In this blog, we’ll cover the various points you’ll need to consider before buying a generator. When you start shopping, you’ll find that there’s a lot of options on the market. Before making a purchase, there are several variables that you must factor in, ranging from how many watts you’ll need, costs, fuel storage, maintenance, safety, just to name a few.
So let’s jump in.
Generator size
Power source
Power source storage
Propane is my personal favorite option as a storage option. It can be stored between 10 to 30 years. For this reason, I recently purchased a dual-fuel generator to allow me to run on either gasoline or propane giving me options in an emergency situation. I do try to get my gas generators out and run them once a month to ensure the carb doesn’t plug up. With solar generators, I check on them once a month to ensure they’re properly charged as leaving them below the manufacturer’s recommended level for a period of time can damage them.
After a major event, getting propane, diesel, or gas will be more challenging as supplies will be limited due to high demand and infrastructure delivery problems. Solar, with a battery backup system, gives you an infinite fuel source as long as you budget your usage compared to the input. For example, with a solar option, at night you won’t be charging your batteries so you’ll need to carefully determine how you want to discharge during this time.
OPSEC and Decibels
If the grid is down for a prolonged period of time after a disaster, there may be a possibility that others in your area will become increasingly desperate if they’re not able to meet their basic needs. If you’re operating a propane or gasoline generator, others will know you have prepared and may draw them to your location. When shopping generators, be sure to research the decibel level. The higher the decibel level, the noisier the generator will be and the more attention it will attract. Manufacturers will list this information on their website or on the packaging box. Typically the cheaper generators are noisier whereas the more expensive generators are normally quiter. Again, be sure to research this point in advance of making a purchase. Even if you are able to deal with the noise, the emissions alone will be detectable.
Solar-based generators, on the other hand, will not have these issues and will give you the ability to reduce unwanted attention. While I don’t anticipate that in a short-term natural disaster that noise from a gasoline-powered generator will be a major issue, a prolonged grid-down scenario will be a different story.
Portability
The same holds true with my solar generator options. They’re small enough to be highly portable coming in at around 25 pounds.
Keep in mind that gas generators require maintenance. I tend to operate mine once a month and let them run for about 15 to 20 minutes. They’re about as noisy as a lawnmower, and I run them in the backyard, so they don’t draw attention.
Regarding the solar generators, they just need periodic charging. Again, I typically plugin them in about once a month to ensure they’re topped off and I rotate using them through the month to charge laptops and other small devices to ensure they’re working correctly.
Safety
With solar generators, this is not an issue you need to be concerned about. Just put your solar panels in a place where they can properly charge and your actual solar generator unit itself can be positioned as close to your house as you want or in your house. There are no restrictions on these units.
As we covered in this point, your decision as to which option you will purchase will be decided based on the size of your home and the size of your yard. For example, if you’re in an apartment, obviously, your options are very limited, as running a gasoline generator on your balcony could be dangerous for health purposes.
Costs considerations
Regarding solar generators, I’ve reviewed several brands over the last few years. These typically come in at around $1200 or $1400 for the unit itself for roughly a 1200 watt-hour battery system plus another $800 or so for the solar panels. Clearly, the cost for these is significantly higher but I keep these for potential prolonged grid-down scenarios where obtaining gas or propane may become increasingly difficult.
Summary
If you’re new to getting a generator and haven’t owned one before, focus on your power needs as the first and primary factor. From there, consider the items we listed out. I own a generator that runs on gasoline, one is a dual-fueled generator, a few solar generators, and I’ll be adding a whole-house battery system to my house shortly that will be connected to solar panels, a video I’ll be releasing probably within the next 4 to 6 weeks. Again, my view is that the gas and propane generators will be useful for short-term emergencies and my solar-powered option will valuable for long-term grid-down scenarios where the power may not be coming back for a longer period of time.
If you have any thoughts or comments, please feel free to post those below.
As always, stay safe out there.
Have you heard of the solar freezer and refrigerators? Have you ever tried them?
How do I sign up to possibly win a free giveaway generator? Thank you!!
Chris, the link on the video did not work. It took me to a standard search page.
HiChris, Canadian Prepper here. How do I sign up to possibly win a free giveaway generator? Thank you in advance.