Best Whole House Generator

Some of the best whole house generators, standby generators, are designed to act as a passive backup system that automatically “flips a switch” in case your power goes down any than just a few seconds.

Immediately after a blackout has been detected that the generator senses that your power has been disconnected, and instantly (thanks to innovative new technology all modern units include) your generator goes into work seamlessly filling in those power gaps.

Because these generators are tied directly into the wiring of your property you get to use all of your electronic devices and appliances the same way you would have on a day to day basis. This is about as close to a set it and forget it emergency solution as you’re going to find on the market today!

Though there are minute differences in all of the whole home/standby generator options available on the market today, all of them are broken down into two different components:

Obviously, both of these systems have two separate and totally distinct purposes but both of them have to be working in concert with one another to give you the kinds of results you are after.

Your automatic transfer switch needs to be able to detect that a power outage has occurred in the first place but it also needs to tell your generator to power on and supply “juice” as well.

On top of that, you need your generator to be able to interpret these signals correctly, to fire up almost instantly, and to continue producing power for your property until the automatic transfer switch relays the signal that power – traditional power – has been restored via the grid and to cut out production.

As long as both of these mechanisms are communicating with one another you’ll never again have to worry about going without power for any longer than just a few short seconds, regardless of what may be happening outside or what Mother Nature can conjure up.

There are a lot of benefits you’ll be able to enjoy when you make the switch from a traditional backup generator system to a whole home/standby generator set up.

Are whole home generators even worth the investment?

This is the kind of question that only you are going to be able to answer for yourself.

At the same time, there’s a reason why the whole home/standby generator industry has been growing by leaps and bounds in just the last few years. People want to make sure that in the event of an emergency situation they do not go without power, especially considering how important it is to have electricity on a consistent basis these days.

The odds are pretty good that if you’re looking to protect yourself, your family, and your property in an emergency a whole home/standby generator is the right investment to make.

Just how big of a generator do I actually need?

When it comes to whole home/standby generators size most definitely matters. It’s critically important that you get your hands on a generator that can deliver enough power to run everything on your electrical circuits, and that’s something that is best figured out with the help of professional electricians.

Sure, you could go the DIY route to try and figure out the kilowatt rating you need your generator to be able to meet. But if you’re going to make this investment in the first place is not a bad idea to have a professional electrician help you dial things in so that you never run the risk of getting a generator too small for the task at hand.

How far away from my home should I store my generator?

There are a couple of different things you need to consider when you are looking for a place to locate your generator, including:

• That the location is easy to access for maintenance and repair as well as installation.
• That the location is within all code and zoning requirements for your municipality.
• That the location provides adequate ventilation and access to your fuel supply.
• That the location is close enough to your home for automatic transfer switch detection but far enough away to avoid potential emergencies caused by the generator itself.

These kinds of generators are almost always installed by professionals and you’ll want to take their advice about where to best situate your generator. Usually, these pieces of technology will be closer to your home the end you thought but always far enough away to be safe.

Will this generator add any extra value to my property?

Again, this is kind of subjective as the person that ends up purchasing your property is either going to consider this to be a game-changing addition that protects them in an emergency or a nice little perk that doesn’t really move the needle for them one way or another.

At the end of the day, however, most homebuyers are really going to appreciate the fact that they have a built-in system ready to protect them and their family in the event of an emergency. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting at least your money back when you go to sell your home.

How long will my generator last before needing to be replaced?

You should be able to expect more than 3000 hours of usage (125 DAYS of continuous operation) out of a whole home/standby generator but can frequently get even more than that if you regularly maintain your equipment the way it should be maintained.

As a general rule, top-tier manufacturers of this equipment expect that their generators are going to last in excess of 30 years before they should be swapped out – and some of the high-end models are designed to last at least 50 years before replacement even has to be considered.