customers lose their data and their customers will complain and leave. You would have the potential to lose your customers in return as they go to a more reliable data center with better controls and a guarantee of no downtime due to power outage.
If you’re a clinic or a hospital, you can’t let your medical machines and electronics go down for even a second. Lives are at stake!
For every business, large and small, having a generator has untold and far-reaching benefits. No doubt, you have already decided what those benefits are for you, so let’s skip on to what can complicate things.
The Complications
There are a number of considerations and complications involved in generator location and installation. Flooding, high winds, and debris are all prime factors. Debris will clog airflow to the generator, high winds carry debris, and low-lying areas are easily flooded.
Here are a handful of common factors to consider:
- Local Climate
- Sound Ordinances
- Utilities and electrical rooms
- Space for an internal generator system
- Age of the building
- Rooftop generator systems
Local climate plays a major role. From fires to tornadoes and hurricanes or flooding, there are patterns to severe weather that you can predict in at least a moderate way. Perhaps you won’t know for a certainty a tornado or hurricane’s path, but knowing where they’ve come from in the past can help you predict where best to place your generator in the future.
Knowing your local sound ordinances and navigating the permitting with a professional installation company can help you determine enclosure needs, whether the generator should be installed inside, or even on a rooftop. Vibration creates heat and noise, and no one wants to have their office next to the generator room during an outage if you don’t account for it in advance.
Where are my utilities, and the electrical room for my building? These will help to reduce the complexity of the whole system if the location is well thought out and considered. Building age and whether there is already an old generator can help you determine if you should use a smaller parallel generator system using existing space, or a new outside system.
As you can see, there are numerous details. The overriding factor? As in real estate: location, location, location!
Maintenance
There are many things to maintain when it comes to generators. Installing it properly from the start will help you to have an easier time with maintenance. If you have an inside diesel-based generator system, proper flow from the outside storage tank to the indoor day-tank must be considered.
With natural gas, you’ll have to plan a complex network of piping. Proper planning during installation can help save you headaches in the future when maintaining these systems.
Keeping proper access controls to the generator room will help you control the safety of the system in an ongoing manner. A 3-foot rule from the NEC means that you need to keep at least a 3-foot radius at all times clear for ventilation and cooling needs.
Not only do the generator engines create a lot of heat, but also exhaust. This needs to be vented in a responsible and safe way. Airflow coming in is important, but exhaust systems and mufflers should be checked often for deadly carbon monoxide leaks.
Airflow, proper spacing, fuel type and Fuel Delivery Services are extremely important maintenance factors. Though, they are not so difficult that they prevent you from taking the safety and financial benefits that a generator has to offer.
You Know How to Install a Generator: Feeling Better?
Now that you know some things to consider on when and how to install a generator, you should be feeling better about things. Yes, there are plenty of problems in your location to overcome, but that’s the case with everyone.
Let a professional go over your building’s and company’s needs. It might not be as tough as you think to get it installed and operational in time for this year’s severe weather. No matter where you live in the country, power outages are a big problem.
With a generator on your side, it won’t be a problem for you!
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