I live in hurricane country in Texas...recently spent a good deal of time w/out power. Most of my neighbors had portable generators that allowed them to run a fridge, TV, few lights, few fans...but they had to refill gas like crazy. And with power being out so widespread, gas was hard to find anywhere!

My question is...I know there are failover generators that are supposed to run on natural gas and automatically take over when power goes out and it can run the whole house...but I don't know ANYTHING about them.

Can anyone give me some advice...what kind of questions should I be asking myself? What brands? Size? etc? I'm totally in the dark and just looking for a point in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for the guidance!

Yes. Try Kohler.
(Natural Gas and propane models available.
Use of Nat. gas might require a service upgrade.)
A 15 -17KVA unit will run most homes.
(In Texas, you might have to skip the A.C.).
You will need an automatic transfer switch if you
want it to take over automatically.

I was wondering if a NG generator would be worth setting up to run my average sized home, and would it cost more than the electric company gets me for?

Your life cycle costs would be greater. Consider 1) initial cost of unit and its installation 2) maintenance of the unit. 3) reliability. You will have thousands invested before you begin to pay for gas. It will take a long time, if ever, to benefit.

I do not agree with with the answers here,An average full load amp rating for a saws-all is 10 amps.120 volts x 10 amp=1200 watts.the saw will run ,but under powering it will break down the armature and field windings and cause a failure.Either get a bigger generator or a small cheap saws-all .but check the data plate on the saw and it will tell you the amp rating.I would not run it with the equipment you describe.good luck.

Generators are used for the generation of electricity and they ensure that most of the essential appliances can be run whenever there is a power outage. Generators of different wattage capacities can be used according to the needs of the individual. The choice of buying the right type of generator depends upon a number of factors like the wattage capacity, voltage ratings, fuel type, fuel efficiency, noise level, portability and price – a prudent choice can only be made if you knew what to look for.

Stand By – Standby generators provide backup power in homes and offices and are permanently installed outside the house or office building. They are plugged into the electric circuits or home wiring. – The unit turns itself on and off automatically. They can automatically detect disruption in the usual electric supply and begin supplying power within a few seconds. – Propane and natural gas offer a safe, long-term fuel supply and are more environment friendly than gasoline or diesel fuels. – Like any motor, a generator motor creates quite a bit of heat and needs a cooling system to prevent overheating. Standby generators can be either air-cooled or liquid-cooled. The major difference is that air-cooled systems are louder and not quite as effective. Liquid cooled systems are quieter and more dependable – and also more expensive to purchase and to maintain.

Portable – Portable generators are usually used in places where there is no power supply such as construction sites, camps, etc. These generators are sufficient to run appliances like televisions, refrigerators, sump pumps and furnaces. – Portable systems are wheeled units that require to roll the generator outside, start it up, and hook it up to a power inlet box Portable generators supply electricity to selected appliances through extension cords. – They are fueled by gasoline, which can be difficult to store and transport during a blackout. Carbon monoxide is always a concern in the safe use of portable generators. – They are designed to be used for short periods of time only a few hours at a stretch. As a result, they tend to be much smaller and less expensive.

A related aspect of generator motors is the speed at which they run, as measured in RPMs. Generators made for the US market operate at one of two speeds: 1800 RPM or 3600 RPM. 1800 RPM motors will last longer and run quieter; 3600 RPM motors are smaller and lighter

Barney Garcia
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/types-of-generators-71935.html

Uses of self made power
Wind Power Generators and solar technology offers a way to produce an endless fountain of electricity for the home or for any other uses around the house like to power a work shop area or perhaps to run pool equipment, or saunas, whirlpools, central heat and air, washers and dryers, hot water heaters. Athough units can be built to supply entire homes with electricity the home owner can be very versatile with design in size, capacities, and whether they would like the electricity to just operate certain pieces of home equipment and appliances or if they would prefer to have enough of a supply to run the entire home.

Use conventional electricity to run smaller appliances:
You may just want to build a system that would supply electricity to all of the units in your home that run on 220 and stay hooked up to the grid and use smaller amounts of electrical power from the electric company to run things like televisions, toasters, refridgerators, lights etc. Just this would still probably easily cut a power bill in half.  Lots of people are hopping aboard as they find out how wind power generators and  solar kits can be very valuable home improvement additions. Many come to realize that not only could it save them large amounts  of money in one respect  but also that the added benefits of increased property value made it a worth while improvement as well as being eco-logically beneficial too!

Clean energy resource
Not only is wind power generators up and coming for their versatility, cost effectiveness, and ease of installation but they address the present global warming issues (environmental) in a very big way, that being that the technology uses the wind and the sun which are both excellent renewable energy resources that dosen't harm the environment in any way. The mining of Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas, are all non-renewable sources of energy and are not only being drastically depleted but are heavily dependent upon in our society to produce electricity by being burnt which harms our atmosphere with the by product that is let over.

For those who don't understand how the wind power generator and solar system works, a wind turbine or windmill is constructed which harnesses the wind and turns a generator, mounted in the prop area of the windmill, a car generator, which produces electricity that travels through a stator that in turn runs down through wires that take it to various other pieces of equipment that is incorporated in the system to register and transform the energy both coming in and going out to be stored and or be used in desired increments of various watts or volts. The solar part of the system comes into play moreso when the wind dies down and their isn't sufficient wind to turn the propeller. The solar panels, which are strategically placed, catch the sunlight through special cells and store energy (electricity) that way.

Important conditions of use... This article MUST NOT be changed or altered in any way. to do so constitutes a crime of Plagiarism. ALWAYS include the resource box with the article when you publish it. You may publish this article on your blog or website, you can email it to your subscribers and submit it to the various online article directories.

All Rights Reserved (c) Copyright 2008

Donald Whitehead
http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/how-can-wind-power-generators-and-solar-help-you-701513.html

Loss of a critical power source can devastate a key process or industrial asset.  Protect that power source from fire with a cost-effective and simple solution.

SEVO's FLEX™ is an automatic and completely self-contained fire suppression system that protects engine compartments of critical power equipment. This snap-in fire extinguishing technology installs in minutes and can feature a pressure switch interface for activation of a required alarm or shut-down sequence. Three sizes of FLEX™ systems are offered. The largest size is pre-engineered for hazards up to 250 cubic feet of volume (5 ft x 5 ft x 6 ft). These fire extinguishing systems are very robust.

SEVO's Flex™ uses Novec™ 1230 fire protection fluid which has a near zero atmospheric lifetime and near zero global warming potential.  Novec™ 1230 is non-toxic and is capable of being dispensed in “local application” or “streaming” system designs.  Novec™ 1230 is EPA approved, as well as UL-listed.

The fire detection mechanism used by the SEVO™ Flex system is a flexible 6mm polymer tubing that is specially formulated to indefinitely hold a charge of nitrogen.  Once pressurized to about 200 psi with N2, the differential valve on the tank of fire suppressant is seated by slowly turning a ball valve between the linear detection tubing and the top side of the valve.  After the valve is open, a sudden drop in pressure, caused by the incidence of fire or other mechanical release, will allow the valve piston to move upwards and thereby release the tank of fire suppressant.

• Self contained, compact
• Self activated by temperature
• Snap-on simplicity
• No mechanical, electrical, battery systems required
• Rugged construction and maintenance free

A brochure or price quotation is available upon request.

Visit www.sevosystems.com for more information.

Jeff Tilley, National Sales Manager

(850) 508-9465

Jeff Tilley
http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/automatic-fire-suppression-system-protects-portable-generators-gensets-and-auxiliary-power-units-686620.html

Few Doctors are performing a critical operation in the Hospital and there is sudden loss of power.

A national leader is delivering live speech inspiring the population and suddenly there is blackout.

Your favorite rock star is performing live concert on stage and suddenly there is power loss.

A tense match of baseball at night in the floodlights lit stadium has come to climax and suddenly there is power loss.

All these situations are bewildering and even sometimes change the main course of lives. Power loss is mostly unanticipated and continuous supply of electricity cannot be taken for granted. Several threats like blackouts, Power Transformers damage or failure, bad weather, hurricanes, regulated supply of power by the providers to meet the ever increasing demand and so on and so forth contribute to the interruptions in power supply.

A Generator would eliminate these worries without even calling our attention that there is power cut. Whether it's a hospital, commercial complex, theaters, factories, construction sites camps or even small houses, Generators can be used to get rid of the power cuts. Depending upon the amount of usage, the Generators of different capacities can be installed at the respective locations.

Generators are available with capacities ranging from as small as 100 Watts to as large as hundreds of Mega Watts. For domestic usage, a Generator of at least 1,000 watts can be installed to power the main lights, television and refrigerator. For commercial complexes or factories, Generators of higher capacity like 100 KW to 10 MW can be used to run machineries. The Generators are run on fuel like gasoline, natural gas, diesel and propane. Of all, the diesel generators, though expensive are fuel-efficient and require less maintenance but harder to start in cold weathers.

Usually the noise levels of the Generators are too high and hence are always to be installed outside the houses or in the cellars. They should be used as per the guidelines provided by the manufacturer and care should be taken that they are not overloaded. A qualified electrician must be assigned the job of connecting the generator to the wirings of required equipments.

The standby generators can automatically detect the disruption in power supply and begins supplying the power within fraction of seconds.

Now, the lives are saved with successful operations on the patients by the Doctors, favorite rock stars live performances and the game of baseball can be watched without interruptions. So the darkness in the lives is dissociated by using the standby Generator.

Barney Garcia
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/generators-the-power-of-generating-power-71936.html

Loss of a critical power source can devastate a key process or industrial asset.  Protect that power source from fire with a cost-effective and simple solution.

SEVO's FLEX™ is an automatic and completely self-contained fire suppression system that protects engine compartments of critical power equipment. This snap-in fire extinguishing technology installs in minutes and can feature a pressure switch interface for activation of a required alarm or shut-down sequence. Three sizes of FLEX™ systems are offered. The largest size is pre-engineered for hazards up to 250 cubic feet of volume (5 ft x 5 ft x 6 ft). These fire extinguishing systems are very robust.

SEVO's Flex™ uses Novec™ 1230 fire protection fluid which has a near zero atmospheric lifetime and near zero global warming potential.  Novec™ 1230 is non-toxic and is capable of being dispensed in “local application” or “streaming” system designs.  Novec™ 1230 is EPA approved, as well as UL-listed.

The fire detection mechanism used by the SEVO™ Flex system is a flexible 6mm polymer tubing that is specially formulated to indefinitely hold a charge of nitrogen.  Once pressurized to about 200 psi with N2, the differential valve on the tank of fire suppressant is seated by slowly turning a ball valve between the linear detection tubing and the top side of the valve.  After the valve is open, a sudden drop in pressure, caused by the incidence of fire or other mechanical release, will allow the valve piston to move upwards and thereby release the tank of fire suppressant.

• Self contained, compact
• Self activated by temperature
• Snap-on simplicity
• No mechanical, electrical, battery systems required
• Rugged construction and maintenance free

A brochure or price quotation is available upon request.

Visit www.sevosystems.com for more information.

Jeff Tilley, National Sales Manager

(850) 508-9465

Jeff Tilley
http://www.articlesbase.com/gadgets-and-gizmos-articles/automatic-fire-suppression-system-protects-portable-generators-gensets-and-auxiliary-power-units-686620.html

When I think of portable generators, I think of something that can generate energy in an emergency or at a powerless location (up in the mountains), that can be carried. Well, with a little research, it didn’t take me long to discover that there is a lot more to portable generators, and that they can be divided into three different styles. They are:

1. Recreational
2. Emergency
3. Professional

So, lets take a look at each of these categories so that you can find the best portable generator for your personal needs.

Recreational Portable Generators
Now, I did kind of have it right, portable generators allow you to take the convenience of home with you no matter where you go. But you also have to be careful. There is nothing worse than being at a remote campground and having somebody pull up, set up their tent and then start their noisy generator so they can watch a movie. It takes the peace out of being one with nature. When in the outdoors, stick to a recreational generator. They are typically small with low wattage and do not make as much noise as an emergency or professional generator.

The most common sizes that a recreational generator comes in is 1000 watts and 2000 watts. The smaller of the two is good for running only one or two appliances at a time, the larger one will usually allow you to run multiple appliances simultaneously. But always be aware of how much wattage each appliance takes, they should all have a plate on the back letting you know their wattage, that way you can unplug and plug in appliances as needed without overloading your generator.

Emergency Portable Generators
The modern world is very dependent on electricity, and though it can be a fun family evening sitting around in the dark with only candlelight or a fireplace, lack of power can cause some real problems. Security systems can fail, food can spoil, basements can flood, and if you live in the country on your own well, you typically lose your water along with the power. These can be real problems if power is out for an extended period of time. To solve these problems, many people use portable generators as an emergency back up, and your little recreational generator will not do the trick!

Now, to know how much power you need if your power goes out, you can figure it the long way by looking at every appliance needed and tallying up the total wattage, or you can use a general rule of thumb.

Medium portable generators (30000 - 6000 watts) will allow you to power multiple appliances; however, any appliance that has a motor (fridge, furnace, sump pump, freezer) takes more power and you would not want to run two of these at the same time on this small of a generator. You would have to rotate the major appliances that you need to run. So, the cost is less, but it takes more effort to keep things going.

If you want more power, you can move up to the 7000 - 9000 watt range, this will allow you to power multiple rooms or a couple of larger, motorized appliances at one. But even this size is not enough if you want to run an air conditioner.

If you want central AC, you have to get the extra large portable generators that are 10,000+ watts. These will restore power to most of your house, assuming your home is not very large. But if you are running a central air conditioner, check the amount of energy that your AC needs to make sure that you get a generator that is big enough.

Professional Generators
These portable generators are typically used on a job site, and the sizing is basically the same as for emergency generators. You have to consider how big the job is, and how much equipment and tools you need the generator to power. Professional generators are typically a bit beefier than their home emergency counter parts, they are designed to hold up under rougher conditions.

Personally, when in the outdoors, I do not need to power a coffee maker, TV or mini fridge. But having been in many black outs, I do like the idea of the emergency portable generators. Especially having lived in the country and know what it is like to have to melt snow on a wood burning stove just to flush a toilet! But how about you, do you have any need for a portable generator?

MJ Marks
http://www.articlesbase.com/tools-and-equipment-articles/what-type-of-portable-generators-do-you-need-746648.html