Things to Consider Before Generator Installs

Generators have become an important and perhaps a critical part of daily life because of the role they play. Power outages may not be a norm but they are almost always unexpected and can leave a significant bearing on how your commercial building as well as domestic property works.

Being without electricity can leave you practically paralyzed. This is why it is so important to focus on having a major and reliable backup in case a power outage or some other factor disrupts your power supply.

Generators are considered the best alternative as they offer you the chance to seamlessly transition and keep using electricity. But despite its obvious uses, there are several factors that you need to take into consideration buying a generator for your home or commercial usage.

Whatever the reasons behind you needing a generator in your place, there are questions that’ll help you make the right decision about which brand or model would be the ideal one for your specific needs and wants.

The market is filled with different generators that have all been developed to cater to different and unique needs. So here are the questions that’ll make your eventual decision easier.

What Are My Pad Requirements?

• Generators come in all shapes and sizes and in most cases; the different sizes are designed to cater to different power needs.
• A regular household’s needs are obviously going to be different than the office of a multi-national corporation.
• Naturally, both these locations would have different power needs as well.
• To properly size a generator’s load calculation for your residence/office should be taken. The fuel source should be considered at this point as that has an effect on the generator’s output. Once the homeowner’s requirements are in place a unit can be properly sized.
• Many are cooled generators have the ability to run a whole house because of their ability to load manage larger appliances such as HVAC, stoves, dryers, freezers, refrigerators, and lite heaters.
• Similarly, there’s no one size fits all approach that you can take when getting a generator. Different power needs, warrant different generators.
• We pour our own concrete pad to the manufacturer’s specifications.

What Fuel Type to Get?

• Natural gas and propane are the most common kind of fuel that is used when it comes to generators.
• All of these energy sources present a completely different set of questions. The first such question is the cost.
• This depends squarely on the size of the generator.
• The bigger and more productive the generator is, the more fuel it will consume.
• Similarly, you should also assess whether the fuel type is easily available or not.
• Depending on where you live, natural gas might be more easily available rather than diesel.
• You should keep all such questions in mind before making a decision about what generator to get for yourself.

Who Does The Generator Install?

• You’ve decided what your power needs are, you’ve similarly decided what kind of fuel will it be running on.
• You want a fully licensed electrician who has paper insurance, workers comp insurance, someone who will pull permits, and help with your HOA if needed.
• And perhaps you’ve probably even bought a generator, but who’ll install it for you? This isn’t the sort of equipment that almost anyone can install.
• It is important that you choose the right kind of generator installation service to get the best from your generator.
• Your biggest guide, in this case, is referrals.
• It’s better to hire someone who you know has a history of providing reliable and dependable service.
• Ask, how many generators has this company installed?
• Do they have referrals, are there any installed in your neighborhood.
• Do they service the brands they install?
• If they service equipment then how many certified technicians are available if there is a problem.
• We don’t sub-contract anything out unless the job requires propane needs.

Where Will The Generator Be Located?

• Once you have the generator, you cannot simply put it anywhere.
• It matters just as much where you install the generator as much as what kind of generator you’ve gotten for yourself.
• One of the factors that you should be careful about is whether it’ll be easily accessible for repairs and maintenance?
• Ideally, the best place to put the generator is as near as possible to the transfer switch and fuel supply as possible.
• There are a lot of codes when it comes to picking the right spot. We will make sure it is compliant with city codes.

What Type of Transfer Switch?

• A transfer switch is a switch that converts your home or office’s circuit from the main power supply to the alternate one being powered by the generator.
• The best transfer switch when getting generator installs would be the automatic controlled ones.
• While manual switches are also available, it is only recommended for some very specific models.
• This usually depends on the amount of load the generator is expected to hold.
• The more load it is supposed to handle, the bigger the switch will be.
• It is also worth noting that the switches for industrial, commercial, and domestic use will be different, so you should keep that in mind.
• Transfer switches should be purchased at the time you purchase the generator. To ensure proper load management capabilities the generator and transfer switch must be Brand-specific and compatible per MFG’s recommendations

Who Maintains It?

Mister Sparky! Buying the generator is only the start. Once you’ve bought the generator, you need to take care of it as well. Failure to properly maintain it will lead to the generator falling apart and that will cost you a lot more than any maintenance would ever have.

You can opt for the DIY approach but it’s highly recommended that you get an expert to do it for you since DIY often does more harm than good and almost never is as thorough as a professional technician.

How Many Generators Has This Company Installed?

• Do they have referrals, are there any installed in your neighborhood.

Do They Service the Brands They Install?

• If they service then how many certified technicians are available if there is a problem.