I have a Whole House Generator that is connected to the main electrical panel so that any circuit can be used in case of a power outage. Will Sense continue to monitor power when the Whole House Generator is running?
1 Like
It depends on how it’s wired. If your generator and utility service come in and are switched upstream of where the sense’s clams are located, then it should be fine. If you have a manual disconnect (i.e. turn off main breaker on your panel and turn on breaker being fed by the generator) and the sense is monitoring the lines from the main breaker only, it likely won’t. Do you have an electrical diagram/drawing of how you’re generator is being wired?
Dan
There’s another point to consider which @BradAtSense or one of his colleagues could help with.
The steady and transient behavior of a load (device) is primarily dependent on its own electrical characteristics, but is also affected by the source ability to supply power-on transients for instance.
Has Sense detection been tested with a representative whole house generator (say a Generac capable of supplying 100A / 240v) to see if detection behavior changes?
Our generator is set up with an automatic transfer switch/sub-panel. So we have the main feed into the house, and a breaker going to the transfer-switch/sub-panel. If the power goes out (or that breaker is turned off) the generator will power up and supply everything in the sub-panel, but everything in the main panel goes without power.
I have the Sense clamps hooked up to the feed into the main panel. I have the secondary (solar) clamps hooks up to the feed from the generator. The support team from Sense had to manually enable the second set of clamps because I did not want to cut power to the house for the setup. So far we haven’t had a power outage, so I can’t really say if the setup is working. In theory I would at least be able to measure the power draw on the generator, even if the detected devices aren’t isolated.
1 Like
I believe it’s upstream of the panel. I say that because when I installed Sense I did not see any additional wires coming into the panel besides the normal 2 phases, common and ground. The Generac Generator was Installed to supply all circuits in the house. I just avoid the oven and dryer when the Generac is running.
1 Like
Also - I do not have any sub panels.
I was running on generator power for nearly 24 hours due to the windstorm here in the northeast. Not only did I find that Sense was properly tracking its monitored devices, I found that the instant power usage chart was very helpful for load management.
My generator is a liquid cooled diesel set, so the output is quite a bit “stiffer” than your typical Generac home standby. Sense might have a harder time with that scenario.
3 Likes
Fair to assume your generator is inverter based and putting out a clean sine wave?
It is not inverter based, but it does put out a clean sine wave. It is a larger liquid cooled engine, not a small air cooled portable type.
Curious what model generator you’re using. Have been shopping for one myself…for use testing Sense, of course…
It’s made by a chinese company called GB Power:
Mine is a GB-P15 and has a Perkins 3 cylinder engine and a Stamford alternator.
Details on install:
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.