Emergency Generators and Snow Storms

Emergency generators and snow storms go hand-in-hand, or at the very least, they should. Losing power for a couple of hours can be annoying, and losing power for days or weeks can not only be costly, but dangerous. Having an emergency generator that is capable of providing you with a way of life you're accustomed to can be worth every penny, especially when roads, businesses and schools have your entire family stuck in one spot for a long period of time.

Types of Emergency Generators for Snow Storms

The best type of generator you can buy to prepare for a snow storm is a home standby model. They are much larger and have the capability of powering up a wide range of appliances and devices such as furnaces, lights, refrigerators, freezers, sump pumps, computers, TV’s and more. Also they are located outside, reducing the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which kills up to 200 people per year and sends thousands more to the hospital. Usually licensed electricians install them to eliminate problems like back-feeding the power grid and damaging your home. Plus, standby generators are enclosed inside of a casing that is able to withstand the elements of the storms, such as ice build up, severe wind, snow and rain. Another great thing about home standby units, is that they're usually hooked up to your homes main fuel line, providing you with an almost endless supply of fuel. This eliminates the worry of storing fuel, buying enough fuel, or spending extra money to fulfill these preparatory steps.

If you only own a portable generator for your emergency needs, you have to be careful when running it while the storm is happening. Most portable gensets leave the engine open to the elements, which can cause it the engine to freeze up and stop working. Do NOT run your generator inside your home or garage.You’ll have to wait until the snow storm passes before powering up the generator and restoring power to your home. The length of storms will vary. Some last hours, some last days, so it’s better to be prepared for the long haul instead of the short term. Unfortunately portable generators are better for short term solutions, such as camping, recreation or smaller jobsites.

A man in Harvard, Mass. used his Toyota Prius as an emergency generator while stuck on the side of the road for a couple of hours. However, he was shocked to learn he wasn’t the only one. The Harvard Press reported a few residents used their Prius’ as emergency generators for their homes once the power went out. All they had to do was hook up an inverter to the Prius battery, which converted the current from 12V DC to 120V AC (which is what most home appliances use). One man stated that he was able to run his fridge, freezer, TV, woodstove fan, and several lights for 3 days on 5-gallons of gas!

I’m not saying you should depend on your Prius’ battery (if you own one) to get you through a snow storm, nor am I saying you should put off buying a standby unit if you own a Prius. It’s just amazing how multiple residents of the community had the same idea and it was efficient enough to get them by.

Preparing For Snow Storms

Most people have some form of warning before a major snow storm hits their area. However, many people wait until this time to go out and buy an emergency generator, leaving no time to spare for the correct installation and set up process. This causes stores to run out of stock, and electricians to rush to try and service all calls. People are then left to either search other places like the internet for their generators, while others are left to settle for generators that do not meet their needs and are not capable of lasting throughout the storm. It’s very important that you begin your search and purchase an emergency generator when snow storms are not in season (usually during the summer months). This way you will have better luck in receiving the one that fits your every need. Also, you can be sure to have it properly installed to prevent damage to your home, the generator itself, and utility workers.