At Utah SWB we have found an amazing array of power generators for you. If you are looking for one for your home you will find those listed in the home use category. If you need one for industrial purposes then we have an Industrial Power Generator category as well.
Before you come dragging home (I mean that literally) a power generator for home use, you need to think about a number of things.
How much energy do your appliances use? Follow that link to get a sense for what each appliance draws.
If you think you are going to power your whole house in a power outage with a little roll around power generator from the home store you have another thing coming. NOT HAPPENING! Mostly those little roll around types are used to power 1 or two individual items on an extension cord during a power outage, such as the refrigerator or perhaps a well pump.
You would be amazed how much power your house really uses in high energy conditions such as air conditioning season in the south or maybe heating season in the north.
If you want a reliable backup source of power for your house in a rural area for example you need to call in professionals to make sure the job is done right. You need a way to tie in power to your home such that you don’t burn down the neighborhood. You need a way to disconnect your house from the grid.
If you try to supply power to your house while power is off, but fail to disconnect from the grid you will have a life threatening situation occur when public utilities get the power back on. It is nothing to play around with.
Having said that is easy to do correctly but does take professional wiring and switches to be safe. It is a legal requirement almost everywhere that this be done by a licensed electrician. Often it takes more than a regular electrician too as the electrical distribution plan needs to be developed. A top notch electrician can do it for you though.
Back to the portable power generator…after you have determined load requirements you need to shop for a generator that meets those needs. Typically there is a continuous wattage rating and a surge power rating. When certain devices start up they pull a lot more current than they do once running.
If you are going to run appliances off the portable power generator using an extension cord be sure and verify that the extension cord will handle the power easily. The last thing you want to do is start a fire while the power is off. OK it makes a nice light but it ruins your whole day!
Also remember that Gas Powered portable generators are in no way made to work indoors. These devices outgas carbon monoxide and are a fire hazard if used improperly. As obvious as this is numerous people are killed each year by ignoring these safety warnings.
Finally be sure to read all the materials that come with the generator as they will contain, operation instructions, safety instructions and warranty information if it is a new generator.
Please look around the site and see if you see a portable generator that is just what you need. And if your needs are much larger we do carry industrial power generators as well.
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