What features the best generator for house use should have?
People who have faced the situations of prolonged power outages, knows the value of a good generator. When the light goes out in major storms, people rush to the markets and buy generators without knowing what is the best deal for them as per their requirement as they amore focused getting the power back and try to normalize their lives. Decisions that made in desperate times are generally regretted later on.
Knowing which features of a generator are suitable for your requirements will help you in getting the best deal for you rather than getting one with impulse decision. Generators are used for different purposes, but the one you are going to use for home should have features that suites you requirements and day to day comforts. In such case you should be relying on someone else but to select the right generator by yourself with educated decision making, and we want to make that happen for you.
So here are the main features that the generator you are going to buy should have to give you comfortable and reliable experience:
Type of Generator
Selecting the right type of generator is important consideration. You can select between the portable and stationary or fixed types but there are some pros and cons associated with each type. The portable type is easy to carry elsewhere like camping and construction site but are to be started manually. On the other hand, the fixed generators have the feature of automatic start up but require an electrician to install and are positioned at a fixed location. These generators can also run on natural gas hence have continuous supply of fuel for running for extended time. You should also take into consideration the wattage of your house while selecting the type of generator.
Safeties
Since the generator you are looking for is going to be used in household environment, generators must have essential safety features. It should have Carbon Mono-Oxide (CO) shutoff feature. This feature is enabled by a Co sensor that shuts off the generator if the Co emissions exceed a certain level in an enclosed environment (Caution: never use a generators in an enclosed environment rather position it away from house at safe distance). It should have low engine oil sensor so that the engines shuts down automatically in case of low engine oil and avoid damage. Other safeties like surge protections and good voltage regulation are also must haves.
Automatic start/ Electric start
Power outages during harsh weather can be painful. The automatic start feature of the generator can be much appreciated during chilling weather when you don’t have to go out from your warm blanket for truing on the generator. This feature is commonly available in the fixed generator. In a portable generator, you must look for the electric start feature. The electric start feature is enabled by the battery housed in the generator.
Outlets
You will need power outlets in a generator to power different devices. The output of a generator can be fed directly into the main switch of your house to power up the entire house. But in some cases you will need to power up devices directly from the generator. In that case you will need more than one power outlets. Go for the one with at least 04 power outlets or more keeping in view your requirements.
Displays
Different gauges are essentially required for monitoring the performance of your generator form time to time. The most important gauge would be the fuel or gas indicator. It will help in monitor how much fuel is left for running the generator and when to refuel. Another important gauge is the ampere meter. With this gauge you can assess the amount of load that you generator is taking at a specific instance. This way you can decide if any other device can be connected to the generator for power.
Run Time
Some generator can run for longer uninterrupted while other have limited runtime. The runtime becomes very critical feature during disasters like storms. You need to give rest to generator for some while after a specific runtime. Go for the generator that satisfies your runtime requirement in a go.
Noise Level
Generators are noisy and there is no way around this problem. But that does not mean that you cannot control or curtail the noise issue. There are generators that run on lesser RPM hence are less noisy. Such generator are also fuel efficient. But these features come at an extra cost. Noise issue may also be mitigated by installing the generator away from your hose.