A portable generator is a pretty handy accessory to have in your emergency preparedness supplies. Imagine trying to save your refrigerated and frozen food from going bad when the power is knocked out during a hurricane or thunderstorm. If you have a generator, you can restore power so you can keep your appliances running.
However, as North Carolina’s WRAL news team suggests, “buying a generator is only the first step—you also have to keep it in working order with proper installation, storage, and maintenance.” If you don’t take the time to store or maintain it correctly, it may “bug out” when you need it for an emergency.
Dave Trezza of Consumer Reports offers a few suggestions for using your generator safely and correctly:
- Buy at least a 5,000 to 7,500 watt generator with a 240-volt outlet
- If your generator is hooked up improperly, it could be a fire hazard
- If the generator is too close to your home, you could be at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning
- Change the gas in your generator every 6 months; a generator will not work well on old gas
- Generators can use 8-22 gallons of gas a day
For a more in-depth explanation on Trezza’s suggestions, read more of the article “Generators Need Maintenance Work in an Emergency.”
It sounds like “traditional generators” require a lot of work and could be potentially dangerous. This is why Goal Zero developed the Yeti 1250 Solar Generator kit for your emergency preparedness supplies.
The Yeti 1250 provides a silent and indoor-safe source of power— you don’t need gas to run
this generator! There are no fumes emitted or fuels to store, protecting you and your family from carbon monoxide poisoning. This also means there are no dangerous moving parts, making it safer to have the Yeti near kids or pets. The Yeti stores 1250 watt hours of power to run multiple devices. It can charge your smartphone up to 100+ times and can run 12 v lights for up to 400+ hours of use.
If you don’t think that you’ll be the best with keeping up maintenance on an outdoor generator, consider turning to the power of the sun.
--Angela
1 comment
mickle clarck
Portable generators longevity depends on it’s maintains. You describe here about maintenance elaborately and that is amazing. Thanks for sharing such a informative and helpful post.