Power Generator Practical Tips!
A power generator installed temporarily during times of outages and emergencies, does provide a large measure of comfort and safety. We used to grumble and complain to the authorities and wait impatiently until it would come back on. Unfortunately we live in an area that is forever being affected by power cuts and finally out of desperation we decided that we just had to get a power generator to get us through these tough times. We didn't know much about them not being outdoors people, but "necessity dictates" so after the last blackout, when all patience finally deserted us, we headed down to the local equipment store for some very much needed advice. The salespeople were incredibly helpful and went to great lengths to explain how the power generator works, what size we needed, and the safety issues involved. This was a whole new learning experience for us, but the more we heard the more we liked. We identified the major areas that we wanted to be able to keep running and this was eventually converted into watts. Once we had an idea of our intended usage it was then on to have a look at the actual units and to discuss the merits of each. Even though we were informed that a 3000 watt power generator would be sufficient for our needs, we decided to go up to the 5000 watt unit and have a manual transfer switch installed by our electrician.
The safety issue was of paramount importance to us. We admit that we are novices when it comes to the power generator and it would be very easy for us to make what we think is a simple mistake but one which could have disastrous consequences. It would seem that our neighbors are very casual in the operation of their own power generator. To my knowledge they have leads going in all directions connecting to the various appliances, and even though this will work OK, it is easy to overload the generator and it does bring up various safety issues. Evidently using an incorrect sized lead can cause the generator to overheat, short out and potentially create a fire. For peace of mind we will spend the extra money, and we know it is considerable, to have a licensed electrical engineer instal a manual transfer switch which will enable us to use the power generator with complete safety. This then isolates the current to just the items that need it and removes the need for extension cords. As this is the only use that our power generator will be put to, we don't have to consider portability or weight. This makes our task that much easier as it can be housed in the garage when not in use and when required it will only need to be moved a couple of meters, which is not a problem because it has its own wheels. By the time we complete everything it will end up costing us just under $2,000 for our power generator. It could have been done a lot more economically we know, but we chose a model that is of really good quality and super quiet. We did listen to one run and the noise was very acceptable. The rest of the cost is for the switch and the installation. It feels good, knowing that the next time we will not be affected nearly as much - dinner will still be cooked, heating will still be on, we will have lights, and even a little TV. |
