Transcript Disaster Electrical Power

Disaster Electrical Power
An early draft
Ray J. Vaughan, MS
Last update 7/21/2015
Disaster Electrical Power
 When to use a generator vs. Temporary
 Sizing
 Care and Maintenance
 Power cables
 Power Outlets
 Lighting
Generator? Temporary?
 Think about:
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Distance
Power quality
Noise pollution
Duration
Safety
Theft
Generator Safety
 [Copy info from generator company]
Fuel safety
 Gas storage container
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BYOG
Hand powered siphon
Never suck gas
 Refuel while off
 Battery Lighting while fueling
 No Smoking
Oil checks
 Log oil changes
 Have replacement oil on-hand
 Mark max hours/oil change
 Clean/replace air filter especially if dusty
environment
Temporary Power Feed
 First a warning:
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This is not something the average do-ityourselfer should attempt
This is targeted for the electrician in your
team
The power could come back on at any time
You have to assume that every circuit it hot
and treat it with total respect
Temporary Power Feed
 Connecting temporary service to existing
power source
 Harder to set up
 Nothing to refuel
 Permission of owner
 Check voltages first!
 Usually stable, but area recovery repairs could
cause outages
Examples of temporary
power sources
 Buildings
 Sewage Lift station (if 120/240 VAC)
 Traffic Signals
 Street lights (check voltage)
 Lighted bus stops
 Telephone company installations
Grounding
 Driving a ground rod
 Borrowing existing grounds
 Bonding
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Connecting all grounds together
Power Required
 What are you going to power?
 Calculate wattage
 Convert to amps
Power distribution?
 Circuit breaker Panel?
 Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
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GFCI
Cable routing
 Keep is safe
 Trip hazards
 Physical damage
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Overhead
Across pavement
Wire size
 Wire capacity chart
 Voltage drop
Connectors
 Standardized
 15 Amp vs. 20 Amp
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Diagram
 Water proof connectors
 Twist Lock
Lighting
 Types
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Incandescent
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Florescent
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Good efficiency
Not for cold weather
Sodium
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Instant on
Wattage Waste
Odd color
Slow to light
Metal Halide
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Slow to light
UPS
 Good for critical loads
 Power while refueling
 Generator brownouts
Dangers of Back-feeding
 Step down transformer also steps up
 Fatal voltage can go for miles
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Kills power company techs
Command Post power
 Wish list:
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Breaker panel on a hand truck
Emergency light
GFCIs
Heavy Duty power cables
Over head lighting
Charging stations
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Radios
Tools
Summary
 Safety First
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Use an electrician if at all possible
Safety Officer should be briefed before
starting or energizing
 Do it right the first time
 Long term installation