The Old Gray Mare

What I Have Learned About Generators Since Hurricane Irene



Posted: Monday, October 03, 2011

by The Old Gray Mare
www.DressYourHorse.com

If you were affected by Storm Irene, and found yourself throwing away food and drink, stumbled around in the dark and found it hard to read with candle light, then this article may prove interesting to you.

Our family is fortunate to have a generator that suits our needs. However, many families were left without power during and after Irene. For that reason, I decided to educate myself about generators. It’s like everything else – whether or not to get a generator depends on its affordability and individual needs. Frankly, after waiting for over one week to have power restored makes me a firm believer in the need for a generator. Even if we don’t have to use it, I feel better knowing it’s available if necessary.

If and when a decision is made to get a generator, a “due diligence” should occur within the family. I mean, decide on priorities. What should be kept running when the power goes out? Most likely it’s water, heating, food storage, microwave and oven.

Prepare a checklist.

Water needs

Do you have a well or do you get water from the town? If you require a water pump to get water, pumps operate on 220 volts – the generator must therefore put out 220 volts in order to power the water pump

Heat needs

I was able to get these basic requirements for furnaces: 1/8 horsepower needs 500 watts to start and 300 to run, 1/4 horsepower needs 1000 watts to start and 600 watts to run, and 1/2 horsepower needs 2350 to start and 875 to run. Radiant heat requires 1300 watts for both start up and continued running.

Cooling needs

It would seem to me that cooling is unnecessary because, living in the Northeast, our power failures occur primarily in winter. However, Irene just proved differently. So, if you have a 10,000 BTU window A/C unit, it requires 2200 watts at start with 1500 for running. An alternative might be a box fan that needs 180 watts to start and 120 to continue to run.

Food needs

Your refrigerator (or freezer) starts up with 1200 watts and continues running on anywhere from 130 to 195 watts. An electric stove unit needs 1200 watts to start and run; a microwave runs on 1000 watts.

Electric lighting needs

Each incandescent light bulb gives specific information.

“Wanna Have” needs

TV, electric blanket, coffee maker, radio and computers have specific requirements – frankly, I would not power up my computer on a generator no matter how reliable it was. We power up several electric plugs in our house when the generator runs in order to charge electronics, run the radio, make coffee. That requires moving some items but we hardly missed a beat.

With this level of detail, you are now better informed about the wattage required to run basics in your home. Now determine whether you will install a fixed generator on a pad, or one on wheels that remains portable.

All installations, especially well and furnace installations, should be done by professional electricians. A transfer switch must be installed, the safest way to operate a generator.

Also consider noise levels of generators. The less expensive models put out about as much noise as does a chain saw. The better models bring down the decibels somewhat. Bottom line, though, is that generators do make noise. Also consider getting a control to limit spikes and valleys, safer for well mtors  – it’s called Automatic Voltage Regulation.

There is a best way to generate power and that is with an inverter generator. This type of unit produces DC power, inverting it back to AC power, hence powering up the house. Known to be cleaner, make less decibels and run on lower rpm, this type of power generator is also the most expensive.

Supplying power to your house during emergencies can be done and is not cost prohibitive. With a little thought and planning, the next storm won’t have to be a fiasco – at least not inside the house where power is concerned.
Heidi Rucki brings expertise as a horsewoman, dog lover and stained glass/mosaic artist. She is an accomplished freelance writer in the horse industry. Writing online as The Old Gray Mare, many of her current articles can be found on www.DressYourHorse.com. In the past, Rucki wrote for numerous horse organizations including The Connecticut Horse Council. She took early retirement from Phoenix Home Life where she wrote mutual fund prospectuses and was responsible for their submissions to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Old Gray Mare writes to share knowledge and her love of horses for everyone but especially for novice and new horse owners. Besides her two main websites, she has recently published three new blog sites. Of those, her favorite is www.BeautyOfHorses.com.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Christofer French
 221 days 12 hours ago.
73 fans.
I confess. I am studying your subject choice, style, and good ole writer warmth and personality so that I can emulate you. Great job.
» left by The Old Gray Mare 221 days 10 hours ago.
53 fans. Follow The Old Gray Mare on twitter!
Don't even try to figure out my subject matter. I get a thought in my head and if I remember, I go for it. I'm on this writing kick and need to get it on paper or, as you've heard me say, I'll forget it. I can write forever about horses and I've got stuff in the works. But my other subjects are purely learning or subjects of interest. The generator thing is a holdover from Irene, of course. Since then, I've wanted to know more about the types of generators that are out there and what they do. I know we have a really good one but now I want to see how much improved they are. I love to lear bew things and am forever curious. Next subject might very well be a flush up toilet because that's what I'm studying right now.
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