Do you know if your emergency generator is in a place that offers the right environmental conditions for its correct operation? If you are not very sure about this, we invite you to read the following article to find out, perhaps one of these situations is the reason why the performance of your light generator is not as expected.

Electric generators operate thanks to an engine, which is why they are capable of operating at their maximum performance, as long as they are in optimal conditions. However, when they are exposed to certain factors, they can experience a decrease in potency. If you want to know what are the conditions that can affect the performance of your emergency generator, it is important that you read this.

Before we begin, it is necessary that we talk about the output power of the equipment, to understand why it is essential that it work properly and thus avoid problems in the performance of your light generator.

What is output power?

When talking about the output power of an electric generator, it refers to the amount of energy that the equipment can deliver at a given moment. In other words, this refers to the number of devices that we can connect at the same time. However, there are different environmental conditions that can affect or decrease the output power of an emergency generator and we will talk about this later.

Factors that affect the performance of your electric generator

Before buying an emergency generator for your home, installing it and starting it up, you must take into account various characteristics of the place where your equipment will operate, such as altitude and temperature. Since these could generate setbacks regarding the performance of your electric generator and even shorten its useful life. Likewise, it is opportune to know if special accessories are required and pay attention to key circumstances for their correct dimensioning, installation and maintenance.

Altitude

All generators, regardless of the fuel that feeds them, require sufficient oxygen for combustion. However, this element is one of the densest components of the air, therefore, when there is a greater height, there is a lower concentration of this gas. By having a decrease in oxygen levels, it produces a decrease in power output. This phenomenon is also known as "derration" by height. Altitude is usually represented as masl (meters above sea level).

In addition to the altitude problems derived from the amount of oxygen, sufficient air mass is required to cool the equipment to have an efficient heat exchange, since at higher altitudes, the lower the air density, which also affects the dissipation of heat. heat produced by the generator, causing problems to reduce the temperature of the engine which could cause it to work at a higher temperature, decreasing its power output.

High temperatures

High temperatures are also related to a lower air density and, as in the case of altitude, can cause combustion problems due to lack of oxygen and overheating of the equipment due to not having the ideal conditions for the equipment's own cooling. causing the engine of an emergency generator to not perform adequately and lose power. This is known as temperature “derating”.

Extreme cold

Very cold temperatures can also be detrimental to your light generator, in this case, depending on the type of fuel, the engine could experience complications when starting, prolonging the start time. Due to the type of technology, this problem is more common in diesel engines (no spark plug/no spark).

Another common problem with low temperatures is that the equipment's battery is affected and does not send enough energy to the gear and the equipment is not able to turn on when required. However, there are alternatives that can help you so that the equipment can work at low temperatures without affecting the performance of your electric generator.

Facility

The place where your electric generator will be installed is one of the most important factors for the performance of your equipment. Since this depends on the existence of an adequate flow of fresh air, a correct dissipation of hot air and an appropriate outlet of exhaust gases.

But to determine the appropriate location, some selection and calculation criteria must be followed, which allow the correct dimensioning of the cable gauges and the components of the fuel system. For safety, the ideal is to use equipment that can be installed outdoors, that has protection against bad weather and that emits a low noise level during operation.

For a successful installation, it is important that you approach the manufacturer of the generator you choose, so that you follow all the recommendations and have the guarantee of optimal operation.

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