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09-23-2011, 08:31 PM
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#1
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1,491
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The Grid as a Load Bank
Hey I just gave my generator a good hard load test. I went in parallel with POCO power by syncronising with a setup I made out of 4 120V incandescent lamps in series. After some fine adjustment to the governor and the field I got the lights to flash really slowly and when they went dark I closed the switch and adjusted the gov until I was pushing as hard as it would push.
I tweaked the timing and the mixture while watching the amp meter and I think I got close to another KW out of it.
You know this is better than a load bank, it's a shame I never thought of it before.
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09-23-2011, 08:35 PM
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#2
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1,000,000th Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Portland
Posts: 9,858
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Why wouldn't you just run the loads present in your house...?
-John
__________________
All generalizations are false, including this one.
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09-23-2011, 08:41 PM
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#3
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Registered Big Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Hawthorne, California
Posts: 2,741
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Most POCOs take a very dim view of unaccounted-for generation being tied into their system.
Not to mention that one hiccup on either end and you could have had generator shrapnel flying about.
As a very short term experiment, no harm no foul BUT you do need to be careful. The POCO grid can push back, hard.
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09-23-2011, 08:43 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 24,690
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joethemechanic
Hey I just gave my generator a good hard load test. I went in parallel with POCO power by syncronising with a setup I made out of 4 120V incandescent lamps in series. After some fine adjustment to the governor and the field I got the lights to flash really slowly and when they went dark I closed the switch and adjusted the gov until I was pushing as hard as it would push.
I tweaked the timing and the mixture while watching the amp meter and I think I got close to another KW out of it.
You know this is better than a load bank, it's a shame I never thought of it before.
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I used to know an old electrician that worked on some large ships and would do the same with shore power until the power company came down on him hard. Being a government employee they just relocated him away from ships and onto a airfield.
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The Following User Says Thank You to BBQ For This Useful Post:
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09-23-2011, 08:45 PM
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#5
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1,491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big John
Why wouldn't you just run the loads present in your house...?
-John
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Too hard to keep the house loads steady. Lots of stuff cycling on and off
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09-23-2011, 08:50 PM
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#6
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1,491
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WTF I was trying to troll here and it backfired.
Although I have been present when that kind of thing has been done back in the day 
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09-23-2011, 09:00 PM
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#7
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1,000,000th Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Portland
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joethemechanic
WTF I was trying to troll here and it backfired....
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I wondered when I read the bit about the 4 lamps. 
-John
__________________
All generalizations are false, including this one.
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09-23-2011, 09:01 PM
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#8
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1,491
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Any other of you guys prefer an analog meter for gen set work like a Simpson 210?
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09-23-2011, 09:05 PM
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#9
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1,491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big John
I wondered when I read the bit about the 4 lamps.
-John |
Oh, it can be done with 4 lamps in series when you want to paralell a couple of 240 V gen sets. although it is nice to have a second set hooked up so as one set goes dark, the other set gets bright. You never know when a bulb might fail using the dark only method.
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09-24-2011, 12:23 AM
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#10
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Exasperating Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Central CT US of A
Posts: 2,225
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When I first read what you "did", I was .
Then I thought, well cool idea with the lamps. 
Just sounds crazy scary.
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09-24-2011, 12:46 AM
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#11
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Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 1,491
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I wish I could take credit for the lamp thing, But I read about it in a text book about 25 years ago. It was either an early edition of American Electrician's or else Electrical Machines Drives and Power Systems by T Wildi
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