Load Bank Testing To Verify Generator Performance

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Diesel engine power generators are one of the most crucial components of an industrial emergency backup plan. The failure of power generators in emergency situations can lead to disastrous conditions. It is important for companies to monitor and maintain the performance of their power systems. This is where load bank testing comes into play and helps facility managers maintain their power equipment. Load bank testing uncovers potential problems in power generators and enables managers to take preventive measures.

Load bank testing is probably the most effective technique to ensure efficient operations of backup generators. No matter the nature or type of a load bank system, it can not only test the equipment but also improve the overall health of backup units. Load bank testing is a process to:

Verify Cooling System Operation

A load test makes the generator inject additional heat into the cooling air stream. This process will indicate malfunctions in the cooling system. The additional heat created during the process also puts stress on components of a cooling system: thermostat, oil cooler, radiator, etc. We can also obtain valuable data from a testing process that can help us with temperature differential. The temperature data also helps verify backup unit compliance. The process verifies the operations of cooling system alarms such as engine coolant overheat and high cooling water temperature alarm.

Verify Fuel System Operation

Latest diesel engine models are highly turbocharged, which makes them prone to poor combustion at low loads and over fueling. Sometimes power systems do not operate at a load high enough to generate flow velocities and high exhaust temperatures. This situation can lead to issues like wet stacking or accumulation of debris in the exhaust system. These problems can seriously damage the overall performance of a backup system; operation in an unloaded condition or continual use at less than what is the recommended level of load can diminished engine output capacity.

Verify control operation

Power supplies and controls of a generator are sensitive to transients, and, when load changes, can shut down unexpectedly. An inductive or resistive load test is the best way to ensure smooth generator operations. A reliable testing procedure can help uncover many electrical and operational issues such as voltage and frequency adjustments, failed connections, circuit breaker trip settings, and voltage regulator performance. It also provides a best-case simulated real-world condition where efficiency, harmonics, and voltage drop can be studies effectively.

These are some of the benefits of load bank testing. Make sure you are taking good care of your power equipment and generator sets. You can hire a private company to deliver rental load bank testing and preventive maintenance services at your doorstep.

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Source by Basharat K

Focus on Green Homes – Landscaping to Save Energy

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Landscaping a home in green manner is an important part of planning and building your green home. Landscaping consumes a lot of water and maintaining your yard can produce a large amount of carbon monoxide. Green landscaping means selecting plants that reduce the amount of water used to keep them alive.

For the lawn, plant grass that grows very slowly and requires very little water to survive. By planting this type of grass, your lawn would not need to be mowed every week, but maybe only a few times a summer, reducing the amount of exhaust from your mowing activities. Also since water bills are usually calculated by consumption, the less water the yard requires, the lower the water bill.

For the plants and bushes around the home, select hardy plants. Hardy plants are less susceptible to diseases and damaging pests, allowing you to forego or eliminate pesticides and fertilizers. The less of these chemicals that are used the better it is for the environment, reducing the amount of chemicals that run-off of plants during a rainstorm and soak into the ground. This type of run-off of pesticides and fertilizers has the potential to contaminate ground water and drinking water.

Another major consideration with green landscaping is the heat island effect. The heat island effect is heat from the home, from man-made surfaces around the home, and from the lack of appropriate landscaping. The combined heat from these sources can increase the temperature in a community noticeably. Heat islands can cause increased use of air conditioning, increased air pollution and greenhouse gas production, and lower water quality.

For your green home, this effect can make your heating and cooling systems less effective. The right types of landscaping can help prevent the heat island effect. For example, planting our hardy trees, shrubs and plants at least 24 inches away from the house can break up the heat transfer mechanism. In addition, planting deciduous trees on the west side of your green home or along driveways and walkways can be very effective for cooling the house and yard. Plan ahead, though. Trees and bushes growth over time can interfere with the effectiveness of any solar panels that are installed.

When planning your landscaping, plan to install a rain barrel as well. Why not store some of the run-off rainwater for eco-friendly, free water for watering the lawn, plants, scrubs, and trees? In addition to a rain barrel, the ground can be shaped to direct water coming from the roof and the ground during a rainstorm to collect around the plants, shrubs, and trees in the yard. This allows the earth to do your work for you. As the water from the storm drains into the ground, the last part of the ground to dry out is the part of the lawn that received the most water, reducing the amount of tap water needed.

By taking the extra time to address these issues during the design of your green home, you can achieve a beautiful, very low maintenance and environmental-friendly landscaped yard.

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Source by Kimberley Ward

Design Trends: From Open-Plan to "Broken Plan"

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One of the key defining features of many new homes and renovations from the past decade or so would have to be that of the Open-Plan Design. Eliminating walls between kitchen, dining and living areas to create the illusion of more space has been the trend for several years now. Entertaining and living in such an open way has never felt so integrated and seamless.

However, there are some subtle signs that the Open Plan may not be the ideal for much longer. There are a few flaws in its design, after all. For instance, trying to cool or heat a vast living area with air conditioning can be a costly and time-consuming exercise. Watching the sport on television, with appliances like the dishwasher whirring in the background, can be tedious. And, people with children will relate: there is no room to escape the noise, mess and toys!

We are gradually moving away from closed up rooms, with many older-style houses consisting of lots of smaller rooms which can be sealed with internal doors. With heating and cooling options less accessible to many families, this style was a great way to keep warmth in; to separate adults’ formal sitting rooms for entertaining, and to create separate zones within the home. The last fifteen years or so has seen a huge change to such styles, and it has been all about knocking out walls to create one, huge open living expanse.

Along with the rise of technological use, there is a notable shift away from Open-Plan living and towards creating smaller nooks throughout the home for peace and privacy. Mary Duggan, a UK-based Architect and Judge for the RIBA House of the Year award, has recently spoken on the matter:

‘The world of the open-plan family room has changed quite significantly.

‘We’re getting asked more for snugs, rooms with TV’s or a space where people can go and watch something independently, rather than an open plan space.

‘That was the trend but I think it’s waning. The idea of having a much more ‘broken plan’ seems to be the way our buildings are playing out now.”

– Mary Duggan http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/nov/11/broken-plan-living-opening-up-new-spaces-in-home

Looking forward, when planning a renovation or a new build, consider the way technological use has dramatically advanced and will likely continue to be a staple in peoples homes. Home design should consequently reflect this, and be inclusive of smaller nooks, studies or ‘snugs’ designed for using devices such as iPads and tablets. The ‘Broken Plan’ home is the new black!

For further consideration, building inclusions could feature fixtures within these areas such as built-in charger stations, benches and built-in desks to accommodate such devices. Also, consider that many devices will now want to be synced to the nearby television or speaker, and that many high-tech gadgets will now have features which allow the occupant to remotely pull down the blinds, dim the lights etc. It is simply the way of the future, and it makes sense for our home design to reflect such advancements.

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Source by Sophie Hendry

5 Tips for Installing Domestic Air Conditioning Systems

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Air conditioning systems are one of the most popular lifestyle gadgets all over the world. These products are widely used at both homes and workplaces. If you’re planning to purchase air con units for your home, there’re certain factors that you should take into consideration to make a better decision. Specially, if you’re under a budget constraint, go for portable air conditioners. Considering the greater convenience of customers, various models of portable AC units have been introduced to the market by the manufacturing brands. Now, you may ask how the portable variety is better than the rest?

Portable air cons are ideal for homes because of their unparallelled flexibility. Moreover, the cost is another positive aspect of the range of products. As compared to the conventional variety, portable HVAC systems cost almost half. However, the non-portable air conditioners are also a good choice, provided you take into account certain factors:

While installing an AC, consider the following factors to ensure safety in your home and the running efficiency of the system.

Dimension of a room: Determine the physical dimension of the room, where you plan to install the AC. You can choose the air con with the adequate capacity, once you know the length and the breadth of the room. The bigger the room is, an AC with larger the capacity you need. Else, if you go for an AC with smaller capacity in a larger room, it won’t be able to provide with the necessary cooling.

HVAC Kilowatt rating: Kilowatt rating is another vital factor to consider, when it comes to choosing an air conditioner, irrespective of its make or model. The higher this rating is, the greater amount of heat it will be able to remove from the room where it’s installed.

The number of windows: The number of windows also play a role in this aspect. The more rooms you’ve in a room, more heat enters inside. Thus, an AC requires more time to drive away the heat from the room to facilitate effective cooling. On the other hand, the bigger your room is, the cost of running the system will be more.

EER or energy efficiency rating factor: While making the purchase, you also need to check the EER or energy efficiency rating of the product. Ideally, you should go for the product having the highest EER number. This ensures, your domestic air conditioning system runs with greater efficiency on a minimal cost.

Properly insulated home: It’s important to ensure, your home has the proper insulation system in place to support safe running of the HVAC unit. If your home is properly insulated to trap the cold air in summers and hot air in winters, the running cost of the HVAC unit will further be reduced.

Installing an HVAC at home is really not that easy. You’ve to make sure, there’s no loophole anywhere, else it may take a toll on your life and property. Follow the tips discussed above and all the risk factors will automatically be resolved.

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Source by Rick Oogle

An Introduction To Floor Plans

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A floor plan is a two-dimensional scale drawing of the planning, size and direction of rooms, doors, walls and windows. Normally the plan shows an aerial view. The plan also includes the location of the heating and cooling facilities, electric lines and plumbing.

In order to create a balanced environment it is necessary to define the space and its limitations. These need to be considered before one decides to move into the new space. This might seem a bother, but is worth the time and money in the long run.

A floor plan should be designed to meet the needs of the family. It is best to ensure that there is not much unused space or too little space. Make sure there is enough room for the whole family, for privacy as well as for all kinds of entertainment. While deciding on a floor plan there are some thing that need to be considered. The ideal location for the garage is near the kitchen, because it is easier to transfer recently bought groceries and empty the garbage. A kitchen is also best when located near the dining room, for the easy transfer of food onto the table.

Everybody prefers to have enough space for storage, so ensure there are enough closets. An ideal place for keeping one’s washing machine would be on the top floor next to the bedrooms, so one need not move up and down the stairs. Certain rooms should be located away from heavy noise. Such rooms will be bedrooms and libraries. If the bedroom is above the garage or near a noisy area, one can install special walls and floors to soundproof the room. It is necessary to measure the living area, including the windows, closets, doors and electrical outlets.

Since defining the space is essential in creating a harmonious environment, it is best to plan it accordingly.

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Source by Kent Pinkerton