Standby Home Generators

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Home Standby Generator

Generators come in two basic types: home standby and portable. The source of home standby power you ultimately choose will be determined by many factors, including your power requirements.

The Generac Guardian 16,000-watt standby home generator (pictured) is one of the most affordable and best automatic standby generators on the market today. Featuring a newly designed alternator that can start a 5-ton and a 3-ton, or two 4-ton air conditioners with plenty of power to spare, this home generator will give you the backup power you need when the grid goes down. And for added value, this standby generator is built with a corrosion-resistant aluminum enclosure to better withstand the elements. This option is especially important for homes in southern and coastal communities.

Home standby generators have become very popular in recent years with residential homeowners. The home standby backup generator is usually installed on a small pad just outside the residence and attached to the home utility power box by means of a automatic transfer switch. When utility power fails the unit is activated and begins powering some or all of the electric circuits in the home, when the utility power resumes the standby generator is disconnected from the home circuits, and it powers-down. Part of the popularity of the home standby generator is due to the high availability of both propane and natural gas fuels in the residential environment.

Since standby home generators, like Kohler or Guardian, are installed outside the residence they have easy access to any existing gas lines. Where natural gas does not exist in a neighborhood the homeowner may decide to install a large propane gas tank that can be periodically refilled by a local gas vendor. These fully automatic systems are the most affordable and easiest generators to install. A properly installed automatic home standby generator system will restore power within 30 seconds of an outage, whether you're home or away. Power ratings range from 5000 to 50,000 watts to meet a wide variety of homeowner applications. These home emergency generators should always be installed by a qualified electrician and require the use of an manual or automatic transfer switch.

These stationary standby home generators are larger and more powerful than the smaller portable homeowner generators that are more suited for running fewer electric devices and operate manually. Consider your needs and budget carefully before deciding which size home generator to purchase. You can purchase a natural gas home generator or a propane standby generator.