The purpose of a generator is to offer a reliable source of power to your facility or commercial operation throughout an emergency, when power from the grid is unexpectedly lost, or is temporarily unavailable in your environment. In the event of a power failure, you should have peace of mind that your backup power source will immediately start on-demand; But what happens when the power goes out and your genset does not function as expected? The result can often be costly and sometimes catastrophic.
This is why generator load bank testing is a critical element of a comprehensive protective generator maintenance plan, one that you should preferably have conducted on your genset every year. Load bank testing helps to ensure that your generator will be fully dependable and operational, as well as completely capable of the highest possible load it may be required to handle at any critical time.
generator load bank test involves an examination and assessment of a genset. It verifies that all primary components of the generator set are in proper working condition. The equipment used to conduct a load bank test produces artificial loads on the generator by bringing the engine to an appropriate operating temperature and pressure level.
This is especially important for standby and emergency generator sets that do not run very often and/or may not be exposed to carrying heavy loads on a frequent basis. The general rule is - if your generator is not exposed to higher than 30% of its rated kW load then you should be considering a load test.
A load bank test ensures that your generator will run property when it's needed so that you can fully depend on it during an emergency situation.