How do standby

generatorS work?

If you have a generator installed

at your home or business, it is

certain to operate on either

propane or natural gas.

Generators of this sort are intended

sit on the outside of the residence or

business which it is intended to serve

and wait in a “standby” mode until the

power goes out and it is needed. Then,

when a power outage occurs,

the unit will automatically start up and

begin providing the building currently at

a loss of power with this “backup” power

supply. Therefore, if you are away from

your home or business where a

generator is installed & your

neighbourhood happens to lose power,

you don’t have to worry about anything!

Your freezer won’t run the risk of thawing

out, air conditioning or heat won’t shut

down, and absolutely everything else

that requires a source of power will

continue to function as programmed.

Finally, the unit which is completely

automatic will shut down/off when

the power is restored

How long does it take

for A generator to

turn on?

Typically, a generator will turn on

in as little as 15 seconds from the point

where normal power supply is lost.

From this point, a generator will

require an additional 10-15 seconds

to get warmed up and supply power

to the replacement capacity needed.

This means that if you were to lose

power at your home, then you can

estimated that your backup generator

will take just less then 30 seconds to

activate. You will barely notice any

downtime or delays and shall be able

to continue your day’s plans as per

usual!

How expensive IS IT

to run A generator?

The overall cost of running a generator

is directly associated to “how much fuel

you need/use”. Propane operated

generators seem to be slightly less

expensive when compared to natural gas

generators. However, propane generators

need to be refilled where natural gas

operated generators access permanently

installed household lines which provide a

constant/low maintenance source

of energy. In the end, the overall cost to

run a generator will be determined

by how long the outage was, & how

many appliances you want to run.

But let’s face it – if your power goes

out in August, the cost to keep the A/C

on is irrelevant to most of us – we just

want to stay cool! Plus an extended

outage could cause us to lose all the

food in our refrigerator or freezer –

so really, the cost of gas is not

too much of a concern for most

homeowners. At Saunders Electric

we not only sell generators, but we

professionally install and maintain

them. From the day you

purchase your generator, we partner

with you to make sure your generator

is not only working well on Day 1, but

for the life of the unit. Call us today

for more information on which

generator is right for you, or with

any generator questions you may have.

Do I need to maintain

or inspect the unit if

I haven’t used it?

Generators kick on when they

are needed. If you have not

experienced a power outage at

your home, you still should regularly

maintain your unit. Technicians can

come out to your house & test to make

sure all systems are running properly,

& that the oil & fuel lines are clear.

The last thing you want to see happen

is that you find out your unit isn’t

working properly after the power

has gone out. For best results, sign

on to a local dealer’s generator

maintenance plan.