Sparks Electrical News February 2019

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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TALKING ELECTRICITY WITH ANDREW LUKE DAPSHIS

AUTOMATIC CHANGE OVER PANELS AND OUTDATED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS D ue to the current load shedding and Es- kom’s endless problems, a lot of people have turned to generators and automatic

rotation, as many of the older municipal supplies are still anti clockwise and most, if not all, new generators are clockwise. This will of course cause a change in motor direction if you don’t swop two phases around on your generator’s isolator. There are many different panels and backup solutions out there; ensure you choose one that can supply your current load requirements at its peak and, if necessary, ensure a dummy load is present when the current drawn is less than 50% of the generator’s kW rating. There is much load shedding and electrical challenges ahead in our great country, so ensure you do your research before spending thousands and gathering further frustration when it doesn’t function correctly.

the automatic change over panel controller, and must now explain in easy-to-understand terms why it is constantly switching on the generator. Systems like these can, of course, be bypassed, but then you are eliminating a safety device set to protect your system and, in many cases, once you have done that there is a chance you could void your warranty. Always ensure, no matter where you are, that if you are going to spend a large amount of capital on a standby solution that you organise a data logging electrician to do a test on your system to ensure you know, and are advised according, to your load and the municipal supply. Another element to always check is phase

standby option and to do this seemingly she buys a automatic change over panel. Now prime time comes and Mary hears her generator starting up and her fluorescent lights flicker, but across the road, Larry’s Laundromat, which doesn’t have a generator, is still running off grid power. Mary thinks that she has bought a dud setup that has gone bonkers, but seven minutes later she hears her generator stop, the fluorescent’s flicker and she is back on municipal supply. This happens a few times and Mary gets upset and calls the generator company, claiming the system is faulty and is costing her a lot of diesel. A technician is despatched and is greeted with a host of mains voltage drop/overload alarms on

change over panels to handle a quick and seem- ingly easy transition from the grid to backup solu- tions. Many of the latest automatic change over panels have numerous measuring devices working through a controller that constantly monitors your mains supply along with your generator’s load in order to best protect your electrical infrastructure. It works through a dual set of interlocked contactors to change from municipal to generator supply. So, in many of the older areas where the municipal electricals systems haven’t been upgraded for 20+ years, at various times to handle the massive demand on these systems and the volt drop that inevitably happens, the municipal supply increases their voltage in order to handle the prime time requirements. So the three phase voltage picks up from 380-402 V to 450 V and the controller on the automatic change over panel picks up this increase in voltage and decides it is best to start and run the generator and disconnect from the mains in order to best protect whatever machinery is being run. Many times this transition happens within a split second, depending of course on what which is bought. Many of the newer automatic change over panels can also be fitted with cloud devices, working through a 3G sim card to allow real time access to your system via your cell phone and send you messages every time your generators starts or has a fault. But now we sit with an issue in many cases with older systems utilising new technology; people have no indication that anything is wrong with their systems as no one sits motoring their drawn voltage or current on a by minute basis. So Mary Mango buys a rundown building in the old part of town and turns it into a success, so she opts for a generator due to constant load shedding. Knowing nothing about electricity, the salesman sells her a 20 kW to supply her shop with a great Sparks: If you could ‘do it all again’, would you change anything? If so, what would that be? FA: I would probably look for a partner with a lot of money and not build up the business from scratch. CAREER IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN LIGHTING INDUSTRY Sparks: Would you advise a person leaving school to enter the lighting industry? And why? FA: Yes, I would advise someone to enter the lighting industry because it allows a person with a strong electrical or technical knowledge, together with a good sense of aesthetic and design, to apply this technical knowledge to design. Sparks:What is your advice toelectrical contractors, electrical engineers or lighting designers? FA: • Don’t go for price first. • Analyse your customer’s requirements and ex- pectations. • Spend a little extra time to do your installation 100% accurately. THE SECRETS BEHIND A 30 YEAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Sparks: What is your favourite quote? FA: Don’t do tomorrow what you can do today.

Sparks: Name three things on your ‘bucket list’. FA: Take a six month holiday, sail from Mexico to the Caribbean and swim with sharks.

Enquiries: www.spazio.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

FEBRUARY 2019