Switching Automatically to Backup Power

This is a proposed solution to a complex problem. At my camp, we have several large industrial fridges as part of our kitchen. Our main power source is a large 45kva generator. This is a rental which is maintained daily by the vendor, and yet sometimes it fails.

We consider the fridges to be a mission-critical part of the camp since our camp has central food production. If the fridges fail and the food spoils, then everyone would go hungry. This can not happen.

The fridges we use are actually large chest freezers with added thermostats which shut them off when they reach fridge temperatures; so they become super efficient fridges instead of freezers.

Here are two diagrams showing normal conditions and emergency conditions under my proposed solution;

Normal Operations Diagram

Emergency Operations Diagram

Recommended Equipment;

Go Power! TS-30 30 AMP Automatic Transfer Switch

I have done a great deal of research and I strongly believe this is the right option for our needs. There are very few products designed for this automatic transfer use-case, and this one is the right size for what we need. All of the other automatic transfer switch options are utility-scale or very complex to implement. This one is a simple, easy-to-use box which will require minimal wiring on our part to integrate it into this proposed solution.

Yeti 3000 Lithium

Having a Yeti 3000 or two would be enormously beneficial to us throughout the year and at the burn. This box is basically interchangeable for a generator and it uses no fossil fuels. This means we can use it safely anywhere we need a few thousand watts of power throughout the year, even indoors. This would be great for powering sound, lights, etc.  This would be enormously helpful for other events we are working at, such as Decompression or our annual street fair.