A Stand-By Back-up Generator is a Brilliant Idea

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Commonwealth Edison is a fine company. They provide power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses within the Chicagoland community. In July of 2011, nearly 870,000 Chicagoans sweated for several days through rolling blackouts that came after stormy weather conditions.

Despite the problems, if the weather were as reliable as CommEd, we’d never have to buy a standby generator. Power outages are always going to be an issue so for that CommEd has an online outage map. If you’re in the affected areayou can check where the outage is, see how many people are affected, and how long it will take to get service up and running.

The temperature in Chicago varies to the extremes. In the wintertime it might hit -40˚. Ice, snow, and downed trees can take down power lines, killing service. In the summertime, temperatures of 80˚, 90˚, and above put a strain on the power system. Power often becomes interrupted when excavations are done.

If you were to lose power in the winter your pipes could freeze. At least in the summertime you can go to the mall or take in a movie until the repairs are done.

A standby generator keeps the power going when the utility’s servicesare interrupted. In the cold of winter, you need to keep the furnace working. In July when power demands are the largest, you’ll want to keep the air conditioning working. Moreover, there’s the refrigerator, freezer, and some lights. If you are on a well or use a sump pump, it’s important to keep those powered upas well. How much power you will use will depend on the size and configuration you have installed.

Standby power systems are available in many sizes and with many capabilities. You can get a portable generator at the local hardware store, but it may provide insufficient capacity. Standby systems run on gasoline, with engines like your lawnmower, or with residential models that operate on natural gas or propane. Gasoline generators must be moved outside the house because of carbon monoxide gas. Another difficulty with a portable generator is that you are faced with refueling it frequently, to say nothing of the noise it produces.

A natural gas or propane-fed standby generator is a permanent installation that “kicks in” seconds following a utility interruption. Because it is positioned outside the building, it becomes a permanent part of the building raising the building’s value. A unit that runs on natural gas or propane has unlimited run time.
There are other considerations also.A gasoline portable generator for example has a pull start, like many portable engines. Batteries are available at an additional cost. Smaller units have wheels, while larger units are on skids and wheels may cost extra.

The load on any generator will vary with the units attached when the power “kicks in". The idea is to support the 120-volt circuits. If you wish to use a 220-volt range, you will need larger units. There can be variations among swap-over times, surge-wattage for individual units, and the need for additional power for cycling appliances, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and pumps. Connect too many devices to a low-capability unit and you will experience “brownout” or reduced voltage to any individual lamp or device. There have been experiences where brownout conditions have damaged the electronics of an electric furnace.

Generators a sold by wattage capabilities. These determine what the system will support and how well. An average refrigerator pulls about 600 watts. A window air conditioner will draw about 1,000, and you know the wattage of the lightbulbs you have installed. Take into account any central air conditioner repair, electric dryer, electric oven, and certainly all the electronics you wish to operate. Brilliant Electriccan calculate what wattage rating you need to support your necessary systems with the use of a standby generator.

The generator system also requires a transfer switch—the means to isolate the generator from the utility.

Brilliant Electric Heating and Air Conditioning has a full line of residential backup generators. They handleBriggs & Stratton and General Electricnatural gas or propane units but they can also install, repair, or maintain any brand, make and model of standby generator you may have or desire.

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