When you go to your home improvement store, you’ll find an overwhelming assortment of generators. You can talk to your neighbors and the store employees for advice, but everyone has their own opinion when it comes to generators. By making an informed decision about the generator you purchase, you’ll know which one will fit your household needs and minimize the effects of a SHTF event.

Inverter or Non-Inverter

Good inverter generators give you stable energy for any device while the non-inverter ones can damage sensitive electronic circuits. If you use laptops and have the modern alarm systems choose an inverter.

Portable or Standby Generator

Portable generators are easy to manage and are also less costly. You will have to manually start it up and plug it into a sub panel or home appliances. For popular units, the price ranges from $267 to $7,439. When you buy a portable unit, do plug in a carbon monoxide detector.

Standby generators,can be powered by natural gas and can start automatically if you have a transfer switch. You can run your entire house on a 22kW generator. It disconnects you from utility power and turns itself on to transfer power to the electrical panel.

Choose the Right Output

During an emergency, it is not necessary to power up each and every appliance. Make a list of the essentials and add up the wattage they use. Use the minimum watts while calculating and then select a power generator that can handle 2 times the calculated amount.

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)

The older generators have a higher THD and therefore can damage your laptops, LCD TVs, cell phones and tablets. Choose a unit which has no more than 5% THD. Branded items are better and are backed by 5-year warranties. When buying Generac look for True Power Technology and with Kohler, look for Premium Power Quality.

Choose a Low Decibel Level

Look for a Generac generator that is 10dB quieter than other units.

Gas Powered or Diesel

While diesel generators are robust and reliable they also make a lot of noise and give out fumes that are dangerous for health. If you want a constant supply of gas you can buy a unit that runs on kitchen gas.

Save on Cost

Compare cost and look for rebates and discounts. Select a good brand that offers 5-year warranties.

Read Reviews

After you shortlist a few generators online, read their reviews.

Do you have any other advice for purchasing a generator? Is there a particular brand that you prefer?

Article Source: Prepper's Will