ikey78 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I am having an 8000 Watt portable air cooled generator with a 10 circuit transfer switch installed in my house. This would be started up and used for power outages but is not an automatic standby system. The electrician says that C4 equipment including dimmers and light switches should not be powered with the generator because of power fluctuations that could cause permanent damage. Is this correct? Does anyone have any experience with this type of setup? Is it safe to use with C4 controllers, AV switches and light switches?Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinbose Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 not sure about your particular unit, however generators have been known to cause excessive EMI and cause communication issues with the zigbe signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookiec4 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Would this be the reason last weekend, where we lost power for over 13 hours, the Control4 light switches did not work but the "regular" light switches did? Briggs & Stratton 20kw generator worked like a charm with everything but the C4 light switches (i.e. all other C4 elements worked fine).Any other insight? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Does the generator have an AVR or inverter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinbose Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Would this be the reason last weekend, where we lost power for over 13 hours, the Control4 light switches did not work but the "regular" light switches did? Briggs & Stratton 20kw generator worked like a charm with everything but the C4 light switches (i.e. all other C4 elements worked fine).Any other insight? Thanks.most likley. The power from a generator is very "dirty" and unless its reproducing a true sign wave then its adding to the potential issue. This is why you still need a quality UPS with AVR and perferably a true sign wave out. sometimes a CA repeater to help out as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookiec4 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Just an update. I checked with the company that installed the generator (it's a local business that has specialized in gererators for a long time). He indicated the unit is AVR and that it produces fairly clean power but added a "true" inverter type generator is considered better but is often not found in home standby generators. The generator itself is by no menas "low end." I just find it hard to believe the generator is the issue but the whole thing, at least for me, is puzzling. Really don't get much help from the dealer; that's why I'm here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 In order for the Control4 dimmer to dim, it must be able to sense Zero Cross, as you need to fire the Triac at the right time after (or before, depending on the dimmer type) the Zero Cross, in order to get the dimming level correct.If the dimmer can't 'sync up' with the zero cross (due to the power being not an actual sine wave or due to other spikes / transients in the power), it won't work properly.Different dimmers are more or less susceptible to it. The only dimmers that are not at least a little susceptible to it are non-electronic dimmers.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookiec4 Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Does not seem to be an issue with the generator itself, nor the connections. Basically, in summary, is it simply safe to say the C4 switches I have will not work properly while on backup power? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Basically, in summary, is it simply safe to say the C4 switches I have will not work properly while on backup power?Yes, if you limit it to "with your current generator".There are generators and backup inverters that others are using successfully with Control4 dimmers and switches.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinbose Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 i have clients with backup generators. Some have little to no issues when the generator is on (that I have heard of) and others had issues after the generator was installed (a CA repeater fixed this). The issue seems to be entirely zigbee releated though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookiec4 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 What is a "CA repeater?"If the issue is zigbee related, what are my options? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ichbinbose Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 CA = Card Access repeater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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