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Florida generator installs

LEOK

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Location
Gainesville/Fl
What we found when pulling a permit for any generator install. Due to the new wind regulations your unit has to be installed on a wind approved base. Which means the force on the unit has to be calculated according to your location. For me it is 150mph which delivers like 60 lbs per square inch. So you take length and height get area and determine the wind load. Then using the formula taking unit weight and pad weight you determine roll over and skidding loads and it has to be signed off by state licensed engineer. We got lucky a son in law of friend is an engineer. So be prepared to buy a pre approved pad.
 

76shovel

Member
69
10
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Location
Bunnell/FL
That's good info...will be crossing that bridge soon. I plan to incorporate the well pump/water treatment system and generator under one roof. Kinda like a shed but with a slab floor. I will say i havnt checked with any inspector or county official yet to see what i can and can't do, but it is my plan for now till im told different
 

LEOK

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Location
Gainesville/Fl
We were not planning to do an ATS but we figure out how to use a dumb Generac that we found an open box sale on with a 200 Amp main in it. So we have to reroute the wiring out of the meter can. We also found a cheap base two concrete railroad ties $35 each.
 

Chainbreaker

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Oregon
I used to live in Central Florida (Lakeland) a long-long time ago (survived Hurricane Donna if that tells you anything). Anyway, just wondering if the genset is trailer mounted wouldn't that make it exempt, also assuming it is not hardwired in? In other words, is there any permitting required if its considered temporary power?
 

Chainbreaker

Well-known member
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Oregon
If less than 30kw and plugs in no permit required. The real question is would trailered unit blow away.
If it didn't blow away it might get towed away! On a trailer genset it would be good to put in some ground anchors points in concrete that you could chain up to.
 

LEOK

Active member
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Location
Gainesville/Fl
For those of you who decide to pull your own permits I found an Engineer who will do your wind permits without visiting the site.
[h=1]Randall M. Bachtel, P.E. (RMB)[/h][h=2]rmbpe01@gmail.com[/h]


Randall M. Bachtel, P.E. **
Principal Engineer/C.E.O.


RMB Engineering LLC
2346 Lake Ridge Terrace
Lawrenceville, GA 30043


770.713.0823 Office/Home
770.713.6464 Cell/TXT


rmbpe01@gmail.com
rmbachtel@rmb-engineering.com


www.rmb-engineering.com


 

69birdman

Active member
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Location
Summerfield, Fla.
I think if there's enough wind to move a ton of machine & trailer , the house will be gone as well, or damaged too bad to power hardwired. I kept it mobile.
Just my opinion.






Peace Brian
 

Chainbreaker

Well-known member
1,740
1,810
113
Location
Oregon
I think if there's enough wind to move a ton of machine & trailer , the house will be gone as well, or damaged too bad to power hardwired. I kept it mobile.
Just my opinion.
Just remember that a trailer doesn't have much ground contact other than a few sq inches (2 tire patches & 1 landing leg skid). If you hooked the trailer up to a truck even with trailer's parking brakes set & landing leg down it could be drug on a wet surface...grass, gravel with not a huge amount of energy. Would be interesting to test the break point of loaded genset trailer using a force guage.

Not knowing the exact coefficient of drag of genset/trailer a ball park formula for calculating wind pressure is: 0.00256 x wind speed squared = XX psf. So, using a 100 mph wind example: .00256 x 10,000 = 25.6 pounds of force per square foot of surface area. For a 150 mph wind that = 57.6 psf.

If say, there was a quartering wind and area of generator & trailer lets say presented ~50 sq ft of surface area (tires, trailer, genset) that would equate to 1,280 lbs of force acting against the trailer. That's just a SWAG, it might not be enough to flip it or move it into your neighbors yard but it might not be sitting exactly where it was parked and could break the feed cable connection to an electrical hook-up if trailer pivoted or swung an arc beyond cable slack. If using a 150 mph wind for a surface area of 50 sf the force goes up to 2880 lbs force! But again that's a swag using 50 sf of surface area, it may be more or less.
 
Last edited:

Bmxenbrett

Member
602
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Location
NY
Wouldnt a trailered unit be mobile and not have to meet these requirements?

Also a pad 4in thick (prety much concrete minimum) and 8in wider shouldnt be a huge task.
 

LEOK

Active member
125
26
28
Location
Gainesville/Fl
Only permanent installs need a permit, but each install requires an engineered wind calculation with an official seal. No assumptions allowed. We turned in our permit request with wind statement on Tuesday waiting for the approval, they wouldn't even take any money. The reason we are pulling a permit is we need a power cutoff and meter removal. They will come in the morning cut the power and leave with the meter, inspector shows up later approves work and calls the power company they return and replace and seal meter can. Cut the seal you owe $200 and you will need and inspectors approval to get restore another $75.00
 

LEOK

Active member
125
26
28
Location
Gainesville/Fl
PERMIT APPROVAL final got it we turned in the wind report along with all the engineer diagrams. $149.00 Everybody told us you needed a electrician to pull a permit for 30kva with ATS but we got a homeowner installed permit.
 
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