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Don’t wait until it’s too late to test your commercial standby generator. Load bank testing is the only way to check whether or not your back-up power supply will be up and running in the event of an outage.

 

What is load bank testing?

Your standby generator functions by providing power to your electrical loads. Load bank testing checks whether your generator is providing enough power to the loads to keep them up and running independently—and uninterrupted—in the event of an outage.

For commercial businesses, loads include everything from lights, computers, machinery, phone lines—if it runs on electricity, it’s an electrical load.

The load bank test will measure and confirm that energy is being delivered from your generator to your electric loads efficiently and effectively.

 

Why do I need load bank testing?

Picture this. An unexpected snowstorm sweeps through the tristate area, and you suffer an outage. You haven’t performed a load bank test on your standby generator in months. The back-up electrical system fails, and the lights go out.

Standby generators are a vital part of any commercial emergency plan. Industries include, but aren’t limited to:

• Hospitals & Medical Facilities
• Office Buildings
• Residential High Rises
• Supermarkets & Malls
• Sports & Country Clubs
• Veterinary Hospitals

This could be more devastating for some businesses than others, but the fundamental risks of a failed—or lack of—commercial generator are the same:

• Losing Comfort and Security of your Employees and Customers
• Losing Investment in Company Technology
• Loss of Revenue
• Potential Loss of Life
• Damage to Your Professional Reputation for Reliability

Generators aren’t used consistently—only as needed in the event of an outage—and they’ll begin to function below capacity over time between uses. Load bank testing provides an artificial load at rated capacity to ensure that your generator can handle the amount of energy your commercial building demands.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has a set of standards for standby power systems requiring businesses to conduct regular load bank testing. Regulations and standards may vary regionally, but most standards departments adhere to the NFPA.

 

When should I perform a load bank test on my generator?

When your standby generator is first installed, it’s important to conduct load bank testing to ensure that your back-up power supply is operating at full capacity. Your ongoing maintenance plan should include routine load bank testing to check that your generator continues functioning efficiently and effectively.

If you conduct annual load bank testing, you can catch any potential generator failures before they matter most. Don’t wait until the power fails to detect any issues with your back-up power supply.

When’s the last time you tested your commercial generator? Do you have a back-up power source in place? In addition to a large supply of top-rated standby generators, National Standby Repair provides a total regimen of preventative maintenance with installation, offering in-house load bank testing according to NFPA standards. Contact us today for more information.

 

Kristopher Schwind is the proud owner of National Standby Repair.