Have you noticed that when you’re running on backup power, machine speeds change or lights flash? This kind of behavior is called “surging.” When your generator causes a power surge, it means that something isn’t working right.
What Is Surging? How can you tell?
When a generator or other electrical part, appliance, or device changes its behavior in a noticeable way at regular intervals, this is called “spiking.” The gaps can be random or they can follow a pattern. What does this really mean? Let’s look at a few examples.
If the generator surged, the lights would flicker back and forth, making it look like they were flickering. Machines can change speed quickly, like a fan that speeds up and slows down for no apparent reason.
Why do generators sometimes surge?
Something causes a surge in a generator. The main things that cause surging are using too much fuel, not doing enough maintenance, getting old, a broken capacitor or another part, a clogged carburetor, an unbalanced load, and many other things. Let’s talk about each one.
- Fuel Related problems
One of the three things that can cause fuel-related surging is using the wrong fuel, not having enough fuel, or using bad fuel. Any type of fuel that isn’t allowed can cause a surge, and most generators have specific fuel needs.
Fuel can make a generator surge, which doesn’t happen very often. Check the fuel filters and the quality of the fuel to make sure that nothing is blocking the filters or lines.
Fuel pumps that don’t work right could cause surges. Making sure that your fuel pump is in good shape is a key step in figuring out what’s causing the surge. If fuel flow is reduced because of a leak or blockage in the fuel line, check it out.
- Component Problems
If you’re looking for what’s causing surges, it could be that parts of the generator are broken. A broken capacitor is one example of a single part that could stop your generator from making and distributing power. This would cause your power supply and distribution to change in unpredictable ways.
- Old Age
Due to normal wear and tear, parts of generators can break down and cause them to surge. If your generator is getting close to the end of its expected life and you start to notice surges, you might want to think about getting a newer model.
- Poor Maintenance
Generators need to be taken care of like any other piece of equipment if you want them to keep working well. Neglecting your maintenance intervals can lead to more wear and tear and other, more serious problems, like your generator becoming more likely to surge.
- The surge watts of equipment that is connected
The increase in load can be caused by starting up big machines that are running on backup power. If this uses up all the power your generator can produce, it will be hard for it to keep up with demand. This can sometimes happen. After a brief loss of power to other devices, everything evens out and you don’t notice a difference in the power quality. Sometimes the extra load is too much for your generator to handle, which can cause power spikes or even cause the generator to shut down completely.
- Load Balancing
Depending on what you’re trying to connect to, the load can change very quickly. It’s important to make sure that the load is evenly spread across the three phases. This is also a good time to make sure the generator isn’t overloaded, either all the time or just for a short time when something starts up. Motors are often the main cause of an unbalanced load because they use a lot of electricity when they first start up.
- AVR Failure
The Automatic Voltage Regulator is a type of regulator. An AVR, which is attached to your alternator, checks how much power your generator is putting out. Its job is to keep the voltage across the equipment load constant. This is done when the load on your generator changes a lot. The AVR smooths out the power that comes from the generator. If the AVR breaks down, it could cause power surges.
Less-Common Reasons
- Damaged Spark Plugs
Check your spark plugs for damage or wear. If the porcelain insulator is broken, the electrode is broken, or there is a lot of carbon on the plug, it should be changed. Use a spark plug tester to find out if the spark plug is broken. When you turn the engine over, you should see a bright spark between the tester’s two ends. If you can’t see a spark, you need to change the spark plug.
- Clogged Carburetor
One of the most common ways to get a clogged carburetor is to leave fuel in the generator for a long time. Some of the parts in the fuel may make it thicker and stickier so that it can’t move through the fuel system. If this sticky fuel gets stuck in the engine, it could stop or run badly. If the carburetor is clogged, you should use a cleaner to clean it. If cleaning the carburetor doesn’t make it work better, you might need to rebuild or replace it.
- Blocked Fuel Filter
Most of the time, old fuel is what makes a fuel filter stop working. Over time, some of the parts of the fuel evaporate, leaving behind a thicker, stickier substance. If sticky bits of fuel get stuck in the fuel filters, the engine could stop or run in a strange way. If the fuel filter is broken or full, it needs to be changed.
