The Rural Voice, 1981-05, Page 23Do you need a back-up generator?
A power failure on the farm can mean
serious financial loss.
"Many farm operations depend on a
steady supply of electricity," says Lloyd
Swackhammer, of the University of
Guelph School of Engineering. "For
example, if the power is off for just a
short time in a poultry operation, the
farmer may lose some birds."
Because of the importance of electricity
to the modern farm, many farmers install
emergency or standby power systems
which generate electricity during a power
failure.
"There are basically three types of
standby power systems," says Swack-
hammer. "The most popular is the
tractor -driven generator which is driven
by the PTO (Power Take -Off) of a
standard farm tractor. Diesel tractors are
more efficient for this purpose than gas
tractors; however, diesel tractors need
electrical heat to start in cold weather."
The other types of generators include
the smaller, engine -driven generator and
the large, fully automatic, self -powered
unit that switches on when the regular
power supply goes off. Automatic
generators cost many times more than
their tractor -driven counterparts.
The tractor -driven generator is usually
permanently installed inside a farm
building that is easily accessible to the
farm tractor. Installing the generator at
the main hydro pole is a popular practice.
but in bad weather it is often difficult for
farmers to get the tractor to the pole.
For new farm electrical installations,
Swackhammer suggests running power
lines from all of the critical equipment to
a central building which houses the
generator. This saves the farmer from
running around to turn off all extraneous
equipment before switching over to
farm -generated power.
"The most important aspect of
installation is the double -throw transfer
switch," says Swackhammer. "This
mandatory switch protects the lineman
from electrical shock when repairing
power lines, and protects the farm
generator from damage when the regular
power is restored.'
Tractor -driven generators arc available
in several sizes, but they usually are not
designed to handle the full electrical load
of the farm. To determine the size of
generator needed, calculate the total
number of kilowatts required by all of the
necessary equipment. If you are
uncertain of the power requirements of a
piece of equipment, contact your local
Ontario Hydro office.
Thinking gasohol ? Keep the costs,
hazards in mind
With the recent publicity about gasohol
and on-farm production of alcohol fuels.
many Canadian farmers are looking at
alcohol production on the farm to reduce
dependence on diesel fuel and gasoline.
However. the available information can
be confusing and sometimes conflicting.
In addition, it often fails to cover all
considerations a farmer needs to make a
sound business decision.
To help farmers make this decision,
Agriculture Canada offers a free publica-
tion. "Farm -scale Production and Use of
Fuel Alcohol: Opportunities and
Problems."
On-farm fuel production can be expen-
sive. The publication discusses the
equipment needed, including handling
equipment, fermentation vessels and a
distillation apparatus. Storage facilities
for the fuel and the livestock feed
produced as a by-product (stillage) are
also outlined. The booklet points out that
some of the equipment can be built by the
farmer himself.
The publication also helps answer
some of the basic questions a farmer
should ask before starting farm -alcohol
production. How much alcohol fuel can
the farm use? Are there enough animals
on the farm or nearby to use the sti)lage
produced?
It discusses the costs that must be kept
in mind in deciding if alcohol production
makes economic sense. These include
capital investment and associated opera-
ting expenses such as depreciation.
interest, energy inputs and chemicals.
These costs must be weighed against
returns for the alcohol fuel and stillage
livestock feed produced.
Potential health hazards and the threat
of fire and explosion during the produc-
tion, storage and use of alcohol should be
major producer concerns and these
subjects are dealt with in the publication.
Safety precautions and regulations out-
lined in the booklet should be carefully
followed.
Introducing the Sales Staff at Vincent's in Seaforth
Ken Coleman
Ic .tanager
111
tnIernabonal Harvester
Pete Vandeborne
Len Lobb
Fiyazetiwo
FARM EQUIPMENT LTD.
Seaforth 527-0120
Jerry Fuhr
NI Short lines
THE RURAL VOICE/ MAY 1981 PG. 21