Hi everyone,
Below is the email detailing the power setup for the Plaza's. They have *really* gotten more organized in the last few years regarding this. To note is that each Hughston box allows for 20 Amps, but that we will be sharing this with another camp. Our 60 / 100 cup urn's draw 8.33 and 12.5 Amps respectively so as long as we stagger the brewing cycles (max current draw during these times), we should be OK. Also, we should let our direct neighbors know that during our coffee serving hours we will be pulling more current so that maybe they can conserve during those times. Josh, you should be OK for your floodlights at night but you can match their current draw with the amount we have available.

It's all coming together!!!

Jeff

*******************************************************

Hello again everybody,

I have one additional bit of information to talk about. This is the
“share and share alike” factor. There are 6 outlets per Hughston box.
Each box has to be shared by as many as 4 camps. There is no definitive
way to tell everybody how to plug into the box. But as there will be
other camps sharing the box with you, you should only plug in a minimum
number of extension cords for your needs. Leave room for all your
neighbors to plug in as well. The box may be located in front of your
camp but that doesn’t mean that it’s all yours. If you can, use a nice
heavy cord to bring the power into your camp and then split it off. This
is better than plugging in 4 cords to the Hughston box just for your camp.

One additional tip you should use is to label your cords with your camp
name and what is being fed. This will help everybody identify what is
plugged in and to whom it belongs. If I have to balance the load on the
generators I may need to move a plug. It helps me if I know whom to
contact before I start unplugging things.

bk





Baulknaub wrote:

> Hello Plaza Campers,
>
> Welcome to what is arguably the best place to camp in all of Burning
> Man – The Plazas. I have already introduced myself to some of you.
> Some of you may remember me from last year as well. To those whom I
> have not said "Hello", let me do so now. I am Baulknaub, Plaza manager
> for the 3:00 and 9:00 plazas. And this message is being sent out to
> talk about the power grid that you are all going to have access to. If
> you are getting this message, you are slated to be on the grid.
>
> First I am sure some of you have many questions, especially if this is
> your first year being on the grid. There is a lot of information in
> this message but it is important information that should be shared
> with every member of your camp that will be dealing with power in any
> way. Some of the information may be a little technical. If you are
> having trouble understanding this information please feel free to
> contact me for simplification. If you have been on the grid before,
> please read on as a few things have changed since last year.
>
> The power in the plazas is not like the power you have at home. It is
> provided by 1 generator and one set of buried cables in the ground.
> What this means is that it has the potential to be unreliable if
> handled improperly. Part of my job is to see that things run smoothly
> with respect to power. This message describes what to expect and how
> to use the power in the plazas in such a way that the grid runs as
> smoothly as possible during the event.
>
> Power in the plazas is available primarily for the Emergency Medical
> Services stations in each plaza. It is also used to serve some
> administrative functions like the Ranger outposts also located in each
> plaza. And finally power is made available for the interactivity
> aspects of your camps. It is our hope that you will use it to its full
> extent to make your camp vibrant and the plazas an active and lively
> place to visit.
>
> What the power is NOT for: large, voltage dependant loads consisting
> of mostly non resistive, highly reactive, low power factor induction
> motors – a.k.a., Air Conditioners. The grid can not support air
> conditioning load, refrigerators and other motor loads. These types of
> things can cause the generator to overload and shutdown. Part of my
> job will be to keep the generators running and the loads balanced on
> them so that the power will keep flowing the whole event. If air
> conditioners are plugged into the grid, the camp with the AC unit will
> be asked to not run the air conditioning. If you have a need for air
> conditioning, please plan to bring your own generator to supply that
> load. Doing this will ensure that there is plenty of power for
> everybody. If you are unsure about the load you expect to run and want
> to know if the grid will support it please contact me. With that being
> said let me describe what to expect and how to use the power.
>
> There will be cables buried about 6 inches in the ground around the
> circle that makes up the plaza. Care must be taken to avoid this area
> when setting up your camp. “T” Stakes and rebar should not be pounded
> into the playa near where the cables are buried. Do not dig or trench
> near the cables. In the past they have been dug through. This causes
> an outage that can last for hours and creates a lot of work for the
> power crews.
>
> There will be 5 power outlet boxes (called Hughston boxes) at each
> plaza, one located near EMS and the remaining 4 at quadrants around
> the ring of the plaza. The exact placement of the Hughston boxes is an
> unknown and dependant on the length of the cables placed in the
> ground. Generally there will be one box near the center of each
> quadrant, give or take. You should plan on bringing enough power cords
> to reach your camp and the items you will be plugging in. You also
> want to be sure that your cords are sized appropriately for the amount
> of current you will be using.
>
> Each Hughston box is wrapped in a nylon bag with Velcro closures. The
> main power cables pass through each end. Inside the nylon cover you
> will see a metal box that is wrapped in plastic. That plastic is there
> to help keep the dust out of the electrical components that make up
> the Hughston box. When plugging in your cords, DO NOT tear the plastic
> wrap to plug the cord in. Simply plug the cord in through the plastic.
> This will help keep the dust out of the Hughston box. Please share
> this important piece of information with each member of your camp. The
> power crews spend dozens of hours cleaning the power boxes. This one
> simple step alone will save them a tremendous amount of clean up time.
>
> Each Hughston box has a total of 6 standard outlets providing 120
> volts of power. Each outlet is circuit breaker protected and good for
> 20 amps max. That should be more than enough to cover all needs. If
> you have a nonstandard plug, you will need to get an adapter so that
> you can plug your cord in. Specifically, I am speaking of a 30-amp RV
> type plug. If this what you will be using, find the appropriate
> adapter to convert it over to a standard plug.
>
> The outlets in the Hughston boxes are color-coded. It doesn’t matter
> which outlet you plug in to but if you see that several cords are
> plugged into the blue outlet and none are plugged in the red outlet,
> use the red. This will help balance the load on the generator and make
> the grid run smoother. For some reason that I can’t identify,
> everybody wants to plug into the blue outlets. Use the other colors as
> well.
>
> The BLM has a stipulation requesting we not have any exposed cables.
> This means that you must bury your cords. Bring a shovel! DPW and the
> power crews are not available to trench for you. They are already
> quite busy with building the city and requests of that nature will
> only slow them down.
>
> The power is for the plaza camps. But one thing that each of your
> campers needs to keep an eye out for is non-plaza camps using the
> power. We do ask that you monitor your camp’s power cords and please
> don’t allow other camps to “borrow” power as this only taxes the grid
> further. If a cord "suddenly appears" plugged in that is not camp
> authorized it is your responsibility to see that it is unplugged and
> that the owner is made aware that they may not pull power off the
> grid. Everyone allowed to power in the plazas will be receiving this
> email. I will make myself available to assist you in this process if
> needed. Find me by going to Playa Info and asking for me. Just ask for
> Baulknaub (pronounced Ball Knob), the plaza manager.
>
> bk
>