Automatic Transfer Switch

People depend on electricity and power with their lives.  Almost everything needs power in order to run.  Without electricity, things do not function, as they should.  When the lights go out people are blind, when the heater shuts off people freeze, when air-conditioning stops people sweat profusely.  Things just do not work well without power.  Although oftentimes, inconvenience is what losing power brings about, there are times when loss of power can mean disaster for your company.  Because the systems of many companies run only when there is power, it is crucial that power is not lost.  Take for instance a hospital.  One would not even want to begin imagining the repercussions of losing electricity in a building such as this.  The respirators keeping people alive will lose power, the oxygen tanks will stop pumping oxygen, a surgeon in an operating room conducting a heart transplant will lose light.  Imagine such an event. One word: disaster.  This is why backup generators are so essential in buildings such as these.  However, backup generators are not all that is needed to prevent such undesirable events from occurring.  You will also need the automatic transfer switch.

Automatic transfer switches differ from the manual switches in that the manual switch entails a person to physically switch the power source from the electric grid to the backup generator in the unlikely event of a blackout.  The automatic transfer switch, on the other hand, is under the control of another electronic device such as a computer that utilizes specialized wiring.  The automatic transfer switch is essential most especially when several generators need to be activated at one time.

There are two types of automatic transfer switches available.  The first kind of transfer switch is called the “break before make” switch.  As soon as this switch detects the power from the electric grid going out, it will instantly switch to obtaining power from the backup generator.  The second type, the “make before break” switch, is the type that will depend on electric frequency levels before actually switching to the backup generator.  The second model is what most areas or facilities, needing an uninterrupted supply of electricity, prefer.

When considering purchasing a backup generator for your use, assess whether a continuous supply of energy is actually needed by your facility.  Backup generators do not come very cheap; therefore a number of things must first be considered and assessed.  These are worthy investments however that will not let you down if you do decide to purchase one for your business.  Such generators sell well to companies that rely heavily or solely on power to keep their businesses afloat, as in the previous example of the hospital.

Lastly, when making a purchase, consider asking advice from emergency power experts to be able to identify which type of transfer switch will fit your needs best.  Remember that blackouts are things you cannot predict; investing in automatic transfer switches therefore will save you from consequences you do not desire.