[RE-wrenches] Integrating with a whole house generator

William Miller wrmiller at charter.net
Mon Nov 24 20:46:33 PST 2008


Friends:

I am bidding an installation in which the customer owns a whole house 
generator.  The generator is 30 KVA and we will be installing a 4.5 or 6.0 
KVA XW system.  Obviously, the inverter will not power the entire 
house.  If we segregate the non-critical loads and connect them to a 
grid-fed panel, the generator will not power them.  If we let the generator 
run every time there is an outage, this negates the need for a inverter 
system. What to do?

The transfer switch sends a two wire start signal to the generator upon a 
grid outage.  After the transfer switch senses generator voltage, it 
effects a transfer.

My brainstorm is to intercept that two wire start signal.  I will connect 
it instead to the XW inverter.  We will segregate the loads, feeding the 
critical loads from the XW and the Non-critical loads from the output of 
the transfer switch.  In the case of a grid outage, the critical loads will 
receive uninterrupted power.  The Non-critical loads will not have power 
unless the generator is started by the XW.  Once the XW (or the home owner) 
starts the generator, the transfer will occur.  We will put a control panel 
in the house so the home-owner can start the generator if the No-critical 
loads are needed.

This seems clever to me, but I am biased.  Am I missing something???


William Miller






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