Things to Remember in Buying Power Generators

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Electrical power generators have become an essential part of modern living. They enable us to produce electricity to feed the technology that makes our society move forward even during power outages that may happen from time to time. Power generators have been developed for many uses from backup or standby applications to business and recreational applications, there will be generators suitable for them.

If you are looking to buy an electrical power generator you need to keep in mind that there are different types of generators and each type may have been designed for specific purposes in mind. Although you can design a generator for multi-purpose applications, it may be more prudent to choose those that have been optimized for a particular purpose.

Below are some tips that you need to remember when you are shopping for a power generator.

1. Figure out what you really need one for - an all-around generator, while it has some merit, will not be ideal in many situations. Sometimes, for the sake of efficiency, you will want to choose a generator designed exclusively for a particular purpose instead of going for one designed with no particular purpose in mind. Many backup power generators are not designed for portability and may not be suitable for recreational use. On the other hand, recreational generators are designed for portability and hence are small and less powerful for backup or standby duties.

2. Choose the suitable fuel type - the most common fuels used are gasoline, diesel, natural gas and propane and each has its relative advantages and disadvantage against the others. Gasoline is most suitable for portable generators because they are cheap and are widely available. Many recreational type generators are designed to run on gasoline and they are popular among camping and recreational vehicle enthusiasts. Diesel on are popular for industrial and heavy-duty purposes because most diesel-based engines are more durable than their gasoline counterparts. Natural gas or propane is most suitable for backup or standby power applications because they are very stable fuels that can be stored for long periods.

3. Size and heft matters - and these are true not only for portable applications. Even if you plan on using it for backup or standby duties, you will still need to take into serious condition the dimensions of the generator because you will need to install it somewhere your house or your business location or establishment. Planning this in advance is highly recommended.

4. Power requirements - you will need to do a little arithmetic on how much power you will need. First, you have to list down the items you will want to power with the generator and determine their power or wattage requirements. You may need the services of an expert or an electrician to figure this one out.

5. Noise - this is something that we should all consider in buying an equipment such as a generator. No one likes a noisy machine so this is the reason why silent generators have become more popular these days.

Buying a generator is not as simple as choosing a good model, whipping out your credit card and bringing home the unit. There are some considerations that you need to keep in mind before buying one and the above list should help you arrive at a wise decision.

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