How To Weather A Storm Without Losing Power

February 22, 2016

There is one thing that every homeowner worries about when there is a huge storm – power outage. During a storm, lightening strikes can hit power lines and damage transformers thereby disrupting power transmission to your home.

How long can you live with:

No lights
No computer
No cell phone chargers
No TV
No refrigerator
No washing machine
No air conditioning
No electric space heater
No water heater
No other electrical appliances

Until the power returns, your life will be much more difficult because you will not have the conveniences that you are used to.

In addition to your food getting spoiled in the fridge, you will have to bath or shower with cold water. Furthermore, you will also be forced to wash clothes and dishes by hand. During the power blackout, you may be forced to use candles and hurricane lamps to light your home at night. Power outage literally send you back to the Stone Age. No one really knows how long a power outage will last. Sometimes they only last a few hours but many are known for lasting a few days. To ensure you continue living a comfortable and convenient life when a storm takes out the power lines, you may want to consider installing whole house backup generators.

Backup Generators

Many people who live in the suburbs and rural areas have some form of portable backup generator. When there is a power outage, someone has to go outside to the shed to turn on a portable generator and run an extension cord into the home for a few necessary appliances. When the power comes backs on, the owner has to go back outside, turn off the generator and disconnect the extension cords.

While these power backup systems are incredibly helpful, they have a number of setbacks. For one, they can only power a few essential fixtures. They cannot power the dishwasher, washing machine, oven or your heater.

Secondly, you have to turn on the generator manually. This can be difficult during a storm especially if the generator is located outside. This means that if there’s nobody at home, you will have no power at home for your fridge and other appliances. They run on gas which means that you will have to be sure that you have enough fuel to power your generator throughout the power outage.

Whole House Backup Generators

To overcome all these challenges, some manufacturers, such as Generac, have designed whole house backup generators. As the name suggests, these generators are powerful enough to power the entire house. Usually, the energy needs of the homeowner are considered to determine the most suitable generator to install. This can easily be calculated by checking the average electricity bill incurred at home or by adding up the power ratings of all the electrical appliances installed at home. There are whole house generators ranging from 7 to 22kW, which can meet the energy needs of any home in Jim Thorpe, PA.

These generators are designed to turn on automatically when there is a power outage. The wait time between power outage and the backup generator taking over the load is only a couple of seconds. When the power returns, the generator is automatically turned off and disconnected from the power supply of the home through the automatic changeover switch.

Furthermore, the generator will turn on when nobody is home, thereby ensuring your home is powered 24/7. Furthermore, a whole house generator is powered by propane or natural gas and it connects to your main fuel line in order to keep running.

If you have any questions concerning whole house backup generators, R.F. Ohl will gladly address them for you. We specialize in the installation and maintenance of whole house generators. We service Carbon County, Monroe County, Lehigh County, Northampton County, and Schuylkill County. Keep safe in any weather condition by calling us and speaking with one of our home comfort specialists.