Table Of Content
- Best for homeowners: DuroMax XP8500EH Dual-Fuel Portable Generator
- T-Mobile Announces Proposed Public Offering of Euro-Denominated Senior Notes
- Briggs & Stratton 12,000-Watt Automatic Air Cooled Standby Generator
- Champion Power Equipment 2500-Watt Ultralight Portable Inverter Generator with Quiet Technology and CO Shield
- Installation
It might not be enough power to keep major appliances or a central cooling system operational, but it will help to make short power outages more bearable. Another thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't have a carbon monoxide detector. Generally, propane-powered home generators have short runtimes, which is not surprising since propane has far lower Btus than gasoline and thus provides less power.
Best for homeowners: DuroMax XP8500EH Dual-Fuel Portable Generator
Keep the gas generator outdoors and a minimum of 20 feet away from the house. The watts produced by a generator quantify the generator's ability to power whatever is plugged into it. This is one of the most important things to know about any generator you’re considering. Most standby home generators come equipped with several safety features designed to protect them from overheating and failing when you need them most. The larger generators featured on our list are approximately 30 inches by 30 inches by 48 inches, while the smaller generators are closer to 24 inches by 24 inches by 36 inches. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) code requires generators to be five feet or more away from openings such as doors and windows.
T-Mobile Announces Proposed Public Offering of Euro-Denominated Senior Notes
It runs on gasoline and only makes 52 decibels of noise—that’s as loud as a running refrigerator or a quiet street. If you don’t mind the wattage and weight, and only plan to use this in case of emergencies, the A-iPower generator is a great, inexpensive energy solution. Homeowners with very large houses and/or a lot of energy-intensive equipment may find they need to invest in more backup power. Rachel Rothman, chief engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute, has this model from Kohler installed at her home in New York, where she runs a lot of product tests. During Hurricane Ida and Tropical Storm Henri, when most of her area was without power, the 38-kilowatt generator kept her home fully operational for days. “We were testing kitchen appliances at the time, so the generator even powered a few extra refrigerators, in addition to my home’s central air, major appliances and electronics.
Briggs & Stratton 12,000-Watt Automatic Air Cooled Standby Generator
Portable generators should not be set-up in an indoor space, nor should they be placed near air conditioners or open windows, as the carbon monoxide exhaust can be deadly in enclosed spaces. Portable generators typically run on standard gasoline which is affordable and easy-to-acquire, but hard to store long term. Automatic transfer switches offer effortless power restoration by detecting outages and facilitating a smooth switch to generator power. They’re particularly beneficial for those seeking a hands-off experience. On the other hand, manual transfer switches are more budget-friendly and necessitate manual intervention to redirect power.
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The Best Home Generators For a Power Outage, Tested
Place the unit at least 20 feet from your home, with the exhaust pointed away from any windows, doors or air conditioners. The whole house generator is connected to a power grid, which allows it to run automatically. Once a power outage is identified, the generator’s engine is automatically activated and fueled by natural gas, propane or diesel stored on site. This engine drives an alternator to produce electricity, which is then converted to the appropriate voltage and frequency for household use.
Typically, home generators cost anywhere from around $500 for small models that can power a few appliances to over $1,500 for larger devices that can re-power your entire home. To help you select the best home generator for your needs, the This Old House Reviews Team put together this guide of the top home generators on the market. Our top pick is the DuroMax Electric-Start Generator, which provides a high power level and has five built-in outlets, making it powerful enough to power appliances like your refrigerator or washer/dryer.
Installation
It is a heavy unit, but thankfully has a steel frame with wheels and a pull handle to help you move it into position. Honda also added an internal carbon monoxide detector to help keep you safe when using it, although you should never use any internal combustion engine in an enclosed space. Over the years, our power and generator experts here at This Old House have developed numerous resources for homeowners, contractors, and road-warriors. We’ve compiled a list of our most popular backup power and disaster preparedness guides below. When looking through customer reviews of this product, we saw that several said that the DuroMax generator earned high ratings for its easy-to-understand instructions, reliability, and value.
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Propane has a longer shelf life than gasoline, but is sometimes less readily available than natural gas and the cost can fluctuate. You'll need to monitor and refill propane tanks to make sure you have the fuel necessary to ride out an extended outage. These products or services have not been evaluated by CNET's editorial staff.
A nice perk was the remote fob, which allowed us to start the generator from 90 feet away. Westinghouse WGen9500DF is an all-around top pick when the power goes out. It has a 6.6-gallon gasoline tank that will keep it running for 12 hours at 25 percent load and up to 8 hours at 50 percent load.
It requires professional installation, often required by local code, because it connects to electrical power at the meter and to a home’s gas line. This Champion 8,500-watt generator comes from a well-known manufacturer of quality generators, and it excelled in our hands-on tests. This dual-fuel generator runs on gasoline or propane, so if you stock up on both, you’ll be ready for any power emergency. An inverter generator uses the engine to create AC current by generating DC current and then inverting it to AC current. DC current is more efficient to generate, so an inverter generator operates cleaner, quieter, and more efficiently than a standard AC generator of similar size.
Before deciding on a home generator, you’ll need to consider factors such as the type, wattage, power source, and noise level to find the product that’s right for you. Read our guide below for more information about purchasing a home generator. Home generators require space for installation, so factor in the size of any model you're considering. The size of a generator ranges from compact units, with footprints less than 3 feet long, to large, liquid-cooled units that measure 5 feet or more in length. If you're looking for a well-equipped generator for your most commonly used appliances and conveniences, the Generac Guardian 24kW Home Generator is a great option. It offers the most power of all residential air-cooled generators and can be remotely monitored using Generac's Mobile Link Monitoring System.
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