- Calculate your wattage needs carefully, either yourself or by an electrician or generator dealer. This will determine the size of your generator
and whether it will meet your power needs.
- Consider what fuel you will be using and make sure the model you choose matches your fuel type.
- For a standby generator, review your town’s safety and building codes. This will help ensure that you buy appropriate equipment, and help you factor
in your installation costs. Codes often will require a licensed electrician to hook your generator to your home’s circuits, as well as a licensed
technician to hook the generator to its fuel supply.
- For a portable generator, in addition to wattage, consider overall size, fuel tank size, number of outlets, and noise level.
- Also for a portable generator, if you plan to use yours in a state or national park, check noise level limitations and plan your purchase to meet
these requirements.
- Look for power generators with engines made by top manufacturers:
Honda portable generators,
Coleman generators,
Yamaha power generators,
Guardian,
Generac,
Onan, and more.
A solid reputation is a good indicator of quality performance and durability.
- Be rigorous about generator safety. Follow your manufacturer’s safety and operating instructions carefully. Never operate any generator indoors or
in an enclosed area.
- Consider and compare warranties.
Note: Always follow your manufacturer’s operating and safety instructions carefully. These are just a few basic safety points and do not replace the
more comprehensive ones that will come with your generator.
- Never run a generator indoors or in an enclosed area; carbon monoxide poisoning could result.
- Ground your generator to help prevent electric shock.
- Operate your generator on a level surface.
- When installing a standby generator, follow all safety and building codes for your area, and hire licensed professionals for installation.
- To protect your generator, never exceed its rated capacity and always plug in the item with the largest start-up power requirement first.
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GENERATOR SHOPPING TIPS
When most people think of generators, they think of back-up power for their home. Standby generators are essential for providing power in an emergency.
While a short black-out in mild weather can be a good excuse to light candles and have some TV and computer-free family time, a longer power outage in
cold winter months can become life-threatening. Once you own a standby generator, you'll probably wonder how you ever managed without one.
In addition to back-up generators, there are also portable generators. These are used by people with do-it-yourself project needs and contractors, as
well as for recreational purposes, such as camping or boating. They are ideal for providing a power source outside where there are no electrical outlets.
There are some terms with which you should be familiar while researching generators.
Motor/Engine: Along with the power generator head, one of the two main components of a generator. The motor burns fuel, such as propane, natural gas,
or gasoline, to supply power.
Power Generator Head: Along with the motor, one of the two main parts of a generator. The generator head turns the power from the motor into electricity.
Voltage: The typical household current used in the U.S. is 120 volts. Homes generally have two 120 volt circuits, or 120/240v service.
Wattage: Wattage requirements for a generator increase depending on what you are running – appliances, tools, etc. For example, if you want a back-up generator to power your refrigerator, water pump, light for one room, and a television, you need to calculate how many watts that requires. It is important to add up your wattage needs carefully to choose your generator size. See The Right Size for your Generator section for more on wattage needs.
Standby Generators: Standby generators are installed permanently to provide emergency generator power during a power outage. They are connected to a home’s
electrical system, but run on alternative power, such as liquid propane or natural gas, which can come from town gas or propane lines, or your own propane tank.
Sizes range from about three kilowatts to hundreds of kilowatts.
Consider quality and performance for standby generators. Top of the line generators will have automatic shut down features to protect the motor in cases
of overheating, overworking, or loss of oil pressure. Consider noise and look for quiet operation. Durable metals, such as steel or aluminum, are ideal
for generator casings. Back-up generators should have a feature that has them start-up automatically about once a week to keep the engine in optimal
condition. Automatic start-up in the event of a power failure is also a key feature for convenience.
Always follow local building and safety codes when installing a standby generator. You will most likely need to have a licensed electrician hook the
generator to your home’s electric circuits, as well as a qualified technician to safely connect your generator to its power source, whether town gas lines
or a propane tank. Proper installation will help ensure that your generator runs safely and effectively.
Portable Generators: These generators are used at sites such as camping, construction, or anywhere outside where there is no electrical outlet.
Popular with contractors, do-it-yourselfers, campers, and boaters, these are a useful source of power. They are geared towards working for relatively short amounts of time. Wheels and handles, as well as add-on portability kits,
are popular accessories, since even a small generator tends to be heavy. Sizes range from less than one kilowatt to about 15 kilowatt.
These generators have built-in power outlets so that you can plug in your tools, radio, or whatever else you are using. Make sure there are enough outlets
for the number of items you plan to plug in at once.
Portable generators have built-in fuel tanks of various sizes, depending on how long you want yours to run without refueling. The fuel tank should be
appropriate to your needs; a larger tank will require less frequent fueling but will be heavier.
If you are planning to use your portable generator in state or national parks, check noise limitations. You may not be allowed to use generators over
a certain noise level.
Any generator is an investment, and you need to make sure you pick the right size in order to make the most of your purchase. Generators are rated for a
certain wattage load. You need to have enough watts to power what you want, taking into account both start-up surges and running wattage. If you
overload your generator, it can damage it and anything running from it. For stand-by generators, you may want to power a refrigerator, a well pump,
some lights, air conditioning, and more. For portable generators, you may want to power tools and other items.
If you are buying a standby generator, consider what you'd like it to power during outages. Check how many watts each of your appliances or other items need to run.
You can do this by having an electrician or generator dealer check manually with an ammeter, a device that measures electrical current, or you can look at your product
specs for the wattage amounts. (Note: watts = volts x amps, so if you have the amps at a certain voltage for a product, you can calculate its watts using this
formula.) Add these numbers to determine your base running wattage needs.
Be sure to also consider start-up surges in power. Large appliances, such as refrigerators, can use up to three times as much electricity to start as to run.
To plan for this, determine which of your electrical items needs the highest amount of extra start-up power. Usually adding just this number to your base running wattage
total will be sufficient, since not every item will start at once.
Once you have added your base and your largest start-up wattage amounts, consider adding some padding to this number. This will give you the option of adding items in
the future. It is generally best to pay for slightly more wattage up front than to wish you had more later.
To give an idea of standby generator wattage requirements, a bulb can add about 70 watts, while a refrigerator can require 1,200 watts to run and 3,000 watts to start.
If you are buying a portable generator, you should calculate your wattage needs in the same way. Some radios use about 225 watts; some circular saw, 1,500 watts to run
and 1,900 to start.
Choose from a gasoline generator or liquid propane generator for portable power, natural gas generator or propane for standby use, or the less common consumer option of a diesel generator.
Standby generators usually run on natural gas or liquid propane. This choice depends on what fuel is available; you may be planning to use your town’s
natural gas lines, or hook into your own liquid propane tank. Make sure you buy a model rated for the fuel that you will be using.
Portable generators usually run on gasoline. However, gasoline should not be stored for long, so if this is an issue, consider liquid propane instead.
Diesel fuel generators, though available, are more commonly used for large commercial generators.
Dual fuel generator models, which can be adjusted to use either liquid propane or natural gas, are also available.
There are two main engine types to consider for standby or portable electric generators:
Side Valve (SV): Less expensive than overhead valve engines, side valve motors can be appropriate for short jobs or infrequent use.
Overhead Valve (OHV): These engines run cooler, are more fuel efficient, have lower exhaust emissions, usually are quieter, and generally last longer
than side valve engines. They cost more, but are better suited for long term or frequent use.
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