If you’re a homeowner, it’s likely on at least a few occasions you have blown a fuse or had a breaker thrown in your home’s electrical system. When this is happening frequently, it may become necessary to install an external power source such as a generator. But do you know if you need to do so? Here are some tips and signs as to when to install an external generator.
Overloaded breakers
If you’re experiencing frequent thrown breakers or reduction in output from light sources, it’s likely something on the circuit is overpowering it. Check your breaker box and verify what items are on a circuit that gets blown. If you find that you can’t reduce power off a given breaker without removing necessities, it may be time to add another breaker or an external generator.
Frequent outages
If you live in an area where strong winds or heavy weather are frequent, that brings outages and downed powerlines often. During the summer months, heavy hurricane winds or thunderstorms and rain can knock down a powerline easily. In wintertime, ice and snow build up will wreak havoc on them. To prevent your home from losing power entirely, a generator can provide limited power while the power company gets the powerline repaired.
Heavy power tools
If you’re an avid DIY-er, you know first-hand that heavy equipment can drain a lot of power. If you’re a woodworker or automotive enthusiast, you’ll know that air-tools and compressors pull a ton of power and often require special outlet and adapters. Power tools and air tools can drain so much power from a home that they often require shutting down several other devices to prevent an outage. To keep all devices running smoothly while you work, you may want to hook it up to an external generator to have a dedicated source.
Generators are a great thing to use in many situations, but it can be tough to know when to install an external generator. We hope this article has been helpful in your considerations!