NOTE THIS ARTICLE HAS CAUSED A BIT OF STRAY IN THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, I HAVE EDITED THE PORTION BELOW WHICH HAS CAUSED THIS STRAY. 6/12/07 09:14

Generators are kind a luxury in terms of preperation, while they are make life easier, they are not necessary.



This guide will cover the types, fuels, usage, cost, advantages and disadvantages. It will also cover a few safety and security items involved with generators.



When you are looking to buy a generator, you have a few different options in terms of types, fueling, and wattage.



Generators will come in four types, two of them are well suited for home and business use. The other two are rather specialized use. The four types are portable, permanent “also known as standby”, rv “recreational vehicle”, and pto “power take off”.



Portable

The first type is portable. Portable generators can be used for a household, business, camping, and construction. These generators are normally within a frame of tubular steel, some have wheels, or wheel kits can be purchased separately. These generators can range from a few hundred watts to over 150 kilowatts “a kilowatt equals 1000 watts”.

These generators can be transported around as needed, some are even small enough to be carried by hand, or in the trunk of your car. The largest generators usually need to be transported by a truck, some are even on a built in trailer.



Pros

-Portability. These can be used as residential/business use, and you can also use them for camping or at construction sites.

-Convince. They can be stored when not needed and placed into service when the time comes.



Cons

-Required space. Due to their sheer size, storage may be an issue, especially in the larger ones. You should consider the amount of available space you have when looking.

-Security. Due to the portability of these, security is a very big issue. Security will be covered later in this article.

-Manual operation. When the power goes out, you need to start this generator manually either by pull cord or electric start.

Costs

Costs can vary widely based on the wattage, fuel, and brand. They can range from a few hundred dollars to over thirty thousand dollars.

Permanent standby

The second option are permanent standby generators. These are normally enclosed within a sheet metal body and must be permanently mounted. These generators range in wattages of a few thousand wattages in home standby to four hundred kilowatts in terms of commercial standby.



Pros

-Security. These generators must be bolted to a concrete pad, and the shell normally has locking access doors which help keep the bolts from being removed.

-Storage. Due to the fact that these generators must be mounted outside of the house on a concrete pad, you don’t loose storage space inside of your home or business.

-Ease of use. These generators are attached to the home or business’s utility service via transfer panels. Most of these generators have auto start features which turn them when the power fails, so you will only loose power for a minute or so at the most. They will also start for a few minutes either once a week, or month in order to keep everything lubricated, charge the battery, and to keep the fuel from going stale.

Cons

-Portability. These generators can’t be moved around, once they are set they can’t be ported to another location without some work. It’s not to say that they can’t be moved, but it takes quite a bit of work to do so.

-The pad. These generators must be installed on a concrete pad, and typically the pad will need to be poured by a contractor. Most towns and cities will require a permit as it is considered construction. If you live in an HOA community, they may also have additional restrictions.

-Transfer panel. These generators also require transfer panels which typically need to be installed by a licensed electrician, and may require the approval of your local utility company after it is installed.

Cost. Like portable generators, these generators vary widely in cost ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than thirty thousand.



The next two I am going to cover briefly as they are not ideal for standby generators.

RV

These generators are found on RV’s and campers. Some can be used to power items outside of the RV, but it is usually limited due to their size and wattage output.

Their wattage range from a few thousand watts to 12 kilowatts.
One good thing about RV generators, is due to their design and use, they tend to be very quiet.

PTO “Power take off”

These generators are used more commonly in construction or farm applications as they require either a tractor with a PTO or a diesel truck with a PTO capable transmission.

These generators range in wattages from a few thousand to over 75 kilowatts.





Fuel types

There are four general fuel types which are used, they are gasoline, diesel, lp “liquid propane” and natural gas.



Gasoline

Gasoline generators can range from a few hundred watts to 20+ kilowatts, gasoline is perhaps the most common fuel of portable generators as you can get gasoline pretty much anywhere. They can run on regular gas though they may not do to well on premium. Plus, once the emergency is over, you can use the gas in your car. Gasoline however has drawbacks, one being stability. Gasoline is rather volatile, meaning that it evaporates quickly, and ignites just as fast. Do not keep gasoline anywhere near open flames, or inside your home as it expel noxious fumes which create a large fire hazard.

This stability also causes other problems in terms of storage time. Gasoline can only be stored for a few months with out some sort of additive.

Diesel

Diesel is normally used for larger wattage generators, as diesel has a higher energy potential than gasoline. Diesel is also more stable then gasoline, and can be kept for up to a year without treatment. It is always a good idea however to filter the fuel if you are keeping it in storage for that long. To filter it, it should be pumped through a high quality diesel fuel filter a few times over to remove any particulate in the fuel as algae, bacteria, and fungus can find a pleasant home in diesel fuel.

Another good thing about diesel, is it’s stability. It is not as volatile as gasoline, which means it is not as much as a fire risk as gasoline, that doesn’t mean you can go and have a smoke next to stored tanks, you should use the same precautions as gasoline.

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LP/Natural gas

Vapor type fuels such as LP and natural gas are commonly used in smaller permanent generators, the advantage they offer is they run much quieter than gasoline and diesel generators. You also have the advantage being able to use LP and Natural gas in grills, stoves, and water heaters if so equipped. Many portable generators are now tri-fuel meaning they can run off of LP, Natural gas, and gasoline. You can also find LP/Natural gas conversion kits for gasoline generators as well.









Safety and Security.

Remember, generators are engines, so the common sense of engines does apply, however I will cover them anyways.



Carbon Monoxide. CO is not a gas to mess around with, it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It is lighter than air, meaning it will fill the home from the top up. It can fill a house undetected within a few hours. The symptoms of CO poisoning are fatigue, muscle pains, upset stomach, lethargy, dizziness, and headaches.



Never run a generator inside of your house or garage. Make sure there are no open windows near the generator as exhaust fumes can enter.

If you do decide to use one, keep a few battery powered CO detectors around, you can they can save the life of you and your loved ones.



The fuel also adds an additional amount of hazard. Gasoline fumes are extremely flammable and toxic.



Security.

Portable generators are convenient, however it comes at a price, they are easy to steal.

Generator thefts go up during hurricane season as people want them for themselves or to sell. If you live in a hurricane prone area, and you see those guys on the corner selling them off the back of a truck, you can count of them being stolen.

The frame of portable generators allow for a good amount of security if you use it right. When in use, the generator should always be secured using a heavy steel cable or a heavy chain. The generator should be locked to something permanent and secure. The cable/chain can be run though the frame in such a way that it can’t be undone.

You should use a heavy duty padlock, such as a contractor grade padlock that either has a shroud, or a heavy disk lock. This way the shackle can’t be cut easily with bolt cutters or a hacksaw. If you decide to leave your home for any reason, “either for food/supplies, or to go to work” you should shut the generator off, let it cool down, and move it back inside where you can lock it up.


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THIS IS THE PORTION WHICH HAS CAUSED A BIT OF STRAY.

You should really consider that if someone really wants your generator, you shouldn’t risk your life over it. If your starting it, or refueling it and someone comes up to you with a gun saying “give me the generator” go ahead and give it to them. Your life isn’t worth it.

AS HAVE STATED IN MY REPLY, ALWAYS THINK THE SITUATION BEFOREHAND. YES THERE IS A POSIBILITY THAT YOU WILL TRIUMPH AND KEEP YOUR GENERATOR, THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOU WILL BE KILLED AND LOSE YOUR GENERATOR. THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOU WILL BE KILLED, THEN YOUR FAMILY WILL BE KILLED.
There are too many possibilitys and situations that can arrise from this, you can't just say "I will defend it, nor can you just say I will let it walk." The variations are too great to think of every single possibility. Remeber, at this point, you are responsible not only for yourself, but for those who you are trying to keep safe.
EDITED 6/12/07 09:22
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Buying a generator.

If you decide to buy a generator, there are a few things you should consider. First is where to buy. Don’t bother buying one from the guy on the corner who is selling them out of the back of a u-haul, first is you have no idea if it’s stolen or not, buying a stolen generator means receipt of stolen goods which is illegal. Second, you don’t know the history of the generator. It may look new, and it may have a bagged manual and everything, but who knows, he could have bought the manual from the supplier, and threw a fresh coat of paint on it. You could have a generator that has had over 3000+ hours of use on it and you would never even know it.



Buy one from a reputable dealer.



Your best option is to buy one off season, if you buy on season, there will be a high demand, and not much choice.



Big box stores also sell generators, but they are usually mid range brands. Even Wal-Mart may carry them from time to time. If you buy one, make sure it comes with a warranty.



Wattage. Northern Tool has a pretty comprehensive guide to wattage. Northern Tool Generator Guide

Another decent guide is from the Palm Beach Post's 2007 hurricane guide, Palm Beach County 2007 Hurricane Guide

Brands.

Just about every power equipment company makes generators now, Briggs and Stratton, Troy-Built, Husqvarna, Makita, DeWalt, Craftsman, Honda, Cummings, McCulloch, Mitsubishi, Yamaha, John Deere, even Coleman offers generators. There are many other brands which are primarily generator builders, such as Generac and Guardian, and Kohler



I only have experience with Kohler, Makita, and limited experience with Coleman generators.

Kohler’s tend to be the larger commercial type generators, with a good track record. I personally have a Makita which has served me reliably for three many seasons, and four actual storms, and shows no sign of quiting. I co-worker of mine has a Coleman which he decided to ditch after one storm, he kept blowing the breakers on a 5000 watt generator while only running a fridge and a few lights. The engine decided to quit soon after, he returned it and bought a Generac after.

Maintence.

Like any engine, it needs periodic maintence, you should run it at least once a month to keep everything lubricated. You will also need to change the oil and air filters every so often “the generator’s manual should say how often this should be done” A good idea is to look for one with a spin on automotive type filter, these increase the life of the oil, and reduce wear on the engine.





This is about all I can think of at the moment, it’s about 0500, and my brain is getting close to shutting me down by force.

If I think of anything else that I didn't cover hear, I will add it as a reply to this post.



If anyone can think of anything else to add, feel free to include it.