Protocol for switching from shore power to generator

[rondds]

I got some ridicule from a friend for powering down the breakers on the panel for the fridge, icemaker and both ac units individually, then shutting the main breakers on the panel, then shutting the breakers on the power tower on the dock, then starting the genny, waiting a few minutes, and then repowering all the above mentioned things one at a time.

Am I being overly cautious? I was under the impression that anything with a compressor should not be shut down and quickly restarted.

 

[66pony]

Not at all. Best to start the Genny, let it get some lubrication and let it warm up a little. (1-2 minutes) then load it up gradually to avoid overloading the sustem with a large surge if you start everything at once. Will not do your Genny or appliances any good. Also when shutting down, unload it gradually and then let the genny run for a minute or two to cool down.
IMHO -- you are doing the correct thing.

 

[HIFI]

I got some ridicule from a friend for powering down the breakers on the panel for the fridge, icemaker and both ac units individually, then shutting the main breakers on the panel, then shutting the breakers on the power tower on the dock, then starting the genny, waiting a few minutes, and then repowering all the above mentioned things one at a time.

Am I being overly cautious? I was under the impression that anything with a compressor should not be shut down and quickly restarted.

I think you are 100% correct in your sequence. I go one step further and turn the air conditioning off at the SMX pannels as they can be effected by a power surge/break while they are on and in thier programmed mode.

You are also correct about allowing the compressors to rest before a restart but that is usually a long waiting period. That is one rule I don't follow well.

 

[Greg]

I do the same thing, also I don't think it is a good idea to give the genny a big surge with all the AC's, fridge, water heater, etc. at once. Although, I start my genny while still connected to shore power, let it run for 5 minutes or so, while getting ready to go.

The themostats do have a built in compressor lockout timer, but I don't know how (or if) that deals with a power interuption.

 

[Four Suns]

What Greg and the dentist with the gate valves said....

 

[rondds]

Hi Fi - I actually do power the ac units down at their respective controls first.

I just re-read what I wrote in post #1 and I should also make it clear that I do NOT shut the individual breakers off for the icemaker and the fridge. These units are turned off when I shut the SHORE POWER breaker on the panel. Probably not the best thing to do.

I'm not so much concerned about the turning off procedure as I am about the turn-back-on procedure. If I understood my friend, he simply gets the genny running, then switches the breakers over from SHORE POWER to GEN. This no doubt shuts the entire arsenal of AC powered items OFF and then back ON in a second or two.

 

[Hampton]

Dittos. My genny is approaching 1600 hours, and 6 years - I'm due for a problem, but I try to minimize the threat.

The only question I really have is: I have read that you want to turn on your high load items first, such as A/C, so that the surge does not put you over your load limit, then turn on the smaller items that don't surge so high. But, I want to warm up the genny little by little to ensure you have a smooth, even warm-up cycle. So which is more important?

To take it to extreme, in very cold conditions, I have actually started the genny, let it warm up for 2-3 minutes, then turned on the AC converter (batt charger), then the refrig, then some other stuff, then turned them off, turned on the heater, then after the surge, turned on the little stuff again, I'm convinced that this IS overkill, but I don't want to burn things out too soon.

 

[Alex F]

I don't do individual breakers, but I let my genny to warm up for couple of minutes before I load it by shifting the main breaker. I can hear how it sounds and I do control the load depending on the components I need to use. For example, A/C, water heater and stove take a lot of juice, so I would turn off the WH if I need to use the stove while A/C is on. When I'm ready to shut it down I turn the main breaker off and let it run to cool off for couple of minutes, then I shut it completelly.

 

[fc3]

The proper protocol is for the ship's engineering officer to adjust the switches. If the vessel does not have an engineering officer or if the engineering officer is the captain, then the captain may perform these duties. In no case should this be done by the admiral!

The captain and engineering officer should march up to the panel and come to attention. All other crew members should form up behind the captain and also come to attention. This is where it gets complicated. Those in the military should salute the panel. Civilian men should bow to the panel. Civilian women should curtsey. Not sure which of these applied to Ron, Cruise Director Julie. The captain then issues the order to power down the 120VAC circuits. The engineering officer must confirm the order to power down and then commence the power down actions by switching the individual breakers and announcing each as it is powered off. It's not necessary to salute each individual breaker. For example, "Water heater powered down, sir!" Once all the individual breakers are off, the engineering office should announce to the captain that all 120VAC systems are powered off and wait for the captain to order the transfer. The captain orders the transfer of load to begin. The engineering office then confirms the order, engages the transfer switch or slides the restraining tab over and activates the generator's main breaker. This action must be announced. The engineering officer then powers up each individual breaker and announces the action. For example, "Bridge air conditioning circuit is on, sir!" Upon completion of the power up sequence, the engineering officer must announce said completion to the captain, which the captain acknowledges. The captain then announces that the load transfer is complete at which the captain, engineering officer, and crew then salute, bow, or curtsey to the panel, as appropriate. The captain dismisses the crew.

Hope that helps.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[Vince_nj1]

Good one Frank!.

I would like to see proceedure demonstrated in AC next week. :thumbsup:

 

[ziekman@cox.net]

I do the same thing, also I don't think it is a good idea to give the genny a big surge with all the AC's, fridge, water heater, etc. at once. Although, I start my genny while still connected to shore power, let it run for 5 minutes or so, while getting ready to go.

The themostats do have a built in compressor lockout timer, but I don't know how (or if) that deals with a power interuption.

Just to clarify, do you run your generator while you are underway?