12C — January 11 - 24, 2013 — 2013 Forecast — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
2013 F orecast
By Eileen Patterson, R&J Control, Inc. Will your emergency generator perform when the power is lost?
E
mergency backup gen- erators have become a critical piece of equip-
conditions, etc., indicate that power interruptions can become more frequent and
to ensure it will perform when needed. Often, regular checks on the generator are
Co-op City in the Bronx went out and their emergency generators failed, leaving thousands in the dark and more than two dozen people trapped inside elevators. Some NJ police stations’ gen- erators ran out of diesel fuel during Hurricane Irene and they lost power to life-safety systems. Generators should receive preventive maintenance quarterly by qualified tech- nicians and have oil and filters changed annually. On a weekly basis, generators should be exercised for a
minimum of fifteen minutes. Below are reasons for mak- ing sure weekly exercising is performed: 1. Emergency generators must start and be able to as- sume emergency load within 10 seconds. 2. When the engine is not run for a length of time, all lubricating oil throughout the engine drips back down into the oil pan and can leave the bearings dry. Upon gen- erator start, the turbo-char- ger races up to extremely fast speeds and dry bearings could be destroyed and need to be replaced. This is a very expensive repair. 3. Starting the generator removes the surface charge off the batteries, which al- lows the permanently con- nected battery charger to do its’ job and charge the battery properly. 4. When a generator lays idle too long, birds tend to build nests in the exhaust pipe. This is a convenient area as it is protected from the weather and perfect size for holding a nest. Small rodents will take cover in the generator case and chew on the wires. Running the generator regularly will repel rodents. 5. The coolant should be moved throughout the en- gine regularly and the heat from the jacket water heater should be equally distrib- uted. 6. Operating the generator weekly keeps air out of the fuel system and keeps the fuel system primed for quick starts. Be aware that if your gen- erator is being exercised weekly by having it set in the “auto” position, the following problems can occur: 1. Some states mandate that generators not be ex- ercised on days when air quality is poor. The NJDEP regulation states that web- site www.airnow.gov be con- sulted prior to exercising a generator over 37kw, to ensure it is a clean air day. Exercising the generator on a bad air day can result in a $5000.00 fine. 2. If your generator is ex- continued on page 16D
m e n t f o r your build- ing. The loss of power can cause your business a loss in rev- enue, acci- dent s and injuries to
The loss of power can cause your business a loss in revenue, accidents and injuries to occur and even loss of life.
Eileen Patterson
severe. Having an emergency gen- erator is a tremendous as- set but it requires proper monitoring and maintenance
overlooked by an overbur- dened staff. Many genera- tors did not perform during recent storms or outages. On August 29, 2012, power in
occur and even loss of life. Several well-documented factors, including the aging, fragile power infrastructure, solar flares, extreme weather
24/7 Generator Monitoring that Protects Your Facility from Costly “Bad Air Day” Fines.
R & J Control and GEN+ Provides the Following : • Checks air quality prior to running your generator • We maintain and safeguard your logs for any potential NJDEP inspections • 24/7 Monitoring of critical functions; battery, jacket water heater, oil pressure, coolant temp, etc! • Instant notification if your generator fails to start r a fault is detected • Option to install fuel gauge for diesel generators to notify you when fuel is low so you can schedule a fuel delivery • Protect staff from potential hazards Since 1974, R & J Control Inc. has been dedicated in providing it’s customers the most cost-effective and efficient power management tools avaialable. Call 800-821- 5973 today to find out more about GEN + . The Closest Thing to a Guarantee!
Emergency Generator Sales, Service, Rentals. Serving NJ, NY, PA 800.821.5973 • www.rjcontrol.com
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