What You Need To Consider For Your Home Standby Generator
A Home Standby Generator can come in a wide range of sizes and setups for every situation. It's not until a major power outage that you really appreciate our dependency on electricity powered devices. Those pool solar covers might be nice to keep your pool warm but really not much else.
So it's easy to see why so many home owners are contemplating getting a Standby Home Generator.
Let's look at a couple of factors like the basic types of generators, how to select the right size. Size is the biggest factor in home generators not only in terms of how much power you need but also in term of cost. Standby generators are used to offset the harmful effects of power outages: they're installed permanently as an emergency power source for your home. In most cases you will also need a generator transfer switch.
They are hardwired into your house's electrical system and often get fuel from city gas or propane lines. They start at around 7 kW and can easily be as large as several hundred kW.When choosing a home power generator, you'll need to know the specific voltage your situation calls for, then you can pick the model that supplies enough wattage for everything you'll be running once you determine the size generator you need, there are several considerations to keep in mind about your generator purchase.Once you found the correct size for your generator, the you need to decide on fuel choices, the speed of the motor and the cooling systems.
Fuel Choices:
Home generators almost always run on natural gas or propane, simply because in most cases no additional fuel storage is required. It simply connects to the utility lines and off you go. So see whats available in your area. Diesel fuel is popular for larger, commercial generators, but very rare for home models.They will need diesel fuel delivered and a large holding tank
.Motor Speeds and Cooling Systems:
The motor will crate quite a bit of heat and needs a cooling system to prevent overheating. Standby generators can be either air-cooled or liquid-cooled. The major difference is that air-cooled systems are louder and not quite as effective. The speed at which these standby generators run is measured in RPMs.
Most generators in the US market will either run on 1800 rpm or 3600 rpm. While the first ones will run longer and quieter the latter ones are smaller and lighter.
Emergency Generator Installation
Nearly all standby generators require a concrete slab to support their considerable weight. Some models include this support pad, but you'll still need to prepare a flat area with accommodations for water drainage. In many places, the law requires a licensed electrician for installation.