Bad weather have been a feature of the environment since, well, forever. Severe storms often lead to power outages that might last for a few hours or a few days. Our modern lifestyle is dependent on keeping the lights on and all the gadgets powered up. What do you do when the power fails?

Which generator can power a house?

Generators are fairly simple machines that are composed of an engine and an alternator. The engine is used to turn over the alternator that produces the electric alternating current. There are two basic types of portable generators: those without an inverter system and those that have an inverter system.

The inverter system converts AC power into DC power before inverting it back to AC power. It uses special circuits to clean up the electrical waves for cleaner AC power with less distortion and a steadier voltage. This makes an inverter generator the best choice for sensitive electronic equipment such as personal computers, tablets and televisions.

Inverter generators are smaller and usually have an enclosed design that make it quieter. Perfect for outdoor activities such as camping, hunting and tailgating parties. However, an inverter generator does not provide enough wattage to power a house, except for maybe the Honda EU7000iS. You might connect a few appliances with an extension cord and run it for a few hours, but that is about it. If you want to power a house, then you need a larger portable generator.

Portable generators are often used in places and spaces where electrical utility power is unavailable. You might hear these generators humming and puffing away at construction sites, outdoor events, camping grounds and suburban areas.

Portable generators, like any other equipment or appliance, has benefits and risks that you should take into account. Every generator should include an owner’s manual with operating instructions, warnings and troubleshooting information. Furthermore, there might be laws that regulate the use of portable generators in a residential area or a specific state. It is important to follow the instructions and the applicable laws to avoid legal fines or serious injury.

Which fuel is best for a portable generator?

Portable generators are limited to two fuel sources: gasoline or propane. Of course, the engines of most generators run on gasoline. However, a dual fuel portable generator (such as the Westinghouse WGen7500) is able to run on either gasoline or propane (LPG). Such a generator offers more flexibility during a power outage because you have the option to switch to using a propane tank instead of filling and emptying a gas can. Moreover, gasoline fuel might be in short supply after a few days compared to propane tanks that can be stored at home for an extended time.

Gasoline should not be stored for an extended period without being used because it goes stale. Stale fuel can gum up the carburetor and fuel lines. This can cause starting and running problems. Furthermore, fuel might also absorb water that might corrode the metal parts inside the engine. These stale fuel problems can be mitigated by adding a fuel stabilizer, by running the generator once every week or running the generator until all the fuel is consumed.

The key benefit of using propane gas as a fuel source is that it does not go stale during storage. Nonetheless, there is a disadvantage to propane gas. A dual fuel generator running on propane produces less wattage when compared to running it on gasoline. The difference is not large, but it should be taken into account if you want to use a propane-powered portable generator for home backup power.

What size portable generator do you need to power a house?

You need to know which household appliances you want to power during a power outage. You will probably want to run the refrigerator, a sump pump, a microwave oven, fans, lights, a television or a computer. The total amount of running watts or starting watts should never exceed the capacity of the portable generator.

Check the data labels of each appliance, device or tool for the exact numbers. If it does not provide the wattage, then you can calculate it yourself by using the volts and amps, I.e. volts x amps = watts.

Remember that electric motors and compressors require double or even triple the amount of running watts when it starts up. The generator needs to be capable of handling this power surge. Gather the wattage requirements of the household appliances into a table like this:

Calculate the total wattage requirements for your household by adding the rated running watts together. Then you should add the highest peak starting watts to that number. In the example above this would be: 9700 + 5100 = 14800. Therefore, you will need a portable generator with the ability to provide at least 10000 running watts and 15000 starting watts.

For example, the Westinghouse WGen12000DF dual fuel portable generator can produce enough wattage to power the imaginary house from the table above. The WGen12000DF provides 12000 running watts and 15000 starting watts on gasoline. Of course, it can also run on propane because it is a dual fuel generator. It still provides 10800 rated watts and 13500 peak watts even though it is less powerful when powered by propane as a fuel source.

Of course, this is just an example and your household power needs might be less or more. An average size household might require between 5000 and 10000 watts during a power failure. Nevertheless, you will have to install a stationary home standby generator if you want to really run everything in your home as if the power never went down. Yet, for most people, the cost of doing this is simply too much. In light of this, a portable generator will be the solution that many people choose for home backup power.

To Ground Or Not To Ground The Generator

Grounding an electrical device is very important to prevent the risk of electrocution. A portable generator has either a floating neutral or a bonded neutral. A floating neutral means that you should drive a grounding rod into the earth and connect it to the grounding lug with an appropriate size grounding wire. A generator with a neutral bond means that the neutral wire is bonded to the generator’s frame.

If you are only going to run a few appliances by plugging it directly into the electrical outlet receptacles of the generator, then it is not necessary to ground the frame of the generator with a grounding rod electrode stuck into the earth. However, a portable generator that provides household power through a manual transfer switch or a distribution panel board must use an electrode system that is connected to the generator’s grounding electrode terminal.

It is highly recommended that you contact a local electrician and ask what the local buildings code require when it comes to grounding a portable generator and connecting it to your house. According to the National Electric Code, both the frame and the parts that conduct electricity need to be grounded with a properly connected earth ground. Furthermore, local electrical codes will also recommend that the generator is properly grounded. In addition, you might be required to register your portable generator with the local utility company.

Photo by Guillermo Naranjo Pérez on Unsplash.