Backup generator for a theater

We have a saying in the broadcast world, "Friends don't let friends buy Generac." I prefer Kohler, Caterpillar, or Cummins, and have had positive experiences with all three. Propane is fine for small sizes, but large engines have trouble with a tank vaporizing fuel fast enough without heating apparatus. Natural gas is an alternative to diesel, especially where post earthquake operation isn't a concern. The nice thing about NG is no storage needed.

I believe that code doesn't allow spark-ignited engines in most cases, if powering life safety equipment. Think it's to do with the complexity.
 
I believe that code doesn't allow spark-ignited engines in most cases, if powering life safety equipment. Think it's to do with the complexity.
That would be sensible, but diesel are the only ones which aren't, I think, LP, CNG, etc are all just gas engines with different injection (and gas-tight plumbing), right?
 
That would be sensible, but diesel are the only ones which aren't, I think, LP, CNG, etc are all just gas engines with different injection (and gas-tight plumbing), right?

I believe so.
And yes, it seems like gas pipelines are hardly ever damaged by storms. However, with the derecho last September we had trees falling over and pulling all sorts of utilities out of the ground. (Aside: the damage to the aboveground telephone lines was so bad the owner has opted to abandon the entire plant in lieu of fiber).
 
I believe that code doesn't allow spark-ignited engines in most cases, if powering life safety equipment. Think it's to do with the complexity.
Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I suspect the life safety requirement could be gotten around with battery backup for egress lighting, and a few other things. Just don't power any elevators with it.
 
Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I suspect the life safety requirement could be gotten around with battery backup for egress lighting, and a few other things. Just don't power any elevators with it.

I WAS WRONG!

NFPA 110: 5.2.4 Allows all types of engines, or gas turbines.

I must have misremembered. But there is a caveat that if you use off-site fuel (normally, natural gas) is must have demonstrated reliability.
 
Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I suspect the life safety requirement could be gotten around with battery backup for egress lighting, and a few other things. Just don't power any elevators with it.

You actually can get battery backups (that meet life safety backup requirements) that are capable of running elevators, as long as the elevator doesn't regen back to the power line.
 
Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. I suspect the life safety requirement could be gotten around with battery backup for egress lighting, and a few other things. Just don't power any elevators with it.
One of our local hospitals has a bank of 6 elevators; 3 readily accessible to public, the other 3 facing into a non-public area and routinely used by hospital porters to transport Gurneys between floors.

During power failures, as well as weekly scheduled / fully loaded test runs of the V12 emergency generator, 5 elevators descend to the lowest elevation affording fire egress, open their doors, and park.
Only one of the non-public elevators is kept in service 24 / 7 / 365.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
For a thought exercise, I thought about how many Tesla Power Walls it would take to power a theatre, but found their website so infuriating as to not provide any real documentation about what capabilities each battery had, I gave up.
 

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