Generators

This year was extremely bad for natural disasters, but there were also times when the power was also out in areas adjacent to the hard-hit places ravaged by tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. And since the utility companies were zeroing in on the worst areas these other places had to wait for weeks to get reconnected as well.

To guard against a long blackout generators are becoming a fact of life in many homes. Many are powerful enough to handle a fridge or freezer but it takes a larger one to do any more. Most people have extension cords to hook up the appliances and they rotate the power source from the fridge to the freezer to the computer etc.

Stand-by generators are stand-alone units the size of a small plastic shed that, in most cases, can handle the power requirements of an entire home. In fact they are wired into the power grid of the home so there are no extension cords to haul around.

Stand-by generators are usually fueled by propane or natural gas, but with natural gas it can run indefinitely unless there has been a natural catastrophe whereby the gas line has been cut-off. In areas where there is his fear large underground propane tanks are available.

The other notable thing about the stand-by generator is that it automatically senses the current loss and switches on when the power goes out. When power is restored it will shut itself off.