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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
Remember the scene in "Gone with the Wind" where Scarlett, shaking a potato over her head, swears she will "never go hungry again."?
Was something similar playing in your head --- as you trashed all the food in your warm freezer and sat in the dark during Tropical Storm Irene?
If you've promised yourself that before the snow flies you're getting a generator a local expert has some advice.
J. Scott Pempek of East Putnam, senior district sales manager for American Honda Motor Company (which sells generators), said the first decision to be made is to make and prioritize a list of things that you need/want if the power goes out. "Usually number one is water and heat and sump pump (if you have one)," he said. "Then refrigerator, TV, microwave, etc.
Your checklist:
First water. The decision depends on whether you have a well and water pump or have city water. If you have a pump, it most likely operates on 220 volts, and you would need a generator that puts out 220 volts, he said. If you have city water, you can get away with a generator that does not put out 220 volts. Sump pumps that are 1/2 horsepower need 2150 watts to start and 1050 to run.
Next heat. A furnace fan, gas or fuel oil, 1/8 horsepower, needs 500 watts to start it and 300 to run. A 1/4-horsepower fan needs 1000 watts to start it and 600 watts to run it. A 1/2-horsepower furnace fan needs 2350 to start it and 875 watts to run it. Radiant heat requires 1300 watts to start and to run.
Next cooling. A window AC unit, 10,000 BTU, needs 2200 watts to start it and 1500 to run it. Box fans need 180 watts to start them and 120 watts to run.
Next food. An electric range needs 1200 watts to start and to run. A 650-watt microwave needs 1000 watts to start and to run it. A refrigerator or freezer needs 1200 watts to start and 132 to 192 watts to run.
Next lights. Check the bulb on incandescent lights.
Creature Comforts. TV needs 300 watts to start and run. Coffee maker needs 600 watts to start and to run. Electric blanket needs 150 watts to start and to run. A desktop computer needs 600 to 800 watts to start and to run. A laptop needs 200 to 250. A monitor needs 200 to 250 (CRT style). A radio needs 50 to 200 watts to start and run.
Keep in mind, he said, that not everything is running all the time. The water pump will only come on after you turn on your faucet, to refill the water tank. A refrigerator will draw power after you open the door and it's then too warm in the refrigerator. "So most people can live pretty close to normal with a 6500 watt generator, even though they look at their panel and it says 200 amps."
Once you've determined the wattage you need, the next decision, he said, is to determine whether you should get a fixed installation, which is mounted on a pad, or a portable generator on wheels. "Pad mounted units can only do one thing: Power your house in an emergency," he said.
If you want your well and furnace hooked up, this requires a transfer switch, he said. "This isolates you from the grid and it is the safest way to install a generator," he said. Have a professional electrician install a generator.
Another consideration, Pempek said, is to consider the noise produced by a generator. "Depending on how close you live to neighbors, etc., you might want to look at the noise the generator makes when running. Some premium brands like Honda have models that run quieter than normal conversation, below 60 decibels. Some less expensive brands can be over 80 decibels which is close to the noise a chain saw makes," he said.
Pempek recommends getting a brushed gen set with Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR). They control the power to limit spikes and valleys. This type of power is safe for well's motors, etc. The most expensive way to make power is an inverter generator. The generator makes DC power and inverts it back to AC power. It's "cleaner" and can run at lower rpm's saving fuel and making less noise, he added.