Why The Size Of A Home Generator Matters
Power outages are inconvenient and disrupt daily activities, especially during a severe storm. A power generator provides an effective solution during such situations, ensuring an uninterrupted electric supply to the home to run various electrical appliances and gadgets. Diesel, natural gas, and propane are the most common fuel options that generators run on. While looking to purchase and install a new generator, one of the essential considerations is to size it correctly. Experts stress the importance of properly sizing the generator to avoid a host of issues.
Two common mistakes that homeowners make is to install an oversized or undersized home generator for their needs. Buying a generator that is too big or too small comes with its own set of challenges and drawbacks.
Here are a few reasons highlighting why it matters to pick the right size generator for the home:
Ensure sufficient and reliable power supply
A generator supplies electrical power in watts and kilowatts. Installing an undersized or low-wattage generator would mean its failure in providing sufficient electricity to run the desired home electronic appliances. As the generator is too small and not rated to meet the electricity demands, it leads to voltage drop, slowing down the current supply to the appliances. Voltage drop causes operational issues as the devices fail to receive enough power to run at their optimum capacity. A properly sized generator ensures a consistent and efficient power supply to all the devices.
Avoid damage and extend system life
A small or undersized generator made to power devices larger than its capacity has to work harder, putting a lot of stress on the equipment. Loud banging noises from the equipment during operation, overheating, or clogging inside the unit due to inefficient filtering are some of the consequences of an overworked generator. An overheating generator poses a fire hazard. Overusing a low-wattage generator reduces its life expectancy significantly, causing several parts to fail or break down completely or require frequent maintenance and repairs.
Save money
Purchasing a generator too big for home needs comes with a high initial cost. Also, a generator producing more than the required power output burns more fuel and has higher maintenance costs, adding to the expenses. A generator sized perfectly for a home’s needs is more affordable, more efficient, and has low operational costs.
Protect the electronic appliances from damage
As stated above, an incorrectly sized home generator can cause issues like overheating or voltage drop. Due to an overworked or malfunctioning generator, the devices and appliances it powers may experience dimming or flickering lights, slow operation, or a power surge that can lead to severe damage, reduced lifespan, or complete failure.
Installing a correctly sized generator is crucial to avoid issues like capacity overload, insufficient power supply, unit failure, and damage to electronic devices. It ensures maximum system life and optimum performance. Call an electrician to conduct an energy audit to determine the amount of power different electrical appliances and devices that you want the generator to handle during a power outage require. An electric professional can suggest an ideal generator size to meet the home needs perfectly.
If you need a fast, affordable electrician for your home or business, call RSB Electrical at 480-485-4284.
