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Dear Jim: With more severe weather events happening, I think I should install a whole-house back-up generator. What are the best types and what size does a typical family need? — Valerie N. Dear Valerie: Many more families today are interested in installing backup (called standby) whole-house generators for elec- tricity during power outages. Weather events are becoming more frequent and intense causing outages and brownouts. Our modern life-styles depend heavily upon electronic appliances and it is a major inconvenience when they are off. A true "whole-house" generator produces enough electric output so you can operate appliances in your home just as you would with power from your utility grid. Depend- ing upon the size of your house and family, a large standby generator and installation will cost many thousands of dollars. It is a major expense for something you will not have to use often. Think of it like fire insur- ance which you hopefully never have to use. Many families can get by with a smaller generator with enough power output to run just essential appliances such as a refriger- ator, television, some lighting, sump pump, etc. If you use electricity for your primary source of heat and you are concerned about freezing pipes during a wintertime outage, then a whole-house size is needed. If you heat with gas, propane or oil, a smaller gen- erator provides plenty power for the blower and controls. Most whole-house generators are designed to start up automatically when the power from the grid drops or stops. It takes less than a minute for the generator to start up and have full electric power again. In order to insure the system is ready and functioning properly for a future outage, the generator will periodically start (called exercising) to test itself. It is important to install a transfer switch with a whole-house generator. This discon- nects your house wiring from the utility grid before the generator starts. Most do this automatically. If it is not disconnected, your generator would be feeding 120-volt electricity back into the grid. This could be very dangerous for workmen repairing the power lines. The size of standby generator you select depends upon how many electric items you want to operate during a power outage. A 15- kw (kilowatt) generator will handle a typi- cal family's power needs. If you are able to be disciplined and not run too many appli- ances simultaneously, a 10-kw size should be adequate for most families. When comparing generator sizes, the list- ed "rated power" output of any generator, from small portable to fixed whole-house, is the amount of wattage is can produce con- tinuously. The "maximum rated power" is the amount it can produce for a maximum of 30 minutes or so. Running at maximum output longer can damage the generator. The first step in determining the proper generator size is to sum the wattages of all the electric items you think you need. The wattages of various appliances are listed on each appliance nameplate. Heating appli- ances usually use the most electricity, but they often cycle on and off from a thermo- stat. A heat pump or central air conditioner usually uses the most. Wattage and fuel Keep in mind that many appliances with motors require greater starting wattages for a short period than the continuous usage listed on the nameplate. For example, a refrigerator using 700 watts may require up to 1,500 watts each time the compressor starts. If you do choose a smaller portable gaso- line generator and plan to use extension cords, follow these safety guidelines for 50- foot cords: up to 500 watts needs an 18-gauge cord; 840 watts needs a 16-gauge cord; 1,440 watts needs a 14-gauge cord; and 1,920 watts needs a 12-gauge cord. A lower gauge has thicker copper wire in it. Fuel types include natural gas and propane and diesel. They are the main fuels for standby generators. ■ Natural gas. If available, most people select natural gas. Gas is relatively inexpen- sive, is clean burning and does not require a storage tank. If there is a natural disaster though, such as an earthquake, the supply of gas may be interrupted. ■ Propane. It is another common fuel. It burns cleanly similar to gas. Since the stor- age tank is on your property, the supply can- not be interrupted. Propane is more expen- sive than gas. It also requires an expensive storage tank which may not look nice next to the generator. ■ Diesel-powered generators. They are less common. A major advantage is that diesel fuel is available at a gas station. It does not burn as cleanly as gas or propane so it requires more maintenance. Diesel fuel has a shelf life of about two years, so you cannot just fill the tank and ignore it forev- er. The following companies offer large back- up standby generators: Coleman Power- mate, 888-440-5170, www.powermate.com; Cummins, 800-286-6467, www.cummins.com; Generac Power Systems, 888-436-3722, www.generac.com; and Kohler Power Sys- tems, 800-544-2444, www.kohlergenerators. com. Dear Jim: I'm tired of my old shower cur- tain and I am considering installing a glass shower door instead. Is there any advantage of an expensive shower door instead of a curtain? — Kyle N. Kyle: There actually is an energy advan- tage of a shower door instead of a curtain, especially if you use an energy-saving low- flow shower head. The spray (droplets) from a low-flow shower head is very fine. They can cool down before they reach your body, sometimes requiring hotter water. A shower door seals out more air currents (caused by the warm water) than a curtain does. This allows you to shower in cooler water and save energy. (Send inquiries to James Dulley, Conley Media, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.) HOME APRIL 2022 6 JAMES DULLEY What types, sizes of generators are best?

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