2 Things to Think About When Considering a Generator Purchase

 

Generators can be a lifesaver when your power goes out, because you will be able to turn on a light and keep your refrigerator and freezer operational. After all, there is nothing worse than sitting in the dark and losing a ton of food! We see several severe storms throughout spring, summer, and early fall; it’s always good to be prepared for an electrical outage.

If you are thinking about purchasing a generator, here are 2 things to consider:

Type of Generator

There are two types of generators, backup and standby. A backup generator is portable, and they will only deliver power to a couple of appliances during an emergency. Since they are portable, you will need to find a place to store it when you are not using it and pull it out when you need it.

A standby generator is also known as a whole house generator and it is permanently installed near your home and connected to your electrical panel. This type of generator is perfect if you want to have power throughout your entire home during a power outage. A standby generator has an internal transfer switch that will immediately turn on when your power goes out, so you will not need to do any work on your own.

Fuel for Generators

Most backup generators run on gasoline, and while they are easy to fill up to use, you will need to maintain them in between uses. You will want to test your generator once a month to make sure that it is still in working order and a gas stabilizer should be added to ensure that the gas inside the generator doesn’t go bad. Plus, you will need to keep gasoline on hand, so that you can use your generator when you need it.

Standby generators normally use natural gas or propane, which means that you will not need to worry about fuel, unless your propane tank is getting low. There is not much maintenance with these generators, which is why many people prefer them.

Solar powered generators are becoming more common, but you will need to store the energy that the solar panels collect in batteries. Then when your power goes out, you can hook the batteries up to your generator. You will not be able to run a standby generator using solar energy, unless you have quite a few solar panels. Plus, the batteries will only last so long, and you will need sunlight to produce more energy.

Choosing a Generator for Your Home

You will want to install the type of generator that will work best for your needs, while also staying within the budget that you have. If you are unsure of which generator is the best for you, we can help you go over your options.