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ionized_gw

Brushed or brushless

ionized_gw
9 years ago

I am shopping for a backup genset for my dad's house. I am considering air-cooled in the 12 kW neighborhood. Can anyone tell me the pros/cons of brushed vs. brushless?

Comments (3)

  • hippy
    9 years ago

    Brushed generators have carbon brushes that contact the commutator to transfer the power to the outlets. The brushes wear out over time

    Brushless do not have the brushes and therefore the generator head (part that produces power) last much longer. Burshless generators generally cost a little more but are well worth the extra cost with the extended life span.

  • Ron Natalie
    9 years ago

    The brushes wear out but they are replaceable. Your generator requires periodic maintenance regardless of whether the generator has brushes or not. The longevity of a maintained generator is NOT determined by whether it has brushes or not.

    A brushless alternator is going to be more complex (it's actually two alternators on one shaft). The savings you get from not having any brushes is eaten up in complexity. The only places where it's particularly advantageous is on windmills or other places where you'd really like a longer maintenance interval.

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, I am reading elsewhere too, but if anyone else has experience to share I'd appreciate it. We've engaged an installer that is well known to us and I'll ask him as well. I have not chosen a genset yet. We are working on size as well as pane/ATS placement and type and coming to some solutions.

    In my reading since first posting, I am seeing indications that the brushed generators react more quickly to load changes. The primary purpose of installing this system is to keep pumps (sump, sewage lift, circulating pumps for boiler-based heat,... running in case of main power failure so it seems that would be a particular case where brushes might be wanted from that operational standpoint.

    The installer pointed out that these home standby gensets do not do a real exercise any more, they just spin up the motor to half speed for a few minutes and do not engage the transfer switch. He recommends a full test quarterly if not more often. He also mentioned the fact that he sees quite a few instances of stuck brushes so I will try to find out if there is some PM that can help prevent that.

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