The New Necessity - a Generator

Posted: 2 November 2011

Interest in generators is escalating! As we recover from the second major storm in eight weeks with even more widespread extended outages than we had with Hurricane Irene, people are getting serious about making some arrangements to "up" their abilities to generate power during a CL&P outage.

 

There's a wide range of options available, from "whole house" generators that power everything in your home to portable generators that energize a couple items in a pinch.  The next few weeks may be a good time to plan ahead, consider your options, and get something in place so you too can enjoy the luxury of heat, flushing toilets and a cup of coffee when the next storm hits, as it inevitably will.

 

Here's the skinny on what's out there.

 

There are three options available; “whole house”, “home standby” and “portable” generators.

 

Whole house generators do just that; power your entire home.  They come on automatically when the power goes out, and are tied into a propane tank or a natural gas line.  This has two advantages.  First of all, the generator will energize itself even if you are at work or on vacation when the power goes out.  This means that there will  be no lapse of power to your home.  Secondly, when the power is out, it is often impossible to get gasoline, since the roads may be impassable, or gas stations may be unable to pump gas once you get there.   Plus frequent manual filling of a generator with gasoline grows wearisome in a long lasting power outage.   

 

As a bonus, many whole house generators also have an "autoexercise option" where it will start up once a week  to run for a few minutes.  That way it’s ready for you when you need it, without requiring participation on your part to maintain it along the way.    Whole house generators offer an increased  performance and reliability level over other generator choices. Plus, they are relatively quiet and neighborhood friendly.  

 

So, in conclusion, they are “easy”, do everything, and make your life very pleasant in a power outage including running the dishwasher, and letting you use a blow dryer.  They need to be wired up  by a licensed electrician so that they are wired safetly into your electrical panel.  On the down side, they are large, require propane tanks, and a substantial up front investment.

 

The second category of generators are the "home standby" models.  They are typically mid-sized and intended to provide power only to the most critical of circuits, ie. well and sump pumps, refrigerators, medical equipment, and a few lights.    They are also tied into your home’s wiring, via a transfer switch installed by an electrician.  Typically, they do not come on automatically, but it’s a matter of just starting the generator and  flicking a switch.   That's simple and straightforward and works great if you are around town.  Not so convienient if you are skiing the Alps, or sunnning on a beach in the Bahamas.    Hopefully, you have a relative or kind neighbor who will pitch in.   These standby generators are a great middle of the road option.  Because they are wired into the electrical panel via a transfer switch, the risk of electricity backfeeding into the grid is eliminated.    (Utility workers repairing downed lines are at risk for injury due to electrical backfeeds from generators that are fed back into the homes wiring (such as those that are wired in through the 220 dryer outlet, a big no-no.)

 

The third, and most affordable option, is a portable generator.  These are almost always gasoline powered and are started manually.  They are typically not wired into your home at all.  You will need to have plenty of heavy duty extension cords on hand to connect the devices you wish to power directly to the generator.    They do not power much, but it’s far better than nothing.  They are available in a variety of power levels.  To determine the correct size for your needs, simply total up the entire wattage required by the various devices you would want to power at one time during an outage. Lamps require little power, but you would be surprised what a small coffee maker or microwave requires.

 

Regardless of which you choose,  once you have a generator the most important thing to do is to run it regularly, and maintain it so that it is running safely and efficiently when you need it.   If you have an auto exercising machine, you are ahead of the game, but they will need periodic maintenance as well.  We hear so many stories of people who say they had a generator but it wasn’t working when they actually went to use it.   At the minimum, be sure that you test it before upcoming storms.

 

Generators are awesome when the power is out, and in our area of the country, it is coming to be one of the necessities that we can’t live without.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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