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Home Generators Buying Guide

Home Generator
Table of Contents

Your electricity has jumped off. You fear you may lose your food in the power outage. And you regret never purchasing a powerful generator.

Research shows that house generator sales skyrocketed in 2021 amid weather-related concerns.

But how does a top-rated portable or permanently installed generator work, and what fuel type should you select: natural gas (NG) using a gas line or liquid propane (LP)? And do you need one with an automatic transfer switch?

Also, can you connect home standby generators from Home Depot to an electric panel, and can they run sump pumps?

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Before you buy a backup generator, here’s everything you need to know about the many options for generators available today.

Let’s get started!

How Does a Powerful Generator Work in a Power Outage?

A house generator contains a combustion engine that generates a mechanical force. This force is necessary to produce a current.

When you turn on a generator during a winter power outage, for example, the machine’s engine will spin a shaft that rotates inside of a magnetic field. An electrical current is produced from this motion.

The mechanism of a generator is much like that of a hand-crank flashlight but on a bigger scale.

House Generator Types are Available at Stores Like Home Depot

If you’re in the market for a home generator to protect your home and its occupants in an outage, you have a few handy options depending on your needs and preference.

Inverter and portable generators offer the benefit of being easy to move around. On the contrary, a home standby generator is installed permanently. Another generation option is a portable power station — a large battery that stores electricity for an emergency.

Let’s look at each type of generator in greater detail and what it offers.

Portable Generators

In addition to being easy to move around, a portable generator tends to be less expensive than a home standby generator. For this reason, it’s a great option if cost is a factor in your generator purchase.

Note that portable generators usually run on gas, so you might want to store a large amount of gas on your property. Don’t forget to add a stabilizer to any fuel you plan to store for a prolonged period.

In addition, many portable generators come with a convenient electric starting capability (more on generator starting later).

You can utilize a portable generator anywhere around your property as long as you don’t leave it in a space that’s enclosed. That’s because this kind of generator can rapidly produce lethal carbon monoxide levels.

As a general rule of thumb, you should always place your portable generator more than 15 feet away from your house. This includes any equipment attached to your home, like a window air conditioner or your central air conditioning condenser.

The exhaust generated by your generator should also be directed away from each neighbor’s house. In addition, in rainy weather, shield your machine with a durable canopy that is created for your generator model.

Home Standby Generators

A home standby generator is more expensive than a portable generator, as it supplies more power — potentially double or more than double what a portable option produces.

This kind of generator starts right away when your power jumps off. Home standby machines also run self-diagnoses and provide notifications when they require maintenance.

You can choose either natural gas or fuel with a home standby generator. Propane gas is generally safer to store, but natural gas stands out for providing an unlimited power supply (more on these fuel options later).

This type of generator should ideally be professionally installed. A reputable electrician can assist you in meeting your town’s requirements for your generator location, municipal permits, and noise restrictions.

Portable Power Station

Portable Generator

As we mentioned earlier, this kind of generator is a huge rechargeable battery. It does not use propane or gas.

To charge this device’s battery, you’ll plug it into an outlet or solar panel. Although you can use it in a pinch at your home, it is best used in situations where you won’t require power for lengthy periods. These include tailgating and camping, for example.

A portable power station is usually heavier than a small inverter generator (more on this next). In addition, this device is more costly when compared with a portable generator.

However, if noise concerns you, you’ll love that this device is very quiet, as it does not have an engine. In addition, you can use this machine indoors, as it does not produce carbon monoxide or fuel emissions.

Note that a portable power station does not produce as much energy as a portable generator. In addition, you cannot keep it running if you don’t charge it with solar power or electricity.

Likewise, you cannot expect a portable power station to power the same number of appliances you could with a portable generator.

Still, portable power stations provide the benefit of not having starting problems because nothing needs to be started with them.

Inverter Generators

Finally, consider purchasing an inverter generator if you’re looking for a backup generator option that is quieter than a portable generator.

Inverter generators aren’t loud because they don’t constantly run at 100% power. Instead, they throttle down and up to meet demand. In addition, this type of generator has a relatively sophisticated exhaust system, which further helps to reduce noise.

Keep in mind, though, that inverter generators are usually more expensive than portable machines with comparable outputs. Still, you may prefer an inverter generator because it produces fewer emissions and runs more efficiently than its portable counterpart does.

If you choose the inverter generator option, you should follow the same precautions you’d follow with a portable generator.

Generator Fuel Type Options Include Natural Gas (NG)

As we highlighted earlier, a generator may use either natural gas or propane. Natural gas is especially common to use for generators, as you can easily obtain it from a gas station. This makes it an affordable and reliable generator fuel option.

Generators that use gas are also fairly quiet. This makes them an excellent option for a smaller house or a home with no or minimal insulation. You may also appreciate this benefit if you’ll need to use the gas generator at night and you’re a light sleeper.

The drawback of natural gas is that it is highly flammable, so you should exercise extreme caution when working with it. In addition, because gas prices change daily, you may find it expensive to fuel your generator on some days and cheaper on others.

Another factor to consider when choosing a gas portable generator is that this generator tends to consume more fuel than other generators.

Getting Your Gas Line Permanently Installed

If you’re interested in installing a home standby gas generator, you’ll need to hire a plumbing company. They’ll help add a generator gas line on your property, a process that shouldn’t take a couple of hours.

After your gas line has been connected to your meter, then tested, you can try out your generator.

Liquid Propane (LP) Generators

Rather than powering your home standby generator with gas, you could use liquid propane instead.

Propane is popular to use because it is clean burning and, therefore, more environmentally friendly than gas.

In other words, it doesn’t produce as much carbon dioxide emissions. It also doesn’t release sulfur dioxide. Furthermore, liquid propane won’t contaminate agriculture or local groundwater sources due to being non-toxic.

This type of fuel can also easily be stored in a large or small storage tank. Propane doesn’t have an expiration date, either.

You may also prefer a liquid propane generator if you want your generator to run relatively quietly.

A disadvantage of propane generators, however, is that these machines’ systems are often complicated. As a result, they are at a higher risk of failing. In addition, propane may be hazardous if any interior parts of your generator become damaged or broken.

Keep in mind that propane generators are also usually costlier and less efficient than gasoline generators.

Why Connect Your Generator to Your House’s Electric Panel?

If you’ve never thought about linking your home standby generator to your home’s electric panel, this may be something you want to consider moving forward. This is particularly true if you’re concerned about losing electricity when you’re away from home.

Here’s how this setup works: When the electricity goes out, your home standby generator can power itself up. Then, it will switch your house’s electrical panel so that the panel receives its energy from your generator instead of your electric company’s connection.

How to Link Your Home’s Electric Panel with Your Home’s Generator

To create this setup, you’ll need to hire an electrician. They’ll wire your panel properly so that you can make the generator connection.

Next, you’ll need to put an interlock, a device designed to ensure safety, inside the electrical panel interlock. It’s illegal to link your panel to your generator without this device, so you can expect to be fined if you’re caught doing this.

The interlock is so important because it keeps a person from switching on breakers when their main supply happens to be on. Put another way; it keeps you from running your generator while you are receiving power from the electric company after your power is restored.

Let’s say that the main supply of energy is on, and your generator is powering your home’s electrical panel. The panel’s power will go to the electric grid in this situation.

If somebody is doing work on an electric line near your house because they don’t think the grid has power, they might be electrocuted.

In addition, your electric company may sometimes purposely turn off your power to let line workers complete maintenance tasks. If you connect your home’s electrical panel to your generator, electricity will end up traveling to the electric grid from your panel — a process known as back-feeding. This could lead to a line worker’s injury or death.

In turn, you could face jail time.

Also, if you operate your generator while you are receiving electricity from the utility company, this may fry your home’s electronics.

Again, to prevent these issues, simply hire an electrician to perform your generator and electrical panel connection, and make sure that they include an interlock as part of the setup.

Can Generators Run Sump Pumps?

Absolutely. Sump pumps are submersible pumps installed in crawl spaces or basements to keep these areas from flooding.

A sump pump usually consumes a large amount of energy when it starts up. For this reason, a larger generator (one in the range of a couple of thousand watts) should be paired with one. The generator will be able to accommodate the powerful burst generated when the sump pump turns on, and then it will stabilize and start operating at a lower wattage.

With a large enough generator, you’ll have plenty of power to keep your sump pump operating effectively when the power goes out.

Why a Top-Rated Generator Features an Automatic Transfer Switch

As you explore high-quality home standby generators, look for one that also comes with an automatic transfer switch. That’s because this type of switch connects a standby generator to an electric panel safely using one cable.

If you decide to skip using an automatic transfer switch, you will be forced to use an extension cord instead. This can be very dangerous, as overloading extension cords is easy. This lean lead to overheating and spark a fire.

Automatic transfer switches are also much more convenient than extension cords. This type of switch makes it effortless to power your home’s many circuits.

With an extension cord, you’ll be able to power only devices with plugs. In addition, you’ll have to make sure that your cord is rated for heavy-duty use outdoors.

However, with an automatic transfer switch, you’ll also be able to power essential devices that don’t have plugs. These range from water heaters to overhead lights and even well pumps.

Additional Transfer Switch Tips

Rather than attempting to install one of these switches yourself, you should contact an electrician for help to make sure that this is done correctly and safely.

Your switch will turn on automatically if you have a home standby generator. This is a major benefit you’ll appreciate with the standby option, as for a portable model, you will have to flip switches manually when the electricity goes out.

Also, note that you will have to determine which circuits to connect to your transfer switch. You can decide this after determining which appliances and outlets your electric panel’s various circuit breakers control, then labeling these accordingly.

Afterward, you can work with your electrician to connect the transfer switch to those circuits that are the highest priority for you and your family.

Power Generator

Frequently Asked Questions About Generators

Here’s a rundown of five of the most frequently asked questions regarding home generators and how they can help during a power outage.

1. Should You Buy a Generator with an Automatic Carbon Dioxide Shutoff?

Yes. This important safety feature automatically shuts your generator engine down if the carbon monoxide sensor inside the engine detects deadly levels of this gas.

Many portable generators have such a feature. You can tell that your prospective unit has it if it has been certified for performance and safety in carbon monoxide.

2. What Is the Difference Between an Electric Start and an Automatic Start?

An electric start is included on many portable generator models. It’s a push-button mechanism that provides a convenient alternative to having to pull-start your portable generator engine. Note that a battery may not be included with your electric start, so be prepared to buy it separately.

On the other hand, an automatic start is present on a home standby generator. If the electricity jumps off, your generator will instantly come on thanks to this automatic start. You won’t have to do anything.

The automatic start feature can come in handy for those who travel or don’t work close to home. In this way, you don’t have to worry about not getting to your home’s generator quickly when an emergency arises.

3. Is It Okay to Run Generators in Garages with the Garage Doors Open?

No. You should never operate a portable generator inside a garage or house. Likewise, don’t put it under your carport, near a cracked-open window, or on a screened-in porch.

Even if you leave your garage door open, carbon monoxide in your generator’s exhaust may make you sick if you’re inside of the house. Even worse, the gas could kill you or a loved one.

Especially if your unit doesn’t have a carbon monoxide shutoff, try to install carbon monoxide detectors in your house before utilizing the generator.

4. Which Size Generator Should You Choose for Your Home?

You may be tempted to buy the biggest gas generator you can find for your house. However, this may not necessarily be the best option for your situation.

Instead, purchase a generator that is sized to the home’s critical electrical circuits. This is a more affordable and sensible option.

Your critical circuits may include the following:

  • Some outlets and lights
  • Opener for your garage door
  • Security system
  • Water heater
  • Well pump
  • Furnace
  • Kitchen Appliances

Generators with larger kilowatt ratings can easily power more devices in your home. The manufacturer of the generator you choose will tell you what quantity of circuits can be powered with your generator. You can then choose only those items you wish to supply power to the most.

For example, you may be presented with a 7.5-kilowatt standby generator for your home, which can provide power to eight circuits. Then, you might come across an 11-kilowatt generator that is capable of powering 16 circuits. The second option may be the best if your house features 16 or fewer circuits, providing backup power for your entire house.

5. What Is the Cost of Installing a Generator?

The cost to install a generator varies depending on the generator you want. However, home standby generators usually cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000. Customers spend an average of $9,520 on them.

Meanwhile, a portable generator may cost a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.

Keep in mind that installing a standby generator with a gas line will drive up your installation cost by a few thousand dollars. This extra cost is needed to run the line and pour a concrete slab, which your generator must sit on top of. Connecting your generator to your house’s breaker box is also needed.

How We Can Help You

In a power outage, a top-rated, powerful generator can keep you warm/cool and preserve your food. You may choose a portable or permanently installed house generator that uses natural gas (NG) with a gas line or the liquid propane (LP) fuel type.

As you seek home standby generators from Home Depot, consider purchasing one with an automatic transfer switch. You may also benefit from one that can run sump pumps and be connected to an electric panel.

At LoPriore Insurance, we can further explain “how does a generator work” and how it can decrease your homeowner’s insurance rate. Call now!

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