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Backup Generator transfer switch

In the past two issues of Stereophile, Michael Fremer has been discussing the disastrous results to the sound of his system after having a backup generator installed at his home. The system is not running on the generator, but he believes it has to do with the transfer switch that gets installed on the AC signal path.  He describes a pre-generator experience as "intense and emotionally elevating" afterwards "everything good was gone, two large ill-focused boomboxes had replaced absolute magic".  I recently moved and had been listening to my system prior to and after the installation of a Generac whole house generator, I did not notice any change in the sound, I can still sit and enjoy the music for hours with no sense of fatigue.  Perhaps my ears are shot or my equipment is not expensive enough.  Anyone here have any experiences with generator transfer switches?

Thanks
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millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
A manual switch will work. And all the power line and house wires are an antenna bringing EMI into the system. 

Man, that sounds so familiar. Could swear I have heard it all before somewhere. But, where? We only have one Director of Engineering around here. Who else could possibly have such advanced detailed knowledge of electricity and electrical circuits?
erik_squires
16,368 posts
 
The last time I went through this I left gear off that needed a week to warm up.

If Fremer is seeing flat topped wave forms though, as noted above, that’s bad, and a properly installed switch should not do this.
vk_onfilter
22 posts
 
The thing to watch for is switching transients (or switchover transients) whenever the UPS kicks in or the other way around.  Here is a good blog on the subject: http://www.repeater-builder.com/backup-power/ups-test.html
jea48
4,493 posts
 
@whart

it should be possible to route this back up in a way that does not involve the switch
Yes there is. Feed the 10KVA transformer ahead of the ATS switch.

You just won’t have power to the 10KVA transformer during a utility power outage. Which you don’t want your audio equipment fed from the generator anyway.

Just tell your electrician what you want. He will know what to do.
You also might want to check out Cummins/Onan standby generators an ATS. Cost more than Generac though.

Jim



wolfie62
353 posts
 
The ATS was NEVER the problem!

The problem was the quality of power he was getting from his backup generator. It was electrically noisy with fluctuating frequency and voltage. 

So he later put in a PS Audio Power Regenerator. It’s nothing more than a power inverter; it converts home power to DC, then uses an inverter to re-form the 120 vac/60 Hz supply. It prevents power fluctuations of any kind, and converts DC to  regulated, perfect true sinewave power.

Easy-peasy, simple.

No mystery here, folks.
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