No power, no lights. No power to electronics such as cell phones or computers. No power, no entertainment system. No power, no air conditioning. All electric home, no power. No cooking, heating or hot water. We have become dependent of the flow of electrons called electricity. Homes with elderly may be even more dependent for oxygen machines and other health and life support gizmos. And who contemplates life without a microwave. Modern man’s dependency on electrical power is civilization’s Achilles Heel. The grid falls so goes our comfortable lifestyle.
Standby Generators for Power Outages
Power outages are an occasional fact of life. Powerlines fail leaving swaths of areas without power. Power poles struck by motorists can bring down an areas power, and it will take up to 72 hours to restore power. The prudent homeowner in these areas has invested in a backup or emergency power generation system. In areas prone to flooding maintaining power is academic and outages may last a while. All the eastern states are at the mercy of the weather during hurricane season. Of course, surviving a flood is dependent on your elevation and if your domicile is below the flood levels you’re going to have evacuate. But for those whose homes are above the high water mark. your survival can be alleviated by a generator.
Natural Gas, Propane or Diesel Fuel Consumption
If your considering a generator, what kind. Well there are the pros and cons about fuel.
Natural Gas Generators – If you’re in an area with reliable natural gas service, you can go gas. You will have a near inexhaustible fuel supply and it is relatively cheap. But flooding can comprise gas delivery systems as well as an earthquake.
Propane Generator – Propane is ideal if you have it delivered and have an on-property tank is a choice. The problem with propane is that on a volume basis propane provides the least amount of energy, thus like with alcohol-based fuels you will need to burn more per kilowatt than with the other fuels. The advantages of gaseous fuels are that they don’t deteriorate. Natural gas has been underground for millions of years. Propane is canned and not subject to going bad.
Diesel Generators – Although diesel is considered a low volatile fuel compared to gasoline you will want to store your liquid fuels away from the house. Per volume diesel has more potential energy than gasoline. If you’re limiting you power needs to perhaps refrigerator/freezers and a few lights to get by a portable gasoline powered generator will be ok, but you’re limited on your power availability. An emergency or backup home generator will provide power to the whole house. 15-20 kW will serve nicely in most cases, and diesel is the best fuel.
Gasoline deteriorates as the fuel is subject to water condensation and all liquid fuels, gasoline and diesel are vented and can accumulate pollutants that break down the fuel. Also, you have storage limitations on fuel. Proper hookups will automatically fire up the generator on power failure and then shut down when power is restored. Modern electronic units will start up on a regular schedule and run automatic diagnostics.
Emergency Standby Generators & More in Pompano Beach, Oakland Park, Plantation, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, Davie, Fort Lauderdale & South Florida
Emergency situations are never pleasant, but you can minimize discomfort and provide a much-needed moral booster with an emergency power supply. Burley Electrical Services offers standby generator services. Contact us to learn more today.
