Generator And 3 Phase Electric Problem

[steelepulse]

I had my house built with a backup generator to supply certain things with backup power in case gov't electric goes down. This includes outlets in every room, a light in every room, my office, refrigerators etc. Yesterday morning the power goes out/down at 6 am. There was a limitied supply of electric going to a few fans, an outlet here or there, but for the most part the electric was way down. About 4 hours later power seems to be restored and now all pumps, A/C's and other high electrical use items come back online. Everything is back to working except those items that were wired for the generator to run when gov't electric goes down. I had my electrician come over and 10 minutes before he arrives, all items wired to the generator start to work again. Earlier in the day I tried to start my generator but the battery was dead, but this had nothing to do with the power not reaching said appliances and rooms.

My house is wired for 3 phase and what the electrician said is there "wasn't enough power" to get everything running, but surely there must be a reason why everything wired up to the generator for backup power did not run. I'd sure like to know what the actual cause is, but it very well might be " not enough power" as this has happened in the past when gov't electric has a problem.

[Naam]

Everything is back to working except those items that were wired for the generator to run when gov't electric goes down. I had my electrician come over and 10 minutes before he arrives, all items wired to the generator start to work again.

looks your wiring has for certain appliances and outlets change-over relays from public utility to generator. these relays worked when main power failed, then first "hung" when power came back and finally switched to main power shortly before your electrician arrived.

i have a similar setup with relays that have adjustable timers which only switch back after a set time period. but your electrician should know (assuming he has done the installation).

[steelepulse]

Thanks Naam. That seems plausible and I'll try to get the Mrs. to ask/explain this to him. Originally there was an ATS so when after a few seconds of the power going off, the generator would start itself, but that stopped working a couple of years in. I asked about getting that replaced and was quoted something ridiculously high as it had to "come from Bangkok".

Any idea of what an ATS should cost and where I could get one? Maybe prices have come down in the last 5 years, but the quote I got was somewhere in the 40-50K range which seemed exorbitant.

[Naam]

but the quote I got was somewhere in the 40-50K range which seemed exorbitant

not really exorbitant for an automatic switch which also senses main power.

addendum: try to locate TV-member "genset". he is in that business and "handcrafts" what you need.

Edited April 7, 2011 by Naam

[Crossy]

Agree with Naam try to contact Genset.

He's not been online since August last year, but his web address is in his profile so you could try contacting him through there.

[steelepulse]

Thanks for the recommendation.

[genset]

Hi Steelpulse,

Firstly, thanks to Naam and Crossy for their kind referrals... I am still around guys, just not so active in the forum at present. For anybody reading this thread who hasn't had an opportunity to read the thread I started a while ago in respect to Generator use in Thailand, it's here http://www.thaivisa....16#entry3102616 it has been buried a little by the sands of time I'm afraid. There have been some changes, I am not dealing with Kipor due to problems with their distribution in Thailand, but can be contacted directly on the email address provided in that thread.

I would echo Naams comments in respect to the cost of an Automatic Transfer Switch, although for the kind of price you were quoted, you should expect to receive a premium ATS panel with high quality components and ATS controller, but even then circa 30k baht sounds more reasonable to me. I have received the email you sent to me, thank you, but I am travelling at the moment, so will respond directly to your email more fully over the next couple of days.

Kind regards,

Genset...

[Naam]

I would echo Naams comments in respect to the cost of an Automatic Transfer Switch, although for the kind of price you were quoted, you should expect to receive a premium ATS panel with high quality components and ATS controller, but even then circa 30k baht sounds more reasonable to me.

the beauty of Thaivisa is the wealth of existing and accessible expertise in most respects. unfortunately quite often self-appointed experts jump in who only possess a "wealth of no idea" but present their unsophisicated opinions which sometimes aren't worth sh*t and confuse the layman who asks for honest advice.

as far as "Genset" is concerned i can say that he IS an expert and knows his trade! i derived this from a personal technical discussion with him in my home.

[steelepulse]

I've received an email from Genset so I'm off to take a load of photos for him, but the expected amount to be paid for a new ATS was less than I was quoted in years past.