Generators 101
Gas Appliances Still Need Electricity
Many gas appliances still need electricity to operate – keep this in mind when deciding what your automatic home standby generator should run.
When you request an estimate for a home standby generator from Renaud, our design team will walk you through all of the considerations that should be made when selecting the right size generator to keep your family comfortable during an outage. Gas-powered appliances will be something you will want to think about!
What to Expect When the Power Goes Out
When the power goes out, you’ll hear the generator kick on. About 10 seconds later, your transfer switch will engage and supply power to your house. Most people see power from the time the power goes out from the utility until the generator brings it on within 20 seconds. Then your generator will run until the utility comes back on.
This is really important. Your transfer switch will monitor the utility when it comes back on for a minimum of 30 seconds. This allows it to make sure that the power you’re receiving from the utility is solid. It’ll take a good 30 seconds to monitor that power before it switches you back to utility.
Select Circuit vs. Whole Home Generators
Selecting the right standby generator for your home involves deciding what services you need to keep running when the power goes out. Can you get by with a few outlets and appliances, or do you prefer that everything run as it was before the outage? In this brief video, Larry outlines a few of the considerations you’ll want to make.
This helpful selection tool from Generac is another way to decide.
What Size Generator Do I Need?
Larry walks you through the process of sizing a standby generator. There are several considerations to make when you are deciding what to power during an outage.
Generac makes a range of Home Standby Generators. The size of generator you choose is determined by how many outlets and appliances you want to run. Our sales team is here to help you understand the trade-offs. Our installation team will get you up-and-running so you’re ready for anything.
Checking the Oil in a Generac 14 kW Generator.
We check the oil while the generator is operating because the oil performs two functions; to lubricate the engine and cool the engine. Oil should be changed at least once a year.
Important Notes
– Turn off the circuit breaker before powering down the generator.
– It’s very important that you put all of the covers back on and latch the lid so that the air flow flows through the generator properly.