When searching for the right generator for home use, it depends on what exactly you are wanting to do with it. Are you just looking for a small generator to power lights and a few small appliances?
A small portable generator will work just fine for the small scale stuff.
For others it means a generator big enough to power their entire home.
So how do we choose what size generator to get?
If you plan to run your whole house, then you will want to either purchase a bigger unit or perhaps look into building a solar or wind generator according to what you need.
When I was growing up, we did not have electricity wired to our home so we used alternative power for things such as washers, some lighting, etc…and a small generator worked perfect for that.
Be very careful, however, what size generator you plug something like a vacuum cleaner into.
You can blow a vacuum cleaner by plugging it into too small of a power source! I know – I did it.
When we needed to run bigger items we ran power into the house from a big noisy diesel generator unit we had outside that was powering our shop, and that thing was big enough to power ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we could ever dream of having in our home!
Building your own generator for home use.
You can find some really great guides on building your own solar and wind system that will power your home,too.
If you CAN build your own solar or wind system, it will be your best option, BY FAR as a means for long term re-usable energy.
Propane is another source of energy to power a variety of appliances including generators for home power.
The nice thing with propane is that you can store enough to last for several years without the hassle of evaporation as with regular gas.
The Amish have lived off the grid for centuries and while they do use wind energy for power, one of their main sources for energy has always been propane.
You can power anything and everything from lights and heating to washers and dryers with propane.
Small Portable Generator for Backup Power
A 1500 -8000 watt is really all you need to have a small emergency source of power on hand to power a few small appplinces.
Don’t forget that you need to have some means of storing fuel for it as well… which is why it may not be a bad idea to go with a propane or diesel as both of those fuels store better than gas.
While our MAIN concern should be to make sure we have enough food stockpiled, safe drinking water etc for our families, there is no doubt about it that having SOME sort of a small generator for home makes anyone feel better and more prepared!
Before purchasing a generator for home use, you will want to visit Viola Bontrager’s site to research more Emergency Energy Options . This article, Generators For Home Use – How To Choose The Best One ? has free reprint rights.