Standby Generators for Sale in Canada Considerations to Look At

Standby Generators

A standby generator is a back-up electrical system that comes on automatically when your electricity goes off. They come on within seconds of an electrical outage. There is a transfer switch that is activated when power is interrupted.

These come in handy especially for people who rely on electricity for medical equipment. People with medical requirements need something like this so they don’t go without their equipment. Others use them mostly for the convenience of not losing electricity.

You can find these in many places in Canada. You can do a search of standby generators to see what pops up. You can find what you are looking for by doing that.

This article will tell you more about standby generators. It will give you some considerations to look at. You can also do more research to find information about the subject.

Considerations to Look For

• Power Requirements – You need to figure out what your power requirements are for your home or business: https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/generators/how-to-choose-the-right-size-generator-a4942266454/. You need to decide if you want the generator to power the whole building or just a portion of it. This will help you to decide how much you will need to spend on the generator, as well. The size of the generator is important for your needs.

• Fuel Type – There are three main fuel types for your generator – natural gas, propane, or diesel. Gasoline might seem to be the most convenient fuel, but it is not as good because it has a short stability life. Cost can be a factor again because the different fuels do have different prices.

• Who Will Install – You will need a licensed electrician and possibly a licensed plumber to do the job. Make sure you find reputable companies to do this work for you. You don’t want to have any issues when you try to use your generator. You want it to work properly when you need it.

• Where Will it Be Located? It needs to be located in a space that is easily accessible to work on when needed. See here for more information. It needs to be high enough to prevent water from getting into it. You need to comply with all codes when having it installed.

• What Enclosure Type? If you have the generator outside, you will need to decide what kind of enclosure you will need. You need to have an enclosure to keep the noise limited. If you have a residential generator, it will have the correct enclosure with it. Commercial and industrial generators have different choices for you.

• Voltage Requirements – There are common low voltages in the United States – 120/240 for a single phase. 120/208, 120/240, and 277/480 for three phase. You can see more about that here. If you are not sure about all of this, you need to speak to your electrician.

• Type of Transfer Switch – There are different types of transfer switches for your generator. Most of them have an automatic switch that will switch on its own when the electricity goes out. You can also have a manual switch if you choose, but it doesn’t save you much money to have one. Automatic switches will allow the generator to come on as soon as the power goes out.

• Accessory Requirements – You will have different accessories depending on the unit that you choose. Residential or light commercial systems offer a remote annunciator panel that will provide generator status. You can also get cold weather kits and remote monitoring systems. There are other accessories that you can add to your system.

• How Long is the Warranty? Generally, your warranty will be from one to five years. A commercial generator might have a warranty that will be from two to five years. An industrial one might have a warranty with one or two years with the chance to upgrade if you needed. You want to make sure that you get the longest warranty that you can to protect your unit.

• Maintenance – You will need to see who you want to maintain your purchase. You want to make sure that it is a reputable company that will make sure that it is taken care of properly. You should do regular maintenance on it to make sure that it will work when it is most needed. You don’t want it to break down when you need it.

Conclusion

There are many considerations that you need to look at when you are buying a new standby generator. You want to make sure that it is one that will fit your needs when the electricity goes out. You also want to make sure that you maintain it properly so that it will work when you need it. These come in handy especially for those with medical needs.