WROL Emergency Generator Backup by Wranglerbarn

wranglerbarn — January 22, 2010 — A temporary, portable generator does not require a transfer switch, but should NEVER be directly connected into your homes electrical system. There is a tendency to want to just plug the generator into a handy outlet to power your house WRONG! A portable generator is used where the device requiring electricity is plugged directly into the generators power outlets using an extension cord. This should be a heavy-duty extension cord, definitely NOT a small, cheap, two-wire lamp cord. I mentioned the use of the extension cord, because the generator must be located outside the house to operate. Remember, generators emit deadly carbon monoxide and must be situated outside the house where there is adequate ventilation.

In selecting a generator there are several issues to consider. One is power output, rated in watts or kilowatts (kw, meaning a thousand watts). Another is the fuel to power the generator, normally gasoline, diesel, propane, or natural gas. Another factor is the time the unit will run from one tank of fuel. And whether the unit is powered started from a battery, or uses a pull-cord to be manually started. Similarly a transfer switch can be automatic or manually switched.

Generators are available in power output ranges, from a small 800-watt unit with handles, to huge units to power a hospital during a power outage (1500 kilowatt or more). An 800-watt unit would be capable of powering eight 100-watt light bulbs, or equivalent, at one time. A popular size generator that is readily available from Sams, Sears, Home Depot, and such, is a unit built in a metal frame with power output of 4500 to 5000 watts (4.5 to 5 kw). This is what we have installed, and it is capable of powering the critical appliances in our house. We cant run the air conditioner, heater, or electric stovethey draw too much power for our 5 kw gasoline generator. We can power most of our lights, refrigerator and freezer, microwave oven, and it will operate our 240-volt water well pump. When we are using it, we try to keep power consumption to a minimum by not turning on lights and appliances when they are not needed. To exceed the 5000 watts rating would pop the generators circuit breaker at best, or possibly damage the generator.

Determining how big a generator you need can be done by adding up the wattages required by every device you want turned on at one time. This can be a little tricky, in that some appliances and devices cycle on and off, as needed; as an example, a well pump or refrigerator motor. And there are many devices in a normal home that tend to get overlooked: like clocks, devices that use plug-in transformers and power supplies, and devices like modern TVs with remotes that use a small amount of power, even when they are supposedly off. To determine how much power (wattage) a device uses, check the appliances labels or the owners manual.

Generators that operate from gasoline are the least expensive, but are louder, and wear out faster than diesel, propane, or natural gas generators. However, the diesel, propane, and natural gas generators are a lot more expensive than gasoline driven generators.

Our 5 kw gasoline generator will run about 5 hours from a full tank of gas. When you suspect the gas is about to run out, go ahead and power everything in the house off, shut off the generator and let it cool down before refilling the tank with gas. Gasoline spilt on a hot generator engine could start a fire and/or explodenot a good situation!

When you get a generator, read the owners manual carefully in regard to operating and maintaining the generator. The owners manual will probably suggest you drain the gas tank when not using the generator for long periods of time; and/or to shut off the gas line valve and run it until it stops, to empty the gas from inside the engine. Note: you can leave gas in the tank if you use a gasoline stabilizer (like PRI-G) to make sure the gas doesnt gum up inside the generators gas tank.

One other suggestion, when running a generator unattended outside, you might want to get a heavy chain and lock and secure it where it cant easily be stolen. Generator theft was popular during the long power outage in Montreal, Canada a few years ago.

Theres probably more that could be said, but this should give you some idea what is involved in selecting, purchasing, installing, and using an emergency backup generator