How to Choose a Generator for Your Home
Have you ever been at home and then there was an unexpected power outage? You must have been very frustrated, right? The good news is that you can save yourself all that stress and inconvenience by investing in a generator to act as your power back-up plan. The generator is a perfect alternative source of power during heavy rains and storms when the power lines are damaged by the falling of trees and other things. However, choosing the right generator for your home can be challenging.
Here are some of the considerations when selecting the best generator for your house:
Consider the Wattage
The most significant factor to consider when acquiring a generator for power back-up is the wattage. It refers to the amount of power that you will require the generator to supply you with to sustain the lighting and various appliances in your home. If you have low power consumption, perhaps you need only power for lights and to operate TV, music system and charge phones, a low watt generator or less than 2000W can be suitable for your home.
Such generators are among the lightest and are usually come with a handle to enable carrying and weigh less than 70 pounds (around 31kgs). However, if you have heavy power usage, say you have a cottage industry for making yoghurt or baking pastries, you need a generator with high wattage, between 2000W and 7000W. The more the power the device can give, the bigger the size, such that some come with wheels.
Consider if Uses Petrol or Diesel
Since generators have to be fueled with either petrol or diesel, you need to consider carefully the best one for you depending on the most economical fuel in your locality. Luckily, there are many varieties of both petrol and diesel versions of the machines, so you will not miss one that suits your needs and at the same time will not make you almost rob a bank to keep it running. It would be best to consider other factors besides the cost of fuel; for example, diesel machines do not involve spark ignition, so have no explosion risks and need less maintenance too.
Consider if for Indoor or Outdoor Use
When buying a power-supply device, you need to consider if you will need it for indoor use only or both indoor and outdoor. If you are to use it outdoors, ensure it is weatherproof and can be used in wet conditions.
In addition to the above factors, you need to consider if you need a portable generator, like for camping or one that is fixed. Also, check if the machine needs to supply direct or alternating current.
