ElecComm Power Services Blog

Boston firefighters have been battling a smoky, electrical transformer fire in a utility building in Boston's Back Bay, that led to a huge power outage in the downtown area.

Emergency officials said Tuesday night there were no reports of injuries, but one person was taken to a hospital for minor respiratory problems. Fire officials said the smoke wasn't toxic, but people were advised to avoid it.

A local utility spokesman Mike Duran said a problem in one electrical substation spread to a second one. He said the power outage was affecting the Back Bay, Chinatown, the theater district, Kenmore Square and parts of the South End. He said once the damage is assessed the company will begin working to restore power with large generators.

Two hotels and nearby businesses were evacuated. Streets were closed in the area, and subway trains weren't stopping at stations there.

A local utility placed a call to ElecComm Power Services for emergency support.   ElecComm is currently loading in over 30 megawatts of emergency generated power into downtown Boston through miles of cable and many transformers. This is the largest emergency generator powered job in the city’s history . This event is so large a normally busy street that’s clogged with bumper-to-bumper morning traffic “Commonwealth  Avenue” is being used as an EPS equipment staging area. Stay tuned for updates.

On Sunday March 6th 2011, a New England based utility company lost a primary feed that powered up one of the local transit authority's substation. One of the cables had been compromised by a local construction contractor who accidentally dug into the cable.

The utility quickly swapped over to its back-up power feed. At the time (Sunday) the back-up feed was sufficient to handle the load of the transportation system, but the back-up feed's capacity would not be able to handle Monday mornings rush hour load. Once they realized that the fault could not be repaired in time for Monday morning they turned to ElecComm Power Services for a solution.

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EPS immediately dispatched a 320kw generator, a 2MW generator, a 2500kva step-up to 13.8kv transformer, and 2000' of 4/0 cable to the site. Equipment was placed and connected and on-line within 4 hours of initial call.

The generator allowed the train station to operate at full capacity for 2 days with no interruptions.

ElecComm Power Services provided full turn-key support for the outage. This included 24/7 monitoring of equipment, fueling and rigging.

The Basic Question, Generator, What Is It?

A device that uses mechanical energy as a source to generate electrical energy is known as a generator. So when there isn't a permanent arrangement of a source of electricity a rented generator from a Generator Rental can be of great help.

Can A Rented Generator Be Helpful?

A rented generator can prove to be very useful in various situations like lighting up a grand movie set in a far away location or arranging a party at a farmhouse in a town that has electricity for just 2 hours per day. It can also help if you are the wedding planner who needs to make a theme come alive in far away woods where there is no availability of electricity or if you are a hospital, an ice cream parlor, an organization or an IT firm where an electrical downtime of some minutes of can lead to big losses.

The above are just a few situations but believe me the main advantage of renting from a emergency Generator rental rather than buying one is its cost- effectiveness.

Deciding On The Right Size Of Generator?

Generators available are in the range of 125-150KW to the higher range of 2-4MW. Which to choose depends on items that will be used, that is, which appliances will be put to use? Would only essential items like lights, fans, refrigerators, computer, TV be used or heavy items like Air Conditioners and Room heaters will also be used. The apt size for a generator is of great importance as a small generator may put extra load on the appliances which can ruin them. If you aren't able to really decide the size ask the rental agency and they will advise you on the correct size. The Procedure To Rent A Generator? A generator rental agency would be of help as they have now opened in abundance in the last couple of years in a large number of cities. Researching on rental stores in the city won't hurt either. When renting, choose a store preferably closer home.

Some Information That Might Help In Renting A Generator.

Ensure that the agency delivers the generator wherever required with an experienced electrician who can install and uninstall it when the job's done. Since a generator functions on fuel keep it outdoors instead of keeping it indoors from safety point of view. Do keep in mind that if you have a populated neighborhood choose something that's make less noise.

Environment Friendly Generators Are Available In The Market

In the age of Go-Green, Go-Clean this question isn't a surprise. Clean generators like Wind and Solar are making their way in the market and will rule the markets very soon. Always remember, a rented generator is better since Generator Rentals ensure that it is well-maintained but if you happen to buy one the onus of maintenance is totally upon you.

Having electricity in a time of crisis can be a life saver. Generator rental when you know a storm is brewing could be the most important decision you ever make. Think about all the things you need a power source for, can you really survive without them?

There are many situations and any number of occasions when you may need a generator for rent. Such occasions could be due to the kind of business that you run. You could be the administrator of a huge office building and may feel the necessity of generator rentals as a sort of backup. If you own a hospital or a hotel similarly you would need generators as backup support.

In the case of an emergency procedure such as in the ICU you may need the generator to function as the main source of power supply since you may not like to risk a power failure during a critical stage of the surgery. There are special event venues that require generators on hire as well as construction sites that may not have the facility of a ready power source at the offsite location.

Several small and large industries require generator rentals to keep them going on a regular basis such as the movie industry or the tower power generators for the telecom industry.

You can order a generator for rent in various power output specifications such as one between 25 to 125 kW or a generator that is rated between 150 to 400 kW. There are generators for hire in the 500 to 1500 kW category as well as one that goes up to 2000 kW output. Then there are generators for movie production and those for the telecom industry. Each of these types of generators can be hired during any time of the day or night and right through the week. So, if your industry grinds to a halt in the middle of the night due to a power failure you'd know that the right kind of generator rentals is only a phone call away.

A generator for rent in the power output limited to 125 kW would have the facility of selecting the right voltage and would include an electronic governor. The 2000 kW generator would be the quietest you will ever see in the US. For your movie production your generator would be whisper-silent with an output of 60 kW/75 kVA.

For further information on generator for rent or generator rentals please visit us at www.eleccommpowerservices.comor call us on 1-800-736-8251.

No one is ever ready for a power outage or a short circuit, but being prepared is the best solution. Such as having a contingency plan or back up plan. When these outages occur Eleccomm Power Services is there to serve your business at anytime. We understand that power is vital to keeping a business running smoothly, not only for the company but also if the company provides support to others. Here is a list of important entities that should always have emergency back up power.

• Hospitals and Outpatient Surgery Clinics

Hospitals and outpatient surgery clinics are an obvious choice for emergency power equipment. Without it, a power outage could cause widespread casualties in emergency care units, critical care units, and during the course of operations. Today's hospitals and outpatient clinics depend on electricity for a majority of their treatments and life preserving techniques, making back up generators an absolute necessity in any hospital or outpatient surgery clinic.

• Police Departments

When the power goes out in a metropolitan area police know to expect more crimes, But if the power goes out in police departments, what would be a difficult situation could turn into catastrophe more than moonlight illuminates the streets. Because most police departments don't have heavy electricity needs, a single industrial scale generator usually supplies enough power to last until the power company addresses an outage.

• Retail Stores

Most retail stores simply close their doors until a power outage is resolved. But if they have a back up generator, they can conduct business while their competition literally remains in the dark.

• Data Centers

Data centers are another obvious choice as their very function depends heavily on uninterrupted power supply. Most data centers are well equipped with generators, protecting information that could cause companies and individuals alike severe difficulty if it were lost.

• Laboratories

Depending on the nature of their work, laboratories often need uninterrupted power supply to ensure that projects occur as planned. From animal and plant studies to situations where pharmaceuticals are being produced, most laboratories can't afford to do without a steady supply of electricity.

• Prisons and Jails

Keeping prisons and jails supplied with electricity isn't a matter of keeping inmates' cells and recreation areas lit; it's a matter of keeping inmates incarcerated. Today, most prisons and jails use security systems that are at least partially powered by electricity, using powerful magnetic locks to secure cells and various points of passage.

Providing emergency power supply to these businesses is what Eleccomm is all about. Our certified, safety-trained technicians provide fast, reliable service with our state-of-the-art, EPA certified fleet of equipment. Contact us today to learn more information about back up generators and other products we have to offer. 

Disasters, such as flooding or ice storms have a far reaching economic impact. As we find ourselves in recovery mode some business owners are asking themselves when and if they can re-open. With issues ranging from the physical loss of property or product to loss of vendors and customers the U.S. Department of Labor says that over 40% of businesses never reopen after a disaster.

So many circumstances are beyond our control as business owners, but one thing we can do it plan. Contingency plans or disaster plans can be scary to think about because we are planning for something we hope will never happen. It isn't a plan B, it's a worse case scenario. Recovery after a disaster can take many avenues so make sure you have your plan set up and ready just in case.

You'll need to assess your damage. Everything from minor to total loss should be documented. Having a comprehensive inventory of your office plus any product loss will help expedite insurance and federal aid and will be important when claiming the loss on your taxes. Overall finances can take a serious hit during a disaster, especially in circumstances where both the home and the office have been lost.

Creating a plan and executing isn't always easy when there are so many other irons in the fire. Here is a list of the information in a common contingency plan.

• Important Contact Numbers
• Office equipment list and photos
• List of software
• List of online tools and passwords to access them
• Back up hard drive of all files
• Copy of the business plan.
• A check list of what needs to get up and running in case a total lost occurs

It can seem like a bit too much, but once it's done it's just a matter of reviewing it every year and hoping you never have to use it. Anything from a complete computer crash to a natural disaster can shut a business down. Being prepared can help get you in to action mode and help you make sound decisions on the future of your business. ElecComm Power Services deals with many emergency power solutions, which is why we know that emergencies can also include creating a contingency plan. Contact us today should you need any kind of generator rental or rental of any other emergency product we offer.