Friday, August 23, 2013

What Do You Do When The Power Goes Out?

By Ray Hauser


The interruption of utility power is not only inconvenient, it can have serious consequences including the loss of heat and light, the shutdown of vital medical equipment and the failure of crucial appliances such as sump pumps and refrigerators. Modern society has become so dependent on electricity that its sudden disruption can be quite devastating.

A portable generator is one of the best and least expensive antidotes to losing utility power. They can be worth their weight in gold during a power emergency especially a lengthy one. Portable generators are also great for camping, tailgating and a host of other remote applications. Portable power provides the electricity you need when you need it!

Generac, the world's innovative leader in backup power systems, offers a wide range of portable generators including the GP, XG, XP, iX and LP lines to fit almost any application. Power outputs range from a minimal 800 watt iX machine to a 17,500 watt GP unit.

Portable generators are driven by internal combustion engines which generally rely on gasoline, diesel or propane fuel. They differ from standby generating systems in that they are mobile machines which do not have to be permanently installed or hard-wired into a home's electrical system.

Standby systems require also require a transfer switch and direct connection to the main circuit panel. If utility power is lost, the standby generator starts up and the transfer switch automatically transfers the home electrical system to generator power. Standby power generators are designed for automatic, round-the-clock backup protection, but they are significantly more expensive than portable generators.

Portable generators have to be manually started by a pull cord or electric starter. Appliances must be physically plugged into them, but they are easy to use and operate. When you're finished with your portable machine, you simply shut it down and put it away.

Outlet receptacles are built directly into portable generators allowing for easy access. Most portable units have a couple of 120V 20 amp duplex receptacles in addition to a 120/240 30 amp twist lock outlet receptacle.

It's a good idea to rewire important appliance such as furnaces to be pluggable, if the backup power of choice is a portable generator. This allows the furnace or any other vital piece of equipment to be plugged into the generator and become operational without utility power.

When deciding whether to purchase a portable generator, the first step is to ascertain your general power requirements. What appliances do you want to be able to operate with your generator? Do you need to keep everything operational at once or can you rotate power to various appliances as you need them. The quickest and easiest way to get a handle on your total power needs is to manually count up the wattage ratings of the devices that you want to run. Most items have their power consumption ratings listed on them. A four or five thousand watt generator usually provides enough power for most homes or small businesses to get by on.

Generac generator dealers have well trained specialists who can assist any customer with their portable, backup power requirements.




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