Power Outage History

[LIforrelaxin]

Some thoughts on Generators... It funny that this has become such a concern in say the last 20 years. But Hey it is hard to get along with out all the conveniences you are used to. Now when looking at whether or not you need to get a generator or not, and additionally if you get a generator, is a major question which needs a good deal of thought.

Over the years I have pondered this question often. Every time I end up at the same point, that yes a generator would be nice to have, but I would rather tie the money up else where. I have lived through several multiday outages and always survived with minimal inconvenience.

Now am I saying that I don't believe a generator is a wise investment, I am saying that you need to make sure its justified for you case.

Some of the questions that need to be answered are:

if you lose power do you still have a water source? -- if you have a well the answer is no, and a generator will help solve this issue

if you loose power and have water, will you have hot water? -- If you have a propane water heater the answer to this could be yes, otherwise the answer is no, and once again may add fuel to getting a generator

Do you have reliable light source if the power is out? --- I personally still keep oil lamps around just for this purpose, and of course now married I have a wife that has a huge supply of scented candles which work too...

Can you keep yourself entertained with out your radio, tv, computer, and other electrical appliances? -- if the answer is no once again fuel for the generator.

Finally we have heat, How will you heat with no power? Well this is in most cases the driving issue... but here are some thing to think about.. loosing heat for six hours, how much will the house cool down? Loosing heat for 2 days how much will the house cool down. Well As I mentioned I have survived many multi day power outages... I have always had fireplaces to provide some heat, and at time propane heaters that continue to work with out power. I have had the power out for 4 to 5 days in very cold weather. While I will admit that houses get cold, I have never felt like I was going to have issue with pipe breaking etc. Was I comfortable well with a winter jacket on yes...

what is my bottom line, while you can get a small generator for a few hundred dollars, you are only going to be able to power certain things. If you spend thousands of dollars you can power most of your house. If you don't invest in the generator, what can you use the money for? Is it worth investing the money on the chance of the next big multi-day power outage? can you live with out power for 6-12 hours, for normal winter outages?
If you can't live with out the power you should invest in a big generator, the money will be worth it at some point. If you can live with inconvenience, but want to be ready just in case of the "big" multi-day event, then getting a 6000W generator can be advantages... And finally, if you just want to make sure that during a big multi-day event you can power, your refrigerator, freezer, a small heater, or a light one at a time through the course of a day, well then a 2000W generator and some extension cords go a long way.

For me, I still don't own a generator, I just don't feel like spending the money to watch it sit. If I was building a house, would I make sure the house was generator compatible? yes I would. I know far to may people that have bought a generator after being inconvenienced by one single multi-day event, and then never had the need to use it after. If and when I finally decide to get a generator, I alredy know, I am just going after a small unit 2000W or so... Just so I don't have to loose a freezer full of food, or can have a light to read bye. Everything else I can do with out for a few days. The only reason I would ever consider a bigger generator is if I had a well, and needed it to make sure I had water pressure.