Should You Use A Manual Or Automatic Changeover Switch?

More businesses these days are installing a standby generator that will keep them powered if / when the mains power goes down. The way things are in the UK today, there is ever more likelihood of power outages, and if this should happen to you, your business is going to come to a halt. Having a standby generator will enable everything and everyone to keep functioning when the mains power fails.

If you are considering installing a generator, it needs to be of the appropriate size to run all of the equipment that you use in your business. At Blades Power Generation, we have generators in a wide range of sizes, ranging in price from £482 to £20,594, so there is bound to be one that is right for your business. We also have a number of second-hand generators available, so there may be one that is the right size for your business for a lower cost.

Whatever size of generator you need, you will also need a changeover switch. This performs the function of switching off from the mains when the power goes down and then switching to the generator when it is up and running.

There are two types of changeover switch, either a manual changeover switch or an automatic one. Whichever type you choose, that again has to be of the right size. The big advantage of a manual changeover switch is the cost.

Downside

However, there is a downside, as you can imagine. When you have a manual switch and the power goes down, you need to switch off from the mains. You then have to go to the generator and start it up. When it is running at full power, you then have to go back to the manual switch and switch it over to the generator.

Then, when the mains power is back on, you have to go and switch the manual switch to the “off” position, then switch off the generator, then go back to the switch and switch back to the mains.

It is a legal requirement to have a changeover switch because if you did not, and the mains power came into contact with the generator, it would almost certainly burn out the generator. The other way around, if the generator power should backfeed into the mains it could put the lives of workers at risk.

All in all, although an automatic generator is more expensive, it is by far and away the best option.

The Benefits Of An Automatic Changeover Switch - Vs - Manual

If you are thinking of buying and installing an electricity generator for your home, you are not alone. With all of the situations that we are facing just now, including the lack of gas from Russia, the race to go green which has resulted in lack of drilling for oil in the North Sea, and the hold that was put on fracking in the Northwest, the possibility of power outage is as great as it has ever been. So, buying a generator for your home makes a lot of sense.

At Blades Power Generation, as our name suggests, we can provide you with the generator for your home or business that you need. The most important thing when buying a generator is to ensure that you have one which will produce enough power for your needs. 

Different Sizes

Generators come in many different sizes as far as power output is concerned, so if you are going to buy one, you need to calculate what size you need. Ideally, you should then invest in a generator which can produce a bit more than you need. There are ways of calculating your requirements yourself, but it is better to let a qualified electrician calculate the figures for you.

You will also need what is known as a changeover switch. This is a legal requirement. When the power goes down you have to change from the mains to your generator, and vice versa when the mains power comes back on. However, you cannot have both mains power and generator on at the same time. This could cause your generator to fail and/or result in injury to engineers working to restore the mains.

So, the changeover switch is used to switch from one to the other. You can have either a manual changeover switch or an automatic changeover switch. If you have a manual switch, it means that when the power goes down you have to go to your generator and fire it up. Then once it is running, you can manually switch from mains to generator. Equally, when the power comes back on you turn off the generator and switch back to the mains. All fine if you happen to be at home. Not so good if you are away for a few days and your freezer goes down and maybe your tropical fish don’t get the warm water they need.

As you might guess, an automatic changeover switch does all this for you, firing up the generator when the mains power goes down and then switching over to it. And of course, the other way around when the power comes back on again. So much easier and simpler.  

What To Do If You Do Not Have A Standby Generator And The Power Goes Down

If you are running a business that relies on electricity - and apart from farmers and gardeners, who isn’t? – there are some things that you need to know if the power goes down. We take electricity for granted, but the way the world is going it is very likely that there will be many more power shortages in future.

What with the lack of oil and gas from Russia and the fact that, in the UK at least, we are not going to have new fossil fuel-run cars from 2030, we are going to need more electricity than we are using now. Add to that the fact that our government doesn’t want to begin fracking, and we are heading towards the day when the lights going out will be a regular occurrence.

This is why more and more businesses – and families as well – are investing in generators in order to provide continuing electricity when the power goes down.

When, not if, it does, there are some things that you need to do if you don’t have a generator. The first is to switch off appliances when the power goes down. If you have a laptop, you can run it on the battery, of course. But you need to switch appliances off because when the power comes back on there can be a power surge. This can cause damage to the appliances. It is OK to leave a light on because that will tell you when the power is restored.

Check with your neighbours, whether business or other residents. If they have power, the issue is likely to be in your own home or business, soyou will need to call an electrician.

There is a free service in England, Scotland, and Wales which you can call on 105 on your mobile. This can give you information regarding a power cut in your area and an estimate of when the power will be back on.

If you run a business, you may also want to call important customers to let them know that you have an issue. You can also do this using your business social media.

Of course, the perfect answer is to invest in a backup generator for your home or business connected to an automatic changeover switch. This means that when the power goes down, the automatic changeover switch will instantly fire up the generator, and when it is up and running switch from mains to generator. So, you will only be without power for a matter of seconds.

A Used Generator Could Save You A Lot Of Money

April 1^st is only just around the corner, and for many people it is going to result in a vast increase in their electricity bills. The energy price cap is going to increase by no less than 54%, which means that those on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 per year. Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017.

Furthermore, what many people haven’t taken into account is that the prices are going to be lifted again in October.The Chief Executive of Ofgem, Jonathan Brearley, said “The energy market has faced a huge challenge due to the unprecedented increase in global gas prices, a once in a 30-year event, and Ofgem’s role as energy regulator is to ensure that, under the price cap, energy companies can only charge a fair price based on the true cost of supplying electricity and gas”.

However, for many people, a price increase of 54% is not going to seem a “fair” price. No wonder April 1^st is called “April Fools’ Day”.

Why Not Buy Your Own Generator?

So, what can you possibly do about it? One thing might be to consider purchasing a generator of your own, as it may be that you can produce a fair amount of the energy you need for electricity with one of those in your own backyard. It is certainly worth looking into.

Many people already have a standby generator for their homes and businesses because power outages do happen, and they have been occurring more frequently with the recent storms that have blown in. If you have a standby generator, you can team it with an automatic transfer switch which will mean that when the power goes down it will only affect you for a matter of seconds. This is because the switch will detect the power outage, fire up the generator, and then the lights will come straight back on.

Not only that, but you can buy used generators today. It operates just like the second-hand car market. When you buy a new car, you trade in your old one and the dealer then sells it on. The same thing works with used generators, so you can buy a second-hand one for a lot less than a new one. So, you can save money on the generator and also save money on your electricity bills in a lot of instances.

Why Buy A New Generator? Save Money With A Used One

 

If you are thinking of investing in a generator to power your home or your business in the event of a power outage, you are one of a growing number of people who are realising that outages are likely to become more common, and that if you want to continue using electricity when they occur then you do need to have a backup.

To some extent it is a personal choice, because some people would consider having even one power outage too inconvenient and that it warrants a generator anyway. However, if you live in an area with frequent outages – by which we mean more than three blackouts a year – or ones that go on for hours or even days, then a generator is more of a necessity than a convenience.

used generators for sale in UK

 

 

 

Generators are available in a wide range of sizes and are sized by kilowatts – the amount of power that they can produce. One kilowatt is a thousand watts, so a 17kw generator can produce 17,000 watts of electrical power. So, the size of generator that you need will be determined by the amount of power that you need to produce to run your electrical appliances. In order to work out the size of generator that you need, it is a good idea to have an experienced electrician to calculate the amount of power that you require.

There are two main costs associated with a generator and they are the cost of the generator itself and the cost of installation. It also needs to sit on a concrete base, so you have to allow for that as well. You can buy a 1kw generator for as little as £300, but the cost of installation, which takes 2 – 3 days, will add another £1,000 on top. A 15kw generator is around £6,000, while a 45 kw one would be £10,000. (Those are estimates, of course).

However, you don’t need to buy a new generator. At Blades Power Generation we have used generators for sale in the UK. This is much the same as buying a second-hand car. It will work perfectly OK but will cost a lot less than new. Sure, it might have a couple of scratches, but if you can save £1,000 or £2,000, or even more it’s well worth it.

Our stocks of used generators for sale in the UK obviously change all the time, so contact us with your requirements.

Automatic Transfer Switch or Manual. Which Is Best?

  

If you have a generator as a backup in the case of the local electricity mains failing, it is a legal requirement to have a transfer, or changeover, switch. This is for two reasons.

First there is the danger to electricity workers. If the generator has been powered up and the mains reconnects, it could back feed electricity into the mains. There is also a danger to the generator because if the mains powers up again while it is running it could burn out your generator. So, the system is designed so that the generator and the mains can never be in contact with one another.

Now your transfer switch can either be manually operated or it can be automatic. A manual changeover switch requires somebody to be on the premises when the mains power goes down whereas an automatic transfer switch does not. Both perform the same function, but the automatic transfer switch does it automatically which saves time and reduces the power outage length. 

If the power goes down and you have a manual changeover switch, it means that you have to go to wherever the generator is situated and start it up. Once it is up and running, you can then manually switch to the generator. Of course, when the mains power comes back on you have to reverse the procedure by switching off the generator and only then can you switch back to the mains.

 

 

The Automatic Switch Does It For you

An automatic changeover switch does all this for you. It monitors the mains power and when it goes down it sends a signal to the generator to start. When the generator is running at full speed it sends a signal back to the transfer switch telling it to disconnect from the mains and connect to the generator.

Some automatic transfer switches do not have mains detection built in. In this instance, the mains detection would have to be in the generator or elsewhere. If the generator detects a mains power outage, it sends a signal to the automatic transfer switch to disconnect from the mains and then starts up. Once it is running it sends a signal to the changeover switch to now connect to the generator.

At Blades Power Generation we have a complete range of both manual and automatic changeover switches. Manual transfer switches are less expensive, but for the sake of convenience, an automatic transfer switch is the preference of most people.