Where I grew up, there are always windstorms in November, and even the occasional snowstorm somewhere between then and February. The power would therefore go out once or twice a year, sometimes for days, and so we’d quickly have to run through our emergency checklist for outages. Everyone else around the lake was quick to turn on their portable home-generators and pretty soon you could hear a faint buzzing sound coming from all directions. We would always be the last to put ours on, and it was also pretty noisy and consumed gas. But it was better than living by candlelight and missing out on Internet access.
I know, I probably sound like an entitled millennial or Gen Z. But believe me, the basic home generator my family had for lighting the house isn’t even the most advanced option for powering a home during those dark winter days. Would you be surprised to know that there are automated solutions available that don’t even consume gas?
What To Do When A Power Outage Just Isn’t An Option
For some homes, a power outage can mean a lot worse than no T.V. for the night. For example, if you live in area with a lot of ground water, having just a few hours where the sump isn’t pumping can mean a flooded basement. Moisture buildup in a home can also lead to mold damage. Learn more at https://eta-publications.lbl.gov/publications/case-studies-economic-impacts-power about how power outages can be costly. At this point, a more automatic solution to a sudden loss of power starts to make a lot of sense to your budget.
Luckily there are indeed standby generators you can have installed permanently that will automatically turn on in case of an outage. Instead of burning through gallons of gas, you can choose from generators that run on diesel, propane or even natural gas. But in each case, they are designed to be inconspicuous and therefore hardly make a sound. Stationary, silent, and comparatively relaxing to use, you won’t ever have to fumble with a pull cord ever again.
Quick To Set Up, Slow To Ever Falter
These tame residential generators are easy to set up, no matter the brand. First, find a spot right outside the house where you want the generator to sit year-round. Make sure in doing so that you are following your neighborhood or city codes. Of course, the reason that you don’t want your generator inside (as it is now a permanent part of the house) is because of the hydrocarbon fuel it consumes- even the most energy efficient system you buy will still have a toxic output- like CO2 or carbon monoxide.
Then you’ll install a transfer switch to the electrical control panel of your house. Once you have that transfer switch wired to the location of the new generator, you might have to dig a trench to your propane tank, or have professionals divert the existing natural gas lines in order to connect to the proper fuel source.
The Fun Of Modern Day Tech
Okay, I might have lied about there being nothing left to have done for your new updated generator. That is, if you want to indulge in a few perk that come with the latest and greatest back-up power sources. If you, do you proper research on residential generators you’ll find an array of different domestic and industrial options. Among them is the Cummins RS series, which has a few additional features you can purchase along with it: The most basic of these is a 3” concrete pad for mounting the machine to keep it off the dirt and grass. This is nothing to balk at if you want to guarantee the lifespan of your new functional toy.
A Few More Perks
You can also tack on a load management kit that will allow you to connect two 50A loads, in case you wanted to set up an outdoor music stage for a backyard party during the windstorm. A remote display allows you control and monitor the generator’s performance from anywhere inside your house, and Cummins even offers a smartphone application that will maintain interface with your generator via internet for those times where you are far away. I have no doubt that many of you reading this article had no idea generators could be this cool.
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