How to Stay Safe in a Thunderstorm

Summer in the UK is the most common time of year for thunderstorms to occur, and with thunder inevitably comes lightning. Recently the full force of a storm was felt in the south of England when hundreds of homes and business in Oxford and Reading were left without power after lightning strikes hit overhead cables and affected mains connectivity. Storms also affected Gatwick Airport causing electric trips to computer systems, which resulted in delays for hundreds of passengers. 

While severe weather is unavoidable, there are ways to stay safe and protect your business against the threat of lightning –one such way is to put a contingency plan in place that involves electric generators.

Standby Power : The effects of power outages suffered by hundreds of people in the south of England could have minimised if businesses were equipped with diesel generator sets. Despite the ongoing threat of thunderstorms during the summer, the chances of a blackout happening are still relatively rare. Because of this, many businesses tend to operate without any sort of backup power plan in place. However, if a building is hit by lightning, a generator is the first thing they will be wishing they had.

Electric generators as a standby solution are designed to detect loss of power and operate immediately; eliminating downtime and ensuring business operations can continue as normal until mains power is reconnected.

Thunderstorm Safety Tips : As well as hiring a diesel generator, there are a number of safety tips that can be put into practice, before, during, and after a thunderstorm.

Before a Storm

• Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of storm, so whenever you hear thunder it is wise to seek shelter immediately.
• When indoors, make sure to turn off all non-essential appliances at the source.
• Secure all loose outdoor items to prevent them being blown away during a storm.

During a Storm

• Keep all exterior doors and windows closed.
• Keep blinds and curtains closed to protect against broken glass.
• Make sure all internal doors and windows are closed and only opened when required.
• Avoid using telephone lines, sinks, and taps – these can conduct electricity.
• If you find yourself in an outdoor location, try to seek shelter immediately. If this is not possible, squat close to the ground, but do not lie down. As little of your body as possible should be touching the floor.

After a Storm

• Try to remain indoors for at least 30 minutes after the last strike of lightning.
• Avoid any downed power lines or cables.
• Keep away from exterior walls and trees in case of damage.
• If damage has occurred, contact your insurance company as soon as possible.

Following these tips will help lessen the threat of a thunderstorm and, combined with a diesel generator, will allow operations to continue unaffected.

To find a generator capable of meeting your power requirements, visit Dieselecthistle.co.uk today.

Generator Servicing: Keeping Your Machines Running Around the Clock

Diesel generator sets are essential in modern business. From providing continuous power when connection to mains electric is unavailable to offering a standby solution in the event of power loss, having a generator on site provides peace of mind that operations can be carried out continuously and smoothly, whatever the circumstances.

Generally speaking, generators are reliable machines capable of performing for continuous periods without any problems. However, like everything else in life, they must be properly looked after. If they are not regularly maintained, generators can encounter problems that significantly affect service life. Which is why, when choosing a model to meet your requirements, you should ensure servicing and maintenance support is available. 

Generator Problems : When asked to perform over sustained periods without due care and attention, generators will eventually begin to suffer. Some of the common problems faced over time may include:

• Low coolant levels - generally caused by internal or external leakage and highlighted by a machines built in alarm indicator.
• Leaks - most commonly caused by damaged block heater hoses, over filling of a base tank or ‘wet stacking' - the accumulation of carbon particles, lube oil, condensed water, and unburned fuel in the exhaust system.
• High fuel levels - caused due to an overfilling of the fuel tank.
• Block heater damage - due to wear and tear of persistent start up.
• Fuel bleeding back into tank - typically a problem for newer generators that are not exercised regularly.
• Controls not in auto - caused by human error, typically due to the main control switch being left in the on/off position. This problem tends to occur after testing.

Regular Servicing : To ensure generators run smoothly and your business remains is unaffected by any problems that do occur, it's important to purchase or hire from a company that can offer servicing that covers every aspect of the machinery.

With businesses increasingly likely to require power 24/7, servicing should be available around the clock and delivered efficiently. A good service provider will include the following:

• 24/7 emergency response team
• On-site fault diagnostics and repair
• Load bank testing
• Fuel managementv
• Upgrades, relocations, and part-exchanges.

In-House Staff Training : If you are purchasing a diesel generator as a long-term power solution, it makes sense to have staff in house that are trained in all aspects of maintenance and repair - this will help extend service life of the machines and minimise downtime.

Dieselecthistle.co.uk is one of the few generator suppliers in the UK to offer on-site staff training and can tailor training workshops around the needs of your business and its employees. This level of training alongside the professional support offered by Dieselec will ensure power is always available when required.

7 Reasons for Buying or Hiring a Generator

Power outages affected more than two million people in the United Kingdom in 2013 and the problem is only set to get worse as the amount of power consumed exceeds the amount being produced.

With the threat of blackouts becoming more serious, buying or hiring a generator to mitigate the effects of power failure is increasing in importance. Below are seven reasons how electric generators can make your life easier. 

1. Minimising Downtime : The rise of the internet over the last decade or so has transformed businesses into 24-hour operations that must be on hand to meet the demands of customers at all times. In an environment where time is money, power outages can prove to be disastrous,resulting in financial losses and harming consumer confidence.

Your business relies on power to perform and portable generators will ensure this is always the case, providing immediate power when connection to the National Grid has been lost.

2. Keeping Critical Appliances Running : Portable generators are available in a range of sizes and are capable of powering everything from light bulbs to heavy-duty machinery. In the event of power failure, a generator will keep all of those critical appliances around the workplace running as normal – this is particularly beneficial if you run servers or have refrigeration units.

3. Continuous Running Power : Diesel electric generators are robust machines that are capable of running continuously throughout the day and night at a constant speed. This level of performance is so often vital during prolonged periods without power and can ensure operations are allowed to carry on unaffected.

4. Maintaining Calm : A sudden blackout can cause people to descend into panic pretty quickly, resulting in significant risk to health and safety. With standby generators in place, independent power can kick into action immediately, helping to maintain calm amongst staff.

5. Automatic Transfer of Power : Diesel generators are designed to detect when mains power has been lost and switch on immediately. This is not only excellent in ensuring appliances are not without power, it eliminates the downtime of retrieving a generator from storage and hooking it up.

6. Staying Sheltered in a Storm : Thanks to automatic transfer switches, electric generators will immediately power up in a blackout. This is particularly beneficial in a storm when some generators will require you to venture outdoors for safe setup and manual start.

7. Peace of Mind : Even if you never need to use them, having portable silent generators on site provides you with peace of mind that, should you be unfortunate enough to suffer a loss of power, business operations can remain unaffected, and employees can stay safe.

A Guide to Silent Generators and Portable Generators

From standby power to continuous operation, portable generators are essential in almost every commercial and industrial environment, helping to meet electricity needs when mains connectivity is not available and allowing organisations to carry out applications smoothly. Given their importance and the way they perform, it is pretty hard to come up with too many disadvantages when talking about generators; but there is one: noise.

Generators are notoriously noisy beasts and the larger the engines get, the noisier they become, chugging away relentlessly as they serve the duty they were hired to perform. However, this is not always the case. Some generators are designed to perform without creating too much in the way of noise pollution – these are known as portable generators.

The Sound of Silence

'Silent generators' is a slightly misleading term, because, by their very design, it is impossible to have a generator that is completely silent. What silent generators are though, is much quieter than their standard diesel counterparts are.

Noise reduction in generators is achieved by combining a range of different methods including sound-absorbing materials, constant speed engines, exhaust mufflers, and enclosed exhaust silencers. None of these things makes a generator look or perform any differently; they just make it much more pleasant to be around.

Where Silent Generators are Used

In busy construction sites and noisy outdoor festivals, the noise of a generator is not something that really matters too much and operations can be performed without the rumbling machine affecting performance. There are, however, circumstances when silent generators are not only beneficial, but also essential.

The most apparent need for silent generators is where noise pollution is an issue. In residential areas, businesses and builders have a duty to neighbouring properties and residents to keep noise output to a minimum. No one wants to hear the sound of a generator 10-12 hours a day and running a standard machine is not likely to sit well with people in close proximity to your site. Hiring or purchasing silent generators immediately solves the problem and allows you to meet power needs without causing any disruption. If you are a customer serving business such as a restaurant or supermarket, a silent generator will be vital in the event of a power outage.

Environments which involving working continuously in the same area as continuous power electric generators, such as marine and offshore operations will also benefit considerably from the reduced noise performance of silent generators, with productivity and employee health prospering in quieter surroundings.

If your business needs generators but you are put off by the noise, visit Dieselecthistle.co.uk and find out how our silent generators can benefit you.

How to Find the Right Generator for Your Event

As summer gets into full swing, people everywhere will be packing their sunhats, tents, and wellies and heading off to one of the many great festivals the UK has to offer. Despite not being blessed with the best weather, when it comes to putting on an outdoor show, few countries can compete with Britain. There are literally hundreds of events every year showcasing the best in music, comedy, and entertainment from around the world. 

If you are planning to host your own outdoor event this year, before any act has been booked and any catering van has been hired, you need to consider one thing: generators.

Weather aside, power is the one thing your event will be judged on, for without it there can be no entertainment. Given the lack of mains connectivity in random fields, this power needs to come from electric generators and, ensuring your event passes without a glitch, makes choosing the right type of generator is essential.

Getting the Power Right

When hiring diesel generator sets, reliability is generally not an issue; these machines are built to perform under any circumstances and can operate for prolonged periods without flinching. So long as you go with a reputable hire firm, you will not have to worry about a generator breaking down.

Where the right decision really matters is in the choice of power. For the sake of the event and the money in your pockets, you must hire a generator with the right load capacity.

According to the Green Festival Alliance, as many as 60% of generators used at outdoor events are more than double the required capacity. This means that the generator has a much larger power output than is required.

Electric generators that run at low loads result in fuel being consumed at a greater rate than energy is produced. Not only is this bad from an environmental standpoint, it will cost you considerably more than a smaller generator to hire and keep running.

Power is one of the largest costs associated with organising an outdoor event and having the wrong generators will eat away needlessly at your budget. Before hiring, make sure you talk to the professionals and find a generator that meets your requirements.

Silent Power

The sound of a generator is typically not an issue at the majority of outdoor events; however, if you are operating close to a residential area, noise pollution may become a factor. Where sound needs to be kept to safe levels, silent generators can provide the solution. These are designed to include sound-absorption materials and exhaust mufflers to reduce running noise and can power your event without drawing any unwanted attention.