If your business has made the investment in a standby generator, then you’ll want to be sure that it’s ready to deliver the power you need, when you need it. So instead of finding yourself searching for “generator hire near me” in an emergency, take the right steps to look after your generator, such as load bank testing.
The Importance Of Back-Up Power
For many industries, a power outage can truly spell disaster. Those operating in the medical field can see increased risk to patients, whilst data centre and financial businesses can suffer catastrophic loss of profits due to unplanned downtime. This means that having a standby generator is a smart choice for those organisations who cannot afford any disruption to their operations. And, as with any piece of equipment, maintaining it properly when not in use is the key to having it perform optimally should it need to be called into action.
The Load Bank Test
Part of this crucial maintenance for generators is load bank testing. This test involves the use of a specialised device called a load bank, which is designed to replicate the effect of a load on a generator. A load is artificially created by the load bank, which increases both the temperature and the pressure on the generator, to verify that it could successfully cope with the demand placed on it in case of emergency. During the test, the conducting technician will carefully monitor output and noises, and stop the test to resolve issues if necessary. At the test’s end, the load will gradually be reduced and the generator shut down.
If the generator passes the load test, then its owners can enjoy the reassurance of knowing that it can deal with the demand that could be put upon it in a real-life power outage. And if the load test reveals problems with the generator’s ability to perform, the owners have the chance to correct these issues before the generator is needed for use in a genuine emergency.
How Often Is Load Testing Required?
Load testing can be carried out by specialists or by purchasing a Load Test device, and the frequency of testing will depend on a number of factors. Medical facilities, as well as data centres and financial institutions, will likely be required to put their standby generators through regular load tests, due to the critical impact of any potential power outage. Generators used by the majority of organisations are ideally tested on an annual basis, with the load test typically putting the generator to work at 80% of its capacity for the duration of an hour.
Choose The “Generator Hire Near Me” Option
If you have taken the right maintenance steps to prevent common issues arising, then you may well find that there’s no need to invest in a back-up generator at all. This could also be the case if your operations are not reliant on an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. Should the worst happen and your critical power supply fail for any reason, then simply hiring a generator may be an effective short-term solution for your business.
