Electric Question

[littlepint]

Our power goes out and we hook up stand-by power. Our stand-by power at 60HZ is putting out 128 volts. Will 128 volts be harmful to our house appliances? Thanks for any help!

 

[Russ from MN]

Is that with a load or unloaded? If unloaded it's fine, might shorten the life of incandescent bulbs, but they should all be thrown away anyhow!

 

[David G]

It will probably droop some as loaded, over long time will shorten bulb life but fine for backup power.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Nominal AC voltage is 120 volts; 128 is only 7 percent high. Better to be 7 percent high than 7 percent low. You don't say if you're measuring your voltage at the generator or at a wall receptacle; there will always be a little voltage drop. I suggest checking the voltage at your refrigerator or freezer while the appliance is running; if the voltage at the fridge is over 125 volts you might want to turn the generator down a bit.

 

[Jim.ME]

And unless the meters have been checked for calibration, they could be off some as well.

 

[buickanddeere]

What is the voltage when measured at a house, shed or barn receptacle while the generator is under load .

 

[Alvin 41]

For 46 years I've used a plug in electric clock to set and check speed of pto alternators. Check second hand with a watch (now cell phone) and come back later to see if you are loosing (too slow) or gaining.

 

[littlepint]

Thanks all for your help. The figures I gave were at our house with basically no load. The refrigerator, freezer and 220 water pump could have been running, but don't really know for sure. Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[Mule Meat]

You will be fine on 128 volts. All of my outlets read 127-128 volts for the past several years since the power company came through upgrading everything.

 

[kencombs]

And the utility standard is +-5%, so you're just barely out of spec. Probably good, unless you have something that s overly sensitive.