Home Propane Portable Generators

By: Sinead Douglas Click author's name for more of his/her articles

A propane standby generator is designed to give power for those times when you go 'off grid' or for when the grid goes 'off you', for example in a mains power outage.

They range in size, anything from about 750 watts all the way up to roughly 17,000 watts.

At the smaller end of the scale the propane portable generator can run several appliances in your home, boat, caravan, campsite, and at the top end they will power your whole house.
A Mid sized backup generator will run vital appliances during emergencies, as well as on job sites. Propane Generators in the 4,000- to 8,000-watt size will give sufficient power for a refrigerator, lighting and at the higher end, a small air-conditioning unit.

It's key to have a good idea of the size you want, then add on another 20% on top of this. Why should you round up, well this is because there are things that a household member may wish to use during your power outage that you will have forgotten about. But it's also important to know that starting an appliance uses a lot more power than the actual running of that appliance.

You need to write out a list of what you think you need to make use of in an emergency. Then work out the wattage needs of these appliances. If you don't feel sure doing this a supplier will always be happy to advise you on your own particular requirements.

They will all usually have this information readily available, they are the experts so get them to do the work for you. The only thing you really need is an idea of what you want to run on the portable generator.

You should always have sufficient propane on hand for your generator. It's a waste to see a generator sitting there during a power blackout looking pretty but doing nothing.

Check your generator often Don't just wait until a power outage, to see if it still performs. Run it for several minutes every few weeks or so, and check the oil levels when you do the check.

Something important, that regularly gets overlooked or forgotten, is to make sure you can get to your portable generator. Yes, if you can't get to your generator then it surely won't work. Think of the events in your neighborhood that could cause a power loss like for example a bad snow storm. Don't leave your generator in the backyard shed, if you know the garden is blocked after a heavy snow storm or heavy rain fall. Make sure there is nothing blocking access to your generator now, and think of anything that could potentially block it in the future. Like someone leaving a vehicle in front of the garage or shed, and then leaving for college with the keys. This is any annoying but common occurrence.

The best time to buy a gas standby generator is whilst you still have a supply of mains power, not when you are without it. This will give you the time to make an educated decision, and will guarantee that you are not making a rash purchase.