# Equipment Being Damage by Generator



## Groverson (Sep 15, 2018)

What have you all experienced about using your generator to run household equipment. Not talking about inverter generators-I know they produce cleaner power. Have your generators ruined any of your stuff? Portable AC, Flat Screen TV’s and Laptops or Phones? Does using a transfer switch compared to running electrical extension cords make a difference.
Thanks!


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## exmar (Jun 29, 2015)

IME using open frame generators,computers, flat screen tv's, cell phones, tablets, while also running a frig and freezer, no. I've made the point here a couple of times that the electricity coming in from your utility isn't "pure" lots of sags, dips, surges, etc. "consumer electronics" are designed for this environment. The inverter purists will now pile on.  I'd just remind folks that we had open frame generators which did very little harm before inverter units became "reasonably priced." If you have sensitive electronics for a hobby or home business that's another story. 

There should be no difference in using an ATS vs running extension cords other than your convenience.

IMHO the deciding factor in quality of the generator and ATS, Generator disconnect, or extension cords is frequency and duration of outages in your area. Also, how much discretionary cash to do you want to invest in something that may sit in your garage for months?


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## Groverson (Sep 15, 2018)

Appreciate your honest thoughts and you taking the time to respond.


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## BobS (Aug 26, 2020)

It depends on the generator head (alternator). As long as the engine can turn the generator head at the proper rpms, the quality of power is totally dependent on the generator end. I have have a generator (old coleman powermate 6500) that has a excellent Honda gx engine but a cheap generator end that would not work with most UPSs (replaced the generator end with a mecca). Some of the cheap generators that neighbors have picked up, have had many issues with lights (flickering, noise from the ballasts), appliances not working, UPS not accepting the power) and electronics not working properly at times. Better generators, for example generator ends by stamford, mecca, kubota gl series, Hondas are excellent but cost much more. I have never seen a problem with them. In conclusion, the better quality generators usually deliver a good quality power. The cheaper generators are hit and miss. They may work great for power tools but may or may not be good with sensitive equipment. In addition, always try to get a generator that has a 5 or less tdh value.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

just ask any tv guy or computer guy!
or the guys who do live music!!
most modern electronics will not stand the spikes and extreme sags over 20 volts + or - on a poor designed over loaded system...

stay with good clean power or use power conditioners.
but good power conditioners will cost you as much or more than a good inverter gen setup.

but if you use the 50 % rule on your standard gen system you will be ok.
that is 50% more rated power than you need.
this is not the peak power.

most of the low cost gens out there are way over rated...
the inflate the numbers by at least 2x..

this is excluding cat and a few other real good name brands out there.

have your gen load tested with a spectrum analyzer to watch the wave form first before connecting to any pricey equipment is the best advice!


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## Groverson (Sep 15, 2018)

Thanks for all that great info. I don’t really know much about my generator. I bought it on eBay about 15 years ago. All I know is that I turn they key and it starts right up-always. Really not used much. See pic.....










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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

No damage here. The only thing I've seen is my UPS not being willing to run on my "contractor" generator's power. So I couldn't use the UPS to "shield" sensitive equipment, while using the generator. 

Not going to lie, I do prefer my current inverter generator. And I've heard they can help more-sensitive things run properly, like modern furnaces. But I didn't have anything damaged by my previous generator.


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## SeanRampling (Nov 23, 2020)

Good afternoon, evening, ladies and gentlemen! Discussion question generator damage equipment !? I can tell you one thing, if you suddenly need tools, you don't have to buy them! The tools can be rented because they are much cheaper. Let us ask the question of damage to the generator, since the equipment is rented, it is soared and you do not have to buy a new one. Based on my answer, I can only advise you to go to the site - dordognehire.com, here you will find high-quality, cheap equipment! I advise everyone to visit the site.


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

Were still not really answering the queston here and that is "Have you had any electrical devices damage from a non-inverter generator"?.. I cannot really answer this question as I haven't used my gen much yet.. But what I can say, if yo maintain your generator well and keep it running as smooth as possible, you shouldn't have much trouble... Also DO NOT let the gen run out of fuel because the engine will coughs and splutter, causing the power to surge and sag, and this will very likely cause damage to devices that's connected to the generator.


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## pharbrian (Nov 16, 2020)

I have not yet had the opportunity to backfeed my EU3000isag into my home. I am waiting for my interlock hardware and inlet adapter to arrive. 
I did observe my dad using his EU2200is running an older refrigerator, a newer refrigerator, a newer upright freezer, and a programmable coffee maker running without difficulty. All but the older refrigerator have circuit boards. 
Months later, they show no evidence of sustaining any damage. These items were run off and on during a 3 day power outage.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

speedy2019 said:


> Were still not really answering the queston here and that is "Have you had any electrical devices damage from a non-inverter generator"?.. I cannot really answer this question as I haven't used my gen much yet.. But what I can say, if yo maintain your generator well and keep it running as smooth as possible, you shouldn't have much trouble... Also DO NOT let the gen run out of fuel because the engine will coughs and splutter, causing the power to surge and sag, and this will very likely cause damage to devices that's connected to the generator.


sure speed!
this is why we use the inverter units in the fleet!
dewalt battery chargers, computers. phone chargers all trashed on cheap gens.
now that we have switched to only honda eu 2000i, 2200i, 3000i, 6500i, and 7000is gens.
all of those issues are not there any more.

the inverter units just switch off if the load is too much.
on a construction gen set, it just does the sag!
so if you have a saw on a job site. it slams the avr gen set with horrible demands for start current.
and it always seems like they never find the 10 gauge power cord for the large saws!! lol!
we switched all of the saws over to twist locks for the 10 gauge saws. that stopped that!

the whole gen thing is all about planning the system, and leaving room for in rush start up.
larger wires, better plugs and sockets.

90 % of the issues go back to poor planning of power!
and way too small of gen sets for the real power needed.

so plan your power system with 50% reserve and never have to look back!


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

I've been running electronics on generators since the mid 1980s, including mid-frame computer systems that would fry on utility power for no reason at all... I have never had any modern electronics that had any damage from generator power, just some APCs & UPSs that refuse to run on it. Most electronics designed in the past 20-30 years run internally on 3.3-20 volts (or less) and have a power supply either internally or externally to convert the AC input to the required DC voltage(s). Most of these are designed for world-wide use and are capable of functioning on inputs from 80-250V. It takes large surges above 300V to cause damage.

I have had friends lose appliances to electrical surges, usually involving lightning storms. A surge suppression system (I have used several different ones in the past) will prevent such damage. I installed a GenerLink with surge suppression in 2018 that protects against voltage surges from both the generator and the utility feeds.

_GenerLink is available, in most areas, with optional Surge Protection. What are Surges? _​​_A surge is a sudden, unpredictable, powerful increase in voltage that can damage or destroy household appliances and electronic equipment. The damage could happen all at once in cases of high voltage surges or over a period of time when lower voltage surges are experienced consistently. Surges are caused by many sources such as lightning, the switching of utility equipment on the electric grid, electrical accidents, heavy motor or heavy loads from a nearby industry and locally by microwave ovens, laser printers and copiers, air conditioner compressor motors and even lights being turned on and off. _​​_A surge can enter your home in three zones: _​_Zone A - Service entrance and overhead lines_​_Zone B – Wired-in appliances – AC, furnace, hot water heater_​_Zone C - Plugged-in appliances – TV, computer, microwave_​​_If your home experiences a high voltage surge without whole house surge protection, wired appliances/equipment within Zone B will not be protected and outlet plug-in strips provide limited protection, if any, for plugged-in appliances within Zone C._​​_GenerLink with surge protection can help protect your home and appliances from voltage surges.GenerLink with Surge Protection:_​
_Protects household equipment including appliances and hard-wired systems not protected by power strips. Plus, it provides enhanced protection for household electronics._
_Provides protection beyond typical point-of-use power strips and plug-ins. _
_Produces an audible alarm when the device requires service._
_Protects against spikes up to 100,000 amps on the electric system._
_Provides a lifetime white goods warranty of $1,000/appliance and /or $10,000/house._
_GenerLink with surge protection is meter-based and will provide the first line of defense at your home’s service entrance and for your wired appliances from voltage surges._


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

iowagold said:


> sure speed!
> this is why we use the inverter units in the fleet!
> dewalt battery chargers, computers. phone chargers all trashed on cheap gens.
> now that we have switched to only honda eu 2000i, 2200i, 3000i, 6500i, and 7000is gens.
> all of those issues are not there any more.


We know inverter gens are better, but has anyone got any hard proof that normal well maintained generators with AVR damage devices? ...........Everyone says oh inverter gens are much better, but no one can say "oh yeah this and that got fried with using a normal generator.... Plus normal genrators wouldn't be allowed to be sold if they destroyed devices because of all the bad feedback ect manufactures would receive.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

speedy2019 said:


> We know inverter gens are better, but has anyone got any hard proof that normal well maintained generators with AVR damage devices? ...........Everyone says oh inverter gens are much better, but no one can say "oh yeah this and that got fried with using a normal generator.... Plus normal genrators wouldn't be allowed to be sold if they destroyed devices because of all the bad feedback ect manufactures would receive.


you missed the point speed.
the over loading is the issue on avr units.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

I had a poor connection on a l14-30 plug years ago. It actually fried two smoke detectors and 2 power strips. It was good lesson on just how tight wire terminals need to be. (VERY tight) The big lesson is to tighten, let it rest and retighten a couple times.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

drmerdp said:


> I had a poor connection on a l14-30 plug years ago. It actually fried two smoke detectors and 2 power strips. It was good lesson on just how tight wire terminals need to be. (VERY tight) The big lesson is to tighten, let it rest and retighten a couple times.


that can happen on grid power as well!
it is all about reference.. proper grounding as well as neutrals..
your power is only as good as the connections.
click here and use a torque wrench and a torque driver for screws.
most breaker entrance boxes have the torque settings listed in the box as well as most plugs sockets have a torque setting sheet in the package.

I check all of the entrance screws and bolts every year.
late fall is my time for that..
a good inspection after BIG storms as well.
just to make sure it is all ok..

part of the preventative maintenance thing.


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## Matt88-8 (Dec 27, 2018)

Honest question here. All my "sensitive" electronics run on 9v DC. (Pc, router, TV) And the AC adapters have very large input specs: like 100-250v 50-60hz. With specs like that, wouldn't a gen have to be majorly out to lunch to damage anything??

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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

iowagold said:


> sure speed!
> this is why we use the inverter units in the fleet!
> dewalt battery chargers, computers. phone chargers all trashed on cheap gens.
> now that we have switched to only honda eu 2000i, 2200i, 3000i, 6500i, and 7000is gens.
> ...


Honestly it I could have at the time found a larger portable generator with the reputation of the big Honda EB, I would have gone that route. As it is I use a 6/4 connector from generator to inlet box, other than stove, dryer, heat pump system, I think most wiring in house is 14 ga. If I were to build nothing would be smaller than 12, with long runs 10ga. I belive in overkill. I have n umerous extension cords, some 40 years old from wire scrounged when I was in the USAF, went down to our hospital maintance shop one day and they were throwing a couple of pieces, one about 60' long of 12/3 in trash, cleaning up for an upcoming inspection. It quickly made it to my car and I was told some other had made it to the dump the day before, so made a trip out there that afternoon and rescued it. The guys down there got me some 120v Hospital Grade ends, male and female, so I have numerous very high quality extensions, In addition to these I have a couple of shorter ones in 10/3. When I built my storage shed I was going to wire it for 120 only and when I went to the electrical supply one of the guys said go 220, I thought about wiring and honestly it's been 20 years ago, but think I ran 10/3 with a ground, gave me a couple of 220 receptacles and I went in to a "sub panel" breaker box from the main box in the house, burying the wire in heavy outdoor conduit. broke off that and made 3 circuits, one for lights one one for each end of shed, Only occasionally running an air compressor, and or drill off one of them, I insulated it well, and keep and electric radiator out there to keep it a little warm, and condensation off tools to prevent rust. No problems in the 20 years it has been up.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Matt88-8 said:


> Honest question here. All my "sensitive" electronics run on 9v DC. (Pc, router, TV) And the AC adapters have very large input specs: like 100-250v 50-60hz. With specs like that, wouldn't a gen have to be majorly out to lunch to damage anything??


Yup. See post #12.


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## redphilip21 (Dec 3, 2021)

Yes, maybe because the appliances need a more stable and strong source of power. there are appliances that are very sensitive and can get easily damaged by unstable power sources.


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## Plor (Jan 2, 2022)

redphilip21 said:


> Yes, maybe because the appliances need a more stable and strong source of power. there are appliances that are very sensitive and can get easily damaged by unstable power sources.


Do you have any personal knowledge of damaged electronic equipment due to the usage of a generator?


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## Robh (Aug 19, 2019)

Anecdotal evidence of old generators not having problems with old electronics (1980-1990's) doesn't have much relevance today. Taking just computers for example - the lithography used to make semiconductors and circuits are 1000x smaller than in the past. NAND used in RAM is hundreds of times more dense. Some things are more robust these days, but other things are much more delicate. Heck I could rub circuit boards from my old Apple II on the carpet and everything would be fine. I wouldn't dare do that with any modern PC peripherals.

Does this answer your question? No. But I still wouldn't run my expensive electronics without some form of protection. In my particular case I can't test it. 'Not because my generator is an inverter, but because all that stuff is protected by a battery backup anyway. Even through a generator, my computers get "filtered" by a pure sine-wave UPS.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

But are modern electronics really that more fragile? If any, to me most modern electronics seems more resilient. I am old enough to experience older electronics of that era having a higher chance of failure. For one, power supplies back then were the typical linear type. Many did have voltage regulator ICs but these also fail when the input voltage spike (being a linear design) gets high enough and overwhelms it.

Modern power supplies are more often than not, the switch-mode power supply (SMPS) type. And the great majority are of the wide input voltage kind that will work on any voltage between 100V to 240V. Also, by design, SMPS isolates the "sensitive electronics" from the AC line.

Here's a good video demonstration of an SMPS at work, filtering "dirty power" from an old generator.


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## Plor (Jan 2, 2022)

Robh said:


> Anecdotal evidence of old generators not having problems with old electronics (1980-1990's) doesn't have much relevance today. Taking just computers for example - the lithography used to make semiconductors and circuits are 1000x smaller than in the past. NAND used in RAM is hundreds of times more dense. Some things are more robust these days, but other things are much more delicate. Heck I could rub circuit boards from my old Apple II on the carpet and everything would be fine. I wouldn't dare do that with any modern PC peripherals.
> 
> Does this answer your question? No. But I still wouldn't run my expensive electronics without some form of protection. In my particular case I can't test it. 'Not because my generator is an inverter, but because all that stuff is protected by a battery backup anyway. Even through a generator, my computers get "filtered" by a pure sine-wave UPS.


Thanks!


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## Jump (Nov 19, 2020)

From these discussions, electronic equipment does not seem to be affected by open frame generators. In the past, I've been advised not to operate refrigerators and other devices with compressors due to compressors and motors running warmer with open frame generators thus causing long term, down the road damage. 

Sadly, I don't remember the specifics of these cautions but do recall the warnings. Any truth to this or explanations why this is just a bunch of phooey?

Jump


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

There is some truth to that. But unless the sine wave is totally screwed up, inductive motors should survive on generator power with no long term effects.

With more appliances gradually moving into a brushless DC (BLDC) motor design, that is becoming less of an issue.


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Oct 23, 2021)

An old thread with some recent activity, but I'll add my findings from our off-grid location:

1. been running only open-frame gennies (1st generac, now duromax 12000's), and these both fed the battery banks thru the inverter/charger, and the inverter passed-thru the excess power to the rest of the house/appliances. No problems to any devices, for over 5 years now of doing this.

2. any issue at all has only been, is there enough power coming through, before a device complains about anything. When we added a grundfos water booster pump, other things started complaining about the surge needed for that thing; a kickstart device is on order to smooth out that surge.

3. a german appliance (countertop dishwasher) is the only recent thing I've noticed that doesn't like to be on open-frame generator power. it appears to sense the state of power beyond it's plug, and makes decisions on that to run or not run, sometimes just for a few seconds (when grundfos kicks on), and other times to act entirely flaky (forget where it is in its cycle). We just don't run this device when the genny is feeding the battery bank. I've heard that german electronics can be this way, but can't point at any docs.

4. UPS's (consumer-class) ... they are a loss for operating when on our type of generators, as they click continuously, and run down the battery. In my case, the inverter/charger hogs the most power when on generator, and feeds some excess power thru to the rest of the house, but the UPS's just don't like what they get; less clicking when a 22kw generac fed things, more clicking on the duromax 12kw, but always some amount of clicking/battery run-down. As the whole house inverter/battery bank is basically a big ups, we did away with the little ones. I've heard bad things about what these ups's put back out on the line ... can't prove anything, yet.

5. because I'm off-grid, our genny operation seems to be mostly "straight-line", with genny running at a constant speed to feed the inverter/charger ... this is apparently a good thing, as the genny doesn't normally experiences all kinds of surges/demands from anything else. It mostly charges the battery bank back up, and then the fancy inverter switches automatically from charging the battery bank to feeding the house from the battery bank. genny runs about 3 - 4 hours every day, depending on solar panel activity; we consume about 200 or so amp-hours of power per day out of battery bank, and it takes our genny about 1 minute of run-time per amp-hour to put it back in.

So, we run all kinds of modern appliances, and being an IT guy, I run all kinds of computer gear. Never a problem with anything, other than oddities noted above on certain devices. After 5 years, can't really say anything has died an early/horrible death due to genny operations; they've all lived a normal life span. All electric house & appliances, some propane appliances where that makes sense in our cold southern colorado region, at 7500'.

THD of the open-frame genny has never seemed to be a problem, for us. My THD readings seem to indicate there is as much trouble coming from inside the house (the modern-day devices) as there might be from your genny; these devices (like the UPS's) can throw problems back out on the house wiring.

Having enough power at any one time seems to be more important, so gennies in the 10kw or larger arena is better. Running the genny to mostly charge a battery bank is better (even load).

Hope this helps ...


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

How do you respond to that ^ ? lol

But I share your sentiments and as another person working in IT, neither have I encountered any issues with my "sensitive" computer equipment when running from a non-inverter generator. Granted that all of them are behind a mix of several APC SmartUPS and consumer-grade UPSs. Even so, none of them has ever reported any line quality issue in the logs.

And unless the UPS is the double-conversion type, it's not capable of fixing "dirty" waveforms. They work within a set of tolerances and when its internal logic decides that the power is acceptable, it just pass it along to the load. The only time a UPS intervenes is when it detects an electrical spike, voltage drop/gain (AVR kicks in), abnormal frequency deviation, or total loss of line power. Anything in between, the load (your sensitive electronics) will see the dirty waveform.... and it's fine. The SMPS will clean it all up.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

I should get me one of those tablet oscilloscopes. I've been dying to see just what sort of waveform my generator is churning out. Not to mention the UPSs and the few DC>AC inverters I have lying around.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

get a good one that has good numbers....
and name brand test gear holds value for good resale.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

OrlyP said:


> I should get me one of those tablet oscilloscopes. I've been dying to see just what sort of waveform my generator is churning out. Not to mention the UPSs and the few DC>AC inverters I have lying around.


Can THD be calculated using one of those scopes?


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## PapaWhisky (Dec 2, 2021)

drmerdp said:


> Can THD be calculated using one of those scopes?


If the scope has an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) function then the size of each harmonic can be measured and a spreadsheet can be used to calculate THD


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## PapaWhisky (Dec 2, 2021)

"because all that stuff is protected by a battery backup anyway. Even through a generator, my computers get "filtered" by a pure sine-wave UPS."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in normal operation the UPS will just pass AC through to your electronics.

The only time you'll get a pure sine wave is when you're running ff battery power.

amirite?


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## GenKnot (Dec 20, 2021)

PapaWhisky said:


> amirite?


The exception would be a double conversion UPS.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

PapaWhisky said:


> "because all that stuff is protected by a battery backup anyway. Even through a generator, my computers get "filtered" by a pure sine-wave UPS."
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but in normal operation the UPS will just pass AC through to your electronics.
> 
> ...





GenKnot said:


> The exception would be a double conversion UPS.


Exactly. Post 28.

A conventional UPS does allow filtering from certain line irregularities but smoothening up a jagged waveform and passing it on to the load is not one of them.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

PapaWhisky said:


> "because all that stuff is protected by a battery backup anyway. Even through a generator, my computers get "filtered" by a pure sine-wave UPS."
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but in normal operation the UPS will just pass AC through to your electronics.
> 
> ...


the units with constant avr will filter the ac.
you know if you have one...
lol
most run 500-600 bucks new and up on the price


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

I think I found a more affordable hand held power analyzer. It’s cheaper then a brand new fluke 345 but about the same price as a used fluke 345. Still VERY expensive.

HT Instruments HT9022 Clamp-On Power Quality Analyzer with Bluetooth Connection | TEquipment


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

that is a little package!
yea you have to have an good ipad to get the good out of the unit for sure...
1K for a price point is ok.
is it update able?
or is it a one time deal...

these days anything with blue tooth is dated on how many years the blue tooth may work as far as version...

look at cell phones right now 1g,2g and now 3g will be off line later this month and maybe next month (late jan, end of feb 2022) so if you have an older cell phone it will be bricked on text and calls...
but the internet parts will still work if you have wifi...
and this affects some ipads with cell for the data connection.....

i hate to hijack the conversation with cell phone stuff..
but it does make a difference when buying any gear that is connected right now...
variants of 5g are already rolling out... and 6G is already in the works!
tech world is changing fast!
i still have tube testers!! LOL!! and the good ones at that!
GRIN!


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## Robh (Aug 19, 2019)

PapaWhisky said:


> "because all that stuff is protected by a battery backup anyway. Even through a generator, my computers get "filtered" by a pure sine-wave UPS."
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but in normal operation the UPS will just pass AC through to your electronics.
> 
> ...


You are correct. I am wrong. It was something I learned and then forgot! Thanks.


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Oct 23, 2021)

Eaton Corp (power folks) has a wp (Harmonics in your electrical system) on the THD problem _inside the house_:

"Harmonics are a distortion of the normal electrical current waveform, generally transmitted by 
nonlinear loads. Switch-mode power supplies (SMPS), variable speed motors and drives, 
photocopiers, personal computers, laser printers, fax machines, battery chargers and UPSs 
are examples of nonlinear loads. Single-phase non-linear loads are prevalent in modern 
office buildings, while three-phase, non-linear loads are widespread in factories and industrial 
plants. 

A large portion of the non-linear electrical load on most electrical distribution systems comes 
from SMPS equipment. For example, all computer systems use SMPS that convert utility AC 
voltage to regulated low-voltage DC for internal electronics. These non-linear power supplies 
draw current in high-amplitude short pulses that create significant distortion in the electrical 
current and voltage wave shape—harmonic distortion, measured as total harmonic distortion 
(THD). *The distortion travels back into the power source and can affect other equipment 
connected to the same source.*

Most power systems can accommodate a certain level of harmonic currents but will 
experience problems when harmonics become a significant component of the overall load. "

I'm not saying anybody shouldn't use an inverter/generator ... it's recently new to the home generator market. Perhaps reducing every source of THD is the answer ... on the outside (your generator), and then on the inside (your devices).

We don't use an inverter/generator (cost, complexity, etc.), but then, our off-grid inverter/charger (magnum) probably deals with the worst of THD thrown by our genny (duromax 12kw open-frame), and then all the rest of the time, we get clean sine wave power going into the house. Where, unfortunately, it then gets used by all the devices inside that turn around and throw THD back out on the house wiring ...


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

iowagold said:


> that is a little package!
> yea you have to have an good ipad to get the good out of the unit for sure...
> 1K for a price point is ok.
> is it update able?
> ...


Bluetooth is local device to device transmission which isn’t a broadcast thing. It’s vary backwards compatible or atleast have been so far…

Between the ht9022 and fluke 345 I’d still rather a used 345 for a couple hundred more. Though they are both way rich for my blood.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

50ShadesOfDirt said:


> Eaton Corp (power folks) has a wp (Harmonics in your electrical system) on the THD problem _inside the house_:
> 
> "Harmonics are a distortion of the normal electrical current waveform, generally transmitted by
> nonlinear loads. Switch-mode power supplies (SMPS), variable speed motors and drives,
> ...


It’s not a VFD but I guess my soft start unit on my central AC is technically a big source of THD during ramp up. Are inverter fridges and HVAC units contributors as well?


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## PapaWhisky (Dec 2, 2021)

Robh said:


> You are correct. I am wrong. It was something I learned and then forgot! Thanks.


Apparently not totally wrong. I'm learning, too.

Look up 'double conversion UPS'

These things take input AC, convert to DC and then back to a pure sine wave AC. Similar to an inverter generator. (OrlyP)

Expensive, though ... minimum $500 on Amazon.



Amazon.com


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