By Tim Carter
Saturday, November 22, 2008

Q: DEAR TIM: The last major storm knocked out my electric power for days. I'm wondering if I should invest in a portable generator or a standby generator. What's the difference? How do you determine what size electric generator to purchase? Do you think I can install one myself? I'm pretty handy. -- Bonnie S., Burlington, Vt.

A: DEAR BONNIE: Two months ago, Hurricane Ike passed through Cincinnati. It was a cloudless day with fierce sustained winds. My house lost power, and it wasn't restored for five days. Electricity is almost like oxygen in some respects. When it's there, you don't think about it, but when it's gone, you get desperate in a hurry.

After that storm, I was determined to get a standby generator, especially for winter, when ice storms can create power outages.

There's a huge difference between portable generators and standby generators. A portable generator is one you can move around. The ones most homeowners recognize are those that are the size of a medium picnic cooler and are powered by a small gasoline engine. Contractors often use these on job sites when electricity is not yet connected.

These small portable generators are not designed to power an entire house. They run a limited amount of power through an extension cord, or several, to one or more appliances. You may connect the generator to a refrigerator for a few hours, then to a window air conditioner, and maybe to a few table lamps. Forget about connecting all of your appliances at once to a small portable generator. It simply will not work.

A standby generator is a larger, fixed device that resembles an outdoor air-conditioning compressor. These units are capable of generating enough power to keep many essential electrical devices operating at once. You can also invest in a standby generator that can operate every electrical appliance and light in your house at once.

You don't use extension cords with a standby generator. All your appliances remain plugged into wall outlets.

A standby generator is not meant to be installed by a homeowner. You not only have to connect it to a fuel source, such as propane or natural gas, but also have to wire the generator into your electrical system. This is fairly complex and best done by professionals. What's more, you need to install a sophisticated transfer switch with a separate electrical panel that contains the electrical circuits that will be powered when the generator turns on.

One primary difference between a standby generator and a portable one is that the standby generator will turn itself on when the primary electric service to your home is knocked out. This is accomplished by the transfer switch, and can have your lights back on in seconds. When the utility company restores your power, the transfer switch senses this and shuts off your generator.

The electrician, with your input, decides which circuits in your home to connect to the generator. This allows you to purchase the correct-sized generator. If you decide to power just a part of your home, the other areas will be off the grid. Think about what appliances and rooms of your house you can survive in until the utility company gets power back to your home.

Some standby generators come with software that allows you to check the status of your generator if you're not at home. This software can also communicate with you or a service company if it senses something is wrong that might cause the generator to fail in the event of a power outage. This allows you to have it repaired so that it will be working when you need it.

Tim Carter can be contacted via his Web site, http://www.askthebuilder.com/printer_Submit_Question.shtml.

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