Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Poor machine maintenance blamed for fire at Akron business
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Indians add 7 players to 40-man roster
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Body with gunshot wounds found in Canton Township creek
Blogs:
Pets:
Sick Pets Get High-tech Health Care
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
The proposed new LeBron mural doesn't do it for me
Akron Zips:
Preview — Akron vs. Bowling Green
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Hey, somebody's gotta stick up for the Browns
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Attention Haters, Palin And Hannity Together
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Muslim McCarthyism & Death Prayers
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Norma asks if Barkitecture is still at Stan Hywet.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Keep fridge, lights, sump pump running; advances have made automatic standby units easy to use
By James & Morris Carey
Associated Press
Published on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008
It's the force behind your heater, your lights, your TV and computer. It's your power supply, and if you take it for granted, you might be left in the dark.
When the lights go out, food starts to spoil and the heat and cold shut off — often in extreme temperatures, creating a health concern for children and the elderly. And what's worse, sump pumps in basements and crawl spaces won't operate when they are most needed to discharge storm water, which can lead to thousands of dollars of damage.
Being without power for a few hours is a nuisance. Not having power for days, weeks or even longer can be both costly and dangerous.
The good news is that an automatic standby generator can return your home to full power within seconds. It works even when you're not home. In contrast to a portable generator, an automatic standby generator senses an outage and begins to produce power immediately. There are no extension cords to plug in, gas tanks to fill or switches to flip.
Even better news is that although automatic standby generators were reserved almost exclusively for hospitals, television and radio stations or the very wealthy, advances in technology have made automatic standby generators more affordable and available to mainstream America.
Automatic standby generators rank high on Remodeling Magazine's annual Cost vs. Value Report, which measures the popularity and return on investment for home improvement projects. Depending on the number of essential circuits required, homes can be protected for about $2,000 plus installation with an 8-kilowatt unit.
How it works
Unlike a portable generator, which can be dangerous and difficult to operate, an automatic standby generator operates on your LP gas or natural gas supply. The generator monitors incoming voltage from the utility line and when power is interrupted, it senses a problem and transfers to standby power.
Within seconds, the generator supplies electricity to the essential circuits you've chosen. When utility voltage returns, the electrical load is transferred back to the utility line.
Sound pretty simple? It is. There are no levers to pull to activate power, no pull cords to yank to start a generator motor and no potentially harmful carbon monoxide fumes due to the fact that the unit is permanently installed outdoors in a safe and secure location. In fact, most automatic standby generators look like the compressor for a central air conditioning system. With a little creative landscaping, you'll never know it's there.
Finding a fit
If you think an automatic standby generator might be for you, the first step is to determine what systems in your home you need or want to have powered during an outage. Although you can back up your entire home, it is typically more cost efficient to back up essential circuits, which can include some lighting (kitchen, bathroom, basement), a sump pump, a refrigerator and/or freezer, a television, a computer, a microwave, a garage circuit (to operate an automatic door opener) and a security system.
You may also opt to include a home office, an electric water heater (or the electrical supply for ignition for a tankless or hybrid water heater), and a well or irrigation pump.
The next step is to determine the amount of power (in watts) that each of the desired systems requires. Wattage may be listed on the product — if it's listed in amps, multiply by 120. An electrical circuit is about 1650 watts; a furnace, 750; a water heater 4,500-5,500. To calculate lights, add the wattage of bulbs.
Then add those numbers to establish the total amount of power needed, which, in turn, will determine the size of the generator needed in kilowatts (kW) — each kilowatt is 1,000 watts. Most residential automatic standby generators range in size from 8kW to 16kW (though there are smaller and larger units) and retail from between $2,000 to $3,500 plus installation.
Leading brands have an ''exercise'' mode, which will automatically start the generator motor on a regular predetermined schedule — typically weekly — to make sure the device is operating properly. Failure will result in a warning light or alarm, which will allow for necessary maintenance or repairs. Beyond regular ''exercising,'' the oil level should be checked regularly and other maintenance performed as suggested by the manufacturer.
It's the force behind your heater, your lights, your TV and computer. It's your power supply, and if you take it for granted, you might be left in the dark.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
