Home Generators: Say Goodbye to Power Outages

Does it seem to you that power outages are becoming more and more frequent?  Many stories in the news seem to validate that impression.  You heard about (or experienced directly) the impacts of the massive power power outage that occurred in the Northeast and Midwest in August of 2003, and to a somewhat lesser degree, the widespread outage in Florida in February of 2008. 

In addition, with every hurricane, earthquake, tornado, and snowstorm, we're deluged with a raft of stories indicating that one of the biggest impacts of the disaster was that power was lost.  With lost power come lost communications, refrigeration, manufacturing, buying and selling, and any other function requiring computers.  In essence, when we lose power, we essentially shut down our economy.

As a result, our power generation and transmission system is likely a target of terrorists and foreign governments.  If they can shut down our economy, they can cause severe and irreparable harm.  The Wall Street Journal wrote an article on April 8 of 2009, "Electricity Grid in  U.S. Penetrated by Spies."    

What is the your defense against the potential for disruption in your life and the life of your family?  Quite simply, it is to join the many others who are equipping their homes with home generators. 

 The purchase of a home generator should not be done lightly.  There are several things you should consider.  First, you should be sure that if you intend to wire the generator directly into your home, the installation is done by a licensed electrician and properly grounded.  Correctly installing a generator involves more than simply plugging it in and turning it on.

Second, you should be sure the generator is well-ventilated.  Depending on the type of generator you purchase, ventilation can be critical to your family's safety.  Generators quickly generate a high level of carbon dioxide, which is invisible, odorless, tasteless, and deadly. 

Third, the generator must be well-maintained and adequately protected.  Oil, fresh fuel, and cleanliness are all critical to the proper operation of a generator.  Be careful the generator is kept in a dry area, as well, and that tools and appliances used with the generator are also kept dry and clean.

 When my wife and I built our new home, we looked into backup generators and the many benefits they provided.  We had the electrician who did the initial work on our house also connect the generator.

Because we knew that a regular home generator would not be able to power the entire house and everything in it, we decided to make a list of the appliances that we would most likely need during a power emergency.  We included our well pump, refrigerator, water pump (especially for sewer and cooking), and a few other appliances.  Since we have a backup wood stove, we did not include our furnace.

The electrician then installed two power boxes.  The first was our regular circuit breaker box, and the second was specifically for the appliances we would need in an outage.  By throwing one switch, we could turn on only the appliances on our list.  We have only used our generator a few times, but we have been happy it was there in each case. 

 If you aren't in a financial position to buy a home generator, a smaller portable generator can serve much the same purpose.  But again, remember that the same safety rules that apply to larger generators also apply to portable generators.

 If you are ready for a disaster, you can weather it in better shape.  Rather than being one of the needy individuals looking for government help, you can be the one going over to the neighbors' house to be sure they're OK. 

It is estimated that in most disaster situations, outside help will not arrive for approximately three days.  Of course, it can be much longer, but the individual who is prepared will be in much better physican and mental condition when help does arrive.

A home generator can be the perfect thing for your home and family, as long as you take good care of it and understand that it is a powerful tool that must be handled correctly.