wirebender
Senior Member
- Location
- North Central Texas
What would cause lights to flicker on generator power?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What would cause lights to flicker on generator power?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I don't know if you are dealing with a 10MW or a 5kw cord and plug. So, the first answer is the generator voltage is flickering (you likely already knew that)
Here are some reasons:
Generators are not as stiff a source as a utility.
Large load swings can cause voltage drops
Motor starting
even large power tools on small generation
Now is when you give us some context so we know why you are asking.
ice
They kept flickering when they brought the heat pumps in. He did say they never saw over 50 amps of load.Put a good load on it and see what it does. Gensets don't like running unloaded.
Incandescent and electronic T8s.What kind of lights are they? I had a terrible problem with my X-10 controlled lights on my generator. Some would continually dim and ramp back up, others just flickered fast. Turning them off was difficult.
The same X-10 switches would not completely turn off the lights if I had all compact fluorescents in the fixture (they'd flicker dimly when turn "off"). I had to put an incandescent in one of the fixtures on the circuit to make it behave on utility power. Perhaps it was the same issue on the generator, and just magnified.
Any two wire device, whether switch or dimmer, which depends on current through the (turned off) load for its operating power can flicker if the load is not resistive. A fluorescent with a magnetic ballast (very early CFLs?) would probably be OK, but one with an electronic ballast would flicker.What kind of lights are they? I had a terrible problem with my X-10 controlled lights on my generator. Some would continually dim and ramp back up, others just flickered fast. Turning them off was difficult.
The same X-10 switches would not completely turn off the lights if I had all compact fluorescents in the fixture (they'd flicker dimly when turn "off"). I had to put an incandescent in one of the fixtures on the circuit to make it behave on utility power. Perhaps it was the same issue on the generator, and just magnified.
I haven't been out to check this, yet.
If and when I do, I'll let y'all know what i find, thanks for the suggestions.